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“Oh. Okay. I guess I never asked what the date was.”
“June twentieth, 2040.”
He turned toward her. “What?”
She laughed. “I’m kidding.”
“Wow. Kid the guy who can’t remember his name or his fictional wealthy girlfriend.”
“You have to admit, it’d be kind of cool if you were a time traveler.”
“If it was 2040, this car would have a lot more miles on it.”
“Well, they are built to last.”
They passed through town and three miles beyond, then turned at a sign that read Beaver Cove. After another mile, Ember turned again and Scott’s driveway was a half-mile down. She turned at a row of mailboxes and pulled in frontof Scott’s house. It had light blue ship lap siding and white shutters. The covered porch wrapped all the way around the house. And the lake was two hundred feet away.
John got out of the car. “Wow. This place is great.”
“Isn’t it, though? I knew you’d like it.”
The front door opened and Scott came out to greet them. He was three years older than her, divorced, and juggling single-parenthood with his ex-wife, who he got along with most of the time. Ember half-expected her nephew to be there. But Scott was alone.
She gave him a hug, then nodded toward John. “This is John. John, this is my brother Scott.”
The men shook hands and John said, “Thank you for offering your home to me for a bit. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Em told me about your situation. I hope this helps. This place always helps me clear my head when I need someplace to think things through.”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
“Come on in. I’ll show you around.”
Scott gave John the tour and showed him which of the two bedrooms would be his. It was Aaron’s room, so it had a twin bed and a shelf full of stuffed animals, toys, and games.
“It’s my son’s room.”
“That’s fine. It’s great.”
“He’s at his mother’s for the week.”
Ember knew why Aaron wasn’t there. Scott didn’t know John. And just because she trusted him, he had to be wary, for Aaron’s sake. She understood that. But she hoped he’d soon see John was no threat to anybody.
“I put a few things on the bed for you. Em said we were about the same size. But you’re a bit taller than me.” He glanced at Ember and she shrugged.
“I couldn’t tell. He’s been lying in a hospital bed until this morning. We’ll go to town and get you some stuff tomorrow.”
John smiled. “I’m sure this is fine for now. Just a clean shirt will be great.”
Ember looked at him. “Do you want to shower? Or change? What do you want to do?”
“A shower actually sounds really good. Do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
Scott pointed at a closed door. “The bathroom is right there. The towels are clean and you should find what you need. Feel free to use whatever. Make yourself at home.”
“Thank you.” John went into the bathroom and closed the door.
