I leaned in and starting explaining the directions carefully. "Okay. I want you to think of a three digit number that's digits are decreasing. It can be any number you want, but it can't be the same written forward or backward. So, 432 will work, but 121 or 456 won't. That make sense?" I handed Jack a crayon and he nodded.
"I am going to write down what your number is going to be in the future." I wrote down '1089' on my ripped corner, then turned it upside-down on the table in front of Jack. "That is going to be your number. Now you write the number you have in your head down on this piece of paper."
"Can you see the number?" He asked, carefully hiding his number with his hand.
"Yes. Since I already wrote down what your future number will be, I can see it." Jack had chosen 431. "Now, subtract the mirror of this number. So subtract 134."
Jack carefully wrote out the numbers and began working his way through the problem. I helped him cross out the numbers and borrow from the bigger column. It took a moment but we got to the correct answer of 297.
"Is that the number you guessed?" Jack asked excitedly.
"We aren't done yet. We did subtraction, now we need some addition. We now need to add the mirror of this number." I watched as he furrowed his brow in concentration and looked at the numbers.
He carefully wrote 792 with a plus sign.
"Perfect. Now add them together, and I will show you that I knew the future," I whispered dramatically. Jack went to work, using his fingers to help him add, and without any help from me, he proudly displayed the number 1089.
I flipped the ripped piece of paper over, revealing the magic 1089 number I had written to begin with, and Jack clapped his hands in delight. "How'd you do that? You really must be magic!"
"It's just math. Still think it's stupid?" I asked.
He gave me a thoughtful look. "Maybe not all math is stupid. Could you show me another one?"
I laughed. "How about I show you how I did that one?"
He nodded furiously and I was about to get another piece of paper when the door behind the secretary's desk opened and two businessmen walked out. A handsome third man followed, his features strongly resembling Jack's.
"Daddy!" the young boy cried out, the magic math problem forgotten as his father welcomed him into a hug.
"What are you doing here, young man?" The older Saunders gave his son a warm smile. The stress sluiced off of his shoulders as he held his young son.
"I came to bring you a present. I got lost, but Ms. Rachel helped me," Jack said, pointing back to where I still sat surrounded by crayons.
"Well, that was very nice of her," Mr. Saunders said. He walked over to shake my hand. "I don't believe we've met."
"We haven't, sir. I'm Rachel Weber. I saw him walking along the street by himself, and I thought he could use some help," I said, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
"Rachel Weber? The designer my wife won't stop talking about?" Daniel Saunders' blue eyes caught mine, showing me a depth of warmth and intelligence.
"I guess that's me," I said, feeling a blush starting in my cheeks.
"Daddy, Daddy! Ms. Rachel showed me a math trick! She says she'll teach it to me!" Jack interjected, pulling on his father's clothing. Mr. Saunders laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Did she, now? My Jack excited about a math trick? You must have supernatural powers, Ms. Rachel," he said with a wink. "Grab that present I see there and the two of you come into my office."
Jack scrambled for the present, a never-ending flow of words pouring from his mouth as he started to tell his father about how he sneaked out from the house and found his way here. I was given a hero's treatment in his story. Daniel nodded, and once we were all in his office, he pulled the young boy onto his lap, laughing as Jack handed him the present.
"Open it, open it!" Jack squealed. Daniel opened the wrapper carefully, letting the suspense build until Jack was nearly vibrating with excitement.
"Oh, Jack! This is beautiful! I'll put it right here on my desk where everyone can see it. Thank you, Son." Daniel said. He gave Jack a big hug, and Jack beamed with pride.
"Oh, I forgot the card. It's out on the table. I'll go get it," Jack said. He jumped from his father's lap and hurried out the door.
As soon as Jack was out the door, Daniel turned to me. "Thank you for taking care of him. He sneaks out to try and see me whenever he can. You didn't have to stop and pick him up, and I really appreciate it," Daniel said. His blue eyes caught mine again. They were darker than Dean's, with almost a green coloring. My heart hurt a little bit just thinking about him. I wondered if I would ever see blue eyes again without thinking of Dean's.
"He's a good kid. He was so excited to bring you your Father's Day gift." I smiled as I looked out the door. Jack had gotten distracted and was showing the secretary his handmade card. She was oohing and ahhing appropriately and that was making Jack's face light up.
"I can't thank you enough. That boy is the light of my world. I am making this company all that it can be so he can take it over someday." Daniel's gaze followed my own, a smile of pride at his son caressing his features.
"Maybe he and his sibling will run it together," I mused.
"What?" he asked, as if he didn't realize he had another kid on the way. "Oh, perhaps. To be honest, we weren't expecting this second one. Well, if the little one takes an interest in business, then he, or she, is more than welcome to help Jack run it. I just want them to be happy and for the business to stay in the family." Daniel sat down behind his desk and picked up the photograph, the messy stickers and paint of the frame making him smile. He made sure to place it where it would be prominently displayed.
Jack ran into the office, his cheeks pink with smiles as he handed the card to his father. Daniel read it out loud and set it in a place of honor next to the picture frame.
"What did you do for your dad for Father's Day, Ms. Rachel?" Jack asked, turning to face me. "If you forgot, you could use our phone to call him."
"That's very kind of you, Jack, but I can't call him. My dad died when I was little, so I can't call him on the phone. Thank you, though," I answered. Jack and Daniel both looked at me with sad eyes. There was definitely more of Daniel than Bianca in Jack.
"You can share my dad with me then." A big smile spread across Jack's face as he came up with the idea. "He's a pretty good dad, and then you can stay with me in my fort."
"Thank you, Jack. That is very kind of you. You must be a good sharer." I said, managing to keep a straight face. Daniel was beet red, shaking his head at his son. "I should head back to my hotel. I need to get some designs down on paper to show Mrs. Saunders tomorrow."
"Do you have to go?" Jack whined. "I wanted to learn how to do that math trick."
"Still interested in that math trick, huh?" Daniel looked down at his son.
"Ms. Rachel promised to show me how she did it. I did the addition part all by myself! I like math now!" Jack bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.
Daniel leaned over and put his hands on Jack's shoulders, a serious look on his face. "Who are you, and what have you done with my son?" Jack giggled.
"I'll show you how to do it another time. Until then, just practice that subtraction. You were so close to doing it all on your own," I said, kneeling down to his level. He grinned at me and gave me a hug. It surprised me, but I hugged him back.
Daniel watched us for a moment, a smile starting to form as an idea took hold. "Ms. Rachel, what are your current job plans, other than designing some clothing for my wife?"
I sighed. "Well, I'm waiting to hear back on some internships, but given that it's June, I'm not holding my breath." I stood up from hugging Jack, smoothing the fabric on my vest.
Daniel's smile continued to grow. "Would you possibly be interested in a job? I think I have something that would be perfect for you."
Chapter 21
Present Day
The drive was just as awkward as I was afraid it was going to be. I drove carefully, heading down the highway to the small town on the Atlantic coast. The county jail was only a couple of blocks from the marina. I had, unfortunately, been there to pick Robbie up for public intoxication. Twice. The hospital was only a few streets down from that; luckily, I had never been there, but it would be easy enough to find.
Dean sat comfortably in the passenger seat, his long legs crossed as he looked out the window. We had started out making polite conversation, remarking on the weather- it was supposed to rain later- and how the football season was going. Neither one of us really had the time to follow sports, so that was a short conversation. I didn't really want to discuss the current situation with Robbie, and anything regarding the Saunders family was dangerous due to Daniel's condition. Our usually easy conversations, just didn't seem to flow. Our minds were elsewhere. As a result, we sat in silence, listening to the radio. At least we both liked the oldies radio station.
About halfway there, the sky started to drip. At first it was just a couple of big, wet drops, splattering across the windshield. Our little black car hurtled forward, undaunted, into the darkening clouds. Lightning flashed, blinding the sky. I glanced over at Dean as the thunder shook the car windows.
"Some storm, huh?" I gave him a nervous smile.
He nodded, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward in his seat to peer out the windshield at the threatening sky. As if just looking had torn a hole in the sky, rain began to pour. Water sloshed across the road, the falling rain too thick to see through. I tapped on the brakes, feeling the car wiggle on the wet road. Lightning seared across the sky, thunder hot on its heels. This was not a good place to be.
I zeroed in on the brake-lights of the car in front of me, barely able to see them through the storm. Without warning, the car lurched, water stealing the wheels and veering us off the road. I made an undignified sound as I managed to keep control of the car, keeping it from flipping as we hydroplaned across the highway. Lightning scorched the sky, blinding me as I struggled to keep the car from sending the two of us to a watery grave.
I barely registered the thunder, the smearing rain on the windows, or the strange sound the tires made as they powered through the river running down the road. From the corner of my eye, I could see Dean bracing himself against the car, a frown pulling his eyebrows together.
Our last kiss was all I could think of. The way his lips felt soft against mine. The little patch of skin he had missed while shaving that tickled my cheek. His hands, the way the pressed me into him, the way his body held mine like we were made for one another. Imminent death made me think of losing him like I did so many years ago. The steering wheel lurched as we came out of the hydroplane and onto solid pavement again, sucking me out of my memory. I pulled off on the closest shoulder, my knuckles white around the steering wheel.
"You okay?" Dean asked, putting a hand on my arm. I gave him a weak smile, still gripping the steering wheel like the car might fly off at any second. He gave me one of his perfect crooked grins, put on the parking break, and slid his hand down my arm. His skin was warm against mine, his hand infusing a calm energy into me. He carefully unpried my fingers from the steering wheel, wrapping his hand around mine. I realized I was shaking.