An Altered Course Read online

  Fuck, I’ve hurt his feelings, Michael thought. I can’t deal with this right now. “I’m just in the middle of a critical project for the government, and I took my frustration out on you. If you wouldn’t mind telling my father I’ll be up to see him tomorrow, I’d appreciate that.” Hopefully, he won’t think that’s too much trouble.

  “You can count on me, Mr. Eldridge. What time should I tell him to expect you?” Michael could almost see the forked tongue flicking between the other man’s lips. I don’t know when I’ll get up there for sure, why can’t he just leave Dad a simple message? Shit, now I have to make time.

  “Tell him I’ll visit after lunch to take him for a ride.” Now fuck off you snake and let me get back to work. He saw his dad sitting in the chair waiting for him, and he felt guilty.

  “That will do nicely, Mr. Eldridge. I'll let him know and make sure he’s ready when you get here. Goodbye.” The click on the line happened before Michael could respond.

  “Prick,” he snarled as he put the receiver back in the cradle. “I should just go take Dad out of there. He’d probably be fine at my place if I hired a full-time nurse.” Yeah, but you know that would cause more problems, his mind said. What if Heather and I start dating, Dad would be in the way. He heard his mother’s voice for the first time in many years. “Your father is more important than any woman you meet. He looked after you all those years when you were younger and paid for your college education, the least you can do is take care of him now that he’s not getting around so well.”

  “I know, Mom.” His whispered voice seemed suddenly loud in the office. “I’ve lost track of time, and he’s paid the price.” He reached over and pushed the intercom button.

  “Christen, can you make a point of reminding me to go see my father tomorrow afternoon?”

  “Yes, sir,” the sultry voice of his secretary replied.

  “No matter where I am or what I’m doing, don’t take no for an answer, please.”

  “Even if I need to drag you there myself, sir.” He could hear the smile in her voice.

  His mind returned to the cell phone. He picked up a small screwdriver and began to twist out the screws on the back of the casing. Five minutes later, the top of the desk was covered with all the separate parts that made up the phone. Circuit boards, battery, speakers, and the case lay in front of him.

  He picked up the circuit board and examined the wiring pattern. The incoming radio signal activated the call. The phone stayed in ready mode until the call came in and then made the bell ring. Computer code was the same. All he had to do was modify the computer to send a signal for him to return. “What the hell, being able to call the computer to bring me back would be even better. I could stay there as long as I wanted.” He smiled happily and dumped most of the telephone parts into the nearest garbage can.

  His office phone rang. The button next to the name of his chief technician was lit.

  “Yes, Randal, how are you doing?”

  “Complete success, sir. We’re packaging the probe for transport to New York. The truck should arrive by Monday, and they’ll be ready for testing first thing in the morning.”

  “Well done.” Michael was going to hang up, but thought of something else. “Randal, I’ve just decided to fly out to meet the probe in New York. Could you let the team there know I’m coming, please?”

  “Very well, sir,” she replied before he ended the call.

  He’d decided to take his father. The old man would enjoy the trip, and Michael would have an opportunity to get him out of the retirement home for a few days. They’d spend some father-son time together—that’s if his mind can keep up. The dementia had gotten worse since he’d moved his father to California.

  He looked down at the electronic pieces on the desk. What if I had convinced Mom to see a doctor? She’d still be alive, and maybe Dad wouldn’t be in that retirement home. I’ll rethink taking him out of there after Joe, he thought.

  Randal stared out of his office at the crew sliding the probe into a crate. The space machine looked like a giant caterpillar in a cocoon. There was enough plastic wrapped around the contraption to stop a bullet, but better safe than sorry. The real probe, the one going into space, was already at the launch site in Florida waiting for the clearance to load it onto the rocket. This one was the guinea pig, the stunt double, built to do all the hard work.

  He was proud to be part of this company and the work they did for the space program and for technology in general. Before Michael had found him, Randal remembered the mind-numbing days at another company building home computers. Personal computers they called them, but they were nearly the size of a sofa and the user had to type in particular lines of code to make them work. The technology changed faster than normal people understood and they kept paying thousands of dollars for junk.

  His own creation became part of the system here at the lab. Michael had taken every suggestion Randal made and built the juggernaut that ran this place. He smiled. There wouldn’t be any acknowledgment of his contribution, but some day he’d be able to design and distribute a machine that could truly revolutionize the personal computer business.

  He sighed. The men were moving around a crate surrounding the probe. Michael was going to New York, which he hoped didn’t mean he’d screwed up somehow. He focused on the men in time to see the crate lid being lowered onto the hand of one of his crew.

  “Watch out!” he shouted. All eyes turned, and the man whose fingers were about to be crushed moved them in time.

  “Didn’t you see his hand up there?” he demanded, rushing out of the office toward the crane operator. “If I hadn’t shouted, the lid would’ve crushed it. Jesus H. Christ, as if there isn’t enough pressure with this project. Let’s be careful, but hurry up and get that thing loaded on the truck. They need to be there by Sunday so the technicians can set up for the tests on Monday.” He walked away, shaking. I shouldn’t have shouted at them. They don’t understand how important this project is to the company...to me. If that man had lost his hand, the days of paperwork would have delayed the crate here until the investigation was over.

  Randal slumped into his chair behind the desk and ran a hand down his face. I need a drink. I do, but I can’t, he reminded himself. I’d only need to have one to send me back to that other company or worse. All you’d be is a drunk with a screwdriver. You’ve come a long way since then, and there’s too much to lose so forget the booze and get back to work. He sighed and let the last of the adrenaline slip out of his system. Pulling open the closest file folder, he began making notes on the current progress of readying the probe for space.

  Chapter 5

  Michael stared down at the cell phone circuit board in his hand. A plan was forming in his mind, but until all the details were clear, he wouldn’t know if they were correct. Similar to a jigsaw puzzle, you have the picture of the finished product but getting all the pieces to fit takes patience. He worked out every problem the same way. Once he’d started thinking, he needed to let his brain do its job, coming to the most logical conclusion.

  He shrugged and set the part on the desk before reaching for the telephone. Punching in the number for his private hangar at the airport, he waited and listened to the ringing on the other end of the line. Someone answered on the third ring.

  “Hello, this is Sam,” a burly voice growled.

  “Sam, it’s Michael. How is my plane today?”

  “Chomping at the bit, sir, just waitin’ to fly.” The chuckle that followed sounded like distant thunder. There was even an echo in the background.

  “Good, I’ll be heading to New York on Friday. If you can file a flight plan and book me a car, that would be much appreciated. I’m taking my father with me, Sam, so no loops or rolls on the way.”

  “Me, sir, I’d never do anything like that.” This time, there was a hearty laugh.

  Sam had retired as a Navy pilot ten years ago, still a young man age-wise, but too old for military service. He was ten years o
lder than Michael but had the temperament of someone half that age.

  Mike had been at the airport inspecting a possible private jet for the company, and Sam was there working on the tow truck, hauling planes out of hangars. The laugh caught Mike’s attention— deep, infectious, rumbling sounds. When he looked around, he saw a stocky man with a crew cut driving a service vehicle away from a corporate jet. Sam was hired the same day the airplane was purchased.

  “A Hawker-Siddeley 800B is not a toy,” Sam said before they took to the air for the first time together. “She’s delicate and temperamental. There must be plenty of attention paid to her, or she’ll give you nothing but grief.” He was serious, or at least Michael thought he was.

  “I know about calling a plane she, but is this one really that much trouble?” He was having second thoughts about buying a troublesome airplane.

  “This is the best corporate jet in the air these days, and that’s saying something. I’d stake my life on it.” The mischievous twinkle in the pilot’s eyes made Michael hesitant about asking any further questions, but he had to know for sure.

  “Well, you wouldn’t be risking just your own life; you’d also be putting mine at risk. Is this a worthwhile plane or not, Sam?”

  “Mr. Eldridge, of all the jets in the air today, I can tell you with certainty that this is the closest I’ve ever come to flying a fighter plane. She cuts through the air like a knife, responds quickly, and purrs like a woman having the best sex of her life. This aircraft is perfect, but all I’m saying is that she needs to be cuddled once in a while,” he laughed loudly at the shocked expression on Michael’s face.

  “I’m glad to hear that. You can do all the cuddling you like, and I’ll ride inside.” Since then, they’d been all over the world together. Sam treated him in a casual manner, but their relationship didn’t extend to him using his boss’s first name. Michael accepted the formality of being called sir, but he didn’t believe it was necessary.

  “Christen, could you please book me my usual room in New York for four days starting Friday night. I’m taking my father, so there’ll be two in there, and Sam needs a room for the same time.”

  “Yes sir,” she purred.

  “Thank you,” he replied. Her voice always made his stomach flutter like a teenager in heat. Swiveling his chair, he gazed out the window at the clear blue sky overhead. The valley climbed from the parking lot toward the hills and mountains. If he squinted, he could just make out the roof of his house on the hillside twenty miles away.

  He’d work on the phone tonight and reprogram the computer to listen for the signal. The processor needed to send something that sounded like a radio tone to the phone, but that shouldn’t be difficult to duplicate. His mind was already envisioning the work happening in the computer room at home.

  He glanced at his watch–four o’clock. His stomach rumbled in complaint at missing lunch. Inspiration struck him, and he reached for the telephone, punching the number for Heather Sykes’ office.

  “Yes, sir,” she answered sweetly. A tickle ran down his spine at the sound of her voice. He wasn’t used to dealing with women on an intimate level. They were a complete mystery to him; dating had always scared him. Heather was someone he had to deal with at work and if all went well, on a close personal level. He wanted that relationship to become a reality more than ever before in his life.

  “What are you doing for supper?” He was suddenly nervous about her answer.

  “I’m not doing anything. What did you have in mind?”

  “I was thinking maybe we could eat together. Do you have any preferences?” He was beginning to relax.

  “There’s a new place on Grover I’d like to try, a Greek place I think. Do you want me to call and find out if we can get in tonight?”

  “Yes please, and if they’re booked, then anywhere else you like is fine with me. I’ll pick you up at your office at five-thirty sharp.” He emphasized the last word from habit.

  “I’ll be ready,” she sounded delighted.

  Michael sat back, smiling. Small steps, Michael, he thought. She wants a relationship, not a one-night-stand. Trying to imagine the rest of his life alongside Heather seemed like a dark tunnel filled with needs and desires he had never allowed into his life. Is that a bad thing, he wondered, or maybe I should just become a monk. I don’t know, but once I get the time machine running, I’ll take a trip forward and see how my life ends up. That might be a bad idea, some unknown voice said in his head.

  He walked into the advertising department at five-thirty, nodding to several of the faces he recognized. Heather came out of her corner office to meet him half way. Her whole face lit up as she saw him; her smile gave his stomach butterflies.

  “I told you I’d be ready.” She breathed and slipped an arm through his as they turned to leave the office.

  “Yes, you did, but waiting wouldn’t have been a problem. There are lots of other cute girls to talk to here.” He tried to keep a straight face, but she punched his arm and he giggled. Emotionally, he felt fourteen again.

  Half an hour later, they entered the restaurant, a casual, family-style place. Plenty of Greek pictures and fake sculptures peeked out from among the plants. Male and female waiters dressed in traditional costumes hustled food and people to tables, and Greek music or whatever passed for it belched from hidden speakers around the room.

  A tall man with an accent and a drooping mustache, dressed in a dark suit met them and showed the couple to a table near the window. There was a candle in an old wine bottle wrapped in string or jute or something in the middle of a blue and white checkered tablecloth.

  Tacky, Michael thought, but if the food’s good who am I to judge. Heather was arranging her purse and jacket on the chair beside her. He looked at her face and decided that being with her couldn’t possibly be the worst thing in his life...now or in the future. An unconscious smile crept across his face.

  She caught him. “What?”

  “Nothing,” he stammered, trying to hide his embarrassment.

  “You were smiling like a circus clown, and I’d like to know what was so amusing.” Her lovely green eyes were turning black, and her mouth was held tight in a thin red line.

  “Ok, I was thinking about how lucky I’d be to spend the rest of my life with you.” He smiled brightly, but her expression didn’t change. She must think I’m lying to her. Why would I do that? “Honest, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” Now his anger flared a little, concerned that he’d misjudged her intentions last night.

  Her face softened into a sexy smile. God, he loved how it lit up her face.

  “All right, I’ll believe you this time, but what changed your mind?”

  “My mind hasn’t changed about getting serious before the project is over, but I’m changing my attitude toward being involved in a long-term relationship. Up until now, I’ve never needed or wanted someone to share my life with. I wasn’t looking for anyone when you came to the door last night. Your openness took me by surprise, Heather. I didn’t know what to do.” Why am I saying this to her? I’ve always been tongue-tied around women, but this is easy.

  Her hand touched his, stirring up the butterflies in his stomach again. This is crazy, I’m about to leap into a relationship with this gorgeous woman, and she doesn’t know anything about me or what I’m going to do. I must tell her about the time travel before it’s too late. He was about to open his mouth when she spoke.

  “You should know something about me before we go any further.” She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away. Just then, the waiter came to take their order for drinks and food. Michael ordered a beer and personal sized Greek pizza; she decided on white wine and Souvlaki. They sat in silence until their drinks arrived. After a sip of her wine, she began her story.

  “You already know my brother was the big bully in school, but what you don’t know is the reason he picked on you in particular.” She smiled, but there was sadness in her expression. “He didn’t like the fact th
at I had a crush on you back then. I think he started in on you as a way of defending me. After high school, you went off to college. For a few years, I forgot about you and went to a university in Boston to get a degree in advertising and political science. I know,” she smiled. “They’re a strange combination, but I didn’t know which one interested me more. Anyway, about then, you started the company. I was in Europe when you first made the cover of Time. You wouldn’t believe how excited and homesick that made me feel when I saw your face on the newsstand in a dingy lobby of a Belgium hotel. Your gorgeous blue eyes staring up at me from that front page, and I knew right then where I needed to be. I spent a year trying to get past the hordes of people who thought they need to protect you, but eventually, I was hired. The rest they say is history, and I’ve been watching and dreaming of you every day since.” Her hand trembled as she lifted her glass to her lips. Embarrassment colored her face a brilliant red.

  Their food came at that moment. He carefully lifted a slice of hot pizza to his lips and bit into the tangy sauce, cheeses, olives, and other toppings. Her dainty fingers lifted a skewer of meat and vegetables off the bed of rice. His eyes watched her open her mouth, her tongue caressing the meat, her lips closing and then pulling the chunk of food off the stick. He stopped chewing.

  “Oh this is soooo goood,” she purred. “How’s your pizza?”

  He gulped. “Delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had Greek pizza before. I’m not sure what this white stuff is, but it’s tasty.”

  “That’s feta cheese made from goats’ milk I think.” Her smile was driving him nuts, and the beer wasn’t helping keep his emotions in check. He’d never been a heavy drinker, but he liked to be sociable.

  “I had a crush on you in school, too,” he said between bites. Her fork clattered on the table. Shit, she’s going to be upset now, he thought and rushed on without looking at her. “I was a shy, gawky kid back then. I got all tongue-tied whenever I had to speak to a girl or a woman. Do you remember Miss Belfridge? Even she made me weak in the knees.” He heard her giggle. “I knew your brother Brad was trying to keep me away from you. He told me so one day in high school. By then, I was only interested in going to college. Dating wasn’t a priority.” He picked at the tablecloth for a moment. “Sad, isn’t it? All those years we both wanted the same thing and pushed away any relationships because we thought we’d lost our chance. We could have had different lives together if we’d seen the signs. I hope we’re not too late.”