Misplaced in Time

By Kathryn Kaleigh

They called it the Great American Eclipse. A once in a lifetime event. People journeyed to Tennessee from all over just to watch those few minutes as day turned to night.

 

And back again.

 

Melissa watched with her current boyfriend. Trying not to think about the life she tragically lost.

 

Los

• Language: English
• Publisher: KST Publishing Inc.
• Release date: Apr 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869292933

Kathryn Kaleigh

Writer. Daydreamer. Hopeless romantic. Romance Writer Kathryn Kaleigh's stories span from the past to the present. She writes sweet contemporary romances,  time travel fantasy, and historical romances. From her imaginative meet-cutes to her happily-ever-afters, her writing keeps readers coming back for more. www.kathrynkaleigh.com

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Iwalked alongside my current boyfriend. Garth.

We were both wearing shorts and t-shirts. Dark sunshades. I was wearing a white floppy straw hat and Garth was wearing a BMW baseball cap.

It was hot. Nearly ninety degrees.

Nothing less was expected in Nashville, Tennessee in August.

It was a Monday and we should have been at work. But it seemed like the whole state had closed down for what they were calling the Great American Eclipse.

Our sneakers crunched on the rocky path that led from the parking lot to the Cumberland River bank.

It smelled a bit like rotting fish in a hot oven.

There were already at least a hundred people here, older people sitting in their lawn chairs, teens sitting on the ground, and kids running around like crazy.

Garth and I had driven up from Memphis this morning in his new little BMW sports car.

The drive that should have taken us three and half hours from my door step to the park on the Cumberland River had only taken three hours.

Garth drove like a wild idiot.

My hands were sore from literally holding on to the edges of the seat.

To be the outwardly conservative vice-president of a bank, he had something of a wild side.

I sometimes wondered if that was what had drawn me to him.

It was probably just his sinfully good looks and undaunted persistence.

We worked together for a year before he asked me out for a drink. I said no for six months.

We’d been dating for six months.

So I’d known Garth for two years.

He’d been planning this trip to Nashville for the eclipse for months.

I hadn’t planned on coming, but in his usual way, he’d been persistent.

Garth always seemed to get his way.

During the time I’d known him, he’d moved up to vice-president and was essentially one of my bosses.

It made our relationship complicated, at least in my mind.

Anytime I tried to talk with Garth about it, he just changed the subject.

Fortunately, we had some things in common.

We both grew up in small southern towns, watching the same televisions shows and commercials.

Perhaps that wasn’t enough to base a relationship on, but it worked.

Sometimes I felt like I was numb on the inside.

I liked Garth well enough, but that flame I’d carried for my college sweetheart had never been matched.

And the truth was, I didn’t expect it to be.

So here I was.

About to witness the Great American Eclipse with a boyfriend that I could take or leave.

There’s an empty spot, he said, pointing to an empty spot beneath the trees, a few yards from the river.

He spread out the blanket he’d brought on the ground and held my hand while I sat.

We might could have done well to graduate to the lawn chairs.

But apparently, Garth wasn’t ready for that category.

CHAPTER 2

Ileaned back on my elbows, looking up at the clear sky.

I was deep in thought about how I should have brought some sunscreen.

I rarely went outside, so I burned easily.

Outside just wasn’t my thing.

I had a degree in finance and I preferred to spend my time indoors. Working mostly. When I had time off, I wanted to spend it watching a good movie or reading a book. Not baking in the heat.

That’s why we had air conditioning.

Garth had spied a concession stand and had gone off to get us corndogs or whatever he could find to eat.

It was amazing that Garth, with the way he never missed a meal, stayed as lean as he was.

Sometimes I’d forget and go all day without food.

That was just how I was raised. To punctuate my days in ways other than meals.

And that was another way that Garth and I were different.

Anytime I let myself think about that, I found myself comparing Garth with Justin.

Garth was distant whereas Justin had been warm and affectionate.

Sometimes I didn’t know from one week to the next whether Garth and I were still a couple.

We’d never even discussed exclusivity. Not really. Not to the point that I had it all clarified in my mind.

With Justin it had been different.

Justin and I had gone through the whole process.

In fact, I still wore the engagement ring he’d given me around my neck.

It was a lovely diamond ring and I’d wear it on my finger, but I didn’t like answering the inevitable questions.

Besides, wearing it beneath my shirt made me feel closer to him.

It was starting to get a little bit dark. Sort of like an early twilight.

Everyone was staring up at the sky. A lot of them wearing goofy glasses.

I glanced at my watch. According to Garth, it was supposed to start getting dark around noon.

I watched the sky, curious now to see just what was going to happen.

I saw Garth heading back, a bag of food in his hands.

He dropped the bag to the blanket and sat down next to me.

I almost didn’t make it, he said.

I don’t think it’s something you can miss, I said.

No, Garth said, "but