Days of Future Past
by Sally Smith O'Rourke
It is by no means an irrational fancy that, in a future existence, we shall look upon what we think of as our present existence, as a dream. --Edgar Allen Poe
Fate sometimes conspires to right a decades-old wrong. And the 6.8 earthquake that strikes Southern California one warm March night is the fateful event that brings family therapist Ann Hart and trauma specialist Ted McConaughy back together. In search of her cell phone after the tremor, Ann picks up a shard of vintage cut glass from a collection she and her husband gathered during the four years of their marriage. For the millionth time she thinks about the day six years ago when he disappeared on a search and rescue mission in the Sierra foothills.
Sitting atop the shattered crystal, a small silver cigar lighter glistens in the beam of her flashlight. Gently she returns the Victorian piece to the shelf. What does it mean that something she and Ted, her ex-fiancé, bought together survived when Alex’s beautiful glass is smashed to dust? Ann tells herself that it doesn’t mean anything more than glass breaks and silver doesn’t.
Sara Jane McConaughy has never experienced a strong earthquake, and as her father comforts his 16-year-old daughter, his mind is flooded with memories of the Northridge quake in 1994. He was living with his fiancée, his ex-fiancée, and even after all these years he doesn’t know what caused the split, but he always loved her. And he’d been sure she loved him.
Volunteering with the American Red Cross in the aftermath of the earthquake brings Ann and Ted face-to-face for the first time since their break-up, twenty years ago. Angry, flustered, excited, and bewildered by Ted’s sudden appearance and unusual behavior while she’s teaching a small group of people relaxing exercises, Ann demands he leave. Just as excited and bewildered, Ted rushes away. His exit leaves both of them wondering about … everything. The earthquake (or is it seeing Ann?) ignites a series of recurring dreams peopled by total strangers in places Ted has never been.
Accompanied by short lapses of time and sleepwalking, the dreams take a heavy toll on his waking hours. Sara Jane’s concern sends Ted on a quest to discover the cause and find a cure. When all medical possibilities are exhausted, he turns to a colleague, whose diagnosis leaves Ted more baffled than ever. Tom Alderman believes that the dreams are memories of past lives. The lives live in his subconscious, and the cure is hypnotherapy.
After several months of suffering with these increasingly emotional recurring dreams, Ted turns to Ann for help. One of Ann’s specialties is hypnotherapy and since he must be able to trust the hypnotist, Ann is his only salvation. Ann’s agreement to try and help (at the urging of a mutual friend) sends her carefully regimented and calm life into complete turmoil. The garden gate they pass through together sends them on a journey that defies time and reason, forcing them to rethink their past, present, and future. Now, each must reconsider their capacity for love and forgiveness. Things are not always what they seem.
"This author does an amazing job of interweaving the beauty of another day and age with the harsh modern world. Mystery lovers will be pleased, but the romantic and mystical, even supernatural fans out there, will be over the moon for this one." ~Amy Lignor
"From the intriguing dialogue to the expansive plot that wraps around a truly unforgettable couple, this book has it all!" ~ Feathered Quill Book Reviews
Excerpt
Thursday, March 13
THE courtyard of Toni’s
building was unnervingly quiet. The terrarium-like space with a waterfall-fed
pond and stream stood silent and dry. The
earthquake must have damaged the water system in the building. It made him
wonder if Toni would even be in her office. There was no one around, but the
faint sound of clanging metal hammering metal indicated that workers were
there.
The door to
Toni’s office stood partially open. If
she wasn’t there would her door be open? Perhaps her last patient left and
the next had not yet arrived. His footsteps seemed to echo in the stillness of
the landscaped atrium. He stood at the open door gathering his courage, finally
pushing it open the rest of the way.
The office
reminded him of a study or library in an English manor house. The centerpiece
of the room was a large desk, mahogany perhaps. A dusty rose leather chair sat
behind it. At one end of the large room was a conversation area. There was a
small oval table separating a loveseat and two comfortable looking chairs.
Knowing Toni, he suspected several of the pieces were antique.
There was no
trite theme like ‘English Country Cottage’ and no obvious color scheme either.
It wasn’t the usual therapist’s office with blue or yellow walls with decorations
that theoretically created a calming atmosphere. Like Toni, this room was warm
and inviting. It was a gift she had, making people comfortable.
He stepped
into the office. At the other end of the room was a spiral staircase of highly
polished wood which led to a loft surrounded by railings matching the
staircase. He assumed the earthquake had caused the empty shelves that lined
the balcony.
He strained
to see if she was upstairs and took a few steps backwards until he bumped into
one of the chairs in the conversation area. There she was, sitting on the floor
stacking books after wiping them off with a cloth. The sun streamed through the
skylight highlighting glints of copper in her hair. She was wearing it up,
accentuating the curve of her neck. He remembered how the chestnut tresses
looked when they tumbled in soft waves over her shoulders and down her back. He
sighed.
He hadn’t
really seen her yesterday, so he didn’t realize how lovely she still was …
yesterday! That was why he was here, to apologize for whatever it was he’d
done. He sat on the arm of the closest chair and cleared his throat.
Ann glanced
over her shoulder assuming it was one of the workmen who had been coming in and
out since she arrived. She couldn’t have been more surprised. She got up and
went to the railing.
“How did you
find me?”
He blew out
the breath he’d been holding. “My powers of deduction are quite remarkable
these days … you’re listed in information.”
“Oh.” Her
stomach was suddenly tied in knots.
“When did you
change your name?”
“I got
married, if it’s any of your business.”
“I meant your
first name.”
“Ann is more
professional than Toni.”
“Toni suits
you.”
“It suited
the child I was. What do you want?”
“I want to
apologize.”
“For what?”
“Yesterday.”
Eager for him
to leave, she rushed to say, “Apology accepted.” She hesitated a fraction of a
moment. “You can go now,” she said and started to turn away.
“I’d like to
talk.”
“About what?”
“You could
tell me what you’ve been doing.”
“I have no
desire to have a conversation with you about anything, certainly not about my
life.” She had the souvenir box from Big Bear in her hand, and she almost threw
it at him, but controlled herself. “Look, I accepted the apology for your
bizarre behavior yesterday, so why are you still here?”
Ted slipped
off the arm of the chair into the seat. “Why are you so angry?”
She glared at
him from her perch in the loft and could see in his eyes that he really didn’t
know why. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, turning her back to the
room. Why was she still angry after all these years? Uncle Jamie had tried many
times to get her to purge the anger, but even through her happy years with Alex
she held on to it. If she had a patient doing this, she’d be counseling to let
it go. So why couldn’t she?
Her thoughts
thus engaged and her back to the room she didn’t see Ted move from the
conversation area to the foot of the stairs. She turned at the sound of an
unfamiliar voice.
“Miss?”
Ann rubbed
her eyes dry before turning. “What?”
Speaking with
a soft Scottish brogue Ted said, “I would know your name.”
She stepped
to the head of the stairs. “What?”
“Your name
Miss, what is your name?”
Now, what was
happening? Ted was standing there looking up at her, but it wasn’t Ted. What did that even mean? Assuming it would
be like yesterday, she braced herself for another explosive confrontation. She
looked into his eyes; it definitely wasn’t Ted looking back. What was going on?
Whatever it was, she was concerned that he might become as volatile as he had
been the day before so thought it best to play along until she could figure out
what he was doing.
Slowly she
said, “Ann Hart, my name is Ann Hart.”
Author Sally Smith O'Rourke
Sally Smith O’Rourke, a native Californian, lives in a small Victorian village in southern California. She is the author of the much acclaimed Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen, her first solo novel. She is also co-author with her late husband Michael O’Rourke (aka F. M. O’Rourke) of The Man Who Loved Jane Austen (Kensington Books, 2006), The Maidenstone Lighthouse (Kensington Books, 2007), and Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage (Kensington Books, 2009).
Previously, Sally worked on network television, feature films, and documentaries in science, medicine, and aviation. She owned and operated a medical advertising company with her late husband where they produced and wrote teaching films for major medical and surgical manufacturing companies. Additionally, they collaborated on two feature films (direct to video).
In addition to writing every day, she works as a surgical scrub nurse and enjoys sewing, cooking, baking, candy making, cake decorating, and spending time with nieces, nephews, step-children, and grandchildren.
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