A Leap in Time Read Online Free

that looked like things were moving when they weren’t. That wasn’t so farfetched, was it?
    Right off, I’d noticed the painting almost had an alter-personality—both dark and light. The painter had managed to capture two very different expressions in one painting, so the moving stuff wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
    More than ever, I needed to confront the painting again, and I needed to tell Kate and Charlotte. On the surface, everything was fine with us, but I knew they sensed my emotional distance. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was all happening for a reason. But why? Why me? For someone who often didn’t live in the present moment, I certainly had no desire to connect with someone who didn’t live in this life. No thanks! Dealing with people in real-time was tough enough.
    If the mysterious sounds from the painting were actually the dead painter delivering a message, he was wasting his time on me. Maybe I should talk to Mrs. Ashton. She struck me as the kind of person who’d probably heard a weird story or two during her world travels.
    Content with my plan of letting the girls in on my secret, I showered, dressed in leggings and oversize T-shirt.
    The weather was unusually cool for April, but I wasn’t complaining. I actually wished we had a little more shift in seasons in southern California, but then again, we had mild temperatures during the months when most of the country was shivering with bitter cold and buried under feet of snow.
    The aroma of the flowery body wash and shampoo wafting through the bathroom felt incredibly relaxing. Almost forgetting about the painting, I lingered in the shower far longer than I intended. During my post break-up with Mark, I took solace in the quietness of long hot showers where I tuned out the world. My peaceful state of mind was interrupted by the sound of my grumbling stomach. At least my appetite was back.
    The Chinese food delivery from my favorite place down the street was at my door within fifteen minutes. Love the perk of being a frequent customer. I devoured my chicken kung pao and, before losing my nerve, I called Charlotte.
    “Hi. How are you feeling?” I croaked. Honestly, why was I so nervous?
    “Hey there, you sound a lot like my best friend Lexi.” I heard her smiling through the phone. “I was hoping to hear from you, stranger.” Her voice sounded raspy and tired.
    “I’m sorry. I’m here. Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything?” I braced myself for the arsenal of questions and talked myself out of any defensive feelings that might come up. “I’m sorry Char. I’ve just been so busy with work and I haven’t been sleeping well—”
    “Why not?” And there was my lawyer friend Charlotte, jumping at the first opening. Geez.
    “No reason. Just stressed I guess.” Great, now I sounded guilty.
    “Lexi, are you seeing Mark again?”
    I smiled. “I promise it’s nothing to do with him . It’s actually about my apartment. I want to tell you everything, but I think we should wait for Kate too so I can tell you guys at the same time.”
    “Fine. We’ll be there at seven.” Just like that, the wheels were in motion.
    Charlotte and Kate knocked on my door at seven sharp. I even managed to freshen up with some lip-gloss and a little mascara. Just because I felt like the dead didn’t mean I had to look that way.
    “Hey, you two. Come in.” I smiled at them.
    Seeing them standing at my door looking so anxious and worried warmed my heart. Charlotte wore her long silky blonde hair in a high ponytail that brushed her shoulders with every movement. She looked almost childlike with her bangs swept casually over her perfectly arched eyebrows, her usually blue sparkling eyes glassy; she’d been sick. Even her leggings and sweatshirt matched her pale pink flip-flops. How does she do it? I smiled admiringly at my Southern belle bestie pulling her in for a hug.
    “All right, all right, enough with the hugs. Now what the hell is