A Knight in Central Park(21)
The Black Knight. How does one go about uncloaking an illusion?
Joe pulled the chain back around his neck, tucking the medallion safely inside his shirt. A round of muttering in the other room caught his attention. He went to the living room where Shelly was packing shoes, clothes she’d collected, and magazines in a duffle bag. She crossed the room, fiddled around in her purse, then returned with a BB gun and pepper spray, which she placed in his open briefcase.
“What are those for?” he asked.
“Alexandra insisted.”
After a short pause, Shelly said, “I’m sorry about the other day. I’ve been meaning to apologize for being so frank with you.”
“No harm done.”
“Although I’m definitely not in love with you, Professor,” she teased, “I do care for you, which is why I’m starting to have second thoughts about you going to the park tonight.”
“Alexandra is perfectly harmless, remember?”
“I agree, especially after spending the last three days with her. Her views on life and family are healthy ones.”
He cocked his head. “Then what’s the problem?”
Shelly placed a few more items in his briefcase. “I think Alexandra is telling the truth.”
“About what?”
“About everything.”
Joe frowned. “You can’t be serious.”
Shelly wrung her hands together. “Can you believe this?” She waved her arms in the air. “I’m majoring in Psychology and all I can come up with is that Alexandra Dunn is telling the truth about traveling through time.”
A sharp laugh escaped him. “Don’t go there, Shelly. You’re the best assistant I’ve had in years. I don’t need you to go traipsing off the deep end. Not now.”
“You should’ve seen her face when we walked through the mall the other day. She was speechless.”
He’d seen the look. Saw it every time Alexandra turned on the faucet or opened the refrigerator. Twice he’d caught her turning on every lamp in the house. “’Tis amazing,” she’d say when he asked her what she was doing. Nothing though, fascinated her more than the television set. She’d stayed up every night watching late night movies.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” Shelly went on, “but I don’t think you should go to the park tonight, especially to meet some guy who only comes out when the moon is full.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said with a smile. “The Renaissance Fair begins tonight. The park will be filled with college students.”
Shelly smiled half-heartedly.
“There’s a package on the kitchen table that I need dropped off at Professor Whitaker’s office tomorrow afternoon. Would you mind?”
“Done,” she said before adding, “Did Alexandra tell you about our visit to the museum?”
He shook his head.
“It was amazing to listen to her. She knows more than most curators about medieval art and history...things a regular person off the street wouldn’t be familiar with.”
“I know.” Joe went to the window and peered out into the night. The moon had never looked so full and round, and eerily bright.
Who was Alexandra Dunn?
It was dark by the time Alexandra thanked Shelly for the clothes and gifts and all else she’d done for her since she arrived. Alexandra wore a comfortable off-white sweater and stone-washed jeans beneath a beige faux-fur jacket. Wearing breaches had taken some getting used to, but they were quite comfortable. She gave Shelly a hug, then headed for the dimly lit street, leaving Shelly and Sir Joe alone to say goodbye.
Alexandra watched the carriages they referred to as cars. As they sped past, the headlights resembled shooting stars, one after another. Horns sounded in the distance. A breeze touched her face, leaving a string of shivers in its place.
Although she would miss some of the wonderful conveniences of this time, especially the people boxes they called television, she was eager to return home and rid her family of Sir Richard, once and for all.
She glanced back at Sir Joe. Hard lines, a firm chin, and a strong profile made it hard to look away. With each passing moment it was getting easier to imagine him aglitter in polished armor; holding a sword, the hilt inlaid with precious stones. Tingles crawled up her arms at the idea of Sir Joe gazing at her in the same way the man on the television had looked at his lady...with a fiery, intense passion. But the odds were surely against that ever happening, for Shelly had told her everything she knew about Sir Joe: His inability to love fully, his inflexible nature, his fear of marriage, children, and commitment. Shelly would have laughed had Alexandra told her Sir Joe was her destiny...the man she was to marry.