Out of Time, Chapter 1
“Daph, can you tell my dad I can’t make the lunch meeting today?” John shouted from his office as he stared at the text from his mom counting down two days to Christmas, with a sarcastic wink and a reminder that his dad would appreciate not getting another reindeer tie that year.
John always waited till the last second, often staying until the stores closed in a desperate attempt to buy Christmas gifts. The image of his dad’s face upon opening the previous year’s gift was still burned in his mind.
“What do you mean, you can’t make today’s lunch meeting?” said his assistant, Daphne Hodges, staring at him from the open door of his office with a look of horror on her pale face. Hired by his dad, she had straight mousy brown hair and thick glasses and was shaped like
