Only in Time

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

Six years later…

The crumpled newspaper crackled in Ally Jacobs's hand as she removed the last picture from the box on the floor. Her eyes trailed over the other dozen boxes spread across her new living room. Each held items from her apartment in New York, items that needed a new wall, or shelf, or drawer. She'd be here a week or more if she tried finding the perfect spot for everything. Not that she would. The picture in her hand held more significance than anything else she owned.

Letting the paper fall to the floor, she swiped her palm against the glass, eyeing the handsome man in the photo. Dressed in his BDUs, insignias donned his collar—a diamond nestled between three arcs and three chevrons. Her father looked every bit the army first-sergeant he was, even while hugging her.

As she placed the photo on the table near the window, a tinge of sadness pinched her heart. She adjusted the frame before draping dog tags over it. Her finger slid across the engraved words Jacobs, Robert.

Hard to believe it had been fourteen years since her mother received that dreaded visit by the military base chaplain. It was the visit that rocked Ally's world, even at ten. If only she had gone to her room and shut the door like her mother had asked instead of peeking around the hallway corner. Maybe then she wouldn't have heard every painful word that slipped past the chaplain's lips. She had stood in the hallway, covering her trembling lips when she heard how her father had died in the line of duty. It wasn't a bullet that ended his life. It was an explosion.

The words coming from the chaplain's mouth weren't as soul shaking as the question her mother asked—if she would have anything to bury? Ally inhaled a shaky breath, remembering how the chaplain shook his head just before his eyes found hers. Seeing her standing in the hallway, tears streaming down her face, had caused his mouth to gape.

Blinking back tears, she eyed the dog tags once more, grateful her father had misplaced the set right after they moved to Savannah. Out of everything he left her in his will, she treasured the tags the most. Perhaps it was because he allowed her to wear them whenever she asked. Or maybe she thought they contained super powers because her dad had been her hero.

Shifting her focus out the window, she gazed at the other houses on her street, wondering how many people still lived in the old neighborhood. While the street she'd grown up on was a few blocks away, she'd hung out on this street plenty. Cassie Clarke used to live at the end of the road. Luckily, her best friend's parents still did. She may have never found this house had they moved elsewhere.

Revisiting the past was dangerous. It brought back memories of other thing and other people Ally had lost. Still, she couldn't stop herself from wondering if someone else's parents still lived across from Cassie's old house. That certain someone had made life in Savannah bearable after her father's death.

Did he still live in—

The doorbell chime echoed through the house, making Ally's heart pound in her chest. Each thump resonated in her ears as she walked toward the door. Few people knew she'd returned, short of her mother and Cassie. Her dinner date with her mom wouldn't be for a couple more hours, which meant the unexpected visitor could only be one person.

As the door swung inward, Ally expected a set of brown eyes to be staring back at her. Instead, gray ones did. They were a striking contrast to the brown uniform he wore.

"Afternoon, ma'am. I have a package for Ally Jacobs." He raised his hands in front of him, holding a small rectangular box.

"That would be me." She grabbed the electronic device he handed her. With her quickest, sloppiest signature recorded, she returned the device, exchanging it for her package.

She barely heard him say goodbye as she stared at the box. Neat handwriting revealed a return address she recognized. What had she forgotten in New York? It had to be valuable or her old roommate wouldn't have sent it.

Curious about the contents, she tore at the cardboard until a letter slipped out. Perfectly constructed letters stretched across the paper, and each word they formed made Ally smile.

I knew you would end up forgetting something. Hope you're enjoying Savannah. I miss going out for coffee in the mornings. Don't forget about me. ~Darcy

Once she returned to the living room, she placed the letter on the coffee table then sat on the couch. Curiosity got the best of her. She couldn't believe she forgot something after searching the apartment the day she left. The box didn't weigh much so it couldn't have been anything big.

Gazing toward her lap, she unfolded the flaps until the item came into view. Seeing the old, blue T-shirt stole the air from her lungs. Darcy was wrong. Ally hadn't forgotten to pack it. She didn't realize she still had it.

The soft cotton teased her fingers as she pulled the shirt from the box. A wave of pine and juniper swirled inside her nose. God, she loved the smell of Polo cologne. It's why she had bought him a bottle for Christmas during their senior year of high school. Had she known it would be their last Christmas together…

Pushing back the ache in her heart, she stuffed the shirt inside the box. She couldn't afford this little trip down memory lane. And he sure as hell deserved none of her tears. She had given him plenty. He made the choice to pursue his dreams years ago, just like she had. There was no sense in revisiting a place that closed its doors to her before she stepped foot on the train.

She couldn't go back, and even if she could, she would never ask for the key to unlock Jonah McCabe's heart.