GROUNDHOG DAY mixed with SIXTEEN CANDLES and a splash of DOCTOR WHO. A boy forever reincarnated as himself meets his soulmate for the 200th time, but can she solve the puzzle and break the curse to make herself his last?
*****
Martha Beckett's life...
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The arrow turned from red to green and James took the left onto Martha's street. She felt like such a cliché. Freaking butterflies? Ridiculous. But this had been a date. She was certain. James had asked her on a date, taken her on a date, and was currently driving her home from that date.
James parked in front of Martha's house. Her heart pounded.
"I can walk you up," James said.
"Okay." They left the car and walked up the driveway. She was mildly disappointed, hoping the date would end – with whatever that might entail – in the car. There was still potential at the door, but the lights of the house were on and it was always a possibility that...
The front door opened. The porch light revealed her father's dopey smile. Of course, Martha thought.
"Hey, guys. Welcome back!"
Please don't invite him in.
"James, why don't you come in and hang out for a while? I'd really like to meet Martha's special new friend." Martha closed her eyes and took a breath to quell the patricidal rage.
"Love to, Mr. Beckett."
"Please. Call me Steven."
"Love to, Steven."
James entered as Steven held the door. Martha followed, giving her father a scowl Steph Jenkins would be proud of. Once inside, Steven sat in an armchair and James and Martha on the couch – safely two feet apart.
"Nice hat," Steven said.
Martha chuckled and said, "Yeah. Real nice."
Steven aimed a confused expression at James.
"I will be attending UC Berkeley next fall," James clarified.
"Really?" Steven said. "What an extraordinary coincidence. Did you know that Martha-"
"Yeah, I told him."
Despite Martha throwing cold water on the news, Steven appeared thrilled. She hadn't given him any details about James and finding out he would be attending a prestigious university was clearly exciting. "Well, it's very impressive, James. Do you know in what you're going to major?"
"Physics."
"No kidding?"
"Yeah, and I want to say that it's really cool that you work at Fermilab."
"You know, I could leave," Martha interjected. "I feel like I'm getting in the way of your bonding." She didn't care to be pleasant. Her prospects had changed considerably in the last five minutes and her father was at constant risk of embarrassing her in front of her 'special new friend.'
