They talked, they laughed, they teased one another. They moved like one entity and they behaved more like family than friends. They’d taken lemons and turned them into a tight little community of paranormal lemonade, and as she watched them communicate, her heart warmed.
She wanted to be a part of something.
She’d always wanted to be a part of something, but her failure had always lie in trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. And this angel thing, this paranormal thing, felt like another round hole.
Dex chuckled. “They’re good people, George. I promise you. You’ll never regret having them in your life, and once they’re in your life, they’re in forever. Plus, you’ll have a whole battalion of winged friends pretty soon. You can’t beat that kind of support.”
George glanced down at her feet, almost uncomfortable at the ease with which these people interacted. She’d always longed for interactions like these, but now that she was witnessing it up close, she didn’t know how to deal with it—or maybe the better phrase was, how to immerse herself in it without saying or doing something stupid.
“That’s nice,” she murmured. “They all seem really nice. I didn’t mean anything else by it. I’m sure they’re great.”
His phone chirped and he pulled it from his pocket, his brow furrowing as he looked at the incoming text. “Titus is here.”
George froze. “Titus? Who’s he?”
“He’s our superior, remember? I told you about him yesterday.”
Frowning, she shook her head. “You’ve told me a lot of things, Dex. Wings and vampires, werewolves and demons, to name a few. I’ve rather lost track of what you’ve told me. Is he going to make me go…” She paused and pointed upward. “Up there? To check in, or whatever it is I do as a guardian angel?”
He grinned again, making those two deep impressions on either side of his mouth deepen. “No. Not right away. You’re a little different than most guardians, in that it’s my fault you’re a guardian to begin with and you didn’t die to become one. That means the typical check-in upstairs for roll call, etcetera, isn’t a huge rush. Titus thought you might like time to adjust and acclimate before you head upward anyway, and I agreed. I’ve caused enough upset. I didn’t want to cause more.”
Twisting her fingers together, she nodded. “Thanks for looking out for me. I’m still adjusting to the idea there really is a Heaven. Seeing it might be just the shove I need to tip me over the edge of the cliff.”
He grabbed her hand again, making her skin come alive with goose bumps. “It’s amazing. I promise you, George. Nothing to be afraid of.”
She blew out a nervous breath. “Anyway, you were saying, Titus…?”
“He’s here, and he’d like to meet you. You good with that? I don’t want you falling over the edge of any cliffs,” he teased.
In no mood for jokes, she suddenly felt exposed. Like she was on some job interview she’d never applied for. On a hard gulp, she asked, “I mean, he’s my boss, right? Do I have a choice whether or not I meet him?”
“It’s not like that, George. He’s a great guy. You’ll like him. I promise.”
She rose and straightened her sweater. “You know, you say that about everything. ‘It’s not like that, George,’” she mimicked. “What is it like, Dex? What is anything like?”
But he didn’t take the bait at her defeatist attitude. Instead, he motioned toward the big front door made of the finest wood and stained glass where a Christmas wreath still hung, and said, “You’ll see.”
He pulled the door open to reveal a cheerful giant of a man with red hair, busily stomping out a cigarette, dressed in long gold and white robes and wearing a bright, welcoming smile.
With the most amazing wings she’d ever seen.
Big, fluffy, gorgeous, softly glowing wings. Unlike her own, which could have lit up an entire football field, his had an incandescent glow, as though someone had turned the dimmer down
“Now those are wings,” George whispered, her heart once again full when gazing upon the large man who emanated joy and peace.
“They are for suresies. You’ll have them someday, too. Don’t you fret.” The big man chuckled as he stepped inside and Dex closed the door behind him, shutting out the bitter cold of a Buffalo winter’s night. He stuck out his hand to her—a big, pale hand. “Anyway, I’m Titus. Good to meet ya, George.”
She put her hand in his and when she did, the warmth of a thousand sunny days coursed through her veins. “Nice to meet you, too.”
He looked to the couch, where her wings rested by some plump red and white Christmas pillows. “So, you have your temp wings, I see? Duff dropped them off all right? They fit okey-doke, or do we need adjustments?”
With a pensive glance upward, she nodded. “I do, he did and they fit fine. Awkward but fine.”
“They can be weird at first, but you’ll get used to ’em.” He didn’t let go of her hand after he spoke, instead he gave it a warm squeeze. “How are you feeling, George? How are you really feeling? Tell old Titus your deepest thoughts. Don’t hold back. That’s what I’m here for.”
“I’m afraid,” she blurted out, tears stinging her eyes. She hadn’t meant to be a crybaby, but the words spilled from her lips almost before she was even aware they were out. “I don’t think I’m right for the job. In fact, I’m sure I’m not. I bet Dex has told you what a mess my life has been, especially this last year. How can I possibly help anyone else figure their lives out when my life is anything but healthy, or orderly, for that matter?”
Titus let go of her hand and cupped her chin, his hand warm and gentle, his eyes kind in the glow of the Christmas lights around the door. “Sometimes, helping someone else ends up helping
