A sizzle of excitement left her with goose bumps. Could it be that this was how she was supposed to help Effie? Reunite her with her son? Maybe helping her didn’t have anything to do with being with her when she died?
Maybe she only wanted to meet her son before she left this world? That made total sense. Total and complete sense.
So was she supposed to help Effie connect with her son?
But adoption was a tricky thing. Some adopted children didn’t want any contact with their bio parents, and vice versa. This could get ugly and sticky fast.
“How can you be so sure? This isn’t something that I can afford to be wrong about. And I really want to know why no one from up there,” she pointed to the ceiling, “is giving me any help.”
Dex rapped on her door just then. He waved at her through the window of her office.
She waved him in and smiled, her heart skipping a beat when he smiled back with that warmth only he could generate.
He stuck his head inside the door and waved to Marty. “I’ve got some news about Effie.”
Her heart sped up. “From upstairs?”
“Yep,” he said with a wink, coming in and closing the door.
“Well, tell me already!” she urged, the excitement in her voice hard to contain.
“Effie Sampson has a son.”
Marty nodded with a knowing smile as she held up her phone. “See? I told you.”
Well, at least now they had definite confirmation. Pushing off her desk with the heels of her hands, she said, “Okay, Boss. But Effie hasn’t even told me she’s dying, let alone that she has a son she wants to see before she dies. What do we do next?”
Dex smiled at her. “We wing it.”
George gnawed the inside of her cheek as they took the steps up to Effie’s stoop. The sky was darkening, the air frigid, her heart clamoring with her nerves.
“The last time I told her I was an angel, Dex, Nina had to wipe her memory. It didn’t exactly go aces. We kinda went belly up. I’m worried.”
Dex sighed as they stood outside Effie’s door, rubbing his temples. “Sometimes that happens, but our best bet is to be honest, and the only way to do that is to tell her we’ve had help from upstairs. I mean, it’s a hard pill to swallow, so the only way to prove it is with your ethereal glow—might even have to break out the big guns.”
She winced, tightening her coat around her neck. “The wings?”
Dex nodded. “The wings.”
“Okay, so we just go in there and tell her we know she has a son because we’re angels, and the people upstairs told us she has a son, and then ask her if what she wants is to meet him?”
“Yep.”
“Jeez, Dex. Just like that? It feels so abrupt. Like such an intrusion.”
Chucking her under the chin, he shook his head. “It’s not an intrusion if in the end, she has what she wants, and what she wants is to meet the child she gave birth to all those years ago. Effie doesn’t exactly pussyfoot around, George. She’s pretty blunt. I’m hoping I’m guessing right when I say she likely admires the same in other people.”
Man, did she ever feel like a slacker. The guilt of not figuring out Effie’s needs washed over her in a tidal wave. Marty had done her job for her, and that really bugged her.
Dex grabbed her forearms. “Listen, before we go in, I know what you’re thinking. You feel guilty because Marty found the information before you did, but don’t. You’ve had a ton on your plate and one thing after the other coming your way. Give yourself a break. Besides, this information should have come from upstairs long ago. We’re not detectives. We’re angels.”
“I want to be good at this, Dex. I need to be good at this.”
“You are good at this, George. You’re really good at this, and you’re only going to get better. Stop beating yourself up. It’s not like upstairs helped much. Now, deep breath and let’s do this.”
Her stomach gurgled, but she nodded. “Okay.” Rapping on the door with her knuckles, she took that suggested deep breath just before Effie popped the door open, her pale face falling when she realized who it was.
“Hey, Effie!” George said cheerfully, plastering a grin on her face she hoped hid the dread she was feeling.
Effie looked ragged, her skin chalky, her eyes red-rimmed. Her attitude? Crabby. “What do you want?”
“May we come in, Effie?” Dex asked, his smile affable and welcoming, clearly catching Effie off guard. But he didn’t wait for an answer, he stepped past her, taking George with him.
Once inside, she looked around, that sad, lonely feeling hitting her right between the eyes again. Effie’s bare walls and furniture-less living room left her heart aching.
This is what the end of a life looked like. Effie was obviously practical. She’d likely handled all the particulars because that’s who she was, but George didn’t want her to leave this world not at least feeling like someone cared she would be gone.
Effie closed the door, tightening her shawl around her shoulders, her hair pulled back in a short ponytail, wispy and fine. “So?” she barked. “What do you want?”
She wasn’t going to make this easy, was she? “Are you all set for your trip to Cabo?” George asked cheerfully.
“What’s it to you?”
“I just dropped by to see if you needed anything. If I can arrange a car to take you to the airport. You leave in two days, right?”
Her mouth thinned. “I don’t need anything.” And then, as though she’d remembered manners were a thing, she said, “But thank you anyway.”
George went silent, staring down at her black heels, making note of the fact that her dress would need a run to the dry cleaners.
Dex rocked back
