"A pleasure to see you again." He bowed to her with a grin on his face.
"Hello," Leah muttered. I don't believe this. She felt like he was undressing her with his eyes. That man unnerved her. Why did he keep popping up? She glanced at her younger sister, then back at Torr. "Excuse us a minute." She took her sister's arm and dragged her away from the seemly, charismatic man.
A few guests smiled and raised their glasses to her as Leah and Tabitha passed.
"Thank you," Leah muttered. She continued on a fast pace back to the stock room.
Leah closed the door behind them. "Why did you invite him?"
"Lighten up." Tabitha seemed to have shrunk. "He told me you two had gotten off on the wrong foot. You keep refusing to go out with him and get to know him."
"I don't trust him."
"You're always so guarded. You never give anyone a chance." Tabitha's gaze dropped to the tile floor. "Mom and Dad keep asking when one of us is going to get married and have kids."
"I'm only just turning thirty. I still have time." Leah glanced back at Torr. "He's not the marrying type."
"How do you know? You really haven't dated much since Cliff."
Leah winced. Why did she have to bring up her ex-boyfriend? "Cliff was a no good gigolo. I have a feeling Torr is the same way."
Tabitha folded her arms over her breasts. "And you think the same thing of Zach."
Leah made a noise in disgust and stared at her. "No, I don't. Zach is different. There might be something there." She couldn't deny there was something special about him. I really like him. He doesn't have "danger" written all over him.
"You hardly know Torr. Give him a chance."
"I don't want to get to know Torr. Something about him gives me the creeps. I told you that before. Enough about him. Let's go and enjoy the party." Leah walked out of the stock room. She immediately glanced around for Zach. He had stopped to talk to her mother again. She turned back to her sister. "Zach is better for me than Torr."
Tabitha looked at her with doe eyes. "Can I date Torr?"
Leah snorted. "I don't think that's a good idea." She smiled. "Besides, Ulrich has a crush on you."
"Really?"
That distracted her from the talk of Torr. Ulrich is a nice guy and a hard worker. "Oh please, Tabitha. You know he can't keep his eyes off of you." Typical of any guy, anywhere she went. "Now, go ask him to dance."
Tabitha went off in search of Ulrich. She found him a few minutes later and they were on the dance floor.
Now, for my guy. Leah lost Zach when a group of people moved around. She walked to where she saw him last. He was still there. Her mother wasn't. Instead, Zach was talking to a woman with golden brown hair appearing to be in her mid-twenties. They seemed to have a connection. He waved Leah down before she could turn away. She had no choice, but to go talk to him. She'd rather have Torr escorted out before he caused trouble.
"Leah, I want you to meet my sister, Saffron."
Relief swept over Leah. She remembered he talked about his siblings on their date.
Saffron extended her hand. "I've heard so much about you." His sister had the same hazel eyes as he did. "Nice store."
Leah shook her hand. "Thank you."
"You said you have the day off tomorrow. Would you like to go do something?" Zach asked.
Leah felt giddy. "Sure. Come by my house in the morning. We'll figure out someplace to go."
The elderly man from earlier walked across the room to them. "I can't thank you enough for helping my wife."
Leah blushed. "It was nothing. How is she doing?"
"She's better." He pulled a light-brown-haired angel figurine out of his pocket. "Gladys wanted me to give this to you."
"I can't accept it."
His blue eyes pleaded with her. "Please, she'll be heartbroken if you don't. Consider it a store anniversary gift."
Leah felt the heat rising to her face. She was sure if she looked in a mirror, she'd be blushing. "Thank you."
He placed it in her hands, then walked away.
"What was that about?" Saffron asked.
"His wife is a diabetic," Leah said. "Her blood sugar went too low."
"Leah got her a cookie and some orange juice," Zach replied.
Leah looked down. "It was no big deal."
Zach smiled at her. "You probably saved that woman's life or at least kept her out of the hospital."
"I couldn't stand by while she was suffering. I better go put this by my purse in the back." Leah glanced between them. "I'll be back in a minute."
He pulled her close and tenderly kissed her lips. "Hurry back."
She nodded.
Chapter Eight
Torr stood at the punch table. "This needs something stronger." A bottle appeared in his hand.
Saffron appeared at his side and placed her hand on his. "Don't you dare add anything."
Her touch was soothing. He smiled at her. "The sweet angel is going to stop me." He looked her up and down. "I'm shaking in my boots." I bet she can be naughty when she wants to be.
"You should be."
"You can't fight me here, in front of all of these people."
She shrugged. "Let's go outside."
He laughed. "You can't be serious. I usually don't fight women." I'd like to wrestle this one in bed.
She cocked her head. "That's odd. Are you afraid I'll kick your demon butt?"
He leaned closer. "Women are for in bed, not to battle."
She made a noise in disgust. Her eyes stared into his. "Leave Leah and her family alone."
He grinned and he gently touched under her chin. "Can't do that. I have a mission too."
"Leah can't stand you. She can sense you're no good. That's probably an odd thing for you."
"Not really. I thought all girls liked bad boys. Her sister does."
"Tabitha has nothing to do with this."
Torr glanced across the room. Tabitha's guardian angel was fuming as usual. Leah's guardian angel was sitting on a bookcase watching everything. He lost track of Leah again. It was a shame he really didn't have a chance to talk to her yet again tonight. Maybe, I can charm this angel. "All mortals are pawns in the big game of the universe. Good versus Evil. You know that."
Rosemarie huffed.
"Got you there." He laughed and leaned closer. "Why don't you come over to the winning side? Me and you could have some fun together."
She backed up and folded her arms over her chest. "I am on the winning side."
"Says you. I'll cut you some slack because you grew up with them." He pointed up. "And you don't know any better."
"I learned the difference between right and wrong. You're the one who needs to learn that."
"I'm surprised she can stand to be around you goody-goodies. You're all so boring."
Saffron tilted her chin up. "She's one of us. Today proved that."
"So she helped some old lady. Big deal."
"She could've ignored her or kicked her out." She smiled. "But she didn't."
This woman angel was infuriating. I'm wasting time talking to her. "You haven't won yet," he hissed at her as he walked away.
The party was winding down. Leah walked over to Zach. "I'm glad you could come tonight."
He pulled her behind a bookcase. "Thanks for inviting me." He kissed her.
Saffron popped up by them. "There you are."
Leah blushed. "Thank you for coming too."
"I like this place. I hope it's around for a long time."
"It was good to meet you," Leah said before turning to Zach. "Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Probably."
"I'll go wait out front." Saffron walked away.
Zach pulled Leah close and kissed her. "Good night."
****
Zach drove his sister back to the house.
"That was a nice party," Saffron said as they walked into the living room. "Except for Torr. He always pops up."
Zach nodded. "That couldn't be helped. Tabitha
isn't immune to his charm, the way Leah is. I heard Tabitha invited him."
"Leah didn't like him being there. That's a good sign. Why didn't you take that opportunity to tell her what you are and what she could be?"
"It's not the right time."
"You keep saying that. When will it be the right time?"
"It was a public place. Mortals can't hear about such things."
"You could've taken her aside and told her." A mischievous smile crossed her lips. "Or you could've taken her for a long, romantic drive and told her."
"It's not something to tell on a romantic drive." He gritted his teeth. "I'm not sure how she'll handle it. You have to move carefully with such things."
"You're afraid of something else."
Zach threw off his coat. "I'm not afraid of anything." He hated it when she was right.
"You're really falling for her, and you're afraid you'll lose her. Which is silly. Go ahead and enjoy your time with her."
He began to pace. "I can't do anything about it until she chooses. My hands are tied."
"You're already involved with her."
"I think they assigned the wrong angel to this important assignment."
"No, upstairs knows what they're doing."
"For the first time in my life, I'm afraid I'm going to lose."
"How? Leah doesn't let Torr near her. Which was a nice change for once. Rosemarie said she's very impressed with her. Any other woman would've been swooning at Torr's seductions, like Tabitha."
"That can change. Her sister is helping Torr. You saw that."
"Sooner or later, Anton is going to knock Torr's demon butt back to the Underworld. You will if he doesn't. I'd never seen a guardian angel so protective of their charge."
"Power can corrupt, especially the dark power. It can be very seductive."
"Leah helped that woman and she didn't want any reward. That proves she has a better chance than you believe."
"I believe in her. I'm just being cautious."
She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Don't worry. Leah has a good heart. I'd say she's on the road to becoming an angel."
"Too much is on the line for me not to worry."
"What's bothering me is that Torr is the only demon on this mission."
"Who knows why they did that? I don't want to think about what the other side is doing. We have to focus on our mission."
"Zach, it's okay to fall in love along the way. I don't think they would mind." She pointed up.
"Saffron, I'm going to bed. Try not to make too much noise if you're going to stay up."
****
Leah tossed and turned in her sleep. She stood in a strange place of light-blue with white. It was like she was in the sky. "Hello daughter, it's been a long time." A tall, dark-haired man in an all-white suit came out of the mist to her. His gentle eyes were of a golden brown.
"What do you mean, daughter? I've never seen you before."
"Yes, you have. I've been watching you grow up. I wish I could've been there or spoken to you sooner. You have your mother's eyes."
She shook her head. "This isn't real. It's all a crazy dream."
"No, I can talk to you during your sleep. It's past midnight on your thirtieth birthday." He chuckled. "I even came down to Earth a few times to watch over you."
She stared at him. "Are you a guardian angel?"
"No, I'm Timon McCloud, your father."
"That's impossible. Norman is my father."
"Wrong, I was with your mother before him. I loved her more than anything on Heaven or Earth. The continuing unknown battle interrupted my plans. I wanted to marry your mother and live life as a mortal." He hung his head. "I couldn't abandon my duty. The demons were growing stronger, like they are again. I couldn't allow them to enslave humanity."
"You're an angel?"
He nodded.
"Angels are real?"
"Yes."
"All of this is so confusing." She looked around and saw nothing but clouds. "What is this place?"
He chuckled. "You could say this is a piece of heaven."
"What's it really like?"
"Indescribable. It's more beautiful than you can imagine." He stepped forward and took her hand. "It's time for you to gain your powers."
"What are you talking about? I don't have any powers."
"Trust in yourself to do the right thing. Make me proud." He kissed her forehead before walking back into the mist. "Happy Birthday, Leah," his voice echoed through the air.
Leah awoke in her room. It was still dark. The clock beside her bed read twelve-nineteen. Another crazy dream. They keep getting weirder and weirder. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.
****
The doorbell rang as Leah was putting on her makeup. She glanced at the clock. He's early. Tabitha and their mother forced Leah to take her birthday off. "Hold on, I'm coming." She ran downstairs and opened the door. A man in a postal uniform stood before her. He held out a parcel.
"There must be some mistake. I didn't order anything."
He looked at the name. "Are you Leah Blanco?"
"Yes."
"This is yours."
"Thank you." She took the parcel from him and closed the door. Her name and address were clearly on the white and black label. A return address was absent. She shrugged and opened it up. Inside was a black velvet box that revealed a pair of silver angel-winged earrings. A note was under the earrings. It read, "Happy birthday to my daughter with love, your father, Timon."
She stared at the earrings in disbelief. That dream was real or I'm losing my mind. She touched the silver. It was stunning. Every feather on the wings was detailed. It seemed to sparkle in the light. She put the earrings on and looked up. "Thank you, wherever you are." She returned to the bathroom to finish putting on her makeup.
Chapter Nine
Zach pulled up in a '09 silver, sleek, muscle car He glanced over the house. Humble, but nice. Tulips were coming up in the flower beds in front of the home.
He stepped out, carrying a large white box. The walkway was still covered in morning dew. He rang the doorbell. The door opened.
She smiled. "Good morning."
He leaned forward and tenderly kissed her lips. "Happy birthday. These are for you, of course."
She took the box and opened it. A dozen white and pink roses were nestled in the green tissue paper. "They're beautiful. Thank you." She went to the kitchen and arranged up the roses in a glass vase.
Zach leaned against the counter. "It's your birthday. What would you like to do?" He would like to take her to the City of Clouds, but knew that was impossible until she became an angel like him.
"Would you like to go to Cleveland for the day? It'll take less than an hour to get there."
I've never been there before. He bowed before her. "Your wish is my command today."
Leah's laughter was the most pleasant sound Zach heard since he started this assignment.
****
They walked around the inside of the glass building in the Botanical Gardens. Orchids and tropical flowers grew amongst the trees. Butterflies fluttered all around. Leah always liked the view from the upper level. She turned to Zach. "Let's go up."
They walked up the concrete stairs to the upper level. Leah stepped back as a mist sprayed the trees and foliage. Everything was lush and green. A blond-haired boy of about eight years old climbed up on the metal railing a few feet from them. Leah glanced around. She didn't see his parents anywhere. His small hand reached out for an orange and black butterfly. He slipped and was falling. She gasped. With lightning speed, Zach had the boy in his grasp by his overalls. He brought him back over on the right side of the railing. Leah could've sworn his feet left the ground. It all happened so quickly.
He leaned down and whispered, "Now, go find your parents."
The boy scampered off.
She stared at Zach, wondering if her eyes had betrayed her. "What are you, Superman or something?"
&nb
sp; Zach's cheeks turned pink. "Something like that." He took her hand. "It's getting hot in here. Let's take the elevator down and see the outside gardens." The humidity of the glass building was getting to her too. It reminded her of a summer's day.
The crisp spring air greeted them as they opened the door. Tulips and daffodils and pansies were in bloom at the outside garden. The purple wisteria trees couldn't take Leah's mind off of what she saw. She glanced over at Zach. He had his hands shoved into his coat pockets. They walked down the garden trails in silence. The same boy ran by them as they reached the Japanese garden. He didn't look at them twice. In his mind, the incident was forgotten. She gazed over at Zach. He seemed to be looking up at a tree reaching into the sky that was the color of her turquoise ring. Maybe I imagined Zach floating.
Leah looked at a pink azalea bush, before stepping up to his side. "Do you want to go to the art museum after this?"
Zach looked at her. "It's your day." His voice and demeanor was calm.
What she really wanted to do was kiss his lips. She moved closer to him and tried to take his hand.
He glanced up at the sky. "We should get inside. Rain clouds are forming." He walked up the trail.
Leah followed behind. He seems so distant. A gentle rain began as they reached the herb garden. "I don't mind the rain." As long as it doesn't pour down.
****
Zach watched the rain misting her face. All morning long, he'd been resisting the urge to kiss her. He tried to stay a few steps ahead or behind her. Questions plagued his mind. Did she know what she was? Or who her birth father was? Did she have any weird dreams to reveal her heritage? Maybe she didn't have them yet. Who would tell her about Timon? Was that my responsibility as well? Abidan didn't say anything about that. What did she think of my brief flight? She didn't mention it after the incident. The scent of lily of the valley was all around them. He strode closer to her and brushed a wet strand of dark hair off of her face. She gazed up at him with innocent eyes. He couldn't take not being able to touch her anymore. That was his own rule. It didn't have anything to do with the way he felt about her. In truth, he burned for her. That was an odd feeling for an angel. He chuckled at the irony of that. His eyes gazed into hers. She looked up with yearning. His lips were on hers in a passionate kiss. She kissed him back. When he pulled back, he wasn't sure how long they kissed. To tell the truth, he didn't care. An older couple, accompanied by their guardian angels, appeared in the garden. They all had amused expressions on their faces. Zach took her hand. "Let's go see the museum."
Angels in Turquoise Skies Page 5
