“Yuck,” Mac interrupted. “Warmed up, already-cooked food isn’t my bag.” He picked up a boy’s tennis shoe lying in the rear of the Jeep and held it high enough above the back seat for Jacki to see. “Guess you’d have to arrange for a babysitter, huh, Jacki?”
Her husky-soft laughter blended with the sound of the rain pelting the Jeep’s roof, and Jacki shook her head, sending silky hair swirling around her face.
“Don’t mention that word in front of my son,” she said. “Or my daughter, either. They both made sure I knew they’d outgrown having a sitter two years ago. If my son had been with me instead of at football practice just now, he could have changed my tire, too.”
“I’m sure as hell glad he had football practice,” Mac murmured under his breath.
Sylvia and Francesca continued watching while Jacki suggested a restaurant and they arranged a time to meet. Mac finally closed the hatch and stood with his hands jammed into his jeans pockets as the Jeep drove away. After it disappeared, he raised his head and shouted into the pouring rain, “Ain’t it a hell of a beautiful day, world?”
“Hummm,” Francesca mused. “Looks like your assignment’s going to have someone else helping take care of her for a while. Maybe a less-experienced guardian angel might be able to manage for the time being.”
“Does that mean I can have my vacation?” Sylvia asked hopefully.
“No,” Francesca said. “It means that as soon as I call Violet in to replace me, we’ll have that vacation. Or, we should probably more properly call it a sabbatical for both of us.”
“You’re going with me, Frannie? Great! Vacations are always more fun when you have a girlfriend to share them with. Where can we go?”
“You said you needed to get away from the stress of modern-day life, my dear. With that in mind, we’ll choose a less stressful place, where you can relax and we can continue our discussion.”
###
Chrissy's Wish Page 11
