As soon as the waiter turned his back to stride away, Julia frowned. “Really? I’m shocked he didn’t ask for my number.”
“You can’t blame him,” Alex said. “You’re gorgeous.”
“I’m his boss, Alex,” Julia whispered. “It’s inappropriate. And the way he snubbed you…”
“I’m okay,” Alex said, grinning as he watched the waiter disappear into the kitchen. “Besides, I get to leave here with you.”
Julia sat back. “Yes, you do. I’m still going to talk to Sandra about it.”
As if on cue, Sandra appeared with a bottle of Julia’s favorite red. She presented and poured the wine. “How’d he do?”
“He was smooth,” Julia said. “Too smooth. He was too friendly with me, and all but ignored Alex.”
“I’ll talk to him. He’s probably just nervous. You know how they get.”
“Do me a favor and wait until I leave, all right?”
“You got it, Boss,” Sandra said cheerfully. Just before she turned away, she set a note facedown on the table, sliding it towards Julia.
“Sales?”
“Yes. I think you’ll be pleased.”
“Thank you, Sandra.” Julia picked up the note and looked over the figures. She kept a poker face, but could have given a whistle. Perhaps the chef, Phillipe, actually was one of the gifts she had so recently learned about.
“You know,” Sandra began, looking toward the kitchen and lowering her voice, “he was the best interview I’ve ever had. It was like he’d rehearsed it.”
“Everything he did felt rehearsed, too,” Julia said. “Not sure that’s a bad thing. At least he knows what he’s doing.”
Sandra shrugged. “Anyway, nobody else showed up for their interviews. I guess we got lucky.”
As Sandra walked away, Julia leaned forward and in a hushed voice said to Alex, “If every day started out like today, I could have a new car every six months.”
Alex shared her smile. “You know what you’re doing. And you have a staff that knows what they’re doing. It makes a difference.” Alex raised his glass. “To the best darned restaurateur I know.”
Julia raised her glass to his. She watched him drink, a wave of guilt washing over her. She wanted to tell him what had happened. She didn’t like keeping this huge secret from him. Part of her was afraid that she really was going crazy, and if she told him, he would confirm it. Maybe if she started with vague concepts, she would be able to gauge his reaction.
“I’ve been thinking about past lives a lot,” she said, quietly. “Do you think it’s possible that our spirits knew each other in Heaven?”
After a long drink of wine, Alex put his glass down. “Sure, I think it’s possible.”
“Really? You believe that?”
“Why not?” Alex paused and gazed at Julia. “Where is this coming from?”
“Do you think if you knew me in Heaven you would have come here to help me pull through the tough time?” Julia said, braving another step in the direction of her truth. “I know this sounds crazy, but you entered my life at an impossibly perfect time, and I just don’t think I believe in coincidence anymore.”
Alex sat back in his chair and took a sip of his wine. His gaze held hers, and she thought for a moment that he was seeing her the way Michael had—and reading her thoughts. After a long pause, Alex set his wine glass down. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, his shoulders framing his body perfectly. “Maybe I just have impossibly perfect timing.”
Oddly, Alex looked like he was the one who was getting ready to unload a truth. Julia wondered if he also knew something and wasn’t telling her. She didn’t have time to contemplate that thought further, however, as their meals had arrived.
The waiter expertly set their plates before them, deftly plucking the wine bottle from the table to refill her glass. The air hung heavily with unspoken words as he topped up Alex’s glass. A brief, calculating glance over the table, and the waiter smiled. “Enjoy your meals.”
“He got everything right,” Alex commented as the waiter walked away. He chuckled as he picked up his steak knife and cut into his steak. “And he didn’t drop your meal in your lap like the last one did.”
Julia laughed and began to eat her perfect meal. A new family in the clouds, and the only person who had ever made her feel she belonged sitting in front of her. As she outwardly savored her tenderloin, she inwardly wondered if she could have both. What would she do if she had to choose? She wasn’t ready to give up her life—she’d only just begun really living it.
Julia had a sudden urge to grab Alex’s hand and run. To go somewhere nobody would find them. She thought she knew a place they could go.
“What are you thinking about?” Alex said, between bites.
Startled, she looked up at him. “What?”
“You look like you’re a million miles away,” he said. “Take me with you.”
“I will,” Julia said with a mischievous grin. “After lunch, I will.”
“I cannot see into that one’s mind,” Michael said, a troubled crease along his forehead.
Gabriel peered through the opening in the clouds and frowned. “She has dealt with people of ill intent many times before. Not surprising that there is another on her path, even if it is unexpected.”
“Yes, but the ill intent is what is missing.” Michael gestured toward the waiter lurking near Julia’s table. “There is no intent. It is as though his spirit has been wiped away.”
“Removed? Is that possible?” The rise of Gabriel’s wings matched the rise in his voice.
“Possible, yes. But not with a functioning body left behind.” Michael spun to face Gabriel. “Find Zacha-riah. I want to know where this one came from.”
“Zachariah is protecting his girl. His and…” Gabriel set his shoulders back, causing his wings to resettle on his back, “…mine… They are the only two adults left. And equal in strength, or so Zachariah tells it.”
“Yes, I have seen her.” Michael smiled. “Leave him, then. Find Ariel. Give him my message.”
Gabriel turned to leave and looked back over his shoulder, squinting toward the opening in the clouds. “Brother…”
“She will be safe.”
XI
THE rest of the lunch patrons had cleared out, and the staff busily prepared the restaurant for the supper crowd. Paper napkins were replaced by linens, and burgundy, leather-bound wine lists were set up in the middle of the tables. Soft music from a digital jazz station played in the background, and the aroma of prime rib wafted through the air.
Julia tipped back her wine glass for the final sip and then set it back on the table. Alex reached across the table and took her hand.
“Are we all set?”
Behind Alex, the new waiter appeared to be studying the dinner menu, but kept peering over the top of it, studying Julia instead. She leaned forward and whispered, “I can’t tell if he’s just nervous, or if he is watching every move I make.”
Alex leaned closer. “It’s definitely weird. Every time I catch his eye, he glares at me. You’d think I ran over his dog or something.”
The feeling of “wrongness” regarding the waiter got stronger and stronger throughout their meal, until Julia couldn’t ignore it any longer. She decided she’d rather cover Sandra’s shifts herself. “I’ll tell Sandra to get rid of him. I don’t care how smooth he is.”
Alex released Julia’s hand, pushed his chair back, and stood. He pulled out his wallet, flipping it open and leafing through the bills.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving a tip,” Alex said, his hand frozen with a twenty pulled halfway out. He looked up at Julia’s frowning face, nodded, then pushed the twenty back down and tugged out a five. “Better?”
Julia smirked. “Better. Let’s go.”
Alex tossed the bill on the table and offered Julia his arm. She took it, and they walked casually out of the restaurant. Julia could feel the waiter’s eyes on her. As
the door swung shut behind them, Julia let go of Alex to pull out her cell phone. This was one time she would listen to her instincts. She dialed Sandra.
Sandra picked it up halfway through the second ring. “I knew you were going to call me from the lot.”
“Sandra, he’s got to go.”
“I know, he’s a loon. I’ve not seen anyone so obsessed before. Once you came in, he stopped doing anything else. I caught him staring at you through the kitchen doors, right in the way of the other servers. It’s a bloody shame, though; he was a good waiter until you got here.”
“I want you to make sure Phillipe is with you when you let Clyde go. I don’t trust him.” Julia glanced over her shoulder at the front door of the restaurant. “Not even a little bit.”
“Will do, Boss.”
Alex smiled when Julia put her phone back into her purse. “Feel better?”
“A little. I’ll feel better when he’s gone.” She shivered.
Alex walked Julia out to her car. He opened the door for her, but placed himself between her and the driver’s seat and took her hand. His eyes searched hers. “I want you to know how much I love you. I want you to know that it’s safe to talk to me about anything.”
Julia smiled, hoping she kept her guilt from showing. He obviously knew she was keeping something from him. She leaned forward and gave Alex a kiss, her moist lips pressing against his tenderly. When she backed away, she looked up at him. “I do know, Alex. I do. Thank you for finding me, and helping me, and always being here for me. I don’t know that I would have made it through this past year without you.”
“Of course you would have, sweetheart. You have more strength than you give yourself credit for. So…” he paused, and was suddenly awkward. “I was wondering…”
Her eyebrows rose, amused and thankful that he was changing the subject. “What I am doing for the rest of the day?”
“Something like that,” he said, smiling sheepishly.
“You,” she said, flipping her long hair back over her shoulder. “Hop in.”
“Okay. Where are we going?” he asked, stepping out of her way and heading for the other side of the car.
“Definitely my place. I don’t think we need your mother to be an audience for this.”
As Julia pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the highway, she caught a glimpse of the restaurant doors in her rearview mirror. Clyde was standing there, arms crossed, puffing on a cigarette, his eyes glued to Julia’s car.
By the time they reached Julia’s townhouse, all thoughts of Clyde were gone. Alex kept one hand on her leg for the length of the drive, trailing a finger lightly along her inner thigh and sending electric pulses quivering through her body. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, her words dried up, and Alex smiled, moving his finger higher.
When they reached the door, they tumbled inside, pulling off each other’s clothes and leaving a trail all the way to the bedroom. Julia pushed him backwards onto the soft down duvet and lowered herself onto him, her warm flesh pressing against him. Her hungry eyes searched his.
“Make love to me,” she said, her voice breathy and full of desire.
Alex had a hand on each of her arms, and gently rolled her over onto her back as he pressed his body on top of hers. His eyes twinkled with a teasing spark as he leaned in, kissing his way up her neck to her ear, his hot breath electrifying her. “Now?”
He ran his tongue back down her neck, trailing over the soft flesh above her breasts. Julia ran her fingers through his hair, her breath coming short and fast.
“Now,” she pleaded.
They reached the peak of their passion together, both of them crying out as they rocked together. At last, Alex fell off her, gasping. His skin glistened, and his right hand fell into her left. They lay there, spent, basking in the afterglow while they caught their breath. Julia had never felt more connected to Alex. Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes.
The peaceful moment splintered when Julia’s cell phone rang.
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait,” she said, her voice thick. She shivered and curled up beside him, laying one hand on his chest, waiting for the phone to stop ringing. She pressed her warm cheek against his shoulder and smiled. “If you keep loving me like that, I won’t be able to walk.”
“I love you, Julia,” he said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her tight into his side. “Always have. Always will.”
Julia sighed, tracing a finger along his chest. “I suppose we should have a shower.”
Alex propped himself up on one elbow, a broad grin spreading across his face. “A shower, huh?”
“Join me?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
Steam filled the bathroom, and the scent of Julia’s plumeria body wash saturated the air. With a large sea sponge, Alex rinsed the suds from her back, then turned her around to face him.
“I have a place I want to show you,” Julia said, pressing her chest against his. “My secret hideaway.”
Deep within Alex’s eyes, a flicker of recognition shone. He raised one hand to her smooth, wet hair and stroked it. “Then show me. I want to know all your secrets.”
Startled, she took a half-step back, holding onto his arms for balance. “Really?”
“Why not?” His smile put Julia at ease. “Where is it?”
“There’s a place just south of Baltimore I used to go to.” Julia took the sponge from Alex and turned him around. She drizzled body wash onto it, then made tiny circles all over his back, massaging as she washed him. “It’s a pond, just off the highway, hidden in the woods. There’s a path of stones leading out to a large boulder in the center. When I lived with my parents, I used to go hide there.”
She rinsed and wrung out the sponge until the water ran clear, then filled it with clean water. She squeezed it out over Alex’s back, washing away the suds. As she spoke of her childhood hideaway, the muscles in Alex’s back tightened.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to tickle you. So, will you go there with me?”
Julia thought being in that place with Alex would give her the courage to tell him about the Archangels. She could show him the spot Michael had taken her to, and somehow use it as a segue to get to the truth. She longed to escape the burden of her untold story.
Alex turned, took the sponge out of Julia’s hand, and set it on the edge of the tub. He pulled her to him, pressing himself against her, and looked into the depths of her eyes. “I would go anywhere with you.”
Julia smiled and kissed him softly. “Now?”
“No,” he said, his groin pushing into her. “Tomorrow. I have plans for you tonight.”
He shut off the water, stepped out of the tub, and took her by the hand back to the bedroom.
“Well, this is awkward,” Michael said with a raised eyebrow.
Gabriel stood amidst the clouds, looking through the opening at his feet where he could see Julia’s bedroom—and everything transpiring within. He glanced up at Michael and grimaced.
“Indeed.”
Gabriel stepped back, closing the viewing hole in the clouds, and shot Michael a suspicious look. Michael’s humor shone in his eyes until Gabriel’s harsh gaze wiped it away.
“I think she has had enough testing,” Gabriel said heavily. “There must be a way to change the course.”
“It isn’t a test, Gabriel. It is a fork in his path. There is still the matter of choice. She could decide not to go there. It’s not likely, but it’s possible.”
“What about him?” The set of Gabriel’s jaw radiated his frustration. “Theirs is a palpable love, as it always has been. Could we not influence his choices? We have done it before.”
“And if we do, Brother? What happens to her? Have you become able see the infinite outcomes if we interfere?” Michael’s wings began to spread open, making it seem like he was raising his voice as he spoke.
Gabriel stood, undaunted but silent.
“No,” Michael continued. “He joined
her to save her. He has done it once, pulling her from despair. We must let him do so again. She is stronger than you think.” Michael stopped and examined Gabriel intently. “Interesting.”
“What?”
“You. So protective. It’s almost…human…” Michael waved a hand, dismissing his own thought.
“Funny, Michael. How did the apostles all miss your incredible sense of humor in their careful recollections? I am not acting like a human. I am concerned. There is a lot at stake.”
“I know. He made his choice long ago. It is done.”
XII
IT was a few minutes past eleven the next morning when Alex and Julia were almost ready to get in the car and head out. She had packed them some roast beef sandwiches and a bottle of wine. After eyeing her crystal wine glasses, she grabbed two Dixie cups and tucked them in the box along with some napkins and paper plates.
Alex picked the box up off the counter. “Do we have everything?”
“Maybe some fruit?” Julia pulled open the refrigerator door and frowned. “All I have are apples.”
“I’ll pass,” Alex said. “They give me heartburn.”
“Oh! My phone,” she said, dashing into the bedroom. She had silenced it the night before and left it on her nightstand.
“I’ll just put this out in the car,” he said, balancing the box awkwardly with one hand while opening the door. “See you out there.”
Julia picked up her phone as the door shut behind Alex. There were four missed calls, all from the restaurant phone or Sandra’s cell, and three emails. One email was from Charlie—titled “Are you around?”—and two from business email addresses she decided to look at later. She dialed her voicemail, and heard the first message from Sandra in her bubbly British accent.
“Julia, I fired Clyde. He didn’t ask me why, only smiled and said, ‘It doesn’t matter now, anyway.’ Bloody hell, he’s horrid! Anyway, he’s gone. Thought you would want to know as soon as it was done.”
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