by D. F. Jones
Anna’s eyes widened with alarm, and excitement coursed through her as she started to ask him a question.
Raphael helped Anna to her feet and pointed to the waiting room chairs. “Please sit down. Feel free to ask me questions, and I’ll try to answer them.”
Anna leaned back in her chair, dumbstruck. “Are you an angel?”
Raphael chuckled, and his smile was infectious. “You humans have to give a label to everything.” He waved his hand in the air with a slight flair, sending what looked like golden glitter trailing off his fingertips. It reminded her of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust. And he talked with his hands just like she did. “There are those in your world who call us angels, messengers, guardians, and on the far side of the spectrum, even aliens. Yes, I’m an angel, but more importantly”—he paused and pointed at her—“I’m your angel. It’s my responsibility to help you develop your healing power while you learn as much as you can about man’s modern medicine.”
Anna shook her head in disbelief and blinked several times. Holy shit. She had prayed for help and gotten an answer pronto. “What’s Heaven like?”
Raphael’s face lit up with elation. “Heaven is endless, timeless, and ever-changing. Every building, every mansion, all the fields and waters are clean and sparkling with The Creator’s radiance. Humans don’t quite understand the depth of love The Creator has for them or His great sense of humor. He created a city based on the human concept of Heaven through your songs about mansions on hilltops and streets of gold.”
Ralph crossed one leg over the other one and turned his hands palms up with his fingers extended for emphasis. “Of course, the buildings and mansions are mainly optical illusions for the new arrivals crossing over. The Creator wants to make the new arrivals’ resettlement into Heaven as comfortable as possible. Once acclimated, the arrivals may create their version of Heaven, as long as the humans follow the protocols listed in the new arrival handbook.”
Anna stared in shock at Raphael. New arrival handbook? She tried to focus on what he’d just said. She was in complete awe of this incredible being sitting next to her. “How long have you been watching over me?”
“I’ve been watching you since you were born into this world, and I’ll be with you when you cross over to the next one.”
Anna smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. “My whole life? And do you watch everything?”
Raphael chuckled again and rolled his eyes. “I never invade your privacy unless I think you’re in danger. So far, you’ve led a pretty good life. That’s why I haven’t needed to intervene until now. Anna, you’ve been given a great gift, but it comes with specific obligations. Do you understand?”
Anna absentmindedly scratched her cheek. “Ah, well, no, I’m just meeting you. Why me? I don’t understand why I have this gift. If this gift is divine, I don’t want to screw it up.” Anna glanced around the office. Was this really happening to her? She was dad-blamed close to hyperventilating or possibly heading into a full-fledged nervous breakdown.
Raphael placed his hands on his knees. “I don’t have all the answers, and I certainly don’t want to overwhelm you right from the beginning. Let me just say that The Creator selected you because he believes you’ll help those who surround you. The stone you found in the cave was merely a trigger to release the memory of the power you were given before you left Heaven. And someday you may save someone of great importance. Someone who may hold the balance between good and evil.”
Anna’s face fell forward into her hands. She had a guardian angel. She’d felt him many times during her life, but to see him in flesh and blood was flipping her out. Her head popped up. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but I can’t breathe. I have to get out of here.”
Anna grabbed her purse and made for the front door. She needed some oxygen like right now. Outside, she locked the door, and when she turned around to head to her car, Ralph materialized in front of her. “Jesus, Ralph, you scared the shit out of me.”
Ralph took a few steps back and threw up his hands. “Anna, I’m sorry to have distressed you. Look, if you need some time to wrap your head around everything I just told you, then I’ll give you time. And I like it—you may call me Ralph.”
Anna held the keys in her hand and looked into his eyes. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”
A car passed by the office and honked the horn. Anna waved and turned back to say something to Ralph, and he was gone. “Freaky D. I’m losing my ever-loving mind.”
A voice in the air said, “No, Annabelly. You’re not losing your mind. But I wouldn’t tell anyone about this encounter or you could be subject to a hospital screening.” She heard a chuckle.
Anna whipped around in a circle. No one was there. She shouted, “Believe me… I won’t tell a soul. Ralph?”
“Yes?”
“Just give me some time to process this information.” She leaned against the door of her car and a kiss pressed to her forehead.
Anna looked up in the air, trying to find Ralph. “I do want to talk to you. I just feel overwhelmed at the moment.”
“Until we meet again.”
Frightened and excited, Anna vowed to find out about her powers and Ralph was just the angel to help her do it.
Chapter 2
Southern Nights
Anna grew up in the small community of Everglade. It was a peaceful place with a slow, gentle rhythm to everyday life. She drove down the winding two-lane street lined with hundred-year-old maple trees and, in the distance, the rolling hills of the Highland Rim. Suddenly, a deer darted across the road, and Anna slammed on her brakes, screeching to a halt. The smell of burning rubber rose thick in the air. Her heart pounded as she gripped the steering wheel and slowly stepped on the gas pedal as she made her way around the sharp curve.
Good grief, what else was going to happen to her today? Healings and angels and deer, oh my.
Anna would think about Ralph later. Tonight, she wanted to party with her friends, not dwell on the fact that someday she might save someone who held the balance of good and evil. She yelled out, “For crying out loud, I’m only twenty.” She glanced in her rearview to see if Ralph might be riding in the backseat of her car.
By the time Anna pulled down Ditch Lane and parked her car, some twenty minutes later, her pulse had returned to normal. Ditch Lane had turned into her main hangout during high school, and it was still the place where Anna enjoyed the company of her old high school friends on any given weekend.
One of the first to arrive, Anna took her time as she strolled along Ditch Lane that ended near the old washed-out bridge. On the right, an old, abandoned white plantation house with a tin roof sat off the road about five or six hundred feet with acres of farmland. The other side of the lane was wooded and full of huge cedar trees. Anna looked over the cattle grazing in the open pastures. The sun was sinking low, spreading reds, pinks, and golds across the sky, and a few white clouds drifted along the horizon.
As Anna neared the creek, she noticed Jerry starting a small bonfire. She’d been in love with him since middle school, but he didn’t know it. No one did because she hadn’t discussed her feelings for Jerry with anyone. Ruby always insisted she and Jerry were just friends, but Anna didn’t believe it. Anna had come close to telling Ruby several times about her feelings for Jerry but was afraid Ruby would get mad at her. It would’ve been different if Jerry had ever shown her any interest.
Anna never had problems getting dates. She went out on dates all the time, but it was the six-foot-three, blond-haired, blue-eyed Jerry she crushed on. “Hi, Jerry, whatcha doing?”
On one knee, he blew the small flame under the sticks in the pit. Jerry stopped working on the fire, glanced up, and he grinned. “Oh, hey, Annabelly. I’m starting a fire so the smoke will send these pesky mosquitoes packing. Where’s Ruby Jane and Sandy?”
“Sandy should be here soon, but Ruby’s still working. She’s supposed to come as soon as she gets off. Can I help?” Anna wore an orange tube to
p with pink horizontal stripes and blue jean cut-offs. Jerry looked straight at her boobs. Well, at least he isn’t blind.
Jerry quickly lifted his gaze and nervously broke eye contact. “Sure, ah, go over to the creek and grab me a few of those old dried-out pieces of wood. Hey, what time does Ruby get off?”
Anna’s stomach flipped. Dadgummit. She thought for a split second they had exchanged the look. It was a feeling Anna had when a guy looked into her eyes, and intuition told her he liked her. But no such luck. She gave Jerry a one-shoulder shrug. “I don’t know for sure. Probably around nine thirty or so.”
Anna turned around to hide the disappointment in her eyes and made her way along the dirt path to the creek. She filled her arms with as much wood as she could carry, walked back to the fire, and dropped it at Jerry’s feet. Anna brushed the debris off her clothes and rubbed the palms of her hands on her back pockets.
Sandy waved at Anna as she walked toward the fire. Sandy livened any party. She had strong opinions with little filtering and constantly cracked Anna up.
Sandy could be a model for one of those New York talent agencies. She reminded Anna of Christie Brinkley, but with shimmering chestnut hair and hazel eyes that changed color with her moods. Anna never referred to Sandy’s beauty because Sandy hated people who looked at her superficially. It pissed her off. Sandy worked hard and proved herself time and again with her newsworthy articles at The Sidelines, their college newspaper. This fall semester, Sandy would be editor in chief.
With a smirk, Sandy said, “Dude, have you lost your dang mind? It’s hot as a firecracker out here. And you’re building a fire?”
Jerry tossed Sandy a glance over his shoulder. “Would you rather roast or be eaten alive? The mosquitoes are as thick as thieves out here, and if the fire doesn’t get rid of them, then I’ve got Off in my truck.”
Sandy wrinkled her nose and shoved her hands into her pockets. “Yuck. I hate Off. It stinks and is so sticky. Go ahead, light us up, scarecrow.” Sandy turned to Anna. “Need any help?”
“Nah, I think this is enough wood for now, don’t you, Jerry?” Jerry built a pyramid out of the old sticks, and the flames began to flicker and kick up to a blaze.
“Yup, we have plenty, and hey, thanks for the help. There’s beer in the cooler on my tailgate if y’all get thirsty.” Jerry winked at Anna and she unconsciously wet her lips. Jerry did a double take at her mouth and stammered, “I-I see George and Lizzie pulling up and, uh, I need to talk to him. Check y’all later.” Anna’s shoulders slumped when Jerry left without looking back at her.
Sandy draped her arm around Anna’s shoulders and butt-bumped her. “Put your tongue back in your mouth. He’ll be back over here soon enough. Why don’t you just go ahead and kiss him?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Anna pushed Sandy away, walked over to Jerry’s truck, and sat on the tailgate.
Sandy trailed Anna to the truck with her hands in her shorts pockets. “Honey, I have eyes, and when you’re around Jerry, you look like a love-sick puppy dog.”
“I do not. God, do I? Crap. I didn’t realize that I was so obvious. Do you think Ruby knows?” Anna’s legs dangled over the tailgate, and she began to rock them back and forth.
Sandy laughed and slapped the side of her leg. “Heck no, but she doesn’t care. Ruby and Jerry are just friends. You know that. Anywho, Jerry may need a nudge, sweetie pie.”
“It’s so much easier to flirt with the guys I don’t care about than to flirt with Jerry. I may need a little liquid courage.”
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about.” Sandy rubbed her hands together. She opened Jerry’s cooler and grabbed two beers. Sandy gave one to Anna before she leaned against the tailgate and opened one for herself.
Sandy made Anna laugh by giving her step-by-step directions on how to snag the man of her dreams. “See, honey, you walk up to Jerry real close and barely graze his arm, trail your fingers slowly over his skin while you gaze up into his eyes, all dreamy-like, bite your bottom lip, and just let nature take its course.”
“Oh, you’re so full of it. But I love you, sister.” Anna snickered and took a sip of her beer. “Sandy, do you believe in angels?”
Sandy’s brows popped, and she replied, “Of course I do. Why?”
Anna sat her beer on the tailgate. “I don’t mean like the angels that we’ll see when we go to Heaven. I’m talking about here on Earth. Do you believe we have guardian angels, for real?”
Sandy sat on the tailgate and drew her knees to her chest. “Yes, Anna, I believe they’re real. If you believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost, then angels are part of a package deal.”
Anna released a sigh. “Good, I believe that, too. Hey, Sandy, I’m glad you’re my best friend and, of course, Ruby, too.”
Sandy leaned over and hugged her. “Me too, jellybean.”
Once the party became crowded, Anna hopped down from the tailgate, and she and Sandy made their rounds talking to several of their old friends from school who had come home from college for the summer. Rusty, one of Sandy’s old beaus, was back in town and putting the moves on Sandy, big time.
Ruby’s brother, George, and his wife, Lizzie, walked to the bonfire with Jerry. Jerry grabbed his cooler and placed it on the ground. He hopped into his truck and moved it down the lane to allow more room for people to gather around the bonfire before returning to the party. That was when Anna noticed Reed and Brent walking behind Jerry. She’d met Reed and Brent last semester at a frat party in Murfreesboro. Maybe I should flirt with one of them to see if Jerry gets jealous.
The bonfire crackled, and embers floated into the air. The fireflies lit up in the fields beside Ditch Lane and dusk became night. Anna enjoyed listening to her friends laugh and talk about the old days of high school and their new experiences with college. She glanced up at the sky to see that a full moon was on the rise. Someone cranked up their car stereo with Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle.”
George slapped Reed on the back and tossed him and Brent beers as Anna stepped a little closer to hear their conversation. George said, “Boys, so glad y’all found the place. I was afraid you’d get lost coming out here.”
Reed quickly glanced at Brent before he replied to George, “We stopped by the general store and met your little sister, Ruby. Man, she’s something else.”
George displayed a huge grin, crossed his arms over his chest, and tilted his head to the side. “Oh, God, what did Ruby do now?”
Reed’s face broke into a grin. “She just gave us directions. Ruby’s pretty intuitive, isn’t she? I mean, she looked straight at Brent and told him that she’d never go out with him and turned to me and said she’d meet me later.”
Before George could reply to Reed, Ruby approached their group with what looked like grim determination splashed across her face. Reed locked onto Ruby’s eyes and took a step toward her.
Anna elbowed Sandy in the ribs and pointed toward Ruby. Ruby ran and jumped up on Reed, locking her legs around his waist, her lips on his mouth, and her arms around his neck.
George threw his head back and laughed. “Ruby Jane, I didn’t know you knew Reed.”
Anna whirled around to Jerry, and a frown crossed his face. He kicked a beer can into the fire and strode away from the party toward the line of cars parked along both sides of Ditch Lane.
Anna ran after Jerry and caught his hand before he could reach his four-wheel-drive Ford truck. “Please don’t leave.”
Jerry’s jaw clenched, and he let out a ragged breath. “Anna, I’m sorry, but I can’t stand around and watch her lip-lock some dude.”
Anna cupped the side of his face with the palm of her hand. He looked down to the ground and shuffled his feet, kicking up dust and rocks. Anna tilted his chin up until he met her gaze. Jerry had the most beautiful blue topaz eyes, and when he stared into her eyes, she melted like butter. “You know, sometimes love can be staring you right in the face, and you can be too blind to see it.”
Jerry blinked several times and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He stared at her like he had never really seen her before. “W-What are you saying to me?”
Anna’s adrenaline kicked in, and her heart pounded loudly. She grabbed the loops on his waistband and pulled him toward her. “Remember the night in high school when we played the Ravens? We were down by one and only seconds left in the game. You threw the basketball from mid-court and scored. We won, and the crowd roared. You picked me up and kissed me.”
Jerry’s hands dropped to her waist, and a lazy grin lit his face. “I’ll never forget that night. I think I kissed everybody.”
“But Ruby ran over and jumped on your back. You left with her. I wanted you to leave with me.” Tension escalated, and the magic began to bloom in the air between them.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Jerry’s gaze moved to her throat, down to her breasts, and back into her eyes in a matter of seconds. He wanted her, and the feeling was mutual.
Jerry’s heated look seared her mind, and desire shot up her spine like a red-hot flame. Anna bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She blurted out, “I’ve had a crush on you since middle school, but you’ve always chased Ruby, and I’d never do anything in the world to hurt my best friend.”
Jerry cocked his head to the side and dragged his fingers through his thick shoulder-length hair. He placed his fingers on her shoulders and began to knead her muscles. Anna had the urge to roll her head backward just as his forehead leaned down to touch hers. He said quietly, “So why are you telling me now?”
Oh, God. Jerry’s fingers digging into her skin felt so good. His hand slid down her back, and he rested them close to her bum. Anna boldly looked at him through her long eyelashes and said, “Well, Ruby is a little preoccupied right now, and I thought I’d just take this window of opportunity.”
Jerry laughed, and his expression turned serious. “I wanted to ask you out in high school, but I was too scared that you’d turn me down.” He searched her eyes and looked at her mouth. Suddenly, he grabbed her up into his arms and kissed her with such heat and passion she seemed to float in the air. The crowd became background noise as the party melted away. Jerry kissed her under the moonlit night, and she molded against his powerfully built frame like hot wax.