Angels in Seashore Cove (Love and Laugh in Seashore Cove Book 2)

by Maggie Van Well

  A chill rushed down Dianna’s spine at her mother’s liquor induced words. What exactly was she getting at?

  “Mom, in what new direction are you headed?”

  She glanced over her shoulder, through the open window to the deck outside, and then leaned in close. “I’ve decided to win your father back.”

  Dianna just stared, along with Kate and Ellen. None of them spoke. Then Ellen shook her head and blurted out, “Are you out of your flipping mind?”

  “No, I’m finally thinking clearly for once.” Then she took another gulp of wine.

  “Mom, you can’t be serious. He’s been married three times since you and he divorced, and you’ve—”

  “Gone through men like,” she lifted her glass, “fine wine, I know. But I’ve never felt with any other man what I felt for your father. And I have it on good authority that he feels the same way.”

  “From who?”

  “Bunny. Why do you think she’s not here?”

  Dianna had wondered why her stepmother didn’t accompany her father this year, and how her mother came to know the truth from Bunny was anyone’s guess. Still it seemed a bit far-fetched.

  “I just don’t want you hurt, Mom.”

  “Go for it, Loraine.”

  She and Ellen both stared at Kate in shock. “You’re crazy, too!” Ellen said.

  Dianna loved having Sean’s mother around, because all the things Dianna was thinking, she knew Ellen would say out loud.

  Kate grinned, but the outburst didn’t sway her. “No, I’m not. I almost didn’t fight for Jake, and I nearly lost him. I can’t imagine what my life would be like now if I hadn’t found the courage to face my fears and give us a fair shot.”

  Kate’s words went straight to Dianna’s heart. Is that what she’d done? Did she run too fast from Sean, give up too easily? Maybe instead of running away, she should’ve stayed and taken a chisel to that wall of doubt he’d built around himself.

  She glanced out the window at the men, her gaze falling on Sean’s handsome face. He’d said he loved her. Claimed that was the reason he had to let her go, but shouldn’t she have some say in the matter? This was her life too, damn it!

  Dianna jumped up. “I’ll be right back.”

  Without waiting for any responses, she rushed through the living room to the front door, pushing it open and making a beeline for the patio table. “Sean, come with me a sec?”

  The conversation stopped, and Sean stared at her, the first time he really looked at her since he arrived yesterday. He didn’t budge.

  Tucker slapped the back of his head. “Dude, move! The lady’s waiting.”

  Without further coercion, and probably because he didn’t want to make a scene, Sean slowly rose from his seat and inched his way out of the corner.

  Dianna didn’t wait for him to join her. She simply turned, led him to the stairs at the far end of the deck and headed to the massive front lawn. Thunder rolled over the mountains, but it didn’t concern her. The storm was probably still miles away.

  Once she was confident they were out of hearing distance, she stopped by the metal shed that housed the gardening equipment and waited for him to reach her.

  He stood a few feet away, but didn’t say anything.

  “I do not accept your answer.”

  His brow furrowed. “I don’t know—”

  “I asked you to come to Paris with me. You said no. Well, I don’t accept that.”

  “I don’t think this is the right time—”

  “Yes, it is the right time because I’m leaving for Paris two days after we go back home.”

  Sean flinched as if her words were a physical attack. He swallowed, and then swallowed again. “I wish you a safe trip.”

  “No, you don’t, because you’re coming with me. You can wish us both a safe trip.”

  “Princess…” He ran his hands through his hair.

  “Don’t call me that unless you mean it.” She took a deep breath. “You’ve always trusted me.”

  He nodded.

  “Then trust me this time when I say we can do this. We can make a life together and make it work.”

  “I love you too much to take that chance.”

  She stepped forward, angry that he was being so stubborn. “No, you’re just taking the easy way out.”

  “And that’s my choice.”

  “So you’re just going to walk away from the love of a lifetime on a what if?”

  “I have to.” And she could tell he meant it. His eyes were, for lack of a better word, numb. Maybe he would come around one day, maybe he wouldn’t, but Dianna had to decide if he was worth the wait or not.

  Perhaps at times, taking the easy way out was the better choice.

  She pulled in another breath. She’d cried too many tears for a man who wasn’t brave enough to fight for her. No more.

  “Fine. Then I suggest you come up with a reason to explain to our families why we’re not friends anymore.”

  That said, she rushed passed him before he could see her eyes well up.

  Okay, so maybe just one more time she’d cry for this man.

  Laughter echoed from the patio and she latched onto that happy sound to give her strength. The thunder grew closer, louder, but she knew, this time she would not end up in Sean’s bed when the storm came through. She’d lock herself in her room if she had to.

  “Dianna!”

  No, she wouldn’t let him pull her down with him. She kept walking until she reached the wood steps, but she’d only scaled the first two before he grabbed her wrist.

  She turned, no longer caring what he saw in her eyes.

  “Tell me you didn’t mean that. Please tell me we can be friends again one day.”

  “You know me, Sean. I won’t make a promise I can’t be sure I’ll keep.”

  He dropped her wrist. “And you already broke one because of me.”

  “No, I didn’t. My pact was to wait for The One. Well, you are the one for me. You just won’t allow yourself to be.”

  For the first time since he was twelve, Dianna saw him cry. There were no shudders or sobs, just a single tear running down each cheek.

  “You deserve a man who will treat you like a real Princess. Someone who will be there for you. Always.”

  The hair stood up on the back of her neck seconds before a blinding light hit her eyes. She screamed and jumped when the loud crash of a lightning bolt striking the gardening shed echoed through the valley.

  “Shit, that was close. We better get inside.”

  But Sean didn’t comply. Instead he dropped to one knee, then the other before he fell over completely.

  “Sean!” Dianna’s cry came deep from her soul as she threw herself to the ground beside him. She slid her arm under his neck and lifted his head from the ground. He was cold, shaking. “Sean, please.”

  With a trembling hand, he touched her face, his eyes losing focus. “I’ve…always loved you.” Then his hand dropped and his head fell back.

  “No! Sean, stay with me!” Dianna howled in despair, as the last breath left his body and the light left his eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “ANGIE, COME BACK!”

  No, I can’t stop. This isn’t happening. Not again.

  Running, crying, stumbling. Angie moved as fast as she could, desperate to get to Dianna. She had to fix this. Had to give her beloved charge her happy ending.

  They’d been watching with bated breath as Dianna had once again tried to talk some sense into Sean. Angie had been proud of her for being so brave. Something she never was, even now. But then the lightning struck and her pride turned to horror as they witnessed the bolt travel through the ground directly at Sean. When he dropped, Angie’s heart tore apart. She knew this feeling. She’d felt it once before, when she’d delved into the deep recesses of Ellen Donovan’s mind. But this time, it was her own.

  That’s when she jumped through the cloud, not knowing or caring if they could see her. Her only thought w
as to get to them and make it right. In her heart, they were her children and they were in pain.

  Dianna held Sean, shouting at him through her sobs. “Sean, come on! Don’t you dare leave me!”

  All the men on the deck bolted into action, and down the stairs. The women rushed out of the house at the sounds of the men shouting. Dianna cradled Sean’s head against her chest, imploring God to bring him back.

  The agony in Dianna’s voice had Angie running faster. Hands closed around her shoulders. She fought, trying to shake them off, but eventually she collapsed to the wet grass. “Please, let me go to her. I have to fix this. I’m a doctor, I can help.”

  “There is already a doctor trying to help him. You need to steer clear.”

  “But Dianna…” She watched in dismay as Patrick lifted Dianna away from Sean, so Jake could get to him. She kicked, and cried, begging her brother to let her go, that she could bring him back. Jake fell to the ground beside Sean and felt for a pulse. With a firm shake of his head, he placed his hands on Sean’s chest and began compressions.

  “Let her family take care of her.”

  “No, she can’t deal with this.” Angie struggled to free herself. “She’ll never forgive herself.”

  “Forgive herself for what?”

  “If she hadn’t made Sean follow her onto the lawn, he never would’ve been on the grass when the lightning struck. He died because of her.”

  “No one will see it that way.”

  “She will, and it will kill her.” She fought to get away from Jack, but his determination to keep her with him was stronger than she was.

  He hugged her close, his hands in her hair. “You can’t know that.”

  “Yes, I can! Because I’m the reason you died and it killed me.”

  Jack pushed her away, the shock on his face bringing her worst nightmare to life. “What?”

  She could barely speak past her panting breaths. “We died in a car accident that was my fault. I didn’t see the stop sign and went through it.”

  “I remember.” Any love he might have had for her emptied from his eyes as she watched. He climbed to his feet, and turned away. Pacing. Shaking. “I begged you to let me drive because you were tired. But you argued you were fine.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jack.” Angie buried her face in her hands as sobs rocked her body. “I’m so sorry I let my pride get the better of me. I’m sorry I never confessed my feelings for you.”

  “What feelings?”

  “That you were the only man I’ve ever truly been in love with.”

  She felt him crouch down beside her. “Angie, look at me.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “I can’t bear to see the hate in your eyes.”

  “I could never hate you.” The huskiness in his voice was so intense, it almost gave her the strength to look at him. Almost.

  “I saw it, Jack. I watched the love die.”

  “What you saw was shock. Not hate, or love dying.” Jack hooked a finger under her chin and forced it up. Angie kept her eyes closed, bracing herself for what she might see before opening them.

  Jack smiled, brushing the hair from her face.

  “You’re smiling. How can you still smile at me after what I just told you?”

  “Because I’ve always been in love with you too.”

  As soon as the words left his lips, a circle of deep royal blue light appeared on Jack’s chest, glowing through his T-shirt. It took Angie a moment to realize the same was happening to her.

  The blue light grew, warming her to her very core as it spread throughout her body until it burst into a flash of pink light.

  Blue and pink. Love and extreme joy.

  With a strangled cry, Angie launched herself into his arms feeling a surge of ecstasy she’d never experienced before on Earth or in Heaven. “Oh, Jack,” she whispered. “How stupid we’ve been.”

  He stood, bringing her with him. “Let’s not think about us right now. Let’s go help Sean and Dianna.”

  Jack turned with Angie behind him, but he stopped short as Jude’s massive armor-clad body blocked their way. “You’re assignment is over. You can no longer intervene.”

  “No, you can’t do this. They need us!” She stood in front of the archangel. “We have to go to them. Please!”

  Angie knew her begging had fallen on deaf ears. Jude was not Adriel. He would break the rules for no one. “Adriel is with them now.” With the blink of his eye, a golden custodio appeared between them. “Go through and wait for further instruction.”

  Spreading his wings, Jude lifted and disappeared from sight. For a brief moment, Angie scanned her brain for the meaning of a gold cloud, but came up blank.

  No time for that now. She had a charge to save.

  “Fuck this!” As soon as Angie took a step in their charges’ direction, a barrier of sparkling white stood in her path, bouncing her back like a vertical trampoline. No matter how determined she was to be with Dianna and Sean, the angel had spoken.

  Their assignment was truly over.

  “I don’t know what’s cooler,” Jack said as he took her hand and turned to the custodio. “A force shield blocking our way, or that you just said fuck.”

  ***

  When Sean opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the odd sensation of floating and the aroma of baking bread. It was homey, relaxing, and one of his favorite smells. It made him think of Dianna and when he would help her bake several types of bread for Thanksgiving dinner. A minute ago he’d been standing with her, then he felt a jolt, and now he stood in an enormous room filled with white orbs in various degrees of brightness hovering above him. They swarmed around aimlessly, most in pairs, some disappearing as he watched.

  They seemed to be in constant motion, but in contrast were eerily quiet.

  Lowering his eyes, they settled on the countless colorful clouds filling the room.

  Where was he? He should be afraid, but he wasn’t. He felt calm, comfort, at peace.

  “You’re in Heaven.”

  Sean turned to the voice and saw a tall slim figure, dressed in a dark gray suit. He was handsome—no—make that beautiful. His features were so perfect he didn’t seem real.

  “I am Adriel, your guardian since birth.” Sean shook his head. He could hear the man clear as day, but his lips never moved. His voice was deep, soothing. “I have loved and guided you all your life.” He motioned for Sean to follow him.

  He obliged, thinking he’d taken the news that he’d just died pretty well. The angel led him through a maze of clouds, each one capturing a different vibrant color.

  Before each cloud stood a male form, each more beautiful and perfect than the last. Some held expressions or joy, some despair, others laughed.

  His angel finally stopped in front of the only black cloud he’d seen. “You must have many questions for me.”

  He had no idea where to start, so he began with the first thing he’d noticed when he opened his eyes. He looked up.

  “They are souls, just like you.”

  “Why don’t I look like them? Why am I still in human form?”

  “You’re not—well, not to me or to them, only to you.”

  “But I just walked over here. I move my lips when I speak.”

  “You think you are, but, believe me, you appear just as they. We communicate through, what humans call, telepathy.”

  Well, that’s a bit weird. ”How did I die?”

  “Surrounded by your loved ones.”

  Not the answer he was looking for, but he’d accept it for now.

  Finally he looked at the black cloud. “What are these?”

  “I’m glad you asked. These are how we keep track of you throughout your life. They’re called custodios and this one is yours.”

  “Why is mine black and the others have color?”

  “Because you just died. Once we are done here, it will disappear.”

  “Done here?”

  “Many souls w
ish to view the life they led before they move on to the upper floor and their eternal home. You can view just the happy moments, the momentous or everything. It’s your choice.”

  Sean thought for a moment, but in the end the choice wasn’t really that hard. “Show me Dianna.”

  “Ah, sweet Dianna Lillian.” Adriel smiled. “You and she are a very special pair. Two souls, chosen to be loved and looked over by the same guardian, born on the same day, at exactly the same time. Friends from cradle to death. Do you have any idea how rare that is?”

  Sean shook his head.

  “From the beginning, the average has been one per guardian. I’ve had two, sixteen years apart.”

  Sean had always been good at math, but even he couldn’t calculate those odds. “Please, show me.”

  Adriel moved aside, and gestured for Sean to stand before the cloud. It slowly changed from black to white then every moment he’d ever shared with Dianna flashed before his eyes.

  At six when she’d dropped her ice cream cone and he’d given up a scoop to share with her. At ten he’d been the one to teach her to swim.

  When she’d broken her foot at thirteen, he carried her for six blocks until he reached her home. They’d shared their first dance. Had stayed up with her late into the night helping her study for a test she was sure she’d fail.

  He’d even driven six hours through the snow, leaving a woman and a romantic weekend of skiing in New Hampshire just to be with Dianna when her grandmother died. Even when the woman got back at him by using the credit card he’d left with her to run up the room service bill and taken a limousine all the way back to Manhattan, Sean had never regretted his decision.

  Every sad moment, every celebration had been spent together. Even when they found other companions, their relationship never faltered. Not once.

  Until the morning he walked out on her.

  Sean turned away when the cloud turned from purple to gray, not wanting to see the look on Dianna’s face when she realized he’d left her.

  Not even being in Heaven could take the sting out of that memory. “Please, stop.”

  Immediately the cloud turned white. “What is it my son?”

  “I don’t want to relive our last conversation.”