Angel Unaware Read Free Page A

from him. “Have you thought about getting a full-time, live-in nanny to see to Penny?”
    Tony went to the side counter, removed the glass carafe from the coffeemaker, and refilled his cup. He sipped the lukewarm liquid, made a face, then set the mug aside. “Yes, I have. In fact, Jake’s sister gave me the name of an agency.” He reached into his back pocket and extracted his wallet. Opening it, he fumbled through it until he found a slightly dog-eared business card. He studied it for a moment, then tossed the card on the table and sighed. “I don’t know what to do. These people are strangers. Besides, I’m not sure I can afford to pay a nanny.”
    “You can’t always put a dollar sign on things. Sometimes we can’t look at how much it will cost to do something, but rather how much it will cost not to do it.” Millie picked up the card, read it, and then beamed. “Ah, Angel Guardians . How bad can they be with a name like that? I’ve got a good feeling right here about this, Tony.” She placed a hand over her heart, her signal that her feeling came with some phantom, absolute approval.
    Most probably the angels she put such stock in. “You need to call them tomorrow.”
    A slow smile spread across his lips. His trusting neighbor believed devoutly in angels. Her house bore witness to it with the many ceramic statues of the celestial beings that occupied shelves and tables. She swore that each human had an angel in the wings to help when things got rough. He laughed to himself. His personal angel must have been napping for the last few years. She hadn’t been helping him, that’s for sure.
    Well, his Guardian Angel might be sleeping on the job, but Tony knew if he didn’t agree to call, Millie would nag him into eternity about it. Then again, the company had come highly recommended by his foreman’s sister.
    As much as Tony hated to admit it, his neighbor’s wise words about cost-versus-need hit the nail right on the head. Penny needed a woman in her life, and he needed to get back to his business full-time. If he had to tighten his belt to do it, then he would. He’d just have to find a way to pay for it.
    “All right, I’ll call them in the morning.”
     
     
    Only moments passed before Calvin reappeared out of the cosmos. Dora’s wings trembled in nervous anticipation of his answer. When he remained silent for what seemed like forever, she could wait no longer. “Well?”
    Calvin stroked his strong, square jaw. His wings’ feathers, which had been in total chaos, slowly rearranged themselves, but even then, some remained protruding, a sure sign that what he had to tell her troubled him. Her stomach dropped below the cloud cover. She feared the news was bad and that the Council had turned down her request.
    Finally, Calvin cleared his throat and said, “You can become a mortal.”
    Dora felt happy tears gathering in her eyes. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt so elated. The tears began to flow in earnest. When she saw the alarmed expression spreading over Calvin’s face, she blinked them back.
    “Now, wait. It isn’t all good news. The Heavenly Council said you can go down below—”
    Dora didn’t care if there was bad news, too. Right now, all she could concentrate on was that her dream was about to come true. She was going down to live among the mortals. No longer able to contain her happiness, she let out a whoop of joy that vibrated through the sky, displacing several clouds and tossing off the angels inhabiting them. At first they looked angry, but when they saw it was only Dora, they merely shook their heads.
    “Sorry,” she called sheepishly.
    They sent her an understanding smile and then fluttered off to another cloud, one safely beyond the reach of her emotional reactions.
    Calvin scowled at her. “If I might finish…”
    “Of course.” She sat down on the fluffy cloud, then folded her hands in her lap and tried not to fidget.
    “They said you may go below, but