Angel Unaware Read Free Page B

only until Christmas Eve. At the stroke of midnight, you will return here with no arguments.” He paused. “Agreed?”
    Four Earth weeks hardly seemed time enough to do all she wanted to do, see all she wanted to see, but she nodded, taking what she could get.
    “Very well. While you’re there, since you may need some of them, your…uh…special angelic talents will be limited.” He paced in front of her, making the cloud wobble precariously. Dora clutched the edge to keep from toppling off. “I will be your contact, and Grace will stand in for me if I’m not available, just in case you need me for anything and to make sure all…goes smoothly.” He frowned at her, and then glanced around, as though checking to make sure he would not be overheard, and turned back to her.
    “This part is very important. While you are there, you will have a limited history of a life on Earth, last name, social security number, driver’s license, birth certificate, and such. We’ve found sending angels down there in human form without all our ducks in a row can cause innumerable problems. Humans are so inquisitive, and so set on living through forms and documents. I’ve heard one can’t do anything down there without the proper related papers.” He clucked his tongue and shook his head. “If they spent half as much time worrying about their fellow human beings as they do about whether their driver’s license is current—” He stopped and dismissed the rest of his thought with a sharp wave of his hand. “That’s not my department.”
    Dora could hold back her excitement no longer. She shot to her feet. “When do I leave?” The cloud tipped and swayed. Calvin extended his arms and swung them like an airplane propeller to keep his balance.
    When he was sure he wouldn’t topple off, he continued with his instructions. “You’ll leave immediately after your briefing. While you’re there, you will work with a family who is sorely in need of guidance.” He took Dora’s shoulders in his large hands. “There are two things you must remember. If you’re successful in this, there’s a good chance there will be a promotion to Guardian Angel in it for you.”
    The thought of a promotion to Guardian Angel didn’t come close to exciting her a fraction as much as going to Earth. Dora grinned and started to pull away, anxious to get started. Calvin’s grip tightened.
    “This is the most important thing you have to remember. You’re young, impressionable, and inexperienced. Mortals have a way about them that… Well, suffice to say, take care in your dealings with them. Do not, I repeat, do not get emotionally attached to any humans, and under no circumstances are they to know that you’re an angel.”
    Half-listening, Dora nodded vigorously, while she danced in place, waiting for a sign that Calvin was done with his list of conditions. He wasn’t.
    “I cannot emphasize this enough. If you violate any of the terms of your transition to mortal form, Dora, when you return here, there will be dire repercussions. Dire .”
    A tiny chill of foreboding chased down her spine, but she ignored it. Before Calvin could find more reasons to detain her, she raced off to report for her briefing and then the final preparations for her long-awaited transformation to mortal form.
     
     
    Tony answered the doorbell and found a woman standing there. Could this be the first candidate for the nanny position? He checked his watch. The agency said she should arrive around this time.
    He blinked. With the sun behind her, she was totally surrounded by a glowing bright light. He couldn’t see her face, but he could see the delightful outline of her body in silhouette, and delightful it was in every way. He took a deep breath and knew that his reaction had nothing to do with Penny’s neglected needs and more to do with his own.
    A distant rumble of thunder broke the silence, and just then a large dark cloud seemed to appear from nowhere to cover the