Eve felt Pearl’s warm grip in hers, that strange, surreal feeling of everything fading away, and then she was surrounded by a painfully familiar setting. Downtown Chicago, bustling with traffic and pedestrians, Christmas decorations on every stretch of street. The cool air chilled her cheeks, though she was snuggly warm in her black winter coat. She smiled.
“I’m back!” she exclaimed. Hard to believe it, but she’d missed the place. Everything seemed so different now, so alive. The quiet serenity of heaven was a drastic change from the teeming life in the city.
“Mm-hmm,” Pearl said, patting her hand and leading her down the sidewalk. “Now, there are rules.”
“Rules?”
“Yes, you cannot attract any attention to yourself. No one can know that you are now an angel.” They walked past a street vendor, past numerous people milling about on the sidewalk who stopped in their tracks and looked at the two of them.
“Who would believe that anyway?” Eve asked. Except maybe the weirdos who wandered down the street, muttering to themselves while pushing shopping carts full of dirty bags.
“You’d be surprised,” Pearl said drolly.
“Why is everyone staring at us?” Eve realized that as they walked, people were casting her odd glances.
“Because you are the only one they can see.”
Crud. Her cheeks flamed. “Oh, so they all just think I’m talking to myself.” Marvelous. Now she looked as crazy as the people she’d always thought were nuts.
Pearl dismissed her concerns with a wave of her hand. “It’s Chicago, dear. Everybody does it.” She paused as they continued walking. “And you are allowed to inspire, but not to lead.”
“Uh-huh.” Eve wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but she’d figure it out.
“And then you must do all of this by yourself,” Pearl added. “You must find your own way, and under no circumstances are you to form any attachments or relationships.” These words were delivered with heavy weight.
Eve glanced over at the angel as snow fell, chilling her cheeks and reminding her what it felt like to be alive. “Well, I never found time to do that on earth. I don’t think I’m going to start in the afterlife.” She smothered a sardonic chuckle, unable to do more than shake her head at herself. Truer words had never been spoken. Ah, well.
They paused, and Pearl eyed her hard. “And… no contacting anyone that you know.”
Dusk fell quickly and bathed Chicago in darkness. The skyline was bright with smattered lights on the high-rise buildings. Life moved through the city in waves of sound, the honking of horns, the chatter of people, wandering to and fro as they made their way to wherever they were headed.
“I have fondness for this city,” Pearl said from the park bench just outside downtown proper, where they looked at everything hustling and bustling before them. “I love to come back and check it out when I can.” Despite the cold in the air, she didn’t seem chilled at all, even clad in just her thin white garb. She pointed. “I grew up in Wicker Park.”
“How long ago was that?”
Pearl retorted, “Let’s just say I’ve been wearing white a long time.”
That made Eve chuckle. She shook her head as she eyed the cityscape in fresh wonder. “I never noticed all the colors. The lights and the sounds. It’s so beautiful.” Like a painting. How was it she’d never sat on a bench and just looked at the skyline?
Not taking her eyes off the view, Pearl whispered in response, “Yeah.”
A thought came to Eve, and she felt a surge of sadness. “My brother… I have to tell my brother. He doesn’t know what happened to me.” Tyler must have so many questions.
“Yes, he does,” Pearl said quickly. “You have to focus on your assignment now. You have a little girl who’s extremely worried about her uncle. He’s at a crossroads in his life, and I’m afraid he’s lost his way.”
Eve shook off thoughts of her brother. She’d deal with that. But first, she had to understand the details of her assignment. “Okay, but what am I supposed to do?” How could she possibly help with this?
Pearl sighed and stood. “I don’t know how you’re going to fix it, but you really need to do it before Christmas. Let’s go.”
Chapter Three
There was that strange sensation again as Pearl took Eve’s hand, and then she found herself back in downtown Chicago, transported through time to the next day. It was probably lunchtime now, the crowd bustling around her. Snow fell in fat flakes as they walked toward a building bearing a sign that read Max’s Diner.
“There he is,” Pearl declared, leading Eve to the front door of the place.
Inside, a man was behind the diner’s counter. He looked over at Eve, and their eyes connected.
Wait a minute. “Him?” Was Pearl serious? He was the musician she’d shared a cab with—she was certain of it. “But… I know him.”
Pearl shook her head. “No, not really.”
Eve heaved a sigh as her stomach flipped over itself. This guy was her assignment, the uncle who had lost his way, and she was supposed to help? “Pearl?” She glanced around and realized the angel was missing. “Pearl? Pearl?” she cried out, looking desperately up and down the sidewalk. “Come back!” She’d left without explaining what was next, and Eve felt her nerves clawing at her.
The diner door dinged open, and there was the man in question, standing in the doorway and staring at her, his brow quirked. “Did you… lose a reindeer or something?” he asked with a smirk.
Due to the confusion in her mind, Eve blurted out, “Uh… an angel.” She winced internally at the words, knowing she sounded silly, and felt her cheeks explode in flames. Smooth, Eve. Really smooth.
His brow furrowed as he studied her. “‘Hark-the-herald-angels-sing’ angel?” Yeah, he definitely thought she was certifiable. Well, this was a fantastic start to her assignment.
“Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la?” she responded and plastered on a wide smile. Maybe he’d think it was a joke if she played it off like one.
That got him to laugh, his brown eyes sparkling. And something about that laugh made her feel warm inside. Maybe, just maybe, this assignment wasn’t going to be so bad. She had to admit, he was charming when he wasn’t trying to steal her cab.
“So, are you going to come in or just stand there and treat us to carols all day?” he asked, a lingering chuckle evident in his voice.
She lifted her head and eyed him. “Trust me, you don’t want me singing.”
The guy opened the door wider and welcomed her inside.
Delicious scents of food wafted right to her, and she sighed, her mouth watering in response. Could angels drink or eat? She hoped so, because she could destroy a piece of pie right now. Not to mention how much she wanted a coffee. Pearl hadn’t exactly filled her in on these finer nuances of her new career. She made a mental note to ask the elusive angel next time she saw her.
The guy went back behind the counter, and Eve slipped onto a stool, resting her forearms on the smooth bar surface. Behind her, people chatted in booths as they ate lunch. Life was going on around her the same as before, though everything had changed for her.
“So,” he said with a grin to Eve, crossing his arms over his chest. “Didn’t think I’d see you again.”
“Me neither,” she admitted.
Wow,