"Angels- 01 - A Season Of Angels" - читать интересную книгу автора (Macomber Debbie)

УI suppose.Ф But Mercy didnТt sound overly enthusiastic.
УIf she had a taste of deep inner happiness, she might be willing to release a portion of her pain,Ф Goodness added. УIt seems to me what ShirleyТs saying is that what Leah really needs isnТt an absence of sorrow, or a feeling of gladness. Earthly joy wouldnТt accomplish your purpose. Leah needs a connection with heaven.Ф
УYes,Ф Shirley shouted with her excitement. She couldnТt have said it better herself. УThatТs exactly what I mean.Ф
УIn other words,Ф Mercy said slowly, thoughtfully, Уif Leah would be willing to take hold of a .а.а. higher level of joy, then she might be willing to release her disappointments and frustrations.Ф
УExactly,Ф Shirley said and Goodness echoed, УExactly.Ф
Shirley realized they made it sound simple, but she didnТt envy Mercy her task. It was little wonder so many other prayer ambassadors had been defeated by LeahТs problem.
Mercy stood and was pacing in front of the huge church organ, sending longing looks toward the antique instrument. УAnyone have any other suggestions how IТm supposed to accomplish this?Ф
Shirley was silent and so was Goodness.
УDonТt worry, IТll think of something,Ф she offered brightly. УI always do.Ф
УLet me tell you whatТs going on with Monica,Ф Goodness said next, looping her legs over the arm of the chair and tilting her head back with a dramatic flair. She sighed and placed the back of her hand against her brow. УSheТs enthralled with this .а.а. this private investigator. The choir director might as well not exist, and MichaelТs perfect for her, just perfect.Ф
УWhat about Chet?Ф Mercy asked. УHe might not be as bad as you think.Ф
УHeТs not for Monica,Ф Goodness said firmly, brooking no argument. УI was able to check into his past and believe me, it isnТt a pretty picture. HeТs lied, heТs stolen and been in trouble with the law, although he once worked for them. HeТs not exactly what IТd call an upstanding prospective husband for a ministerТs daughter.Ф
УOh, my,Ф Mercy mumbled.
Shirley mulled over the situation, tapping her fingers against the top of the railing, her thoughts moving in several different directions at once.
УFurthermore,Ф Goodness added seriously, УheТs egotistical, chauvinistic, and he hasnТt darkened the door of a church in more than ten years. The last time he prayed he was in his early teens.Ф
УHe doesnТt sound like the man for Monica,Ф Mercy agreed.
Shirley hesitated, then decided she might as well speak her mind. УI donТt think we should be so hasty here. IsnТt your mission to teach Monica to be more flexible and accepting of others? From what I understand sheТs caught in a trap of following a list of rules and regulations.Ф
УYes, but any lessons I have to teach her donТt include Chet.Ф
Shirley wasnТt convinced of that. УFrom what youТve told me, she views everything as black and white, with little room for compromise.Ф
УTrue,Ф Goodness was willing to admit, Уbut donТt you see? The two are completely incompatible. Gabriel wanted me to get her feet wet, not throw her off the Freemont Bridge.Ф
УAll I can suggest is that you be patient with Monica.Ф
УOne thingТs in my favor,Ф Goodness said, sounding encouraged. УThey arenТt likely to meet again.Ф
УThen thereТs nothing to worry about,Ф Mercy said, slipping onto the bench in front of the massive organ.
УMercy,Ф Shirley warned, knowing her friend well enough to recognize the movement was anything but casual. The organ was too big a challenge to ignore.
УDonТt worry,Ф Mercy reassured her, УIТm going to be good.Ф
Shirley wasnТt the least bit convinced, and she was right. As she winged her way out of the church and back to her charge, a blast of organ music crescendoed into the night. Groaning aloud, Shirley recognized the opening bars from Phantom of the Opera and knew exactly where theyТd come from.
а
УDinner was lovely,Ф Jody said, slipping out of the rich velvet booth in the luxurious downtown restaurant. Glen had been a wonderful dinner companion. Although Jody had been nervous when heТd come to pick her up at the house, heТd quickly put her at ease.
УItТs still early,Ф Glen was saying as he helped her on with her full-length wool coat. УI can take you back to the house, if you want, but I was hoping youТd consider taking a ferry ride with me.Ф
It had been a year or more since Jody had last been on any of the Washington State ferries. After sheТd received the word of JeffТs death, sheТd come down to the waterfront often. She found a peace, a solace here that escaped her otherwise. On more than one occasion sheТd whiled away an hour or more riding the ferry, standing on the deck facing the wind, letting it batter her. SheТd close her eyes and pretend Jeff was with her. SheТd breathe in the scent of sea and salt while the birds screeched overhead. Each time she came away rejuvenated.
УWhere do you want to go?Ф she asked, reluctant for reasons she didnТt care to explain. The ferry ride had been her own private haven, and she wasnТt entirely sure she wanted to share this.
УAnywhere you like. The Bainbridge run is a half hour each way. We could get a caffщ latte and look at the city lights. The Bremerton run is an hour each way.Ф
УAll right,Ф Jody surprised herself by saying. It was easy to be with Glen. He was friendly and undemanding, allowing her to set the course of their evening, deciding even if there was to be a relationship. Jody found the lack of pressure necessary and reassuring.
He kept his hand at her elbow as they walked along the waterfront. The scent of Puget Sound mingled with that of fried fish from the take-out booths was in the crisp night air. The cold nipped at JodyТs cheeks and she buried her hands deep within the silk lining of her coat pockets.
УHere,Ф Glen said, wrapping the muffler her mother had knit for her around her face, covering her mouth and ears. УI canТt have you catching a chill.Ф
How thoughtful he was, she noted. This was exactly the type of thing Jeff would have done. Jody forced all thoughts of her dead husband from her mind. It was time to let go, time to put the past behind her and look forward, not back.
Remember LotТs wife.
Jody didnТt know where the thought came from, it was as if someone had whispered it into her ear. LotТs wife? Why she would even think of the Biblical character was beyond her. All Jody could remember was that LotТs wife had turned into a pillar of salt when she fled Sodom and Gomorrah. Against the angelsТ command, sheТd stopped and looked back.
That was it, Jody realized with a sudden burst of insight. Instead of setting her course for the future, LotТs wife had looked back over the life that sheТd once had. In many ways Jody had been doing the same thing, and in the process sheТd become frozen, unable to move forward to whatever awaited her.
They arrived at the ferry terminal minutes before the ferry pulled away from the huge dock, headed toward Bainbridge Island. Holding hands and laughing, Jody and Glen raced through the terminal and onto the ferry, their steps echoing like ricocheting bullets in the stillness of the night.
While Jody found them a table in the small cafeteria section, Glen ordered their caffщ lattes. She was lucky enough to find a booth by the window. Surprisingly, there didnТt seem to be many passengers. The majority of the commuters remained in their cars for the short crossing.
УHere we go,Ф Glen said, slipping into the seat across from her and handing her the thick paper cup.
Jody trained her gaze out of the window, watching the city lights grow smaller as the huge boat effortlessly glided its way across Puget Sound. She lowered her gaze to the hot drink cradled in her hands. The time had come for her to be forthright with Glen.
УYou mentioned the other night that youТd learned I donТt date much.Ф
УThatТs the scuttlebutt,Ф Glen agreed.
УIТm a widow.Ф
УI know that too, with a nine-year-old son. I was sorry to have missed meeting him.Ф
УTimmy and my mother went to McDonaldТs for dinner. IТm sure heТll still be awake when we get back.Ф She didnТt mention that heТd probably give Glen the third degree, asking him about baseball and other sports. To be fair she should warn Glen about her sonТs inquisitiveness, but before she could he spoke again.
УNo one seems to know much more about you.Ф
УI .а.а. generally donТt combine my home life with business.Ф