Big Love(25)
“I remember, don’t worry. But that’s not much time to save Nell’s heart from that woman.”
“You mean Dove Lance?” Annabelle asked.
Zing nodded. “Yes. Nell needs me. Her heart is at serious risk.”
“Yes, but if Nell is willingly in a relationship with Dove Lance, there isn’t a lot you can do about it,” Annabelle said. She touched Zing’s hair again. She seemed transfixed by it. “It’s so soft.”
Annabelle picked up the The Guardian Angel’s Handbook where it sat on the bedside table unopened and unread. “I wish you’d find time in your busy schedule to peruse this.”
Zing plopped backwards on the bed, groaning. “It’s so boring. I’d rather read Miracle’s poems.” She popped back up, saying, “Did you know that she intentionally writes bad poetry?”
“I know she does. But I can’t figure out why.”
“Because she can. That’s what she told me. She does it to piss off the literati,” Zing said.
“What does that mean?”
“I have no idea, but it has something to do with people who think all poetry should be done in a certain way and anything new or different is bad.”
“I think that writers and artists should be treated nicer because they devote themselves to improving the quality of life,” Annabelle said.
“Tell the literati that,” Zing said. “Miracle has tons of copies of her book of poetry. You want one? I can get it autographed.”
“You mean with my name on it?”
“You betcha.”
“I’d love that!” Annabelle squeezed Zing in a sudden hug.
“You’re hurting my ribs,” Zing wheezed.
Annabelle turned her loose. “Sorry. I forget you’re corporeal.”
“That’s okay. I forget it a lot, too. This morning, I stubbed my toe on the coffee table. You wouldn’t believe how much it hurt!” Zing looked down at her hands and mused aloud, “That’s how it must feel when a lover does you wrong—like a stubbed heart.”
Annabelle opened the handbook and flipped through a few pages until something caught her eye. “It says here that if your human is endangering themselves and it’s caused by negative emotions, then it is the guardian angel’s job to intervene.” Annabelle slapped the book shut.
“Intervene?” Zing asked. “How do I do that?”
“I think in this case, intervening means getting Nell away from Dove Lance.”
Zing nodded. “I have a funny feeling about Dove. Do you think she is who she says she is?”
“I think Dove Lance is definitely hiding something,” Annabelle said. “I feel it in my bones. Well, you know, if I had bones.”
Zing nodded. “I feel it, too. I have to stop Nell from stubbing her heart.” Zing snapped her fingers and said, “And I know just the person to help me!”
Chapter Five
“You want me to do what?” Carol asked.
Zing and Carol were in the bakery’s kitchen. Carol was teaching Zing how to cut out sugar cookies shaped like tigers. The elementary school’s mascot was a tiger. Every Tuesday, the bakery made tiger cookies. The mothers picked the cookies up in the morning so the little ones had them when they got home.
Nell was busy in the office writing up supply orders before she opened the bakery’s doors for business. Zing stole a look at the office door, making sure Nell couldn’t overhear her. “I want you to help me save Nell.”
“Save Nell from what?”
“A broken heart,” Zing said as she inspected the row of tiger cookies she’d made. She was pleased with her handiwork. They all had clean edges and were perfectly shaped. Carol glanced over at them but didn’t say anything. She simply pointed at the oven. Zing figured that was a good sign.
“Are you for real?” Carol asked.
Zing answered the question literally: “I’m real for the next twenty-seven days.” She slid the tray of cookies into the hot oven.
“Then what happens? You go poof and turn into a pumpkin?”
“No, silly, guardian angels have nothing to do with Halloween. At the end of twenty-seven more days, I have to leave this body and return to HQ.”
“Ugh. You’re nuts. I’d throw you out the door if you weren’t so good with the customers,” Carol said.
“Are you going to help me or not?” Zing stamped her foot for emphasis.
Carol pulled the glazed donuts out of the fryer. They always did those last because plain as glazed donuts were, warm ones straight out of the fryer were a great favorite with the customers. “What happens if I don’t help?” she asked.