Shirley, Goodness and Mercy(31)

“I see you three are mighty pleased with yourselves,” the archangel said as he appeared beside them.

“We did it,” Mercy told him with more than a hint of pride.

“And all without involving the FBI or the National Guard,” Goodness was pleased to report.

“There was that one minor incident with a hot-air balloon, though,” Gabriel reminded her. “The Federal Aviation Administration is still looking into it.”

Shirley noticed that her friends had suddenly gone quiet. “All in all, it’s been a challenge.” They’d brought the case to a successful conclusion, but Shirley was convinced it had taken more than a little heavenly intervention. “What’s going to happen to Greg?” she asked, curious to learn what the future held for the man she’d once thought of as despicable. In time she’d actually come to like him and wish him well. He wasn’t as bad as he’d seemed at first glance, and she wondered if this was the real lesson Gabriel had been hoping to teach them.

“Well, as you can see he’s mending fences with Tess,” Gabriel said. Greg had his arm around his wife as they stood and talked to Matthias, Phil and Sandy.

“So their settlement meeting went well,” Shirley murmured.

“Really well,” Mercy said, grinning widely. “Okay, okay, so I joined them for a few minutes. Trust me, the meeting went better than either of them expected.”

“They’re getting back together,” Gabriel continued, “and are determined to make a real effort to give their marriage another chance.”

“Do they last?”

“With ups and downs over the next few years, but they always manage to work things out. They both decide that love, like most everything else in life, is a decision and they’ve decided to stay together.”

“What about the winery?” Shirley asked.

“Greg does replant with the vines Matthias sells him, and in a few years Bennett Wines will once again be known as some of the area’s best.”

“Matthias and his grandson?”

“The boy makes a full recovery and Matthias takes frequent trips to California. When the grapes mature, Greg gives Matthias a percentage of the profits as a means of thanking him for his forgiveness and for his help through the early years. That small percentage is enough for Matthias to retire completely. And Gloria meets a good man, a new assistant winemaker hired by Greg. They eventually get married.”

“I’m glad,” Mercy said. “For all of them.”

“What about Greg and Edward?” Goodness asked. “Does he ever find out that Greg’s his biological father?”

Gabriel shook his head. “Edward doesn’t change his mind about not wanting to know him, and Greg respects his decision. However, he is deeply grateful for the opportunity to have met the son he fathered.”

Mercy smiled sadly as the carolers began singing “What Child Is This?” Shirley nodded in understanding.

“Now, are you three ready to return to heaven?” Gabriel asked.

Goodness and Mercy agreed, but with obvious reluctance.

“Can we come back next year?” Goodness asked as they drifted upward.

“We’ll have to wait and see,” Gabriel told her.

“Yes.” Shirley linked hands with her two friends. “We’ll just have to see who needs our help most,” she whispered to Goodness and Mercy.