Chapter 7.

Abigail.

THANKS TO AMERY, WITHINdays of agreeing to accept the angels' help, my bank account was flooded with transactions. I'd never in my whole life seen so much money under Balance. "I can't believe it," I breathed in awe, staring down at my banking app on my cell phone.

Billy's chuckle was full of true happiness, and it was a breath of fresh air to hear. "So, it turns out that helping those angels out all these years was the best savings account of all time! It seems kindness really does pay," he joked. "The first thing I'm doing is buying a house and making myself comfortable. How about you, Abby?"

I dragged my eyes away from the shocking number of zeros in my account and glanced up to meet his gaze, utterly overwhelmed. "Um... I don't really know. I've never imagined I'd find myself in a situation like this."

"You don't?" Billy said, taking a huge slurp of his chocolate malt milkshake. "I would have thought you'd have a proverbial list of things you'd want to buy, cous."

"Hey, Billy," a pretty woman with a smile big smile said, appearing by our booth. She touched my cousin's shoulder, then continued over to the diner's counter with a sultry backward glance over her shoulder.

Billy nodded, then his cheeks blossomed a soft shade of red.

I forced my brain back to the present and grinned at my cousin, a burst of happiness exploding inside of me for him. "So, you're actually going after Shelly now?" I asked with a smile. "It's about damn time."

He didn't even answer, he just winked and slid out of the booth, before swaggering after Shelly to the counter.

I sighed and reached for a French fry and turned inward once more. Billy's innocent question had only brought something to the surface that I'd long since buried. My whole adult life I'd put my own dreams on hold for the sake of the angels. It would have been selfish of me to go off to Paris and leave my parents and other cousins to look after all the fallen angels—especially when it was my calling too, just as much as it was theirs.

Not only that, but it'd always seemed unwise to spend the only meager saving I had on a holiday. Experiences were nice, but when emergencies might crop up, it was better to save those funds for a rainy day.

But now...? Holy shit. I can actually think about travelling! Or maybe even going to business college.

My mind spun with the possibilities. They were practically endless! It was like a whole new world had opened to me. It was as if a magical door had appeared, and behind it were all of my dreams. I just had to find the courage to step through... I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I didn't want to be swept away by some pie in the sky dream. And I certainly didn't want to be like those idiot lottery winners who blew all their money and were left with nothing. I definitely wanted some security, sure, but the rest of it?

I just don't know.

My cell phone rang, inviting a welcome distraction from my conundrum. I glanced down at the screen and smiled. It was Amery.

I could use a real friend right about now.

"Hey, Amery. How are you?" I answered.

"Hey sweetie!" The ex-angel sang at me. "I'm great. How are you doing?"

"I'm good," I answered automatically, though I wasn't sure if I actually was. But the habit of being polite was so ingrained in me that it didn't matter. "What's up?" I asked.

"Ah, I've had a bit of a weird realization. My hair... I think it needs a cut."

I paused for a moment, then began to chuckle. "You've never had a haircut before?"

Of course she hasn't. She's an angel. She's used to nothing ever changing.

She huffed. "Um, no! My hair has remained the same length ever since I reached maturity, but now, it's changing and I'm not sure I like it."

I smiled to myself. It was such a simple thing to take for granted. The angel was human now, which meant she had to face very human problems, such as hunger, thirst, attending to her ablutions and... of course, haircuts!

And colors! I wonder if she'll let me play a little?

I lifted my wrist and checked my watch. "I can come by this evening if that suits you? Possibly around, like... seven PM? Is that okay?"

"Oh, yes please! At my house?" Amery asked. "Or should I come to you? I don't mind either way!"

"No, no," I assured her. "I can come to you, it's no trouble." Sliding out of the booth, I added. "I'd like to see Valentine too, anyway, it's been ages. It'd be nice to catch up and have a chat."

"Okay! Sounds great, Abby," she said. "I'll have hot chocolate ready to go! I'll see you soon."

After Amery hung up, I filled my day with two other clients and some grocery shopping. It was beginning to irk me that the promise of the future wasn't as inviting as it perhaps should have been, and I could only put that down to one thing.

Pascale.

Meeting the Easter Bunny, the literal EB, had been strangely life changing for me. I wasn't too sure as to the full extent of my feelings just yet, but I had an inkling that Amery was going to help me out there. The meddling cupid just couldn't help herself. She missed her original calling and was eager to help love blossom here on Earth.

I arrived at Amery and Valentine's house at five minutes to seven, with my full hair dressing suitcase and a bag. I had no idea what Amery was going to opt for, so I came fully equipped. She could want a simple trim as easily as she could want to try an entirely new look and style.

When I opened the car door, I couldn't help but smile as I watched the setting sun falling beneath the horizon, behind Amery's house. It cast magnificent shades of pink and purple over the sky and caused a tingle of happiness to burst to life in my heart.

The front door opened as I was pulling the suitcases out of my trunk.

"Abby!" Val called from the landing, waving.

I shut the trunk lid and walked toward him. "Hey Val."

His grin was huge as he embraced me quickly, then went about grabbing my bag and case for me. "You look like you're moving in with all this," he joked.

I laughed softly. "There probably isn't any room, is there? Amery said you guys were taking the latest fallen angel into your home to help teach them the ropes of the world."

Val pushed open the front door and I followed him inside. I loved their home. It was honestly way too big for them, but it was light and bright and homey. Plus, with double incomes now, they could afford it. And who knew what the future held for them? Maybe they'd fill their house with the pitter-patter of tiny feet before long!

"Well, actually we got them an apartment," Val explained as he shut the door. "Because it wasn't a single angel, a couple fell together, so we thought more space would be better for them. That, and they'd likely appreciate the privacy."

I stared at Val, immediately struck by his kindness and generosity. "That's amazing."

"Oh, it's nothing," he said, brushing off my words and walking through the living room, toward the kitchen.

"And how about Danyel?" I asked. "We put him up in a motel, but I haven't heard any more about him since. I know he was one of Amery's good friends."

Val grinned over his shoulder. "We were going to offer him the spare room, but we found a better option. He's living with another single male angel in the next town over. We thought he might feel a little weird here with us. Over there he's got his own space and is free to live the bachelor life until he finds the one."

I hurried after Val. "Wow. You guys have really jumped headlong into this whole endeavor. I'm so glad to hear it's working out!"

The aroma of a delicious savory meal wafted through the house, and we found Amery in the kitchen, serving up overly generous bowls of a rich, creamy pasta.

"Oh, haven't you guys eaten dinner yet?" I asked, my own stomach growling from my lack of adherence to regular mealtimes.

Amery grinned at me. "Nope, and neither have you I'll bet. So, let's have some food together, and then you can convince me to do something crazy with my hair!"

"No!" Val cried out dramatically, grabbing for his wife's hair and tangling his fingers in her golden curls. "I love it long, babe."

Amery rolled her eyes. "I just thought it might be time for a change. Let's see what Abby says, huh?"

We all sat down at their modern square glass table, our steaming bowls of pasta and decadent sauce in front of us.

Amery and Val said a short grace for our meal, then we dug in.

I moaned when the first bite hit my tongue in an explosion of flavor. It was glorious. "Holy, wow! Amery... yum! This is seriously amazing."

She grinned at me and wiggled triumphantly in her seat. "I'm enjoying trying new recipes. Cooking is a new hobby of mine."

I went on to ask her about their eating habits in Heaven and we chatted for a while. I was certainly glad I didn't have to sustain purely on sweets! They were delicious, but there was absolutely such a thing as too much of a good thing. And besides, I couldn't give up pasta to save my life. Amery knew it was a weakness of mine.

Cheeky wench!

Clearing his throat, Val turned to me and captured my attention. "So, I heard you met EB here the other day, is that right?" he asked.

I stared down at my bowl, focusing on twirling my fork to secure the pasta. "Ah... yeah, I did."

There was a strange silence that fell over the table and when I glanced up, both Amery and Val were staring at me. "What?" I asked with a grimace.

"Aren't you going to say anything else?" Amery pressed, her eyebrows dancing. "I thought you'd be keen to see him again."

I took my time chewing my next bite, then forced myself to shrug with as much nonchalance as I could muster. "Well, you said you'd set something up, so I hadn't really thought about it much since then. You know, work and everything. It keeps me busy."

Liar.

Amery began toying with her food, her sparkling blue eyes alight with meddlesome mischief. "Well, I just happened to speak with Pascale the other day..." She paused, as if waiting for a reaction.

I finally groaned. "Yeah, and?" I popped another forkful of deliciousness into my mouth and chewed.

"He said he's too busy over the next few weeks to tee anything up, it being Easter and all."

"Easter..." I repeated, forcing myself to swallow the pasta still in my mouth, even though my throat was thick with an emotion that was hard to describe. "That's not far, I suppose," I answered casually, taking a long sip of water. And it wasn't. What was a few weeks, really? We all had lives, and I could only imagine the season must be chaotic for him.

I mean, he is the Easter Bunny.

Amery flicked her long blonde hair over shoulder. "I told Pascale that since you're newly cashed up, you might end up travelling a bit."

"Yeah... that was always the plan," I managed to say, "Thank you for that, by the way. For everything you've done for my family. I really can't tell you what it means to me and my cousin."

Amery waved her hand and picked up her own drink. "Don't be silly. It's a crime you weren't paid back years ago! But back to Pascale, and what I told him. Are you actually planning on travelling now that you finally can?"

I pressed my lips together, trying to think about the right thing to say next. It had always been my dream to take off around America, then go on to Europe maybe. Travel around, working for cash, sleeping in backpacker's hostels and seeing the most beautiful places in the world. Luxury hotels weren't my thing. If I was going to commit to an adventure, I wanted to be on the ground, experiencing real culture and beauty firsthand.

"Yeah, maybe," I said. "Honestly, I don't have any firm plans just yet. I'm still reeling. I can't believe the opportunity even exists; let alone the fact I could seize it. It seems too good to be true in a lot of ways."

Amery leaned forward over the table. "Well, I think you should start making plans. Take action. Seize your dreams! Claim the life you want. You certainly deserve it, Abby. You've done so much for so many, I think it's your time to shine."

I smiled at her, my heart swelling at her sentiments. She made it all sound so simple. But I still wasn't sure what I wanted, and I was tying myself in knots over it. I felt plagued by indecision, and I hated it. "Yeah... you're right. I'll have to give it some serious thought. But for now, since I'm here to do your hair tonight, should we talk about colors maybe?" I raised my eyebrows at her, then at Val. If I could dodge the whole Pascale and big life decisions topic for the rest of the night, I certainly intended to.

I'm just a big damn pile of ‘I don't know!' Ugh.

It was as maddening as it was frustrating and I just wanted to focus on something down to earth, something simple that I loved—like hair. Those heavy thoughts weren't going anywhere, anytime soon, anyway. I might as well just enjoy the time with my friends.

Amery laughed at the look of sheer shock on Val's face as his eyes widened mid-chew.

With a smile of my own, I reached for my suitcase so that I could show her my color books. Gorgeous virgin blonde hair like Amery's would absorb any color she wanted. And I was ready to play!