A Season of Angels Page 0,22

and bewilderment marked her face. "How am I supposed to help Leah when she crams every spare minute of the day with mindless activity? It isn't any wonder the woman has no peace. She doesn't take time to listen to herself, let alone anyone else."

"This must be a common trait with humans," Shirley added thoughtfully. "Have you seen Jody's yard? Why, it's meticulous. The woman must spend every available minute maintaining those flower beds."

"I'd hoped to make a real difference in Leah's life," Mercy continued, "and now I wonder if that's possible."

Shirley surveyed the small group of prayer ambassadors. She was new at this and uncertain herself, but then they were all relatively inexperienced and it made sense that they help each other.

"What about you, Shirley?" Mercy asked, her gaze skittering past the organ and then drifting lazily toward the huge pipes. Shirley could all but see Mercy's mind feverishly devising ways of getting at that organ.

"As it happens, things are developing nicely with Jody and her son, Timmy," Shirley said, walking directly in front of the organ, cutting off Mercy's view. "Jody went out on her first date in years this evening and afterwards Glen asked her out for dinner and she agreed."

"Glen? Who's Glen?"

"An attorney. They work for the same law firm. Glen's hardworking and sincere. From what I was able to learn about him, he's interested in settling down and starting a family. I'm sure once Timmy meets him everything will fall neatly into place."

Goodness slapped one disgruntled wing against her side. "I'm going to do my very best to remain angelic here, but it seems to me you received a cushy assignment while Mercy and I are at our wits end."

Mercy chimed in in agreement. "In case you haven't guessed, Goodness and I are experiencing some minor difficulties."

"It might help," Shirley said in gentle, forgiving tones, "if you stayed away from escalators and television screens."

"You heard?" Goodness ventured.

Shirley nodded. "And so has Gabriel."

Mercy closed her eyes. "Is he furious?"

"He hasn't pulled you off the assignment, has he?" Shirley asked. "I heard what you said this afternoon, and you're right. Gabriel doesn't have the angel-power to replace you just now and I'm sure all will be forgiven if, and it's a big if, Mercy is able to help Leah find her peace. Goodness, you've got to help Monica find a decent husband."

"I thought it'd be easier than it is," Goodness confessed in a small voice.

Mercy joined her friend, sagging defeatedly into a chair. "We could both do with some suggestions. This prayer business is difficult work."

Goodness agreed with a sharp nod. "Being around humans for any length of time is enough to make any angel go stir-crazy."

Shirley did a poor job of containing a smile. How well she understood her friends' frustrations. Most of her career had been spent working with humans. "Just don't ever volunteer to work as a guardian then," she suggested. The stories she could tell!

"Can you help us, Shirley?" Mercy asked.

Her friends' faces were both tired and gloomy, and Shirley didn't know if she had any words of wisdom to offer them. "I can try. Tell me what's happening."

Mercy and Goodness exchanged glances. "You go first," Goodness suggested.

"I've already told you about Leah's day. I've spent most of my time observing her, and frankly, I haven't gained a lot of insight into her personality. She holds her pain deep inside herself, unwilling to give up even the smallest portion of it, as if it were something of value."

Shirley thoughtfully mulled over this information. "If that's the case, it seems to me she must find joy before she finds peace."

Stubbornly Mercy folded her arms and frowned and her chest lifted with a gigantic sigh. "Gabriel didn't say anything about joy. All he mentioned was peace. Who exactly does he think I am, St. Peter?"

"Perhaps that was the problem with the other prayer ambassadors. They were looking for shortcuts as well."

"Oh, all right," Mercy said ungraciously. "But how am I supposed to teach her about joy? Joy, peace, what's the difference?"

"What are Leah's favorite things?"

Mercy frowned. "It's difficult to tell. She enjoys her home, but she'd gladly relinquish it for the chance to be a mother. While she was with her friend this afternoon, they talked quite a bit about Pam's kids. A spark shone from Leah as they discussed the children, especially her friend's three-year-old. I think she said his name was Scotty."

"Children," Shirley repeated, her thoughts deep and grave.

"But that's the crux of