Touched by Angels Page 0,13

nothing to say he thought about her. A lot of things changed over time.

"Are you ready?" Michelle asked. Her roommate's eagerness was a burr under Jenny's saddle. By all that was right, she should be in bed. Her feet hadn't stopped hurting, nor had her back ceased to ache. Yet when she'd finished dancing her heart out, singing until her vocal cords were strained, she'd be due back at Arnold's.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Even as she said the words, Jenny felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Auditioning seemed a waste of effort. A waste of time. A waste of her heart.

"That's Jenny?" Mercy asked Gabriel, standing in the corner of the tiny apartment.

"That's her."

"Who's been praying for her?" This question came from Goodness.

Mercy glared at her friend as if to say she was the one who would be asking the questions. After all, this was her assignment. Goodness had already met her charge, and as always, her friend was looking to meddle. Mercy knew that look and sincerely hoped Gabriel didn't.

"The prayer originated from her neighbor in Montana," Gabriel answered. He frowned as he said it, as if plowing through his memory to put a name to the request. "Trey LaRue, I believe," he said decisively. "Trey's known Jenny most of his life."

"What has he asked?"

"Trey wants Jenny to come home for the holidays. It seems Jenny's father has been feeling poorly. Dillon Lancaster won't ask his daughter to come home, and neither will Jenny's mother. But both miss her terribly."

"Why don't they visit New York?" The solution seemed obvious to Mercy. She could easily manipulate the couple into heading for the wonders of the big city. Naturally Goodness and Shirley would be willing to lend her a hand. Already she was formulating a plan.

Why, the three of them had gotten so good at this sort of thing that it wouldn't surprise her if the Lancasters never guessed how they'd gotten to New York. A little celestial manipulation never hurt anyone.

"Jenny has discouraged them from coming," Gabriel explained.

"But why . . ." Mercy stopped herself. She already knew the answer. Jenny didn't want her family to know that she'd lied. She wasn't starring in an Off Broadway production of Guys and Dolls. She was a waitress who quite literally sang for her supper. The line of success she'd fed her family was gagging the young woman now. Jenny couldn't allow her parents to see where she worked. Being forced to admit the truth would humiliate her, so she continued to sabotage herself.

Lies were like that, Mercy realized, and wondered why humans so readily fell into that trap. She'd seen for herself how lies tainted human lives. Would they never learn?

What had started out as a slight exaggeration on Jenny's part had turned into a monster that separated her from those she loved most. All because she hadn't wanted to disappoint her family. Instead she'd disappointed herself.

"This shouldn't be so hard, should it?" Goodness said, looping her arm through Mercy's. "From what we've seen, Jenny's ready to give it up and head back to Montana all on her own. Not just for Christmas, either. After all the disappointment she's suffered, she's more than ready for the green, green pastures of home. I can't say that I blame her. The time has come for her to face up to a few home truths."

Gabriel's brow rose as if Goodness's insight surprised him, and Mercy's friend beamed. "Is that a fact?"

"I wouldn't be so fast to form an opinion about Jenny," Gabriel warned. "She's very talented. I shouldn't need to remind you what God says about the desires of one's heart."

"You mean she isn't ready to relinquish her dream?" Mercy asked. She'd read the situation the same as Goodness. It seemed all Jenny needed was one good excuse to pack her bags and head home to Montana. And to Trey, the young man who cared enough to pray for her return.

"I'm not here to answer those questions," Gabriel said, "but I don't think you should underestimate the power of a dream. Jenny has lived and breathed little else for three long years. It's true she's discouraged, but that doesn't mean she's willing to give up. You might be surprised to discover just how close she really is to seeing her name in lights. Don't forget," Gabriel warned, "that the darkest hour is just before dawn. She could be on the brink of something big."

"Do you really think