Shirley, Goodness and Mercy by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber [MACOMBER, DEBBIE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Retail, Romance
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2013-12-17T05:00:00+00:00

Six

“Goodness!” Shirley waited until the church had emptied before chastising her fellow angel. She just didn’t know how to handle Goodness and Mercy. Their antics were going to get them permanently expelled from earth. “You had to do it, didn’t you?”

At least Goodness had the decency to look properly repentant. “You’re right, I know you’re right, but I couldn’t stand the smug way Phil Bennett was acting. From the moment he heard about his brother’s problems, he was beside himself with pleasure. All his talk about being a good Christian, too!”

“We aren’t here to deal with Phil Bennett.”

“But he’s part and parcel of what’s happening to Greg.”

“Well, yes, and no…”

“I don’t think we need to worry,” Mercy told her. “If Gabriel’s going to be upset with us, it’ll be because of what happened with the hot-air balloon. Goodness singing in a church choir is minor compared to that.”

Shirley had done her utmost to put the balloon episode out of her mind, and Mercy’s reference did nothing to calm her already tattered nerves. “Please, don’t remind me.”

“If Gabriel didn’t hear about that, then we don’t need to—” Mercy stopped midsentence. A panic-stricken look came over her face, and she blinked several times before she said, “Oh…hello, Gabriel.”

“Hello, Gabriel,” Goodness repeated, wide-eyed and subservient.

“The Archangel Gabriel to you,” their boss said sternly.

Feeling slightly light-headed, Shirley turned around and swallowed nervously. She opened her mouth to offer a multitude of excuses and saw that it would do no good. Their chances of putting something over on the archangel were virtually nil.

“I’m here for a progress report,” he announced in the same controlled voice.

Goodness and Mercy both gazed pleadingly at Shirley, silently begging her to respond. She glared at them. When she tried to speak, her tongue seemed glued to the roof of her mouth.

“Well?” Gabriel muttered. “I’m waiting.”

“Greg talked to Catherine and he knows he fathered a son,” Shirley blurted out.

“Are you telling me that after thirty-five years, Greg just happened to stumble upon Catherine?” Gabriel demanded.

Shirley was never sure how much Gabriel knew of their antics, but suspected he was aware of it all. The questions were most likely a test to see how much they’d learned….

All three nodded in unison.

The archangel’s frown darkened. “Thanks to a tableful of spilled crab, as I understand it.”

“Yes, but that was only a means—”

“To an end,” Gabriel completed for Mercy.

“Yes, and it worked very nicely, in my humble opinion,” Goodness said in a bold rush. “It seemed a shame for the two of them to be in the same place after all those years and not know it. Really, all I did was point Greg out to Catherine. It was up to her to ignore or confront him.”

“Yes,” Mercy agreed. “Greg never did appreciate Catherine’s strength.”

“In other words, you’re telling me,” Gabriel said thoughtfully, “that Catherine chose to face him?”

Again all three nodded as one.

Gabriel’s smile seemed involuntary. “The truth is, Catherine has Greg to thank for that inner strength. She gained it when he deserted her.

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