In the cards, p.1
In the Cards, page 1
IN THE CARDS
Nicky Charles
&
Jan Gordon
PUBLISHED BY:
Nicky Charles and Jan Gordon on Smashwords
In the Cards
Copyright © 2015 by Nicky Charles and Jan Gordon
All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the authors, except for brief quotations embodied in reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the authors and your support and respect is appreciated.
This book contains mature content and is intended for adult readers.
Canadian grammar was used in this book, hence you might notice some punctuation and spelling variations.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
Edited by Jan Gordon and Nicky Charles
Line edits by Moody Edits
Cover by Patricia Schmitt (Pickyme)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We’d like to thank our wonderful Beta readers:
Carmen, Kalia, Shirley, Tonya, Judy, Janet, Norma and Amy.
Your input was invaluable!
Also a huge ‘thank you’ goes to Janet.
Without her video talents we would be totally lost!
This book is dedicated to
QUENTIN
As the only man on our Street Team we value your input immensely. Your artistic talents also help us run Nicky’s Facebook page smoothly. Thank you.
- Nicky & Jan
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Bonus: Silent Night, Lonely Night
Bonus: Gwyn’s Christmas
A message from Jan and Nicky
Prologue
Alex stifled a yawn as he opened his locker and hung his coat on a hook inside. White crystals glistened on the surface of the material before slowly disappearing as the warmth of the room dissolved them into droplets of water. It was snowing outside, the air crispy cool. Not enough though to dispel the tiredness that wrapped itself around him. He’d spent a restless night, unable to sleep; a situation that plagued him all too often of late. There was nothing particular on his mind, no worries keeping him awake. Even the upcoming meeting with his supervisor wasn’t a real concern. True, he and Michael were often at odds but it wasn’t something that had ever bothered him before. It was just…
He searched his mind for a cause before giving a mental shrug. A phase of random sleeplessness. Everyone had them.
The gleam of his halo sitting on the shelf caught his eye. It shimmered, the light emitting from it illuminated the small space making the angelic robes hanging on the hook below seem impossibly white. He hesitated over donning the headgear and mentally reviewed his recent actions. Basic routine, some paperwork, a few Earthly interventions. Nope, no rule transgressions…or at least none of any significance; there’d be no need to smooth the waters by appearing in formal gear. Michael’s summons probably wasn’t to ream him out over a minor folly. Most likely he was going to be given a new assignment.
Michael’s communiqués were almost always cryptic. Some said it was his style but Alex suspected it was a management technique. The other man liked to keep his underlings guessing and on their toes. As for himself, Alex had been a guardian angel long enough that not much fazed him anymore. Whatever Michael had to say to him, it wouldn’t be anything new.
Leaving his halo and the accompanying robes where they were, Alex closed the door and punched his timecard. Another workday had begun.
Some guardian angels, or GAs as they called themselves for the sake of brevity, lived full-time in Heaven and merely had to roll out of bed to be at work. He, however, preferred to maintain an apartment in the human realm. There was a bit of a commute but it kept him anchored. The experience of living as a regular man, albeit with the extra convenience of supernatural powers, helped him in his assignments. Humans were more complicated than some of his coworkers believed. Emotional, prone to impulsive actions, limited in life-span; theirs wasn’t an easy lot. He’d been thinking just that this morning when he’d left his building and promptly stepped in a puddle of slush, soaking his sock and probably ruining his leather shoe.
The summons to appear in Heaven had buoyed his soggy spirits, providing an opportunity to escape the chill of an early northern winter. He hated the cold: hunching against the bitter wind which could cut through the warmest clothing like a finely tempered sword. Just the thought of icy ears and frozen fingers and toes had him shivering. It was the only downside to living in the human dimension. Unfortunately, his current area of operations was North America and unless he could arrange a transfer to somewhere tropical or even to one of the southern American states, he was stuck with snow and ice for the next three months.
“’Morning, Alex.”
The greeting drew him from his introspection and he nodded in reply to the casual acquaintance, then held the door open for another angel to pass through. She absent-mindedly smiled her thanks, before hurrying down the hall. A newbie late for a meeting if he was any judge. Most likely she was wishing she could use her wings to speed her progress but didn’t want to draw attention to her tardiness. He smiled, vague memories of his own early days as a guardian angel coming to mind.
Learning the etiquette of a new job wasn’t always easy and Heaven was no different than any other workplace. There were certain dos and don’ts. Everyone had the ability to walk through walls and transport themselves instantly from one place to another but, unless it was an emergency, the occupants were expected to move around like regular humans. Unnecessary displays of angelic abilities were frowned upon lest they lead to grandstanding.
Alex pushed the button to summon the elevator and entered when the doors slid open, grateful the endless flights of marble stairs had been replaced with more modern conveniences. Heaven’s physical appearance had evolved over the centuries just as the human world had. Technology had replaced parchment and quills. Sleek glass and steel now stood where stone pillars had once dominated. Change was the only constant in the universe no matter where one went.
Exiting the elevator, Alex walked the halls to his destination, nodding to others he knew. Some had arms laden with files; others seemed preoccupied with weighty problems. Heaven was a busy place; drifting about on clouds seldom happened.
Eventually, he arrived in an anteroom and sat down to wait to be called into the presence of his immediate superior. Soft classical music played in the background; a few magazines were neatly stacked on a coffee table. He ignored them, instead wondering again if he was about to be given a new assignment. If so, he hoped there’d be a bit of a challenge to it. His cases had all been pretty calm lately. Perhaps that was contributing to his sleep difficulties; there was nothing like a good day’s work to help usher in the presence of the proverbial sandman.
Not that he was complaining about getting an easy job now and then. Being a GA was hard work and there was always the potential for danger lurking. Humans were so unpredictable. There were even stories—unfounded rumours no doubt—of guardians who failed to return from assignments. Alex strongly suspected the tales were fostered to reinforce the importance of following the rules laid out in the guardian angel handbook.
The inner door finally opened and a GA exited Michael’s office, her eyes fixed on a picture taped to the front of a folder.
“Morning, Eugenie. New assignment?” Alex stood, nodding towards the folder she was carrying.
The woman made an indistinct sound in reply, her brow furrowed.
Alex took a moment to watch the normally talkative woman leave before heeding the implicit summons of the open door. If Eugenie’s assignment could render her almost silent, what might his next job be like? Whatever it was, he’d handle it. Being a guardian angel was his life and he’d pledged to do whatever an assignment required of him.
Michael silently observed the GA who had entered the room, using that scant time frame to compose himself. He’d just given out an extremely difficult assignment, the details heart-wrenching. While he presented a calm façade to his employees, he wasn’t immune to the emotional toll of the job. It would never do for the GAs to know that, however.
He pushed Eugenie’s case from his mind and focused on Alex. Alexander Flint was one of his best men. Devoted to his job, clever; a man who thought on his feet and could handle a curve ball when it came at him out of nowhere. Yes, Alex was reliable despite the maverick streak that reared its head at times.
“Michael.”
“Alex.” He acknowledged the greeting and gave a nod indicating the other man should take a seat. The GA complied and Michael eased back in his own chair, allowing himself a moment to appreciate how the soft leather conformed to his contours. One of the perks of the job, though it hardl
Yes, the proper angel for the job… He eyed Alex, noting the faint shadows under his eyes. “How are things on Earth, Alex?”
“Same old, same old.” A one-shouldered shrug accompanied the comment. “The weather is crappy in the northern states, half the human population have head colds and those who don’t are already complaining about the holiday season. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then there are the Christmas preparations they have to do. Seems there’s always something stressing them out.”
“Wearying of your neighbours? Would you like to have a room up here? It can be arranged.” Michael leaned forward, his right hand raised to give an elegant flick that would turn his spoken word into reality.
“No need.” Alex shook his head. “I like being in the trenches.”
“Of course.” Michael smiled and lightly clasped his hands on the surface of his desk. A maverick indeed. Most GAs preferred to rest between cases, taking a short vacation in one of the Heavenly spas and sports complexes. But not Alex. He might complain about the weather and the humans around him, but his heart and soul were tied to the occupants on that lump of rock and water called Earth. Commendable but it could also lead to burn out.
Alex had been in his employ for centuries and Michael felt he knew the angel inside and out. Which was why, when he sensed a subtle change in the man’s demeanour, he’d taken pains to determine the cause and then find a potential treatment. Unfortunately, sometimes the cure was more dangerous than the ailment.
“I’m sure you didn’t call me in today to discuss my living arrangements.” Alex seemed to have tired of their idle conversation. Yet another cause for concern. The man never relaxed. “Do you have a new assignment for me?”
“Could there be any other reason I’d send for you?” Michael raised a brow and enjoyed watching the frown that flitted over the GA’s face before his expression cleared. More than once, he’d had to call Alex on the carpet for his unorthodox approach to an assignment.
“Not that I can think of.”
“Or at least not that you’ll admit to,” Michael murmured as he reached for a file of papers that were neatly stacked on the corner of his desk. He took a moment to flip through the pages, lips pursed, before handing it over to Alex’s outstretched hand. “Her name is Emma.”
“A girl?” Alex flicked the file open, barely glancing at the contents.
“A woman. She’s twenty-seven.”
“Occupation?”
“It’s in the file, if you’d take the time to read it yourself.” He chided the GA lightly before answering. “For the record, she’s an accountant.”
“Oh.” A hint of disappointment tinged Alex’s tones.
“Is that a problem?”
“No. Not really. I was just hoping for something a bit more exciting. Most of my cases have been pretty straightforward lately.”
“Well,” Michael made a show of furrowing his brow. “If this case doesn’t suit you, I seem to recall there’s a mall Santa who will be in need of a guardian angel. Someone to help him with all those children…” He let his voice trail off before fixing a hard stare on the man before him. “Would you be more interested in that job?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Keeping his expression bland, Michael secretly smiled. He possessed an excellent poker face and sometimes enjoyed watching the GAs try to second guess him. After a moment of studying him, Alex sighed, apparently not willing to call his bluff.
“No, thanks anyway.” Alex made a face while rising to his feet. “On second thought, I’ll stick with the accountant.”
Michael nodded. “Excellent choice. She really does need you.”
“What’s the situation?” Alex paused, his hand on the door.
“She’s scheduled to die.”
Chapter 1
Emma pushed her grocery cart around the store one more time, slowing as she passed the produce section. Her cart contained all the items on her shopping list but she had a sudden yearning for something different. Something fresh and versatile. A poster caught her eye advertising the virtues of zucchini; grilled zucchini, julienned zucchini, zucchini baked with parmesan.
Zucchini?
She’d never purchased one before but… A glance towards the vegetable bins revealed it was on sale this week. She shrugged. Why not take a walk on the wild side?
Zucchini was wild? Chuckling to herself at the idea, she propelled her cart towards the display and reached for one of the oblong objects only to realize someone else had the same idea.
“Sorry,” she apologized as her fingers brushed with those of a fellow shopper. Sparing a glance at the person beside her, she caught her breath. Standing beside her was the most gorgeous man she’d seen in ages. A wide smile, arresting grey eyes. There seemed to be a glow or an aura about him, something that pulled her towards him, creating a warm feeling around her heart. Unable to help herself, she tried to step closer.
“Oof.” Something hit her in the stomach and she looked down, surprised to see she was leaning over the handle of her grocery cart. Heat flooded her cheeks. Crap. What must the man be thinking of her? Peeking up at him through her lashes, she saw he was looking at her, one corner of his mouth curved upwards. The glow she’d seen a moment earlier was gone; most likely a trick of the overhead fluorescent lighting. He was still incredibly good-looking, though.
She cleared her throat. “The zucchini is on sale this week.”
“Yes, it is.”
“I don’t usually buy it. It was just an impulse.”
“Really?”
Good heavens, she was babbling. “I’ll…aah…just take this one.” She grabbed a random vegetable, not looking at what was in her hand.
“That’s not a zucchini.” His eyes were twinkling now, a full-blown smile on his face.
“It’s not?” Confused, she checked what she was holding and shook her head. She’d grabbed an eggplant instead. “Ugh! As first impressions go, this isn’t stellar, is it?”
“I don’t know.” He leaned against a nearby pillar. “I’ve never met anyone over a zucchini before. Maybe this is how it’s supposed to go.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “I doubt it. I should have said something clever and witty.”
“Witty and clever are over-rated. I like the down-to-earth, I-think-I’ll-try-zucchini-today kind.” He sounded so serious that she couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re goofy.”
“No, he’s a cartoon character. My name’s Alex.”
Emma took his extended hand. “I’m Emma.”
“Pleased to meet you.” He held her fingers a second longer than necessary before letting them go.
“So…” She rocked on her feet, not sure what to say next.
“So…” He flicked a glance at her cart. “It looks like you’re almost done with your shopping. Once you’ve checked out, would you like to go for a coffee?”
Emma hesitated, then nodded. She didn’t know him but coffee in a public place was pretty safe. “Okay. There’s a café just across the street. I could meet you there in ten minutes, if that gives you enough time.”
“Sure. I’m only here to pick up a few things. See you soon.”
Alex pushed his cart towards the bakery section of the store and Emma headed to the checkout. It was only as she was paying that she realized she’d completely forgotten to pick up a zucchini!
