Angels Everywhere - Debbie Macomber [12]
Jody wished she knew. “Marriage is a complicated business.” Much more complex than she could adequately explain to a nine-year-old boy who seemed to think she could find a husband on a grocery store shelf. She was about to suggest signing him up for Big Brothers when Timmy buried his fork in his meat and added, “Besides, I was thinking about you having a baby. I’ve decided I wouldn’t mind if I had to share my bedroom. Rick’s mom just had another baby and she let me hold him, and you know what, I kinda liked it.”
“How does Rick feel about having a little brother?”
“He thinks it’s cool, especially since he’s got two little sisters. Rick said you don’t get a choice if it’s a boy or a girl when babies are born. I don’t know how I’ll feel about a sister instead of a brother, but I decided I’d do what Rick does.”
“And what’s that?”
“Take what he gets.”
Jody set her fork aside, her appetite gone. “That’s a mature attitude,” she murmured, wondering what she was going to do next. Timmy was serious. He wanted a father. Now he was talking about a brother or sister too.
“Then you’ll start looking for a new dad for me?” His big brown eyes studied her carefully as if her decision was a momentous one.
“I’ll think about it,” Jody said thoughtfully. “Now eat your green beans.”
“I already did.”
“They’re buried in your mashed potatoes,” she said, waving her fork at him. “Now eat.”
“Aw, Mom.”
It wasn’t until after nine that night, when Timmy was sound asleep in his bed, that Jody walked over to the bookcase and took out the bulky photo album. She sat in the overstuffed chair that had been Jeff’s favorite and held the book against her breast in the dim light.
For several moments she closed her eyes. It had been almost a year since she’d last looked at the pictures. Twelve long months since she’d tortured herself with the memories. Timmy was right. It was way past the time for her to pick up the pieces of her life instead of dwelling in the past. A sob swelled in her throat as she tried to figure out how she was ever going to give up loving Jeff.
“That’s Timmy’s mother,” Gabriel said in quiet, somber tones.
Shirley looked down upon the young mother and her heart ached. “She seems to be crying. What’s happened to make her so sad?”
“She’s thinking about Jeff, her husband who died,” the archangel explained.
“Why does she torture herself this way?” It made no sense to Shirley that this young woman would continue to torment herself with memories.
“Jody is the problem,” Gabriel continued. “She continues to hold onto her husband. Before you can answer Timmy’s prayer you’ve got to deal with Jody. She must learn to trust enough to willingly let go of the past and reach toward the future. If she doesn’t, she’ll never be ready for the man God has for her.”
“But it’s been over eight years, doesn’t she realize what she’s doing to herself and to her son?”
“No, all she knows is the pain. Your assignment is to gently guide her toward the joy that awaits her and Timmy.”
“And you expect me to accomplish this before Christmas?”
Gabriel didn’t look any more pleased about this time restraint than Shirley. “I can’t spare you any longer.”
Shirley’s wings stretched to their full reach, then folded over themselves once more. She’d assumed this would be a cushy assignment. After all, she’d only been serving as a prayer ambassador for a short while. The other cases she’d been given had been far less complicated.
“I . . . might not be able to help her,” Shirley murmured.
“Apparently God the Father feels otherwise, or He wouldn’t have personally requested you for Timmy’s prayer.”
“But how can I reach Jody when others have failed? How can I show her she doesn’t have to stop loving Jeff, only open up her heart and her life to the love God has ready and waiting for her?”
“You’ll think of something, only . . .” Gabriel hesitated and leveled his strict gaze on her. “You’re not to pull the tricks you have in the past, understand?”
“Yes,” Shirley agreed. “I won’t misplace a single thing,” she promised.
“That’s what Goodness