Angel Be Good by Kathy Carmichael Read Free Book Online

no, it wasn't enough.
Would never be enough.
    He reached out and grabbed Constance, fully
intending to use her body before he left that night, taking his
ring with him. Nat felt pretty good that he'd done just that and
had never once spared her another thought. It hadn't been love, it
had been lust. Temporary. Smoke and Mirrors.
    The TV went black. Perhaps Daphne would
finally reveal what Leonard had been after and he'd figure out what
she had to gain. Now he'd learn what was in it for her.
    "What a royal bitch. I'm sorry." A tear
trickled down her cheek.
    He stood, furious he'd evoked her pity, glad
he was firing Percy, someone else who'd pitied him. "I didn't love
her."
    She didn't say anything at first, then she
reached out her hand. "I think you did, but she didn't deserve your
love."
    "Nonsense. She's like all women, in it for
what she can get."
    "And what if you're wrong? What if she'd
been another type of woman, a woman who could love you for
yourself?"
    "That animal is extinct. I'm not going to
argue with you, Daph. I'm willing to disagree with you and leave it
at that."
    "That's why I'm here. To show you what
happened to make you come to the wrong conclusions, Nat. To give
you a chance to really live instead of hiding in this plush
prison."
    "You still haven't told me what's in it for
you."
    "Nothing. Once my mission is complete, I
leave, whether or not you learn a thing. I have nothing to gain by
this, other than the inner joy of knowing I've helped another
person."
    Could she have been telling him the truth
all along? His mind darted as quickly as a deer, in and out of what
had happened thus far, in and out of the impossibilities that had
occurred this night. Tapes from a time when videos didn't exist,
cameras depicting scenes he knew hadn't been recorded. Electronics
and doors that did Leonard's bidding. Was this a continuation of
the nightmare he'd had about his parents? Had his awakening merely
been another dream? Itching to pinch himself, he suppressed the
urge.
    He wanted to doubt it, doubt her, but the
question drummed a staccato beat on his brain. Leonard really
existed? And if Leonard was an angel, then who—or what—was she?
    When she looked up at him again, she gave
him a sunburst smile. "You know what I'd like?"
    "What?" He couldn't help returning her
smile. Maybe with the change of subject he could find something,
anything, to explain what was going on. Anything but believe angels
existed.
    "A Christmas tree. I haven't had one in
decades. I adore Christmas trees."
    "Decades? You're barely old enough. But if
you're determined, although the store had a big clearance sale on
Christmas decorations and sold out, I think the employees had a
tree in the cafeteria—"
    "No. I want my own. Maybe Leonard . . . "
She craned her head to look around the office. Leonard hadn't
returned. "Oh, well. It was just an idea."
    Nat shrugged, then, seeing her sad
expression offered, "There's a ficus tree in the outer office."
    "Oh, good. Let's take a look at it." Daphne
flew to the door and Nat followed closely behind. She stopped in
front of the tree. "It doesn't look much like a Christmas
tree."
    "It was your idea to have one." Nat headed
back to his office.
    "Wait! With the right decorations and in the
right setting, I'm sure it'll be perfect. Thanks for suggesting
it."
    He gave her a small smile then grimaced when
it hit him. "The right setting?"
    "Your office next to the conference table,
of course." Wanting to reward him somehow, Daphne flashed him her
most winning grin. She was bound and determined to decorate this
tree, hoping it would help rebuild what he'd lost with
Constance.
    He bent down to pick it up. His face turned
red. "What is it with women and impossible tasks?"
    "If you push, I'll pull." Daphne gripped one
edge of the Indian motif pot and dragged with all her might. Nat
pushed and within moments, the tree was situated in exactly the
perfect location.
    "We're a good team. Thanks," she said. Nat
looked