Entertaining Angels by JUDY DUARTE Read Free Book Online

people.”
    “Congratulations,” Craig said.
    “Coffee?” Cassandra reached for a white mug before Craig was actually able to utter a Yes, please.
    “Cream?” she asked. “Sugar?”
    “Just black.”
    Cassandra handed him a cup of the fresh morning brew. “I have muffins, too. Bran, blueberry, and banana nut.”
    “Thank you. I’ll have the blueberry.”
    Cassandra nodded, then pulled a small plate from the cupboard.
    “The Rensfields own a chain of department stores,” she added, as she removed a muffin from the platter, put it on a small plate, and handed it to Craig. “So it’s nice to know that Shana won’t have any financial worries.” Then she addressed her husband. “I think I’d better talk to the special-events coordinator at the country club this morning. An outdoor ceremony will be nice in August. I just hope they aren’t completely booked.”
    “Don’t forget about Kristy,” Daniel said. “Shana insisted that she be involved with the planning.”
    Cassandra frowned, creating a furrow that marred her forehead. “I realize that. But there are a lot of things I don’t need help with. And certainly not her help.”
    Daniel took a seat next to Craig. “Shana was adamant about not leaving Kristy out.”
    Cassandra sighed. “I never have understood that friendship.”
    Craig peeled the paper off the bottom of his muffin, wondering if he should be privy to the conversation and wishing he knew how to politely excuse himself. But before he could figure out a way to graciously do that or to change the subject, Daniel turned to him, drawing him in even further. “Shana and Kristy have always been close. In fact, when Shana had leukemia, Kristy used to come by every day to visit.”
    Cassandra handed her husband a cup of coffee, then poured one for herself.
    “You have no idea how much my wife and I appreciated that,” Daniel added.
    Cassandra removed a quart-size carton of nonfat milk from the refrigerator, a huge built-in model that was fully stocked. She added a dab to her coffee, then put it away. “Her kindness came as a big surprise, though.”
    Craig couldn’t refrain from asking why.
    “The poor child had been living on the streets before moving in with her grandmother.” Cassandra carried her cup and muffin plate to the table, then took a seat across from Craig. “I would have expected her to be … Well hardened, I suppose. More self-centered.”
    Daniel slowly shook his head and clicked his tongue. “I can’t believe she’s the same girl. Back then Kristy had been a gangly child with wild, leprechaun hair, big green eyes, and a chip-toothed grin. The first time she showed up at the front door, she was almost afraid to come inside the house. But I have to give her credit. She came every afternoon to visit Shana, bringing homework, notes from friends, and a bit of sunshine that lifted a worried father’s spirits, too.”
    Cassandra stirred her coffee slowly, then tapped the spoon lightly on the rim of the china cup. “I have to admit she was truly a godsend back then.”
    Unable to steer clear of a situation he probably ought to tiptoe around, Craig asked, “So what changed?”
    “Kristy was a year older than most of the girls in her class, probably because of a transient lifestyle and getting a late start in school. And while she was somewhat homely and gangly, she developed early. She grew into those long legs and tamed her hair.” Cassandra paused, as though wondering how to best finish her thoughts when talking to a minister.
    But Craig got the picture. The ugly little redheaded duckling had morphed into a leggy, auburn-haired swan.
    “By the time she hit high school,” Daniel added, “the boys had taken a real shine to her.”
    Cassandra crossed her arms, wrinkling the crisply-pressed blouse she wore. “Kristy was a wild thing, just like her mother. And she got pregnant during her junior year. God only knows who fathered her baby, and it completely ruined her only