Angel Be Good (6 page)

It was finally coming clear. Nat could see
it in the hardened expression on young Nat's face. He was finally
beginning to get it. What a sucker he'd been. Even with all she'd
said, he'd so wanted to believe in her, to believe in love. By her
very honesty, Constance removed herself from the status of gold
digger and entered the big leagues, quite capable of playing with
the big boys. What did it matter if she was marrying money, as long
as she was honest that it appealed to her? Constance was as smooth
as the most expensive silk. She had her act down pat.

"What if I'd been poor? What then?"

She crooked her arm on his shoulder,
tendrils of hair brushing his face. "What do you want me to say?
That I'd have left him anyway? Run off with you, been barefoot and
poor? If that's what you want, then okay. I'd have done it
anyway."

"I don't want to hear what you think I want,
I want the truth."

"I'm not sure I know the truth. Poverty
never was a consideration." She leaned forward to refill both their
glasses. "I know how I feel about you, though. I love you. I love
all of you—I'm struggling to be completely honest with you and
myself, Nat—that includes the money because it's part of you."

Her response had been like a kick in the
teeth. She couldn't separate him from the money. Nat was irate.
Angry with her, but even more so with himself for buying her
act.

She waved her hand. "I love being with you.
I love how I feel when I'm around you. I love your kisses and the
way you make love to me. I love it when you pick me up in a limo
instead of a car. I love the way other women look at me with envy
in their eyes. I'm someone because I'm with you." She looked
directly in his eyes. "Isn't that enough?"

He had to hand it to her, she was good. But
Nat was a fast study. If a woman wanted to use him, then by golly,
he'd use her first. He hid his expression behind slightly closed
lids. Yes, he'd finally learned his lesson about women. Self
interest was what it was all about. And hell 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 embarrassed and returned to hide behind his desk. The
chicken.

"Now for the decorations." She walked around
his office, peering at objects, occasionally hefting them to see if
they were light enough. She selected the pile of paper clips on his
desk, a box of staples. She opened the door to the bar and eyed the
shot glasses, wondering if there was any way to string them on.

"Don't just sit there moping, Nat ol' boy.
Help me find some ornaments."

"How about some pens?"

"What color are they?"

Nat rifled through his drawer and came up
with several blue, red and black pens. "There aren't many of
them."

"Just put them in my pile. They'll do." She
leaned forward to peer into his drawer. "What else you got in
there?"

"Business cards. Lots of business
cards."

She realized then he wasn't looking in the
drawer. Instead his gaze was fixed on her lips. Instantly she was
filled with self-consciousness, wanting him to look anywhere but at
her. A wave of heat traveled up her face.

What was it about him that intrigued her so
much? When she'd seen the drama with Constance unfold, she'd hurt
for him. She'd wanted so much to fold him in her arms and kiss away
his pain.

His charisma must be incredibly strong to
make her so impervious to his flaws. Either that, or she was a
rotten judge of character. However, as a reporter, she'd always
trusted her instincts about people. Until now.

Maybe it was something chemical, something
in the way he smelled or an aura he gave off. She wasn't sure what
it was, she just sensed the danger of remaining alone with him. It
was important that she keep her mind off him and on the mission at
hand. Otherwise, she couldn't trust herself to stay on track rather
than seeking another of his kisses.

Grabbing up the few things she'd selected as
ornaments, she headed for the tree. "It's time to get started.
Maybe we'll think of something else to use as we work."

Nat didn't budge.

"You are going to help me, aren't you?" she
asked.

"Not likely. If you want to waste your time
in childish pursuits, go right ahead. I'll watch."

Great, so now he'd retreated back into his
Scrooge persona. "Thanks bunches, Mr. Bah Humbug. At least you can
occupy yourself finding more ornaments."

Nat snapped his fingers and grinned. "I'll
be right back."

"What?"

"I thought of something." He dashed to the
door. Popping his head back in the room, he added, "Wait and you'll
see."

Daphne shrugged. His departure removed the
temptation to do something she'd regret. Getting busy, she strung
paper clips together to use as tinsel, then wrapped it through the
leaves and branches. She used additional paper clips with which to
hang the pens and staple rows.

Standing back, she surveyed her work. It
wasn't very colorful but it did begin to resemble something like a
Christmas tree. If only she had some icicles or lights, anything to
trigger a response from Nat, reminding him of the joy of the
season.

She heard Nat's voice before he came in the
room. He called out, "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"I've got a surprise."

She grinned and complied. First came the
sound of his footsteps across the wide expanse of carpet, then she
could hear him moving beside her.

"Keep those eyes closed."

She shouldn't trust him but the happiness in
his voice told her he wasn't planning anything she'd dislike. "Tell
me when."

"When."

She opened her eyes and saw his face, the
same look of expectancy he'd shown when presenting his father with
Christmas dinner. No matter what his surprise was, no matter how
inadequate it might be, she knew her reaction could mean all the
difference to him. Schooling her face, she looked where he pointed.
Toward the tree.

"It's beautiful!" Her reaction was without
guile. He'd managed to pepper the tree with thin strips of colored
paper, adding all the color it had lacked before. "You're a genius.
How did you cut the paper so quickly?"

"I ran colored paper through the paper
shredder." The joy in his voice was now unmistakable and she was
glad she'd been able to share in it, that he'd done this for
her.

"Paper shredder? Why would anyone want a
paper shredder?" There couldn't be much call for colored paper
icicles but who was she to question it when it helped to create
such beauty. "The colored paper was a moment of genius, Nat."

He grinned. "I didn't have much so I ran it
through the color copier first. Ten sheets of green, red, blue and
purple, the color of our interoffice memos."

"A color copier? That can't be anything like
a photocopier, is it?" For the next stage of Nat's reformation,
Leonard had said to find the photocopier.

"First the remote control and now the paper
shredder and copier. Where have you been hanging out? A cave?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"Nat, you've said it yourself . . . if you
can't see it, feel it, touch it or taste it . . . "

"Please. I want to understand." He snapped
his fingers. "I've got it. You've been living in some undeveloped
country, haven't you?"

She shook her head, wondering if Leonard
would mind if she filled Nat in on who she really was. He hadn't
told her she couldn't and if he were that concerned, surely he
would have stuck around longer.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But first, you have to
make me a promise."

He face became hardened. "What's that?"

"Don't be so suspicious. You look like a kid
who's worried about having his lollipop taken away." Daphne sat in
a chair at the conference table again and grabbed his hand so he'd
take a seat as well.

"You have to promise not to get mad. And,"
she paused for emphasis, "you have to promise not to laugh. Keep an
open mind, okay?"

~~~~

Chapter Four

Daphne had spent the last ten minutes
explaining to Nat how she'd come to be here and it hadn't been
easy, especially with the way he'd grilled her over knowing his
father. She felt she'd done a good job making the situation clear
without complicating things any further. "And so I'm here to help
you before going on to my own life."

"I can't believe it. I can't believe it.
You're an angel." He looked at her in horror. "I've been trying to
seduce an angel!"

"No, Nat. I thought I'd explained it."
Obviously she'd not done as good a job as she'd believed. "I'm not
an angel! I'm just temporarily between bodies."

Nat ran a hand through his carefully
arranged mane. "So, you're saying it's okay if I seduce you?"

"No! I'm saying it's not too awful that you
tried it, but don't expect much since I won't be around for
long."

"What if I refuse to be reformed? Will you
be able to stay?"

She shook her head. "I only have a few hours
left," her voice broke. Only a few hours left to stay with a man
she felt so drawn to. She had to keep reminding herself it wasn't
intended for her to remain in Nat's life.

Despite being here to watch the wall
surrounding Nat's heart begin to crumble, he was so far from
perfect that she'd be a fool to allow herself to care for him.
She'd do her job and be on her way to her real life, the one with a
husband and children to love.

Hell, even if she were here to stay, she
wasn't fool enough to think Nat would ever offer marriage and love.
The best he could do would be temporary lust. That wasn't good
enough, appealing as it might seem at the moment.

"We could do it now," he wheedled. "After
all, you lived in the era of peace and free love."