How did the apostles all miss your incredible sense of humor in their careful recollections? I am not acting like a human. I am concerned. There is a lot at stake.”
“I know. He made his choice long ago. It is done.”
XII
I T was a few minutes past eleven the next morning when Alex and Julia were almost ready to get in the car and head out. She had packed them some roast beef sandwiches and a bottle of wine. After eyeing her crystal wine glasses, she grabbed two Dixie cups and tucked them in the box along with some napkins and paper plates.
Alex picked the box up off the counter. “Do we have everything?”
“Maybe some fruit?” Julia pulled open the refrigerator door and frowned. “All I have are apples.”
“I’ll pass,” Alex said. “They give me heartburn.”
“Oh! My phone,” she said, dashing into the bedroom. She had silenced it the night before and left it on her nightstand.
“I’ll just put this out in the car,” he said, balancing the box awkwardly with one hand while opening the door. “See you out there.”
Julia picked up her phone as the door shut behind Alex. There were four missed calls, all from the restaurant phone or Sandra’s cell, and three emails. One email was from Charlie—titled “Are you around?”—and two from business email addresses she decided to look at later. She dialed her voicemail, and heard the first message from Sandra in her bubbly British accent.
“Julia, I fired Clyde. He didn’t ask me why, only smiled and said, ‘It doesn’t matter now, anyway.’ Bloody hell, he’s horrid! Anyway, he’s gone. Thought you would want to know as soon as it was done.”
The second was Sandra again, this time not so bubbly.
“It’s me again, just closed down and left with Phillipe. Someone threw a brick through my windshield and slashed my two back tires. I’m waiting here for AAA, but don’t worry, Phillipe is staying with me until they come.”
The third call was from the restaurant phone, and was a stretch of a few minutes of silence. Julia’s finger hovered over the button to erase the message, but the chills she got convinced her to save it to memory instead.
The fourth call was from Sandra again, this time from the restaurant, placed an hour ago.
“Hi, Julia, I just got in and opened up for lunch. Seems we had an electrical problem here last night and lost power to the walk-in. We lost all the food we had prepped last night. Freezer is still working. I’m calling the electrician. Please call me back.”
Julia erased the call, frowning. She didn’t want to take the time to call, so she quickly sent a text: “Sandra, glad you are okay. Will be in later to look at the cooler. Going for a drive. Let me know what the electrician says.”
She dropped her phone in her purse when Alex came back in.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes, but there’s something strange going on at the restaurant.” She explained the calls to Alex. “I’ll go in and check on it later. Right now, we have a picnic to attend.”
Alex brushed Julia’s cheek with his hand and kissed her softly. He stepped back and held her gaze for a few moments.
“What’s wrong?” Julia asked.
“Nothing, I just love looking at you.” He paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to check on the restaurant first?”
Julia narrowed her eyes at Alex. He almost sounded hopeful. She asked, “Would you rather go check the restaurant first?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I want to go wherever you want to go.”
She studied him for a moment, and then smiled. “Let’s go, then. The pond meant so much to me growing up. I really want to share it with you.”
Alex stepped aside with a grand flourish of his arm. “After you, m’lady.”
Julia grinned and hustled past him. She cast a look back over her shoulder toward her bedroom ceiling. Her stomach rolled as she thought about telling Alex about the Archangels.
Please let him believe me , she thought.
She had moved fewer than
“I know. He made his choice long ago. It is done.”
XII
I T was a few minutes past eleven the next morning when Alex and Julia were almost ready to get in the car and head out. She had packed them some roast beef sandwiches and a bottle of wine. After eyeing her crystal wine glasses, she grabbed two Dixie cups and tucked them in the box along with some napkins and paper plates.
Alex picked the box up off the counter. “Do we have everything?”
“Maybe some fruit?” Julia pulled open the refrigerator door and frowned. “All I have are apples.”
“I’ll pass,” Alex said. “They give me heartburn.”
“Oh! My phone,” she said, dashing into the bedroom. She had silenced it the night before and left it on her nightstand.
“I’ll just put this out in the car,” he said, balancing the box awkwardly with one hand while opening the door. “See you out there.”
Julia picked up her phone as the door shut behind Alex. There were four missed calls, all from the restaurant phone or Sandra’s cell, and three emails. One email was from Charlie—titled “Are you around?”—and two from business email addresses she decided to look at later. She dialed her voicemail, and heard the first message from Sandra in her bubbly British accent.
“Julia, I fired Clyde. He didn’t ask me why, only smiled and said, ‘It doesn’t matter now, anyway.’ Bloody hell, he’s horrid! Anyway, he’s gone. Thought you would want to know as soon as it was done.”
The second was Sandra again, this time not so bubbly.
“It’s me again, just closed down and left with Phillipe. Someone threw a brick through my windshield and slashed my two back tires. I’m waiting here for AAA, but don’t worry, Phillipe is staying with me until they come.”
The third call was from the restaurant phone, and was a stretch of a few minutes of silence. Julia’s finger hovered over the button to erase the message, but the chills she got convinced her to save it to memory instead.
The fourth call was from Sandra again, this time from the restaurant, placed an hour ago.
“Hi, Julia, I just got in and opened up for lunch. Seems we had an electrical problem here last night and lost power to the walk-in. We lost all the food we had prepped last night. Freezer is still working. I’m calling the electrician. Please call me back.”
Julia erased the call, frowning. She didn’t want to take the time to call, so she quickly sent a text: “Sandra, glad you are okay. Will be in later to look at the cooler. Going for a drive. Let me know what the electrician says.”
She dropped her phone in her purse when Alex came back in.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes, but there’s something strange going on at the restaurant.” She explained the calls to Alex. “I’ll go in and check on it later. Right now, we have a picnic to attend.”
Alex brushed Julia’s cheek with his hand and kissed her softly. He stepped back and held her gaze for a few moments.
“What’s wrong?” Julia asked.
“Nothing, I just love looking at you.” He paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to check on the restaurant first?”
Julia narrowed her eyes at Alex. He almost sounded hopeful. She asked, “Would you rather go check the restaurant first?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I want to go wherever you want to go.”
She studied him for a moment, and then smiled. “Let’s go, then. The pond meant so much to me growing up. I really want to share it with you.”
Alex stepped aside with a grand flourish of his arm. “After you, m’lady.”
Julia grinned and hustled past him. She cast a look back over her shoulder toward her bedroom ceiling. Her stomach rolled as she thought about telling Alex about the Archangels.
Please let him believe me , she thought.
She had moved fewer than
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