Angels at the Table Read online

  Angels at the Table is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2012 by Debbie Macomber

  Excerpt from Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

  copyright © 2012 by Debbie Macomber

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book Starting Now by Debbie Macomber. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

  Macomber, Debbie.

  Angels at the table : a Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy

  Christmas story / Debbie Macomber.

  p. cm.

  eISBN: 978-0-345-53596-2

  1. Angels—Fiction. 2. New York (N.Y.)—Fiction.

  3. Christmas stories. I. Title.

  PS3563.A2364A85 2012

  813′.54—dc23 2012028426

  www.ballantinebooks.com

  Jacket design: Shasti O’Leary Soudant

  Jacket photograph: © Fotosearch RM/Agefotostock (window);

  © plainpicture/amanaimages (lights);

  © Robert Harding Images/Masterfile (awning)

  v3.1

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  A Note from the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dedication

  Recipe for Peppermint Bark

  Excerpt from Starting Now

  About the Author

  October 2012

  Dear friends,

  They’re back! For the last three years I’ve read every form of communication available asking me when I was going to write another Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy book. Well, my friends, here it is, three years in the making. This time my trio is visiting New York, and as usual they’re up to their antics, causing all kinds of havoc and involving themselves in human affairs. Really, they just can’t stop themselves.

  This book is special because I am introducing another angel. His name is Will and he is the result of a letter I received from a reader several years ago. Rose Williamson suggested I should have an angel named Will. I remember frowning when I read her letter and thinking to myself, “Why would I want to add an angel and why would I name him Will?” As I continued reading, Rose said, “Seeing that you based the angels on the Bible verse from the 23rd Psalm that says, “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow you …” Immediately, Will, an apprentice angel, was born in my mind, thanks to this clever reader who shared a great idea with me. Thank you, Rose!

  Escape the craziness of the season, settle back with a cup of hot tea and a Christmas goodie, and put your feet up. Relax and be prepared to laugh and, if you happen to see a camel wandering down the street all on its own, you can take a guess on just who might be behind that mischief.

  Have a wonderful Christmas.

  P.S. I always love hearing from my readers, so please don’t hesitate to contact me. You can reach me through my website at DebbieMacomber.com or Facebook at DebbieMacomberWorld or through the mail at P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366. I value your comments and suggestions.

  “This is really Earth?” Will, the apprentice angel, asked, lying on his stomach on a low-flying cloud with his three mentors. His eyes widened as he gazed down on the crazed activity below.

  “This is Earth,” Mercy informed their young charge with a tinge of pride. For all its problems, Earth was a fascinating place to visit, with the tall buildings that butted up against the sky and people milling about with such purpose, most of them unaware of the spiritual world that surrounded them. More times than she could remember Mercy had lost patience with humans. Those who were considered the apex of God’s creations appeared to be slow-witted and spiritually dull. Yet she loved them and treasured her Earthly assignments.

  “It’s New York,” Shirley added, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed longingly below. “Oh, I do so love this city.”

  “Manhattan, to be more precise,” Goodness clarified and ended with a little sigh, indicating that she, too, had missed visiting Earth.

  The four hovered near Times Square, watching the clamoring crowds jockeying for space on New Year’s Eve.

  Will’s eyes widened as he intently studied the scene taking place in the streets below. “Is it always like this—so busy and crowded, I mean?”

  “No, no, this is a special night. The people are gathering together to usher in the New Year.” Time was a concept reserved for Earth. In heaven it was much different. Consequently, the time restriction placed on the three Prayer Ambassadors when given Earthly assignments had caused more than one problem.

  “Did Gabriel want us—”

  “Gabriel,” Shirley gasped, and quickly cut him off. “He doesn’t exactly know that we’ve brought you here. It would probably be best if you didn’t mention this short visit to him, okay?”

  “Yes, please, it would be best not to let anyone know we’ve shown you Earth.” It went without saying they’d be in all kinds of trouble if Gabriel learned what they’d been up to.

  “Gabriel means well but he tends to get a little prickly about these things,” Goodness explained to their young charge.

  “Why is that?” Will stared at all three of them.

  “Well, you see, we … the three of us … thought we should give you a bird’s-eye view of Earth and these people God loves so much—strictly for training purposes.” Mercy looked to her friends to expound upon their intentions, which were honorable if not a tad bit sneaky.

  This Earthly visitation had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Mercy had been the one to suggest it. Naturally, Goodness was quick to agree, and after some discussion Shirley had seen the light as well.

  Will, an apprentice angel, had been placed under their charge, and given this honor, it was only right that he get a glimpse of the trials and tribulations that awaited him once he started working as a Prayer Ambassador. The job could be a bit tricky, and the more Will understood the idiosyncrasies of humans, the better he would do once given an assignment from Gabriel.

  Mercy was certain that under their tutorship, Will would make a fine Prayer Ambassador one day. He was young and enthusiastic, eager to learn about Earth and the role he would play.

  As Mercy, who had falsely been labeled a troublemaker, had pointed out, theirs was a duty that required serious dedication. She wasn’t alone in believing this. Goodness—oh, poor Goodness—had gotten something of a reputation, too, and Mercy felt partially to blame, but that was another story entirely. Shirley tended to be a bit more on the straight-and-narrow path and had worked hard to reform her friends. In fact, Shirley, a former Guardian Angel, had done such a marvelous job, Gabriel had offered to let them train the promising young angel who was with them now.

  Naturally, it was understood that if the three of them accepted this
assignment training Will, then of course there would be no hanky-panky, no tricks, no nothing. All three had agreed. This was a high honor indeed and their intentions were good.

  Now here they were, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, in one of the most amazing cities on Earth. Mercy breathed in deeply, savoring the moment. Bringing Will had been a good excuse, but the fact of the matter was that she had missed visiting Earth. It’d been a good long while since their last assignment, and she missed the razzle-dazzle of the big city.

  “Isn’t Earth just marvelous?” Goodness said, her huge wings fluttering with delight. “Just look at all those neon lights. I’ve always been especially fond of light.”

  “As we all are,” Shirley reminded them.

  “Can we go down there with the people?” Will asked.

  “Absolutely not.” Shirley’s loud protest was instantaneous.

  “I don’t think it would hurt anything,” Goodness countered, her gaze still fixed on the bright lights of the city below.

  Will glanced from one to the other.

  “How will he ever learn about humans if he doesn’t have the opportunity to mingle with them?” Mercy asked, siding with her dearest friend. Shirley could be such a stickler for rules. Okay, so they’d originally promised not to get anywhere close to humans, but this would be a good teaching moment for Will.

  “How will he ever learn how to work as a Prayer Ambassador if he doesn’t become familiar with humans?” Goodness protested.

  Shirley wavered. While she might be opinionated on a number of topics, she could be easily swayed, which was the best part of working with her, Mercy felt.

  “Well …”

  “Do we hear the humans’ prayers?” Will asked.

  “Oh, no,” Shirley explained. “Only God hears their prayers, and then He talks matters over with Gabriel and then …”

  “Then Gabriel passes along those requests to us.”

  “And we assist in answering them.”

  “One of our roles is to help humans realize how much they can do for themselves with God’s help,” Goodness clarified.

  “We try as best we can without interfering in their lives,” Shirley added quickly, glaring at Goodness and Mercy.

  This was a warning and Mercy recognized it the instant her friend spoke.

  “But first, and this is the most important part,” Goodness emphasized, “it’s our duty to teach these humans a lesson. Then and only then are we able to help them with their troubles.

  “The real difficulty comes when they don’t want to learn.” Goodness shook her head because this aspect of the job was often a challenge. “Some people seem to want God to step in and do as they ask without making a single contribution to the effort.”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Mercy said, although she’d done a fair bit of finagling to help these poor witless souls. In theory, answering prayers didn’t sound the least bit difficult. Unfortunately, humans were sometimes completely dense.

  “They can be so stubborn,” Goodness said, shaking her head again.

  “Strong willed,” Shirley agreed.

  “Oh, yes, and once—” Mercy snapped her mouth closed. It was best not to reveal their past antics for fear it would mislead their young charge into thinking that perhaps he should follow in their footsteps. Gabriel would take exception to that.

  “Once?” Will pressed. “What happened?”

  “Never mind,” Shirley said, reading the situation perfectly. “Some things are best laid to rest and not discussed.”

  “Can I go down and be with the crowd?” Will asked again. “I won’t say anything to Gabriel.”

  “He isn’t the only one,” Shirley blurted out. “I mean, we shouldn’t mutter a word of this to anyone in heaven.”

  “Or Earth,” Goodness reminded them all.

  “We can’t speak to humans?” Will frowned as though confused.

  “We can but only …”

  “But definitely not tonight,” Shirley said so fast her voice rose an entire octave.

  Mercy took Will’s hand. “There have been times over the last two millenniums when we have spoken directly to humans.”

  “Those occasions have been rare, however.”

  “Yes, very rare.”

  “But not as rare as they should have been,” Shirley found it necessary to add. She crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to be wavering about the best way to handle this training session.

  “I don’t think it would hurt for Will to go down in the crowd,” Goodness said again. “It is a very special night here on Earth.”

  “I promise not to say a word to anyone, human or otherwise,” Will assured them.

  It was hard to refuse him when Mercy was itching to mingle herself. It’d been quite a while since she’d visited Earth, and humans had long fascinated her.

  “Let’s do it.” Goodness rubbed her palms together, as eager as Mercy.

  “I … don’t know.”

  Mercy ignored the former Guardian Angel. “I’m off. Will,” she shouted, “follow me and stay close. Do what I do.” She zoomed down toward Times Square with Will on one side and Goodness on the other.

  “No, no … this could be a mistake,” Shirley shouted before speeding off to catch up with them. “Do as I do,” she added.

  The four landed behind a concrete barrier with several people pressed up against it. Policemen stood on the opposite side, patrolling the crowd, looking for any signs of a disruption.

  “Can they hear us?” Will whispered.

  “Only those with spiritual ears who are attuned to God,” Shirley answered. “And even then they will doubt themselves.”

  “No one is listening now.” Mercy was fairly confident the crowd was too caught up in the excitement of the moment to notice their presence, which was for the best all around.

  “How come they’re bundled up with coats and scarves and gloves?” Will asked, looking around.

  “It’s winter.”

  “Oh.”

  “Everyone is staring up at the giant clock,” Will observed.

  “Yes, it’s only a couple of minutes until the new year arrives.”

  “And that’s important?”

  “Oh, yes. In two minutes this year will be over and a new one will begin.” This would be a hard concept for Will to understand. All their young charge knew came from heaven, where there were no clocks or calendars. In heaven, time had no meaning; the past, present, and the future were all one and the same.

  The restrictions of time had always been problematic to Mercy. Gabriel generally gave them a limited amount of time to help humans with their prayer requests, and staying within such a condensed time period often seemed impossible. Although, through their many experiences, Mercy had learned that with God all things were possible. That had been a powerful lesson and one she hoped to pass along to Will when the opportunity arose.

  “How come the streets are black?” Will asked, gazing down at his feet.

  “They aren’t gold here.”

  “It’s asphalt. Earth is nothing like heaven,” Mercy explained. If Will stuck around Earth much longer, other differences would soon become apparent.

  “Where’s Shirley?” Goodness whirled around so quickly she caused a small whirlwind to form. People grabbed on to their hats. Papers flew in every direction. “We’ve lost Shirley.”

  “No, we haven’t.” For Will’s sake Mercy made every attempt to remain calm. “I’m sure she’s close by.”

  “She isn’t.”

  “Oh dear,” Will cried. “Shirley’s disappeared.”

  “She’s got to be right here.” Mercy was beginning to grow frantic herself. This wasn’t good. Shirley was older and tended to be easily sidetracked, but vanishing like this wasn’t the least bit like her. Of the three of them, Shirley was by far the most responsible.

  “Look for children,” Mercy instructed Goodness and Will. Shirley was invariably drawn to little ones. It was a result of all the years she’d spent a
s a Guardian Angel.

  Mercy scanned the crowd then rose above the street and peered down, hoping for a glimpse of her friend.

  Goodness joined her. “Do you see her?”

  “Do you?”

  “No.”

  Mercy continued looking and when she turned to connect with Goodness, her friend was gone as well. Panic was starting to take hold. “Will,” she shouted, fearing she’d lost complete control of the situation.

  “I’m here.”

  Thank heaven for that. “Do you see Goodness?”

  “What about Shirley?”

  Shirley wasn’t nearly the worry Goodness was. If her fellow Prayer Ambassador got loose there was no telling the trouble she could get into. And Goodness could do it without even trying.

  “Is that Goodness over by those people on the stand?” Will asked.

  Stand? What stand? Mercy surveyed the area until she saw the direction Will indicated. This was exactly what she’d feared. Goodness had gotten distracted by the television crew busily working the cameras. It was all those lights. Goodness found lights impossible to resist.

  Mercy arrived in the nick of time. Goodness also had a weakness for anything electronic. Everything in heaven was advanced and her fellow angel was fascinated by the primitive forms of communication still commonly used on Earth.

  “Goodness,” Mercy screeched. “Don’t do it.”

  Startled, Goodness disappeared from the jumbo screen but not before her shadowy image briefly flashed across the surface. A hush fell over the crowd.

  “Did you see that?” someone shouted and pointed at the screen.

  “It looked like an angel.”

  “It’s a sign from God.”

  Mercy groaned. This was worse than she’d imagined. If word of this got back to Gabriel they could all be banned from Earth forever.

  “I knew something like this was bound to happen.” Shirley appeared out of the blue, hands digging into her hips. Her face was crunched up into a look of righteous indignation.

  “We were looking for you,” Mercy admonished before Shirley could complain. “Where did you go?”

  “I was around.”

  “Goodness.” Shirley grabbed hold of the Prayer Ambassador just before she made a repeat appearance on the big screen.