“Well, hello there, beautiful.”
She looked at him warily. He was pleasant looking. A few inches taller than she, and with brown hair that was definitely receding. He smiled, which slightly showed off his crooked teeth and she noted that his brown eyes were friendly. She felt goose bumps form on her arms and took a step back.
“You’re a demon, aren’t you?” she asked quietly.
“I’m a what?”
“Demon. Please leave me alone. Don’t come any closer.”
He stared at her blankly, then laughed. “Is that what Claire called me before she took off?
She’s so cute. Must be a new pet name.”
Val frowned at him, not sure what to think or do next.
He wagged a finger at her. “Don’t I know you?”
She shook her head and shifted her bare feet nervously against the cool sidewalk.
“No, I know you. Those legs. Unforgettable.” He snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it. That strip club down on Barrister Road . . . What’s it called again? . . . Booty Call? Yeah, that’s it.
You’re a strip . . . er”—he cleared his throat—“I mean . . . exotic dancer.”
“Booty what?”
“Not that I go there anymore. Nah. Me and Claire, we’ve got something special between us.
She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He sighed and stared off in the direction of the speeding Jetta.
Val glanced in the same direction. “Claire is the woman who just threw you out of her car?”
He smiled dreamily and leaned his shoulder against the Pardise Inn signpost. “That’s the one.”
“And . . . you think I’m a . . . an exotic dancer?”
“Nothing to be ashamed of, gorgeous. Noble profession.”
“I’m not.” Val looked down at herself to note that the now wet T-shirt was, in fact, see-
through. She crossed her arms. “Seriously. I’m not.”
“If you say so,” he grinned. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”
“Valerie Grace.”
“I’m Reggie.” He reached out to shake her tentative hand. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to
. . . hey, you can let go now.”
She clutched his hand. “I need to go back. You have to help me.”
“Ow! You’ve got a grip on you, you know that?”
“I don’t belong here.” She swallowed hard and realized she was tearing up again. This man seemed nice enough. He couldn’t be a demon. He would have tried to tempt her by now, and she certainly didn’t feel very tempted, if that was worth anything. And if he was a demon, well, he seemed like a very nice one who meant no harm. He’d help her, wouldn’t he?
Grabbing the nearest thing seemed like her best course of action. The nearest thing, in this case, was his hand. Currently turning purple.
“So if you don’t belong here, then leave! My hand! Alone!” He yanked away from her and looked at her warily. “Where are you from, anyhow?”
“Heaven.” She sniffed, ran a hand under her nose and tried not to cry. She turned her gaze away to stare at the seedy motel.
“Heaven.” He frowned.“Is that another strip club? What town is that in?”
“It’s not a strip club.” She was about to tell him about what happened to her. That they’d kicked her out of Heaven for no reason. That it was a huge mistake because she’d never done anything to deserve this kind of treatment. She was a great angel! Her last job review had even said so. And management always did very detailed report scrolls. What had hers said again? She thought about it and came up blank. She frowned. Why couldn’t she remember?
She wiped a tear away. “It’s been a really bad day. That’s all. Sorry for freaking out a bit.”
Reggie shook his head. “The beautiful ones are always a bit nutty. My girlfriend is, too.
Totally understandable. Probably your time of the month, right?”
“My what?”
He waved his hand. “Forget I asked. So, are you staying here?” Reggie nodded at the motel.
She swallowed. “Not if I can help it.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
She pulled the ratty piece of paper out of her wallet and showed it to him. He squinted at it, then took it away from her.
“Oh, you must be here for the job,” he said.
“For the what?” She glanced at the paper and was surprised to see that the motel name and address wasn’t the only thing written on it anymore.
It also had “B. Barlow,” and “1:00 P.M.” on it. It hadn’t said that before, she was almost positive. Then again, since her plunge, she hadn’t really been thinking clearly.
“I’ll let him know you’re here,” Reggie said, and before Val could say anything, he headed for the center section of the U-shaped motel, where a sign read MANAGER’S OFFICE.
Her immediate thought was to run away, to flee, but where was she going to go? She needed somewhere safe to stay. Somewhere she could think about what to do next. Figure out how to get in contact with somebody Up There to help sort things out. So she could go back.
She crossed her arms protectively in front of her, shivering from being wet for too long.
Before she had a chance to have second thoughts about not running away, Reggie emerged from the office with a white-haired old man who eyed her curiously as they approached.
“You’re here for the job?” the old man asked her.