The slightest grin played across Jacks’s lips.
“Yeah,” he said. “A table for one, please?” His eyes danced.
“Of course,” she said, lowering her eyes. “Right this way.”
She pulled a menu from behind the counter and led Jacks to the booth she had just cleared. As they walked together, she let his presence wash over her like a wave. She couldn’t help herself. Every time she felt it the blood still raced in her veins.
“Here you are,” she said. Jacks took a seat and Maddy handed him the menu. He made a show of opening it with ceremony and inspecting it. A little laugh escaped Maddy’s lips. Then he set it down.
“Actually, I think I’d like to apply for a job,” he said.
She gave him an incredulous look.
“Well, I’m sorry to say I’m not so sure about your qualifications,” Maddy said.
His forehead creased. “Oh, I’ve got a lot of experience,” he said.
“Such as?”
“Lots of stuff.” Jacks shrugged. “And I know the cutest waitress in Angel City; that’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?”
Maddy felt her cheeks burning as she blushed.
“I think you just want to get me alone in the back.”
“Okay, maybe,” he confessed.
They both laughed.
“Actually, I’m concerned,” Jacks said, looking sly.
“Concerned? Why’s that?”
“Yeah, I mean, you’re going to have to hire someone quick, or else the restaurant is going to be short-staffed on Monday.”
Maddy smiled at him but was confused. That hadn’t been part of their exchange so far as she could remember. She looked into his eyes.
“And why would we be short-staffed on Monday?” she wondered.
A bell rang in the kitchen. An order was up.
“Because I’ve spoken to the Archangels,” Jacks said softly. “And they’ve asked me to tell you that your training starts on Monday.”
He wasn’t joking anymore. His gaze searched hers intently.
“Training?” Maddy said. “Training for what?”
Jacks smiled at her.
“Training to become a Guardian Angel.”
EPILOGUE
Maddy reached the top of the stairs, went into the bathroom, and shut the door. She had been waiting for this all day. After Jacks’s visit and his unexpected news, she hadn’t even had time to process what he was telling her because the diner was so busy. By the time they closed, she had been on her feet for almost eight hours and smelled like sweat, food, and who knows what. She had been looking forward to a shower all day—and to thinking about what Jacks had told her.
Maddy peeled unceremoniously out of her uniform and threw it on the bathroom floor. She turned on the hot water first and waited until it scalded her hand to add the
cold. When the temperature was just right, she pulled the plunger on the faucet and the shower coughed to life.