Chapter Three

Terry stayed about a half hour more after her story, explaining that her pep talk probably helped Jake through his darkest hours at college. Everyone offered their opinions, and by the next morning, Reba had a game plan. She needed to make sure Jake went to the concert with a date. On that same train of thought, Terry reminded her Lori Ann needed to bring her husband Seth. Reba most likely made some supportive comments when Lori Ann started dating Seth a few years ago.

So Reba planned to remind Lori Ann about the concert as soon as possible, then call Jake and stress how important it was that he bring his girlfriend. Reba sent up a prayer that Jake had a steady brunette girlfriend who would gladly fly to Texas for a concert.

Since she had the morning free, Reba impulsively drove to Lori Ann's house before her rehearsal session in the afternoon. Her schedule varied now that she was a full-time singer. Today, she didn't have to be at her rehearsal until late afternoon. If she left at eight in the morning, she easily could drive the two hours there and two hours back with enough time for the actual visit. Under normal circumstances she would never do this on a weekday, but well...did it really need to be said?

Reba needed to speak with Lori Ann in the worst way, and not just because of the concert. They were best friends (though for Reba, Lori Ann shared that title with Barbra Jean). All the events from the day before could not be summed up in a telephone call, not even a long one. Reba felt lingering panic from everything and would not calm down until she properly vented.

At around ten in the morning, Lori Ann almost jumped when she opened the door and found Reba standing on her condo's porch. "Holy hell, Reba! What in the world..."

"'Holy hell' just about covers it," Reba interrupted, chuckling at the perfect lead-in. She stepped into the townhouse without invitation and looked around. "Seth isn't here, is he?"

Staring at Reba like her best friend finally went over the edge, Lori Ann needed a second to answer. "He's at work, where normal people are Monday mornings. Seriously, who drops by without warnin' anymore? You drove all this way and I might not have been home!"

"Oh, stop it. You told me you usually have off on Mondays." Lori Ann managed a department store, so her schedule varied almost as much as Reba's. "And I'm here on a mission," Reba continued. "Think about it, 'Holy hell.' Who is the one not-so-living person we know..."

"Terry's back?"

"Yup."

"My God," Lori Ann whispered, closing the front door Reba had left open. "It's the return of your angelic ex-boyfriend. Honestly, I thought he stayed dead this time. We haven't seen or heard from him in what, ten years?"

The choice of words made Reba laugh again. Two minutes around her best friend, and she already felt better. "He is dead when we see him, you know. 'Dead' has a different meaning for him. In fact, I'd say Terry's had more excitement in his afterlife than most people experience their whole lives." They shared a laugh, then Reba added, "I've seen him since then, by the way. His appearances were just...more subtle."

"You never mentioned it to me." Lori Ann moved towards the open kitchen area of her main living space. "Take a seat at the table, Reba. You had breakfast yet?"

"Barely. I could use more coffee and a second breakfast," Reba answered, taking a seat at the dining area table. The cookies and thermos of coffee she'd packed for her impromptu road trip didn't help much. She was starving.

"You know I hate cooking, but for you I'll attempt scrambled eggs and toast."

"I'm eternally grateful."

Laughing, Lori Ann began moving around the kitchen while Reba rested after the car ride. "Something always bugged me about the Terry thing," she continued conversationally.

"What's your pick? The fact that he's dead, he's an angel, or...well, does there need to be a third?"

"Yeah! Why's he haunting you? I was his friend too!"

Reba stared at her for a long moment. "You're kidding."

"I'm really not. We were close when he was alive, and God knows I wouldn't mind having a guardian angel." While she tried to seem casual, sincerity leaked into her words and betrayed her true feelings.

Debating how to handle this, Reba tried to imagine what would happen if her best friend had a guardian angel and a genuine wishing star. The idea made her grimace. Though equally deserving, it was doubtful that Lori Ann would show Reba's level of restraint. Reba kept this to herself and chose a different tactic when she spoke aloud. "Lori Ann...no offense, but you never listen to advice."

"And you're such a good listener?"

"You've got me there," Reba admitted. Odd how she kept circling around this particular issue. The truth was, she still didn't have an answer. "I honestly don't know what to tell you. Maybe it goes back to the coma, and being in a state of mind where I could see Terry. But he mentioned something about it at dinner yesterday and it's worrying me..."

In the process of cooking their scrambled eggs, Lori Ann glanced back over her shoulder. "Back up. You had your guardian angel over for dinner? Is that even allowed?"

"No one else beamed down to stop it," Reba answered with a shrug. "It was a very strange day. I finally asked him why me...and instead of brushing me off, he said there actually was a reason. That scares me more than anything because I don't know what it is yet."

"Wow," Lori Ann whispered. She turned off the stove, plated their breakfasts, and brought everything over to the table. After Reba helped her with the coffee, Lori Ann settled into her seat and grinned at her best friend. "So, the big question now is – how much of a freak are you?"

"Lori Ann!"

"It confirms my theory," Lori Ann continued, ignoring Reba's reaction and digging into her breakfast. "You always denied it, but face it Reba...nothing about this is normal. You ever meet anyone else who could invite their guardian angel to dinner?"

Reba sighed with annoyance, but she chose to start eating before her food got cold. The eggs were surprisingly delicious despite Lori Ann's supposed animosity towards cooking. "No," Reba eventually answered. "It's so frustrating because I never wanted any of this. My life was crazy enough before Terry came along. I mean, did you really envy me at the height of the chaos? Yeah, everything's great now, but..."

"More than great," Lori Ann pointed out. "Hell, Reba, you're a freakin' famous country singer. At the very least that required some divine intervention."

"I'm sure it did, but I never actually wished for a singing career."

"And why didn't you? That wish would've made sense," Lori Ann said. "Then again, maybe it wasn't meant to be a direct cause-effect thing. All the crazy stuff that happened put you on the right track anyway. Would Kyra have encouraged you so much if it wasn't for the Nell situation? What if you didn't have Adam to support you, or if you didn't learn how to manage your high blood pressure?"

The train of thought made Reba stare at Lori Ann in amazement. She'd never put it together like that before, too wrapped up in her emotions to see the whole. Stunned, Reba sat back in her chair, kicking herself for never giving Terry enough credit. "Oh my God..." she whispered. "How...how did I miss that? All these years... Why didn't you bring it up sooner?"

"I thought it was obvious," Lori Ann answered with a shrug. "You really didn't see how the pieces fit together? Click-click-click?"

"Is this the reaction of someone who knew all along?" Reba retorted, pointing to her dumbfounded expression. "I feel guilty now. Terry's smarter than he looks." She paused, glancing upwards. "We should probably stop talking about him. He's gonna hear us."

Lori Ann laughed. "Don't beat yourself up too much. Your career and your family make you so crazy, you can't keep your head on straight half the time. Just thank me for my part in it. One of the wishes was mine, after all."

"Shows you how time heals all wounds. I heard you were terrified after you made your wish."

"Adam ratted me out, huh?" Lori Ann grumbled. "Well, it's water under the bridge now, and miraculously enough everything worked out for the best."

"About that. There's a reason I drove here, and it's why I saw Terry yesterday." Reba let out a deep breath, preparing to tell Lori Ann something she'd kept inside for ten years. "Lori Ann, do you remember my little trip to the future?"

Lori Ann raised an eyebrow. "The one I've been bugging you about since it happened? Vaguely."

"Well, time is a funny thing..."

After securing Lori Ann's promise to attend the concert, and to make sure her husband Seth was there too, the rest of Reba's week went by way too fast. Reba wound up playing phone tag with Jake, each leaving several messages before they caught up early Saturday afternoon. In the meantime Reba's anxiety grew, making her paranoid she wouldn't be able to talk to her son before the concert. When her cell phone rang she ran for it, snatching it off the side table in the living room. "Jake?"

"Hey, Mom, finally caught you. What's the crisis? Your voicemails got more and more panicky."

"That's because I felt more and more panicky," Reba retorted. She sat down on the couch with her phone, willing her heartbeat to slow down. "Jake, you're staying here for spring break, right?"

"Yup, 'cause I'm broke and can't go to Hawaii."

Reba rolled her eyes even though her son couldn't see her. A trip to Hawaii cost less starting from California, but it was the principle. Jake seemed to believe his mother singing career made them rich. While she'd finally paid off her debt and the house (another miracle), she wanted to her son to retain the work ethic he had before her career took off. "Don't start, Jake, and don't change the subject. There's a reason I've been calling you so much. I have a concert the weekend after Easter, and it's very important you're there with your girlfriend."

Jake didn't reply for almost a full minute. "Mom, how did you know I was seeing someone? I never mentioned dating..."

"Thank God. She's a brunette, right? Kind of short, wears glasses? Hopefully loves country music?"

"Now you're freaking me out. What's going on? Did someone tell you about Quinn?"

"No, I saw her. Ten years ago. Do you remember when I told you about my trip to the future?" Reba pressed on when he didn't answer. "I saw you in the audience with her. The concert is coming up, and you need to be there. Otherwise that conversation we had four years ago won't happen."

Again, Jake was quiet for a long time. "So the past would really change?"

"Yes. Jake, listen to me. You need to be at the concert that weekend, and you need to convince Quinn to go with you."

"I can't! Mom, that's Quinn's birthday, and she's planning a big weekend with her girlfriends. She'll never go."

"Crap!" Reba swore, her head in one hand and the phone in the other. "Well, surprise her with tickets to my concert! Say they're her birthday present!"

"Oh yeah, that's just what she wants for her birthday. 'Surprise, Quinn! We're going to my mother's concert in Texas, where you'll also get to meet my whole family!' If that doesn't scare her off..."

"Maybe you shouldn't date someone who scares easy," Reba pointed out, Kyra's comment in mind. "Jake, do you love this girl?"

Another long pause. "I think I do."

Even though she'd asked the question, Reba didn't realize how much the answer would surprise her. Jake, her baby boy, was in love with a woman he could end up marrying. "T-then reason with her," Reba said, quickly recovering. "Tell her it's an important concert, and you really want her to go. She needs to be there or your entire college experience might turn out different."

"Maybe I should tell her about Terry."

"You just said you didn't want to scare her."

"But she is open-minded. If he's there to back me up, she might agree to go after I explain everything."

Reba decided it wasn't the worst idea. She always told her kids to be honest, and it warmed her heart that Jake didn't want to lie to his girlfriend. "Can you trust her to keep the secret?" Reba asked.

"I know I can. Besides, who'd believe her if she tried to tell anybody?"

"Good point," Reba said with a laugh. "Alright, Jake, I trust your judgment. You have my blessing on this. I can try to contact Terry for you..."

"Nah, it's okay, I'll call him."

That was a shock. Reba needed to clear her throat before she could speak again. "Y-you...but..."

"He's helped me out a couple times over the years. Same for Kyra and Cheyenne. It's really rare, but he'll answer our prayers sometimes. One time he told me to leave a party before the cops got there."

Reba felt a wave of amazement and gratitude towards her guardian angel. "H-how come ya'll never mentioned this?"

"I don't know, I guess it seemed like a personal thing. I wouldn't even know about Kyra and Cheyenne if he didn't mention it."

Even though she wanted to discuss it further, Reba admitted she couldn't be that mad about being left in the dark. She didn't share every Terry experience with her family either...but then again, he was her guardian angel. Petty jealousy sprung up for a second before she realized Terry probably only looked after her kids because of her. And really, did the reason even matter? She should just be grateful a higher power was looking after her children. "I guess we'll have a lot to talk about next time I see you," Reba finally answered. "Let me know how it goes with Quinn."

In the apartment he shared with his classmates in southern California, Jake hung up his cell phone after talking to his mother. As much as he always tried to fit in, he could never forget about his mother's guardian angel. Well, really, Terry watched over all of them now – and Jake didn't want to forget. He often felt conflicted, his desire to be normal warring with his belief in angels. Sometimes his interest in theology won out. The art he drew and the stories he crafted for video games usually featured angels and mythological figures.

Of course, when it came to designing angels, he stuck with the classic image of wings and a halo. As much as Jake liked Terry, he didn't see his mother's dead ex-boyfriend fitting into a fantasy landscape.

Speaking of which, Jake now had to figure out how to contact Terry. He'd assured his mother he could, but now that he really thought about it, he realized Terry always just...showed up at the right time. Alone in the common area (which looked every inch a student bachelor pad, with only a big couch, TV, and gaming systems), Jake closed his eyes to pray. It seemed like a good start.

Jake heard Terry's voice before he could come up with the first line. "I'll save you the trouble," Terry joked. "With everything going on, I'm pretty well-tuned into your family these days."

Laughing, Jake opened his eyes to see Terry standing next to him. "When aren't you 'well-tuned' with us?" Jake asked, genuinely curious. "Are you watching over other families too?"

Terry smirked. "Not really, your mother keeps me pretty busy. Sometimes I'll get other short-term assignments though. But you didn't call me to talk about heavenly day-to-day operations."

"Wouldn't mind it. I'm interested."

"I'm sure you are, but angels aren't really encouraged to tell humans everything. There needs to be some mystery in the universe."

"You say that like the rules ever stopped you before." When Terry only gave him an exasperated glance, Jake switched back to the problem at hand. "Mom called me. She explained about the concert and that my girlfriend needs to be there. I thought about lying, but I think I'm gonna try the truth first. Then I'll lie if the truth doesn't work."

"Always a sound strategy," Terry joked. "But seriously, I'm glad you want to be honest with Quinn. This will set the tone for your relationship and get you started on the right foot."

The guardian angel's support made Jake pause. "What do you know about my relationship with Quinn? Do you know if we're going to last?"

Terry shook his head. "Come on, I can't tell you that, not even if I wanted to. Angels don't know everything either. Half the time I sound wise and all-knowing, I'm really talking out my butt and hoping ya'll buy it."

Jake laughed. "Just like my mom sometimes. I can see why you two used to date."

"I'm gonna tell her you said that," Terry retorted. "So, when do you want to introduce me to Quinn? Can she come over now?"

"Nah, she's on campus working on a project for class. I just wanted to make sure you'll hear me when I talk to her tomorrow. We don't have any plans, so I figure we'll have the day to work things out. Or she'll run screaming and I can spend the day playing video games."

Sensing Jake's underlying anxiety, Terry replied, "Look, I may not know everything, but I have a good feeling about this. I'm pretty sure Quinn won't run screaming."

Jake sighed, not looking forward to the next day. He liked Quinn a lot and didn't want to lose her over this. Despite what he said to his mother, he worried about Quinn's reaction. It was a crazy secret for anyone to process...even someone with an open mind. Finally Jake shrugged and gave the angel a hopeful glance. "Terry, from your mouth to Your Boss' ears."