Chapter 1

Emma sat back in the secretary's chair the next day, enjoying the peace and quiet of the workspace. Since it was a large area with doors leading to the other agent's offices, the place was always crowded with secretaries like her. The setting drove her as of the past five months to come in an hour early to get in any work that would require her full attention. She didn't mind – with her marriage over, what else was there to do?

Turning on the office radio that usually piped soft rock music into the office, she hummed while she worked. Her spirits had been somewhat down, but the visit to her sister's new house picked them up. Being around family always made her feel better.

Some time later, a song came on that had been on the top ten list for a few weeks. The lyrics familiar, she sang, "'And he don't know…I dug my key into the side, of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive, carved my name into his leather seats…'"

"Excuse me?"

Emma almost fell of her chair from embarrassment when she realized there was a woman standing in front of her. I didn't even hear her sneak up. Well, that's what I get for singing along with the radio too loud. "Uh, h-hi. Sorry about that, I was…"

"It's alright. I wish I could sing half as well as you," the woman laughed. "Trust me, you don't want me singing along to a radio."

Chuckling, Emma got over her small humiliation and said, "I'm sure you're not that bad. So, how can I help you…"

"Monica. And you are?"

At that, Emma stiffened, looking at the auburn-haired woman more closely. Why does that name ring a bell? She thought. Come to think of it, she looks familiar. Where have I seen her before? "Emma. I-I'm sorry, but this is driving me crazy – have we met?"

"That's what I've been thinking!" Monica exclaimed, with more vigor than Emma was expecting. "I know I've seen you before…"

"Did you go to school around here?" Emma asked, trying to place her.

Monica shook her head. "I'm afraid that would be impossible. Oh well, I'm sure we'll think of it eventually."

"I'm sure we will," Emma agreed, then remembered something. "I'm sorry, how can I help you?"

"I'm Daphne Jameson's new assistant secretary," Monica answered.

Getting out of her seat, Emma's heart beat faster as she took in the information. "I-I'm sorry, but I'm Daphne Jameson's secretary."

Monica nodded. "I know. That's why I said assistant secretary."

"But Daphne never told me about this…" Emma argued, beginning to feel insulted. She always thought she and Daphne were more friends than co-workers. It hurt that Daphne would go hire another secretary, implying that she wasn't doing a well enough job. And it didn't help that Emma wasn't made aware of her new "help."

"She probably just hasn't gotten to telling you yet," Monica assured her. "I answered the ad somewhat quickly. She said it had only been up for a day."

Consoling herself with that information, Emma replied, "Oh, okay then, I guess I'll talk to her when she comes in. Did she happen to mention…"

"Oh, no, I'm too late!"

The two looked up as Daphne Jameson rushed into the office, smoothing her deep auburn hair as she joined them. "Forgive me, Emma. I wanted to tell you when I got in this morning, but I didn't realize that Monica would be here so early."

"I'm sorry," Monica said with worry. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I just thought it would be a more convenient time for you to show me what to do."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. At least her boss hadn't slighted her on purpose. "It's fine. I'm fine with it, really. It's just that, Daphne, if I'm not getting everything done you want I wish you'd told me first…no offense, Monica."

"None taken," Monica replied.

Glancing at her new secretary, Daphne pulled Emma to the side. "It's not that. You are, you're a wonderful secretary and I couldn't ask for better. But…I'm getting more business than ever, and it's clear that what work you've got now is taking a toll on you. I'm just worried about you, dear."

"Is it because of the divorce?" Emma asked, horrified at the possibility. "Because I can assure you that my personal life has no affect on…"

"No, no, no, not the divorce," Daphne replied, "I know you're not letting that bother you, but frankly, that's what worries me. I'd like to think of myself as your friend, too, and…as a friend, I have to say I'm worried about what you're doing to yourself. You're piling on the work and not stopping for anything else. The assistant stays, and as your boss, I'm ordering you to…take it easy. Well, easier than you've been. Am I understood?"

You know you're overdoing it when your boss tells you to slow down, Emma thought. But that meant she'd be spending more time alone with nothing to do. Figuring that was her problem, she just smiled and answered, "Yes, Daphne."

"Good. Now eat some breakfast or something while I go in my office and tell Monica what she needs to know," Daphne said, opening the door to her office and going in.

On her way into the office, Monica paused at Emma's desk. "You know, I, ah, couldn't help but overhear…if you're looking for a friend to talk to, I'm a great listener."

"Uh, thanks," Emma replied. She returned to her desk, prepared to ignore her boss' advice and continue with paperwork. But the grumble in her stomach ordered her otherwise, so she took two bucks out of her purse and headed to the snack machine. There's nothing like a candy bar to start your day right.

"Connor, where's that permission slip?"

"Get your shoes on, Katie!"

"Chloe, put down that hair dryer now!"

Elizabeth Wilson ran through the house like a mad woman, trying to get two out of three kids ready for camp in the morning. It helped that Chloe was still too young even for camp, but two was enough. And now she was in a bigger house, which meant more running. "Katie, Connor, I want you both in the foyer now!" She finally yelled as she went down the stairs. "Camp bus gets here in ten minutes!"

"Good morning, sweetie," Mark, her husband, greeted from the door to the dining room.

Kissing him, Elizabeth took a second to catch her breath. "Kids…upstairs…driving me crazy…you…go…yell…loud."

"We go through this every morning. Did you think a new environment would change that?" Mark laughed, kissing her with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Elizabeth saw the cup and grabbed it. "And I'll assume that's for me."

"You know what happens when you assume. It's mine…" Mark trailed off at her glare and sighed. "I can always pour myself another cup. Enjoy that."

"I will," Elizabeth replied, smiling in satisfaction as she drank. The momentary peace was interrupted by the doorbell. To herself, she muttered, "That better be Publishers Clearing House with a big check." A smile on her face, she opened the door to an aged African-American woman with graying black hair. "Hi. You're Tess, right?"

"That's right. You must be Mrs. Williams. So nice to meet you in person," Tess answered, stepping in the house when the other woman offered.

Relieved that the babysitter was there, Elizabeth replied, "Yes, I'm sorry that this has to be the first time. Normally my husband and I are a little more thorough in the interview process, but with the move we really haven't had the time. And please, call me Elizabeth and my husband Mark. With three kids, we're pretty informal around here."

"Understandable. So where is Chloe?" Tess asked, looking around the foyer. Her eye lingered on the mess of jackets and shoes in the corner, but didn't say anything and refocused her attention on her new employer.

Elizabeth blushed, knowing that her house wasn't spotless by any standards. But Tess would either have to deal with it or clean it herself, because she didn't have the time. "Uh, Chloe's upstairs, probably driving her siblings nuts as we speak. Hold on, I'll get her for you." Calling up the stairs, she yelled, "Chloe! Tess is here!"

A few minutes later a three-year-old appeared at the top of the stairs. Slowly, the blonde-haired, brown-eyed toddler made her way down to the foyer, holding on to the banister with all her might. Both to save time and to make her daughter more comfortable, Elizabeth scooped Chloe up in her arms. "Hey, sweetie, you remember me telling you about the lady who was going to come watch you while Mommy and Daddy are at work? Well, this is Tess. She's going to be taking care of you."

"Hi, baby. Aren't you a little angel?" Tess greeted, a warm smile on the face.

Chloe stared, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Hi, Tess. You play game?"

"Yes, I do. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together," Tess answered.

Elizabeth was surprised when Chloe squirmed, her sign that she wanted to be let down. Typically it took her daughter longer than two minutes for her daughter to warm up to someone. Taking it as a good sigh, she complied and smiled when Chloe ran to hold Tess' hand. "I see you two have already made friends."

"Honey, have you seen my briefcase…" Mark trailed off as he poked his head in the foyer. "Oh, hi, you must be Tess."

"Yes I am, And I think that's your briefcase over there," Tess replied, pointing towards the corner of the foyer. A briefcase covered with someone's light jacket sat on the floor.

Relieved, Mark retrieved his briefcase and explained, "We're usually a little more organized than this. New house, you know…"

Tess chuckled. "I know. Now, I understand that you're both therapists. Do you work together?"

"Yes, we decided to use the move as an excuse to open up our own office," Mark explained. "We usually leave at the same time, but sometimes I leave a few minutes early while she rounds up the kids."

"Well, that's what you have me for, isn't it? You two go ahead. I'll get Connor and Katie out the door when the bus comes," Tess offered.

Elizabeth traded glances with her husband, both happily surprised. They'd never had the best luck with babysitters in the past, so to realize they might have finally found a good one was a nice turn of events. "Oh, bless your kind heart. Let me just call them."

Within five minutes she and Mark were in the car on their way to work. "So what do you think?"

"Of Tess? Well, she's not some teenager who will throw a house party when we're gone, so I'm happy," Mark answered, a smile on his face. "Now go ahead, make the call."

"What?"

"Come on, you know you want to," Mark answered. "Call Emma on your cell. I know you can't go five minutes without telling her the latest thought that popped in your head."

"You know me too well," Elizabeth muttered, already searching for her sister's name on her contact list.

Tess leaned back in the front seat of the car, enjoying the reunion with her baby. True, Monica had loaned it to her only for babysitting purposes, but the feeling was nice just the same. Adjusting the rearview mirror, she asked, "Chloe, you okay?"

"Uh huh. I like this car," Chloe replied from her car seat in the back.

Chuckling, Tess replied, "Me too. You know, it used to be mine before I gave it to my friend, Monica. She's the one I'm taking you to meet."

"Oh. Is she fun?"

"Yes, baby. You'll like her, and I'm sure she'll love you," Tess answered. After spending the whole morning with the three-year-old, Tess started wondering how Monica was faring with her assignment. Since she couldn't "pop in" on the angel while she was babysitting, she called Elizabeth and got permission for a little field trip. The mother hadn't been worried, but did remind Tess to be back by three for when the bus dropped off Connor and Katie.

So now Tess parked in front of an office building with about ten stories and held Chloe's hand while they made their way up to Daphne's floor. Both she and Monica had been surprised to realize that one of their former assignments was their current assignment's boss. And Monica was somewhat hesitant o ask for the assistant position, since the last time they crossed paths, Daphne had nearly reported the angel to the school board. But both were relieved when Daphne welcomed Monica with open arms, and greeted Tess with friendliness as well.

Tess and Chloe emerged from the elevator to find a bustling open office area, with secretaries all either on the phone or a computer. Before she could do anything, Chloe broke into a run across the space, shouting, "Aunt Emma!" at the top of her lungs. Catching up, Tess introduced herself to the stunned young woman. "Hi, I'm Tess, your sister hired me to baby-sit this little one."

"Oh, yeah, she mentioned you when she checked in with me this morning. She does that a lot," Emma explained. "The little squirt hasn't been too much of a pain, I hope?"

Chloe shook her head, positioning herself on her aunt's lap. "No, I be a good girl."

"Somehow I don't believe you," Emma teased, tickling the girl's stomach until Chloe squealed from laughter.

Chuckling, Tess said, "She's been a little angel all morning. She loves her coloring books."

"Uh huh. And Candy Land," Chloe added.

Curious, Emma asked, "So what are you two doing here?"

"Actually, I believe my friend Monica works here now. I'm also an old friend of Daphne's, so I wanted to stop by," Tess answered.

"Oh, and now you're babysitting my niece. Small world," Emma said. "Well, both Monica and Daphne are in the office, so you can go right in. I was going to take my lunch hour now anyway so I'll watch Chloe."

"Thanks, baby," Tess replied, then she opened the door a crack and knocked softly. "Hi, mind if I come in?"

"Tess! What are you doing here? Where's Chloe?" Monica asked, bewildered by her former supervisor's appearance. Daphne stood next to her and nodded in acknowledgement.

Closing the door behind her, Tess explained, "I drove here with Chloe – Emma's watching her now. I wanted to make sure you were doing okay, Miss Wings, but since I can't just…well, 'check in' with Chloe, I had to turn it into a field trip."

"Check in? What do you mean?" Daphne asked. When Tess narrowed her eyes at her, Daphne paled as she got the meaning. "Oh you mean…oh. Never mind."

Monica let out an exasperated sigh. "For the last time, Tess, I'm a supervisor now. You don't need to check up on me anymore."

"Humor me, angel girl. How's it going so far?" Tess insisted. She hadn't been down on Earth to help Monica much ever since they were promoted, so in a way she still thought of herself as the former caseworker's supervisor. Old habits were definitely hard to break.

Shrugging, Monica explained, "Alright. We got off to a rough start, and we haven't really had time to chat."

"Sorry about that," Daphne said, a little embarrassed. "But assignment or not, the work has to get done."

Monica nodded. "And I understand that. But Emma isn't the most outgoing person. She's nice enough, yet it's hard just to keep up a conversation with her."

"She does do that – she's very quiet. She's worked for me for years, but only when we crossed that line into friendship did we have a full conversation," Daphne added.

"But, Tess, it's only the first day. Actually, it's only been the first six hours," Monica said with a reassuring smile. "So stop worrying."

Tess hesitated for a moment, trying to come up with something else to ask Monica. But since she wasn't the supervisor, she realized that there wasn't anything more she needed to say. Annoyed that she couldn't have talked herself out of making this pretty much useless trip, she said, "I'll try. I guess Chloe and I will be going then…"

"Actually," Monica interrupted. "I was going to ask Emma to go to lunch, and…having two angels there couldn't hurt."

Considering the offer, Tess reasoned that Emma wasn't her assignment, and she should just stay out of it. However, if Emma was shy, maybe having another person, and her niece, around might break the ice. "That sounds like a good idea." She was about to suggest that they go when she spotted a picture on Daphne's desk. "Oh, Daphne, how's Chris doing?"

"Much better," Daphne answered, beaming as any proud mother would. "He's making so many friends. But him and Fi are inseparable, of course – always together. He's even slept over her house on more than one occasion, especially since school ended. And Jacob is becoming like a father to him. You and your friends did wonders last year…speaking of which, how are Andrew and Gloria?"

"Both wonderful. Andrew's the same, but Gloria really is growing as a caseworker," Monica answered, also with some maternal pride at that last part.

"I would guess that they aren't working with you on this from the sound of it…are they?" Daphne asked.

Tess shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. But you never know." With that, they said their good-byes to Daphne and left to ask her secretary out to lunch.