You're My Home (completed)

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

The Halloween party was mandatory. This might sound strange to most normal people, but not coming from Rachel's boss, Nigel. He was one of those odd older men who still entertained his inner child and was entertained by just about everything. Nigel thought it would be a good idea to make parties mandatory so all his employees could share his enthusiasm for cake and balloons.

Whether his rules were legal or not, no one really cared. Nigel paid above minimum wage to college drop-outs, as well as those who barely passed high school. Good thing for Rachel, she'd taken one college computer repair course and it got her a job at Nigel's. Yes, the shop was in the middle of nowhere, but they had customers regularly. Out in the country, you were almost guaranteed to run into southerners who knew more about farming than computers—so Nigel's shop was actually a pretty good idea.

Rachel went to the bathroom to change clothes and was met by her reflection in the mirror. Her expression was heavy, her eyes tense.

Angels existed. That meant...that meant God existed. This was a fact she wasn't ready to face. She'd said goodbye to the religious world long ago. Willow had left a Bible on Rachel's counter as Rachel had requested. She wanted to find out more about angels, but internet access at the trailer was a rare occurrence. Willow and Rachel had once gone to go to church together back a few years ago. Willow stuck to her belief in God even after Rachel walked away.

Rachel clenched a fist. This wasn't a redemption story. Her story was not about redemption. Even if she was too involved with Collin to make her life less of a cheesy romance novel, she would go through hell to avoid a redemption story. God had, in her eyes, turned his back on her. So, she'd keep her back to him.

But an angelic visit? In all the Bible stories Rachel knew, angelic visits always had a purpose. She looked heavenward, pointed, shook her finger and declared, "This is not a redemption story!"

When she glanced at the mirror again, Rachel realized the irony of her costume. Her sparkling angel wings and white sequined top mocked her. She cursed under her breath and stamped a foot.

A month ago she couldn't find a costume for female adults that wasn't overly revealing. So, tired of searching, she'd picked a pair of child angel wings, a white party top, and white jeans. She thought it would be amusing. It's not like she knew she'd meet an angel. It's not like she knew her outfit would be a horrific reminder, at the exact time she was trying to escape the weirdness of the situation and her feelings for an angel.

Rachel piled her hair on her head in a messy bun and trudged toward the music. Techno was hardly a fit Halloween genre to be blaring. But then again, Nigel wasn't ordinary.

She shoved past streamers that hung in the doorway. The dark room sparked with pulsing nightclub lighting. It felt more like a rave than anything else. She spotted Nigel in the center of the dance floor, busting awkward dance moves on a poor blond girl dressed like a cocktail waitress. The girl backed away from him with a disgusted face. Rachel threw an amused smile in their direction but avoided that scene like a plague. In no way whatsoever did she want to dance with Nigel, especially when he was in his Elvis attire.

"Hey, Rachel's here!" Nigel's slurred voice shouted above the music.

Rachel swerved away from one of Nigel's outstretched hands and ran into the very pregnant belly of Pam, the wife of Terry, Rachel's desk buddy.

"Sorry," Rachel said, first to Pam and then again to her belly.

Pam waved a hand. "It's like jelly down there. No bother. What you doing?"