Free Veiled Passages by Terri Reid Page A

ladies,” he said with a slight nod and then he turned to his fiancée. “Mary, I just have a quick question.”
    “Sure,” she said.
    “How do you feel about Italian food?” he asked.
    “I feel very good about Italian food,” she replied.
    He smiled and nodded. “Great.  I’ll pick you up at six, okay?”
    “Okay. See you then.”
    The table was silent until Bradley left the restaurant.
    “That was your fiancé?” Honora asked. “Oh, my, his aura is very powerful.”
    Tracey snorted. “She means he’s hot,” she added. “So he’s picking you up at six?”
    Mary nodded and bit her lower lip. “Yes, I guess so.”
    Tracey looked down at the watch on her wrist. “Oh, wow, look at the time,” she said, “I had no idea it was so late. I’m sorry, Mary, but we’re going to have to reschedule.”
    Mary smiled, but stayed firm. “No, that’s very nice of you,” she said. “But it’s important to continue this conversation.”
    Sally stood up and hooked her purse over her shoulder. “I find that I too am fatigued,” she said, covering her mouth as she yawned. “I will be more than happy to continue this tomorrow morning.  Shall we say 10:00?”
    “But…but…we were just getting to the good part,” Mary insisted. “Really, we can keep going.”
    “No, I think we need a place that’s more conducive to friendly spirits,” Tracey suggested. “And we need to meet tomorrow morning.”
    “Oh, well, that’s a good idea,” Honora said. “Where?”
    The other two women looked expectantly at Mary. “Oh. Oh, um, my house,” she blurted. “Yes, we can all meet at my house tomorrow morning at 10.”
    “Perfect,” Tracey said, jotting down her phone number on a napkin. “I’ll drive. Why don’t you text me your address and the rest of us can meet in the lobby at 9:45.”
    “That would be great,” Mary responded, wondering when she totally lost control of the situation.
    “Good night, Mary,” Tracey said as the ladies walked out of the restaurant. “Have fun tonight.”
     

Chapter Fifteen
    Mary stood in front of her bedroom mirror and frowned.  The black dress hugged her curves and fell just above her knees. Her sheer black stockings and spiked high-heels added a shot of sexy, and her diamond earrings and necklace added glamour.  But something was missing.
    She heard the low wolf whistle before Mike appeared in her room behind her. “Are angels allowed to whistle like that?” she asked, looking at him through the mirror.
    “Yeah, well, I’m still not too clear on everything that’s in the handbook,” Mike said with a shrug, “But you look hot.”
    She looked at herself again, biting her lower lip. “Something’s missing,” she said.
    Mike walked over and looked her up and down. “Okay, you got your stop-his-heart dress, your how-damn-long-are-her-legs heels and your sophisticated-but-sexy jewelry,” he said, his chin resting in his hand. “You pretty much covered all the essentials.”
    Sighing, she shook her head. “I don’t know what…”
    “Wait…I have it,” Mike said.
    He started to float towards her bathroom and stopped. “Permission to enter your bathroom,” he requested.
    Smiling, she nodded and watched, as a moment later he came back with a small object in his hand. He handed her a tube of lipstick. “Cut-him-off-at-the-knees red lipstick,” he said. “That’s what’s missing.”
    Uncapping the tube, she carefully covered her lips with the dark red gloss and then looked at her reflection again.  He was right, the lipstick was the missing ingredient. “Well?” she asked him.
    He shook his head. “I know whatever I want to say will not be covered in the angel handbook,” he replied. “But I can’t wait to see old Bradley swallow his tongue when he sees you walking down the stairs.”
    Turning away from the mirror, she smiled at him. “Thanks, Mike, that’s just what I needed to hear. But, he won’t see me walking down the stairs because I’m