Slamming her door felt good. So good, Jess opened it and slammed it again. Harder. Then she headed straight to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of Arrogant Bastard. It seemed appropriate. Usually, she preferred the lighter taste of Levitation Ale, but tonight was definitely a Bastardly night. Twisting off the lid, she carried the beer out to her patio and slumped into the ancient papa-san chair she couldn't bring herself to get rid of. Moe followed her out, mewing plaintively. She patted her lap and he jumped up, still mewing. Moe loved beer. Not just any beer, mind you. A true connoisseur, Moe wouldn't touch any beer that wasn't brewed by Stone. Jess had once tried to trick him with some Coors she had bought in a momentary fit of insanity, and he had bitten her on the ankle. Moe really hated pissy yellow beer.
Jess gave Moe a quick cuddle, then poured some AB into her cupped hand and offered it to him. The big orange tabby lapped noisily, making little growling noises of appreciation in the back of his throat. He emptied her palm in short order, then looked at her expectantly.
"Hey, don't be a pig. I need this more than you do."
She took a long swallow, shuddering slightly at the bitter bite of the hops. Concentrating on the thick feel of the brew on her tongue briefly took her mind off her unpleasant introduction to her new neighbor. Moe's green eyes watched Jess unblinking, and when she lifted the bottle to her lips a second time, she felt him unsheath his claws and sink them into her jeans. They barely nicked her skin, but the warning was clear. Rolling her eyes, she poured a second palmful of the ale. Moe licked up every drop, then belched in satisfaction. Moe was the only cat Jess had ever seen belch. But he did it quite impressively.
"Reprobate."
Reaching over to the small tile topped table beside her chair, Jess pulled a Turkish Jade out of the package and lit up. She inhaled shallowly, but still was thrown forward by the forcefulness of her coughing fit. Moe squawked and leaped off her lap. Jess was determined to master this smoking thing. All the guys at work smoked, and she hated being excluded from the easy camaraderie of their smoke breaks. For one thing, judging by the sly grins they directed at her afterward, she suspected they were discussing her in a less than professional way. Men. It was rarely their larger head that was in control.
Moe's brothers, Larry and Curly, had come outside to glare at Jess. The cats all hated her smoking attempts. None of them would come near her whenever she picked up the Turkish Jades. Now they sat in a semicircle, giving her the Feline Evil Eye en masse. Jess stuck out her tongue at them, then thrust her first two fingers at them in two quick jabs while hissing. All three cats fled. Jess had never figured out why the Hoo Doo, as she called it, freaked them out so, but she had found it immeasurably effective over the years. With a satisfied sigh, she settled back to enjoy her beer and a smoke. Coughing all the while.
Jacob shrugged off the nasty confrontation with the madwoman next door with an ease that came from thousands of years of tribulations. It was difficult to get too worked up about an inconsiderate female when you had once woken up six feet under, weighted down with stones, a wooden stake driven through your heart. That had been a real pisser. Jacob could still remember the thrill of excitement he had felt as he had lost consciousness, believing that he was mere moments away from parting the curtain of The Great Mystery and settling happily into an eternity of peace. Instead, he'd had to hastily relocate and start over once more — no home, no money, no friends. Well, not quite no money. The ignorant villagers had refused to touch any of the jewelry he had been wearing, fearful that it too was accursed. He had been able to purchase a lovely villa in the Tuscan countryside with the sale of a single ring. And he had been wearing several.
Jacob shifted in his chair, enjoying the warmth on the soles of his feet. The oak logs he had purchased were providing a lovely hot fire, accented by the pops and crackles from a few scraps of pine he'd tossed in. The fragrance was hypnotic. Yawning, he stretched languidly. Purring drowsily on his lap, Nutmeg lifted an eyelid in silent protest.
Don't even think about moving.
I'm tired. My bed is calling me.
Nutmeg reluctantly roused herself and dropped to the floor to pad toward the bedroom. Jacob rose and followed, glancing out his patio door to admire the moonlight. He froze in his steps.
There was an angel standing in his back yard.
Jess tilted her head back and let the moonlight bathe her face. The wide sleeves of her robe belled out from her upraised arms as the cool breeze lifted her pale blonde hair. She loved a full moon. It seemed so magical, as if its mere glow could transform the ordinary into something otherworldly. Jess had been on her way to bed when the moonlight streaming in her window had lured her outside. Standing like this, in her white robe with her face lifted to the moon, she felt like a pagan priestess performing an ancient ritual. It was chilly tonight, but in a refreshing way, and it felt good to be clean and have her long hair released from its confining french braid. She took a slow deep breath, then began to whirl around, laughing with sheer joy.
OK, angels do NOT laugh. Smile sweetly, yes, but no laughing. Therefore, that is not an angel, but a mortal. Jacob reached out and flipped the switch for his patio light. Startled, the creature in white whirled around to stare at him in surprise. To his utter shock, it was the madwoman from next door. Barely recognizable, but yes, it was her. He'd had no idea she had such an abundance of hair! And he had not even noticed it was blonde. A very pale blonde, like a fine chardonnay. Even more amazing, he had not noticed her eyes. Incredibly blue, large, breathtaking. And disturbingly familiar. Where had he seen those eyes before? As recognition spread through him, the idea it spawned stunned Jacob nearly senseless. Ridiculous. Impossible. But still . . .
Could his new neighbor be the angelic child in the photograph, grown now into a mesmerizingly beautiful woman?
