Angel's Rest(10)

“True, but not under circumstances like this. Ordinarily when we’re being weird, we have the urge to call each other at the same moment or we order the same dress from an online store and wear it to the same event.”

“Or remember that time we both got a craving for good Mexican food and drove all the way to Gunnison to get it, and you walked into the restaurant before I’d finished my chips and salsa?”

The memory still nettled, so Nic lifted her chin. “You mean the time I called you to invite you to go with me but you were already on the road … without inviting me?”

“Hey, I was supposed to be dieting.” Sarah grinned without apology. “But you’re right. This was a different kind of weird.”

As Nic tried to put her finger on tonight’s particular brand of weirdness, a familiar voice called, “Hey, you two.”

Nic glanced over her shoulder to see Sage Anderson striding down the auditorium’s side aisle, her Gypsy skirt swirling around trim ankles, her long and wavy auburn hair bouncing with her steps. Sage was one of only a handful of permanent, year-round residents to move to Eternity Springs during the past decade. A painter, she thrived on the isolation the little town had to offer, and the work she’d produced of late was quickly making her the darling of the art world.

Sage had her secrets. She rarely talked about her life before the move to Eternity Springs. Sarah thought she was running from something. Nic believed she’d run to something in the mountains. Whichever way didn’t much matter. Sage was their friend. They liked her and respected her privacy, so they kept their curiosity to themselves—even if it was difficult sometimes.

“I didn’t see you,” Nic said as Sage plopped down in a seat in the front row and twisted around to look at them. “Where were you sitting?”

“I came in late. Stood in the back.” Her dangling purple crystal earrings sparkled as her green eyes gleamed. “Am I ever glad I did. ‘Eternity Springs simply needs to free itself from the prison of its past and utilize the gifts a generous and loving God has bestowed upon it. Then, and only then, will this wonderful little town heal and thrive and fulfill the promise of its name.’ I heard that and …” She snapped her fingers. “A visual popped into my brain. I’m gonna head home and get to work, but wanted to say hi to you two first.”

“Batten down the hatches,” Sarah said. “The creativity wind is upon us. We won’t see her again for a week.”

Nic nodded. “I’ll hang the Do Not Disturb signs around the studio on my way home tonight. I’d rather avoid being called out to treat the wounds of any poor, unsuspecting soul who might hazard a knock upon her door.”

“Oh, stop it,” Sage said with a laugh. “I’m not that bad. I never draw blood.” She beamed at Sarah and Nic, and exhaled a satisfied sigh. “Look, it very rarely happens this way. I am so stoked. Celeste Blessing gave me a gift with that speech of hers. I think she’s wonderful. If the mayor and city council and grumpy old men like Dale Parker want to ignore her, then too bad so sad. I think she put the hope back into Eternity Springs tonight, and that’s an important start.”

Sarah gave Nic a look. “And we thought nobody noticed. Somebody did.”

“ ‘Spring is in sight,’ ” Nic quoted, giving a rueful smile. “Think we can believe it?”

“I do,” Sage declared. “I absolutely do.”

“I want to,” Sarah offered. “Although believing would be easier if this were February rather than the end of September.”

Nic stared absently at the graffiti inked on the seat back in front of her and considered what troubles loomed before her in the coming months. She had taxes due on the house and clinic. The water heater was making funny noises and the furnace had been on borrowed time for three winters now. On a personal front, she faced long winter nights rambling around in a house that should be filled with children and laughter and love, but instead echoed with loneliness and grief over a lost dream.

Was Celeste right? Was spring—the end of her personal winter—finally in sight?

“Plan A for angel,” she murmured as, unbidden, the image of a rescued boxer and a haunted-eyed stranger with scars on his chest and wounds on his soul flashed in her mind. You’re a lifesaver.

“You know what?” Nic said, glancing from one friend to the other. “I believe it. It is weird, but we do weird here in Eternity Springs. I trust in Celeste’s insight. I think she gave us all a gift. We just have to be smart enough to recognize it and act on it.”