Genesis

CHAPTER 18 Hooked on a Feeling

Things were perfect with Ty after my research had corroborated his claims that angelic history had been unfairly rewritten, thereby assuaging my fears of entangling my life with a demon's. And he, having shared his secret, seemed lighter somehow; the shroud of mystery that had surrounded him had been lifted. The uneasy feeling I had had about him since we met was gone, although the ambiguous nightly dreams were not. The only thing causing a small rift in our relationship now was my impending employment at the nursery. I learned quickly not to bring it up, as it only caused him to become broody.

I had been anxiously anticipating Saturday. Perhaps it was this anticipation that caused me to dream of Michael Friday night. In place of the dark dreams in which Ty was featured, there was a rerun of the perfect picnic lunch in the beautiful garden on that bright, sunny day, another scene having been added. As Michael and I were laughing, tossing malted milk balls at each other, I was jarred awake by an annoying scream, "annt-annt-annt-annt-annt-annt". I slapped the large snooze button located on top of my antiquated alarm clock/CD player. 7:00 AM. I laid in bed for a few minutes, contemplating my alluring dreams of Michael versus the real world where Ty was my boyfriend. I felt guilty because these dreams felt more like visions; they felt real, and I felt happy when I was there. But there was no more time to ponder any possible message I was supposed to be gleaning, at least not right now. Right now, I had to get ready for my first day at the nursery.

I pulled in to the parking lot about twenty minutes early. Michael was at the koi pond and, as I drove by, he greeted me with his good-natured smile. I chose the parking space furthest away from the main building and walked casually toward him, praying that I would be able to forget about my dreamy feelings and behave like a proper employee.

"Good morning!" I trilled cheerfully.

"Good mornin' to you. You're early."

"Just trying to make a good impression."

"It's workin'," he said with a grin. "Are you ready to meet the rest of my family? Except for my mama, that is. She doesn't work here."

I drew in a breath. "I'm ready," I said confidently.

Michael's dad and his two brothers were in the closest of the three outlying buildings on the property.

"You must be Essie," his father exclaimed exuberantly the moment we walked through the door.

"It's so nice to meet you, Mr. Powers. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work here. It's a beautiful place."

"I hope you'll eventually love it as much as we do. Essie, these are Mike's older brothers, Gabe and Rafe. And, please, call me Chris."

They were every bit as handsome as Michael, as was their dad. They all had the same dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. There was no denying they were family, unlike me and my siblings.

"Hey," they both said at almost the same time.

"Hey," I responded in kind.

"Mike, why don't you take Essie and show her how to open up."

"Sure, Daddy."

As we headed toward the main building, I asked, "So, your dad called you Mike. But you originally introduced yourself to me as Michael. Which do you prefer?"

"You know, I don't really care, but I think I prefer Michael. What do you think?"

"I definitely prefer Michael. It suits you."