Chloe (Angel Institute #4)

Chapter 9

Nine

REBECCA

S aturday morning, I’m loitering outside Sweet Haven Bakery the warmth hitting me like a wall. The smell of wood polish and candles fills the air, and for a second, I’m hit with a pang of homesickness for the celestial realm. Weird.

I spot Chloe sitting near the back, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. But as the service goes on, I notice her relax as the choir sings “O Holy Night,” I swear I see her eyes get misty.

After the service, there’s a pageant rehearsal. Chloe tries to make a break for it, but gets roped into helping by a harried-looking mom with an armful of angel wings. I stifle a laugh as Chloe awkwardly tries to attach a pair of glittery wings to a squirming five-year-old.

“Hold still, sweetie,” Chloe says, her voice gentler than I’ve ever heard it. “We want to make sure you’re the prettiest angel in the pageant, right?”

The little girl beams up at her, and I feel a weird twinge in my chest. Is this what progress feels like?

Just then, Oliver walks in, his arms full of more costume pieces. The tension between him and Chloe hits like a heavenly thunderbolt. But then some kid trips, sending tinsel flying everywhere, and they both rush to help. Their hands touch, and for a second, I think this might be it. But nope, Chloe pulls away faster than Lucifer fell from heaven.

I slump in my seat, groaning internally. This is harder than I thought it would be. Why can’t Chloe just get with the program already?

As the rehearsal goes on, I keep my eyes glued to Chloe. She’s trying so hard to keep up her ice queen act, but I can see it slipping. When she helps a kid with his lines, her smile is genuine. When the kids sing “Away in a Manger,” her eyes get all misty again. It’s like watching a glacier melt, painfully slow but definitely happening.

When Chloe sneaks out the side door after rehearsal, I follow her. Time to work some angelic magic.

“Oh.” she jumps when she sees me. “Rebecca. Where did you come from?”

I paste on my best ‘just a normal human’ smile. “Oh, you know, I was just... around. The rehearsal’s looking great, huh?”

Chloe nods, but her smile’s about as real as my human disguise. We step outside, and I notice her shiver. Without thinking, I unwrap my scarf and hold it out to her. “Here. You look like you’re freezing your designer boots off.”

She hesitates, then takes it. As she wraps it around her neck, I can practically see some of her walls coming down.

“Thanks,” she says softly. Then, “Rebecca, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” I say, trying not to sound too eager. Is this it? Is she finally opening up?

Chloe fidgets with the scarf. “Do you ever feel like... like you don’t belong somewhere, even when everyone says you do?”

Oh boy, do I ever. Try being the only angel more interested in Earth’s stock market than harp lessons. But I can’t say that, so instead I go for, “All the time. But here’s the thing - sometimes the place where you feel most out of place is exactly where you’re supposed to be. It’s where you grow the most, you know?”

Since when did I start speaking “Henry”?

Chloe looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “That’s... surprisingly deep, Rebecca.”

I shrug, trying to play it cool even though inside I’m doing a victory dance. “I have my moments. Hey, want to grab a coffee? I hear Maggie’s peppermint mochas are killer.”

For a second, I think she’s going to bail. But then she nods, a tiny smile appearing. “You know what? That sounds nice.”

As we crunch through the snow towards the café, I send up a little prayer of thanks. It’s not much, but it’s progress. And right now, I’ll take what I can get.

Later that night, as I’m getting ready to head back to the celestial realm, I can’t help but feel... different. I’ve learned a lot about Chloe today, sure, but I’ve also learned something about myself. Maybe being a guardian angel isn’t about grand gestures or miraculous interventions. Maybe it’s about being there, offering a scarf or a friendly ear when it’s needed most.

As I feel the tingle of celestial energy whisking me away, I take one last look at Benton Falls, all lit up for Christmas. “Don’t screw this up, Chloe,” I mutter. “Some of us have wings riding on this, you know.”

The heavenly realm materializes around me, all shimmery and perfect as always. I decide it won’t hurt to check in with Henry and head down the pearly path towards Henry’s office, trying to ignore the curious looks from other angels. Yeah, yeah, the weather girl’s heading to the big boss’s office. Take a picture, it’ll last longer.

Just as I’m about to enter the building, I hear a voice that makes me want to teleport right back to Earth.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our little earthbound forecaster,” Gina says, landing in front of me with annoying grace. “How’s the weather down there? Still cloudy with a chance of failure?”

I plaster on a smile so fake it would make a pageant queen proud. “Actually, Gina, things are going great. But thanks for caring. Really. It warms my heart.”

Gina looks like she’s just bitten into a lemon. Before she can come up with another zinger, Henry appears along the path.

“Rebecca,” he says, eyes twinkling like he knows exactly what he’s saving me from. “Just the angel I was looking for.”

I smile and meet up with Henry, but not before shooting Gina a smug look. Take that, Miss Perfect Wings.

“Shall we take a walk?” Henry says, setting an easy pace. “Tell me all about your adventures with Chloe.”

For the next hour, I spill everything - Chloe’s baby steps with the toy drive, her hot-and-cold thing with Oliver, and the Great Café Disaster of this afternoon.

When I finish, Henry strokes his beard, looking thoughtful. “You’ve made some good progress, Rebecca,” he says. “But something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

I sigh dramatically, slumping further into the chair. “It’s just... I thought I had it all figured out, you know? Get Chloe to fall for Oliver, cue the Christmas spirit, boom - wings for Rebecca. But now... I don’t know. What if I’m making things worse? What if Oliver isn’t the key to all this?”

Henry chuckles, the sound reminding me of jingle bells. “Oh, Rebecca, always so focused on the endgame. But tell me, what have you learned from your time on Earth?”

I scrunch up my face, thinking hard. “Well... humans are way more complicated than they need to be. You can’t force someone to open up - they’ve gotta do it themselves. And sometimes, little things matter more than big, showy gestures.”

Henry beams at me like I’ve just discovered gravity or something. “Exactly. And how can you use those lessons with Chloe?”

I chew on my lip, considering. “I guess... I need to stop trying to force things. Give Chloe chances to open up, but let her choose to do it. And maybe focus more on the small stuff instead of trying to create some big, romantic movie moment.”

“Precisely,” Henry says, looking prouder than I’ve ever seen him. “Remember, Rebecca, your job isn’t to play matchmaker—leave that to the cupids. It’s to help Chloe rediscover the spirit of giving, of family, of Christmas. That can happen in many ways.”

I nod slowly, feeling like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders. “You’re right. I’ve been focusing on the whole Chloe-and-Oliver thing that I’ve been missing other ways to help her connect with people.”

Henry stands up, stretching. “Excellent. Now, I believe you have a weather forecast to deliver?”

I groan, but there’s no real annoyance behind it. “Do I have to? It’s not like anyone’s going to keel over in shock if I predict another perfect day.”

Henry’s eyes twinkle mischievously. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I hear there might be a slight chance of celestial snowflakes tomorrow. Just to shake things up a bit.”

I laugh, surprised to find that I’m actually kind of excited about my weather gig for once. “Celestial snowflakes, huh? Now that could be fun.”

After I say goodbye to Henry, I head to the Weather Forecasting Department. My mind’s buzzing with ideas. Maybe I’ll use my time powers to do a slo-mo snowfall demo, or use my gift of tongues to deliver the forecast in every language ever.

The other angels look up in shock as I burst through the door, grinning like a maniac. “Who’s ready for some heavenly precipitation?” I announce, clapping my hands together.

As I step up to the celestial weather map, I can feel the change in the air. Maybe, just maybe, I’m getting the hang of this guardian angel gig after all.

Wings, here I come.