Diving for Pearls: The Complete Collection (The Pearl Makers) Read online

  “Is everything okay?” His eyes searched hers, much the way they had searched Elizabeth’s as she woke him up that fateful night to tell her Daisy was on the way.

  Tina grinned and took a seat on the bench. Theo sat beside her as the two littles played with each other in the grass.

  “Do you mind if we not talk about that? I could use a friend right now, and a distraction.”

  “Sure.”

  “Your little girl is so sweet. I bet she gets that from her mother.”

  Theo looked down at his empty hands and sighed. “She does. It’s a shame Daisy never got to know her.”

  Elizabeth sucked in a deep breath. She’d cry if she still could with her immaterial body.

  “You know, it’s for the best.” Daniel stood beside her, watching over the budding friendship. “Theo needs a partner, and Daisy needs a mother.”

  “But I just miss them both so much. I didn’t want to say goodbye, and I don’t think I’m ready now either.”

  “You are ready. The plan is perfect. You shouldn’t question it.”

  “But I feel like I’m losing them both all over again. Theo to her.” She nodded toward Tina. “And Daisy because I’m fading out of her life.”

  “Don’t think like that, lady. Jeez. Now you’re making me sad.” He sniffed and rubbed his face into his sleeve.

  “But she can’t see me like she used to.”

  “She can feel you, and in a lot of ways that’s better.”

  Elizabeth looked toward the paved walkway, trying to push her emotions back down. “I guess. I just wish I could’ve waved goodbye first. Wish that I’d had some kind of warning.”

  Daniel leaned forward into her line of vision and smiled. “Say goodbye now. It’ll help, I promise.”

  “Oh, what could it hurt?” She stepped forward into the neatly cut grass and waved to her daughter. “Daisy, I want to say goodbye, baby, but it doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. I will always be right here for you.”

  The little girl glanced up, her eyes fixed directly on her protector.

  “Look, Daddy!” She pointed at Elizabeth and giggled. “A butterfly.”

  Part III

  White flowers hung down from an overhead trellis and gossamer fabric fluttered in the soft breeze, giving the normally urbane backyard an ethereal feel. Tina appeared, stunning in her classic A-line gown, embroidered with delicate, pink pearls.

  Elizabeth couldn’t shake the sad sense of nostalgia, not on this day, because it should have been her. It had been her a lifetime ago, and now…

  She floated toward her late husband, allowing herself to pretend if only just for a moment.

  Theo’s face had aged so much in the time since Elizabeth had moved toward the Gates, yet he remained as handsome as ever. His eyes bore straight through her and fixed on his new bride as she made her ascent to the altar. Although Elizabeth hated to admit it, Tina did look lovely. Her dark complexion contrasted beautifully with the form-fitting, ivory gown. Her black eyes beamed as she walked toward her future husband.

  Then there was Daisy, a vision in pink, her bouncing curls spritzed to perfection. She giggled as she held onto the leash of her fluffy Pomeranian puppy—so proud to be standing there with her daddy as they added this new member to the family.

  Tina was the only mother she’d ever known, Elizabeth realized yet again, a deep sense of loss settling into the pit of her nonexistent stomach.

  She’d known today was coming, known for a long time, but that didn’t make the actual occasion any easier. Sure, she was glad that Theo had found happiness once again, that Daisy had one more person to love and look out for her. But the already strained ties to her earthly life frayed even further, now that a replacement had been brought in.

  “It’s the plan,” the other angels told her. “Don’t question the plan.” But she questioned it anyway. What made Tina worthy of living the life that had been ripped away from her? And why had Elizabeth been forced to watch from the sidelines as a “reward” for her sacrifice in saving her baby’s life?

  Now they were slipping rings onto each other’s fingers and saying “I will” instead of the more traditional “I do”. Daisy even got to participate by allowing Tina to slip a two-tone gold and silver Claddagh ring onto her tiny finger.

  She held tight onto Daisy’s hands even after placing the ring and said, “Daisy, I love you every bit as much as I love your father, and I’m so excited to be your new mommy. I know I can’t replace the mother you lost, and I wouldn’t want to, but I also want you to know that even though you didn’t come from my belly, you have my full heart. I will be mother and friend, and I will cherish my role in this new family we are building together.” She squeezed Daisy’s hands and let go, then both bride and groom bent down to kiss the little girl on her rosy cheeks, sharing their first kiss not as man and wife, but as a family—a whole, perfect family.

  They had no idea that family included an angel, who floated nearby wiping tears away from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. Nor did they have any idea how much their happiness both fulfilled and broke her.

  * * *

  After the reception, a shiny black limo spirited Theo and Tina away. Daisy was left with her grandma and her brand new puppy to keep her company during the couple’s honeymoon in Belize.

  “Want to go rent a movie from the grocery store?” Nana asked, pulling her oversized bag onto her shoulder and sliding her feet into a worn pair of clogs. “We can get the fixings for some Toll House cookies while we’re there too.”

  Poor Nana always tried so hard.

  Daisy looked up from her game of tug with the puppy she’d merrily dubbed Cricket. “Can we get sprinkles for the cookies too?” She pushed a stray bit of bang from her eyes.

  Nana, of course, said “yes,” and the two were off.

  When they reached the supermarket, Nana deposited Daisy in front of the Redbox machine. “Pick something good for us while I gather what we need for our little baking adventure.” And just like that, she was off, leaving the six-year-old to herself with the coloring movie vending machine.

  Elizabeth shook her head. Nana tried so hard to be Daisy’s friend, that she often forgot how to be her protector. Luckily, Elizabeth was always hovering nearby, fully devoted to this necessary job.

  Seemingly unfazed by the novelty of being alone in public, the little girl thumbed through the carousel of options and immediately decided on the newest Disney princess movie—the one both she and Nana had already seen half a dozen times—then she wandered over to look at the prizes stuffed inside the claw machine.

  After that, she found her way over to the dizzying array of candies spread out before a nearby checkout line. This was one of the many lanes that were currently closed to customers, which meant no one was manning the aisle. Daisy realized this too and filched a bag of Reese’s Pieces, sticking them into the waistband of her purple jeans.

  Elizabeth was so shocked by the whole thing, she almost forgot that she had a job to do. After all, her most important role was as her daughter’s conscience. As Daisy continued to browse the selection of candy, Elizabeth leaned forward, pushing her ghostly face into the little girl’s head. Next came the whisper.

  This isn’t right. Just because no one’s watching doesn’t mean the candy is free. You should put it back. Besides, Nana is making cookies. With sprinkles.

  Elizabeth snapped back and watched as Daisy fished the candy packet from her pants and put it back into the display, then skipped back over to the Redbox machine to wait for her nana.

  Pop. Poof.

  Elizabeth heard their laughter before their forms actually materialized.

  “Good job, newbie.” Daniel’s face was red with laughter. “You must be exhausted from all the effort that took.”

  “Yeah,” joined in Duke—Tina’s protector. “You’re ready for the big leagues now. Maybe tomorrow you can prevent a killing spree.”

  Elizabeth scowled. “She’s a little girl, you two. Knock
it off.”

  “You’ll see soon enough. Just wait for the teen years.” Daniel took a deep breath and finally stopped laughing.

  “Yeah,” Duke agreed—Duke always agreed with Daniel. “There were a couple years there when Tina wouldn’t listen to a damn thing I had to say. Luckily, she eventually snapped out of it.”

  Elizabeth cringed. It just felt so wrong when the angels swore. Besides, she didn’t exactly love hearing about Tina either.

  “Anyway…” Duke’s voice was gravelly. Actually everything about him was gravelly, from his choice of wardrobe—ripped up jeans and a black leather vest with the Harley Davidson logo—to his raggedy salt-and-pepper beard. “We’d better get back to the beach. We’re in for a hard week just like you!”

  The two resumed their raucous laughter and disappeared back into nothingness just as Nana was making her way back over to the front of the store to help Daisy pay for her rental.

  * * *

  It was happening again.

  Daisy twirled a blond ringlet around her index finger as she flirted with the pimply-faced sales clerk at the electronics store. “So it has how much memory?” She feigned disinterest as she ran a freshly polished lavender fingernail across the box of the new iPad. The plastic snagged and crinkled.

  “One-hundred and twenty-eight gigs. Doesn’t get much better than this,” the clerk said confidently, grabbing the box from between Daisy’s hands and using it as an excuse to brush his fingers up against hers. “Should we go run this up, uhh, Miss…?”

  “The name’s Lizzie,” Daisy said, tossing a huge—yet totally fake—smile the boy’s way. “And sure, let’s do it.”

  Elizabeth hated how Daisy used her name as an alias when she chose to do less than savory deeds, and the fact that she had once again given this assumed name could only mean…

  “Stop this. You’re better than this!” Elizabeth hissed with her face planted firmly into the conscience center of her daughter’s brain.

  Daisy batted at the air near her ears as if trying to ward away a pesky mosquito—or, as it was in this case, a butterfly—but Elizabeth persisted nonetheless.

  “Don’t steal it. You could ask for it on your birthday, or you could get an after school job and earn it. It will be so much better if you earn it. You’ll enjoy it that much more.”

  Daisy stepped forward toward the register in the back of the electronics department, and her angel fell back.

  “How will you be paying today, Lizzie? That’s a pretty name by the way,” the boy said as he scanned the barcode on the iPad’s box and ran it over the demagnetizer.

  “Credit. Thanks… Kyle. That’s a cool name too.” Daisy giggled as she let her eyes fall toward the boy’s nametag. She looked him up and down while handing him her card.

  Elizabeth made one last plea to her daughter’s better nature. “Don’t do this to yourself. You are worth more than your body. Don’t steal. Don’t use your sexuality as a bargaining chip.”

  But Daisy just continued to flirt and push her chest over the counter toward Kyle.

  “Hmm,” he said swiping the card a second and third time. “Machine’s not taking it. Hang on one second. Let me go get my manager to approve a manual entry.”

  Daisy smiled innocently as Kyle stuffed the iPad in a bag, placed it under the counter, then disappeared into the back of the store.

  Of course the card didn’t work. It was a $5 American Express gift card she’d been carrying around for the better part of the last year. Daisy had long since spent the paltry sum on a new tube of Wet n’ Wild lipstick, leaving the card devoid of any value but conveniently realistic looking enough to serve her purposes. She applied a shade of that lipstick now as a way to glance to either side in search of any remaining retail personnel.

  Seeing that no one was near, she snuck behind the sales counter, grabbed the iPad from its bag, tucked it under her skirt, and walked briskly toward the exit. A minute later she was unboxing the coveted device in the driver’s seat of her second-hand Camry and calling her friend on Bluetooth to brag about the masterful heist.

  “Go back in the store and return it. Now. Say you took it by accident, make an excuse. It’s not too late to back out!” Elizabeth warned.

  Daisy backed out from her parking space without a moment’s hesitation, and Elizabeth drifted back, hurt that none of her whisperings had even been acknowledged by her charge. How was she going to help Daisy reach the Gates if she insisted on doing terrible things? Sure, she was a teenager, but, back when she was alive, Elizabeth had never stolen a single pack of gum—let alone an expensive gadget such as the one Daisy had just taken for herself.

  Daisy drove quickly toward the home she shared with Theo and Tina, and as the large box store grew more and more distant in the rearview mirror, so too did Elizabeth’s vision of reuniting with her daughter on the other side of the Pearly Gates.

  * * *

  “Hey, we tried to warn you,” Duke said when Elizabeth came to him and Daniel about the theft. “A candy bar ain’t nothin’ next to an iPad.”

  “Teenagers,” Daniel added knowingly, which struck Elizabeth as odd since he had died at nine years of age.

  “Will she be okay? I mean, is it too late for…?” She let her voice trail off.

  “Hey, no! Don’t worry, lady.” Daniel insisted on calling her lady, no matter how many times she asked him to use her proper name. “They all go through this. It’s a rite of passage or something.”

  “What he said. The teen years sure do make you earn those wings.” Duke motioned toward Elizabeth with his chin.

  Elizabeth nodded, but the moment the other two angels absconded toward their own duties she unleashed the tears that had been building within her all afternoon. What if this wasn’t just a phase for Daisy? What if she died before she was able to make herself a better person, one worthy of the Gates? Elizabeth, for her part, still didn’t know the exact winning formula to take her daughter from mortal to Pearl.

  Whenever she asked Peter about it, he just said, “Do good. Help her to do good.”

  A lot of help that was, especially now that Daisy refused to listen to her, no matter how loudly or persistently the angel whispered into her conscience.

  She watched as Daisy applied a large butterfly sticker to the back of her new tablet. Now it looked like everything else the girl owned, emblazoned with two large, ornate wings that stretched toward Heaven. “It’s my spirit animal,” she’d say whenever pressed for an answer to her butterfly obsession.

  Elizabeth remained completely stumped as to why Daisy could still sometimes see her. It was not a common gift among angels, and she had no idea what triggered it. And while she was flattered her image meant so much to Daisy, she also hated that her likeness now grazed the stolen good, as if it had been ordained from above, which it most certainly had not.

  A knock sounded at the door, and Tina pressed her way into the room. “What’s that?” she asked as Daisy scrambled to hide the iPad under her pillow.

  “Nothing.”

  Tina frowned and held out her hand. “Give it here, Daze.”

  Daisy took a deep breath, then drew the device out and handed it to her stepmother.

  “Where’d you get this?”

  “Tell her the truth,” Elizabeth whispered. “You’re a terrible liar, and besides you feel guilty about what you’ve done.” How she wished she was in Tina’s place rather than her own. There, at least, Daisy would have to acknowledge her. There, she wouldn’t be invisible and mostly ignored.

  Daisy twisted the corners of her frayed pillowcase between her hands, and Elizabeth could tell she was trying to buy time until she could figure out how best to proceed.

  “She deserves the truth,” Elizabeth said again, hating how often her job involved pushing Daisy and her replacement mother together.

  “I, umm…” Daisy started.

  “Yes, go on.”

  “I s-stole it.”

  Elizabeth felt an overwhelming sense of pride in
her little girl. She’d done wrong, but she’d also confessed to that wrong. She’d listened to her mother, listened to her conscience. Maybe she wasn’t so far gone after all.

  Tina didn’t say anything at first. She just held Daisy’s eyes with her own. Finally, she reached over and squeezed the girl’s shoulder, offered her a smile. “Thank you for telling me the truth. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

  Daisy frowned, a look of confusion crept across her face.

  “Still,” Tina continued. “What you’ve done is wrong.”

  “I know. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s all right. I know. What I wonder though is why you didn’t just ask for it. You know your birthday is next month, and Daddy and I would have been happy to… Anyway, what’s done is done.”

  “Are you going to make me take it back?” Daisy's eyes shifted toward the bright polka dot rug on her floor, the one that had lain on her bedroom floor ever since she was a little girl.

  “Nope.” Tina plucked the iPad from Daisy’s hands. “You’ll get it back when you’ve worked it off.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll go to the store and pay for it, then you’ll earn it back by completing a list of chores for me. Be warned, it’s a long list.”

  Daisy’s face lit from within. Her slumped frame straightened back out, and she smiled. “Thank you so much, Tina!”

  The two shared a quick hug, and Elizabeth joined in the moment as well. Because, while she couldn’t embrace either of them physically, she was finally ready to admit that Tina was a great mom and the perfect ally. Together they, along with Theo, would make sure their little girl turned out just right.

  But she also knew her job was far from over. A life was a long time to live after all, and Elizabeth still didn’t know how to unlock the combination to Heaven’s Gates.