Heaven Help Me, Or Hell Have Me (Heaven Help Me #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

my eyes. “Yeah, but
I just figured it comes with some downtime. So, G-man, what is it
you do for fun then?”
    “ I study.” He shakes his
head. “G-man?”
    “ Yeah. It was for Ghosty
Man, but now it’s for Guardian Angel Man. It’s just easier. A
nickname, if you will.”
    “ Ooor you could just call
me by my name.”
    I grin and point. Dork.
“I could , if you
actually give it to me.”
    His back straightens. “I didn’t? Oh,
it’s Nikolas.”
    “ Nikolas.” I try it out,
roll it off my tongue, toss it around my mind. “That works for
me.”
    “ I’m so
relieved.”
    And I laugh at his dry tone. “So what
do you mean you study? You have the bad luck of dying, and they
actually make you go to school up there?”
    He smiles. It’s nice. “I attend the
academy. I’m in training.”
    “ For what?”
    “ Umm, to be a guardian
angel.”
    I throw out my hands.
“Whoa. Back up. Heaven sent me a trainee ? What am I, your class
project?”
    “ No. I mean... I don’t
know.” He looks just as frustrated as I feel.
    “ What do you mean, you
don’t know.”
    “ A trainee has never been
assigned to anyone before. They have strict rules about
that.”
    “ And how did you slip
through the cracks?”
    “ They said they needed
someone in a pinch. That they weren’t expecting to have to assign
anyone to you, and no one else was available.”
    And then I just laugh. No,
scratch that, I’m roaring. Tears, aching belly, laughing so hard I
have to tinkle. Isn’t it just my luck? I need protection from Hell,
and I get a guardian angel trainee .
    Nikky-poo isn’t thinking it’s so
funny. He’s watching, scowling, and waiting for my fit to be over.
And once it is, he states the obvious. “I don’t think this is
funny.”
    “ I get
that. And how can you not ?” I snicker again.
    “ Because it’s my ass on
the line, not to mention yours, if we don’t make this work.” He
groans and throws his head against the back of the couch, stares at
the ceiling. “Yup. The wings are getting clipped. It’s only a
matter of time.”
    “ Now. Now. Let’s not get
dramatic. Look, you listed all the good deeds you did for me—thank
you, by the way. And I’m not seeing the negative here.”
    “ For one, I made you fall
on your face this morning.”
    I waved a hand. “Yeah, but
it was my back, and it would’ve happened eventually,
anyway.”
    “ And you’re not supposed
to be able to see me, much less have a conversation with
me.”
    “ Sooo...why am
I?”
    “ I knew you could see me,
so I tried to make the best of the situation. I mean, I’d already
screwed up. I thought if I explained who I was and why I was here,
it would minimize your fear.” He tilts his head to look at me. “I
can’t watch over you without being around. And, apparently, I can’t
hide from you.”
    I think about it, and try to offer a
bright side. “Hey, I couldn’t see you this morning. That’s
something.”
    “ I wasn’t exactly here
this morning. I was taking care of the issue with your boss, but I
was checking in, so to speak.” He groans again, drapes his arm over
his eyes. “Transmutation 101 is a basic course. I should have this
nailed down by now, and I can’t even get that right.”
    I feel bad, but it’s not like I can
take back seeing him. So I try to be helpful instead. “Well, you
must have done something right. Cici couldn’t see you.”
    He shrugs, but doesn’t say
anything. And I still feel for the man, but how do you soothe an
angel? I pat his muscled thigh, innocent-like. (I swear!) “It’ll be
okay, G-man. We’ll figure it out.”
    “ They’re going to take
away my license. I know it. Man, I just got this gig,
too.”
    “ Gig?” I can’t help it. It
just flies out, leaky mental filter and all that. “What? Did you
die in the 70’s?”
    He peeks out from under
his arm. “Hey, gig is timeless.”
    “ Whatever.”
    “ This
from the woman who says groovy .”
    “ No...now that is