Read Mrs. Miracle for Free Online

she’d love the opportunity to step in at the last minute like this. Jayne’s the type of woman who thrives on a challenge.”
    “But I thought she just started a new job.” Ruth, of all people, looked skeptically toward Harriett.
    “That shouldn’t be any problem,” Harriett returned confidently. “I know my niece. She’s going to leap at the chance to help out like this. She’s a lot like me, you know. A lot like me.”

Chapter 5
    Some folks wear their halos much too tight.
    —Mrs. Miracle

    “Y ou did what?”
    Reba Maxwell watched as her friend Jayne Preston vaulted upright out of her chair, sending it shooting backward into the filing cabinet. Jayne’s face reflected her outrage.
    “Aunt Harriett, how could you possibly volunteer me?…” She clamped her mouth shut. Apparently the news didn’t get better, because Jayne leaned against the poster of Mickey Mouse, arms extended, inviting everyone who entered the Way to Go Travel Agency to explore Disney World.
    Reba had heard the stories about Jayne’s aunt from the time she’d hired her latest employee. Apparently Auntie was a holier-than-thou type. Personally, Reba got a chuckle hearing aboutJayne’s infamous aunt. She felt more at home attending church services when she realized there were others beside herself whose lives weren’t in shipshape order. According to Jayne, her aunt Harriett had been a thorn in her side most of her life. Reba could hardly wait to hear what the woman had done this time.
    Reba had hired Jayne a few months back. She knew her from church, but only by sight, not by name. Her own attendance had been sporadic at best, although she enjoyed Pastor Lovelace’s sermons.
    After breaking off the relationship with her sister, Reba had avoided church. She wasn’t sure what had prompted her to attend at all. Habit, she suspected. Her mother faithfully observed the Lord’s day, and both Reba and her sister had tagged along. While in high school, Reba had gotten involved in the church youth group and played on the church volleyball team. The summer between high school and college she’d served as a camp counselor, and she remembered those times fondly.
    As an adult, she found herself feeling restless and bored Sunday mornings, so she’d begun to stop by the local community church. She didn’t go often. Every time she was tempted to become more involved, the pastor would preach some stirring message about forgiveness. It stopped her cold.
    Few people understood that some wrongscould never be forgiven. Or righted. This was a sermon she didn’t want to hear. A message she chose to ignore. It’d taken her the better part of four months to return after one such sermon.
    Even at that she’d come to recognize a few people, Jayne being one of them. She’d hired the young mother because she was a familiar face, someone she knew and wanted to know better.
    “I can’t believe it,” Jayne cried as she replaced the telephone receiver. She wrapped one arm around her middle as if protecting herself. “Aunt Harriett’s done it again.” She slapped her side with her free hand.
    “What’s she up to this time?”
    “Without consulting me, without so much as asking, she volunteered me to take over the job of coordinator for the Christmas program. Milly Waters was doing it, but apparently Joe’s gotten transferred to Oregon. With the move and everything, Milly had to resign.”
    “So good ol’ Jayne’s willing to step in?”
    Jayne plopped herself down on her chair once again. “Not this time. I can’t, Reba. Surely you realize that. Steve’s working overtime every night, and no one realizes that when Steve works overtime so do I. The girls miss their father and don’t understand why he’s gone so much. I’ve been having discipline problems with them. And now my lovely, interfering aunt assumes that I’ll take on the pressure of organizing and producing aChristmas pageant. I refuse to be emotionally blackmailed. Not this