Chapter Twenty-three

Noah felt like a kite drifting in the sky without a string. Since meeting Mago on Bell Rock three years ago, he had returned every morning at daybreak and found her waiting for him. They shared insights and recounted stories as mother and son became reacquainted upon the bedrock of their mutual hope for humanity.

Using Mago’s vision for humanity as inspiration, Noah had built the BOS Resort and Healing Center in an effort to transform her dream into reality. This quest provided him endless inspiration and a mighty sense of purpose. After all the years of cutting independence, it turned out that he was a mama’s boy after all. He did Mother Earth’s bidding without question and loved every minute of it.

His well-being was turned on end when he returned to Bell Rock a week ago, and she hadn’t been there to greet him. He waited for hours and encountered nothing but the morning silence. The following six days she hadn’t come either. Her sudden departure filled Noah with an enormous sense of loss.

To make matters worse, everything at the BOS Resort, where he managed day-to-day operations, reminded him of her. Every morning when he drove in and saw the sculpture at the entrance depicting the two hemispheres of the brain with LED lights that wove through its folds firing like synapses, his heart dropped. She’d been particularly inspired by this sculpture because it symbolized the philosophy by which she had created this resort and healing center, the Brain Operating System.

The ChunBuKyung inlaid in the lobby ceiling, carved from onyx, and the golden characters that spelled Chun-Hwa above the lecture hall—the Korean phrase meaning the completion of the human soul—were also her design. Mago’s spirit had built every square inch of this resort, and her unexplained departure left Noah feeling empty inside. He couldn’t fathom where she had gone and why she wouldn’t have told him that she was leaving. He felt utterly abandoned.

Noah’s attention was drawn to the reception desk by the sound of arguing. A woman with gold-spun curls emphatically waved her arms as she spoke. “I know that this isn’t your fault. I know that, but I am asking for your help.”

“Ms. Bridges, your card has been declined,” answered Holly, the front desk attendant with mousy brown hair and kind eyes.

“I know that. What I am trying to tell you is that I don’t have any other way to pay right now.”

“Without payment, you will have to vacate your room.” Holly was apologetic. “I’m sorry, but those are the rules.”

“Listen, I’m not trying to pull anything. I just need time to figure out what happened with my bank account.”

“We take credit cards,” Holly offered.

“I told you, I don’t have enough on my credit card.”

“Is there someone who can help you?”

“How about this—what if I give you the keys to

my car?”

“I’m sorry but I can’t take a car as payment.”

“Not as payment. Just as a deposit while I figure out

the payment.”

Noah strode to the reception desk to help his employee resolve the dispute.

“Excuse me, miss?” He touched the blonde woman’s shoulder. “Can I help you?”

When she turned around, Noah felt as if the breath was knocked out of him. He couldn’t believe what he saw. Mother Mago.

“You’re here,” he breathed.

“Yes,” she answered.

“How?”

“Excuse me?”

Noah looked at her for a long time. It wasn’t Mago. But their faces looked just alike, literally every feature, down to the aqua eyes. However, there were two notable differences: this woman had physical form and blonde curls. “You look just like . . .” He tried to find a way to explain.

“I know.” She smiled, holding her hand up in a pose. “The Mentos commercial, right?”

“No.” Noah was confused.

“DeLeu Towers?” she guessed.

“No.”

“Performances in the Park?”

“No,” he laughed. “I was going to say that you are the spitting image of my mother.”

Holly and the blonde woman looked at each other doubtfully. Noah was a black man with dark skin, and she was a white woman with golden curls.

She raised an eyebrow. “Were you adopted?”

Noah realized the absurdity of his claim. “Something

like that.” He changed the subject. “Is there a problem

here?”

“Yes,” she breathed, ready to dive into an explanation. “I have been staying here for the past two days. I came down today to extend my reservation, and my debit card was declined. I still have a room deposit with you, and I wanted to use that credit as payment for another night while I figure out what is going on with my bank account but—”

“I see,” Noah interrupted. “I think we can work something out.”

She exhaled in relief. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He turned to Holly. “Please make sure that Ms. . . .”

“Bridges,” the blonde said. “Angeline Bridges.”

“Right.” Noah cleared his throat. “That Ms. Bridges has accommodations for as long as she needs.”

“Of course, Dr. Whitley.” Holly nodded her head. “Well then, Ms. Bridges, we are all set.”

“Do I need to sign anything?” Angeline asked.

“No. Have a nice stay.” Holly smiled.

Angeline turned to Noah. “Thank you. I will repay you as soon as I can.”

“I’m sure you will, Ms. Bridges.” He smiled. “You are our most welcome guest.”

“Is this because I look like your mother?”

“Perhaps,” he admitted. “It does evoke a certain protectiveness.”

“Be sure to thank your mother for me.”

“I most certainly will,” he promised, leading her through the lobby. “Are you planning on staying in

Sedona long?”

“As long as I can.”

“Have you found employment yet?”

“I haven’t settled long enough to look.”

“We are looking for a back office assistant. Would you be interested in interviewing?” Of course, the job was already hers, but Noah decided to take her through an interview process in the name of routine.

“I would.” Angeline beamed. “I love it here.”

“Let’s meet in the lobby at three. I have someone I want you to meet.” He was anxious to get Suna’s opinion. This woman really was the spitting image of Mago, and she had appeared in his hotel lobby after Mago’s spirit had unexplainably disappeared from Bell Rock.

It was a most perplexing turn of events.