A seemingly lost little girl leads Bart to the scene of a horrible accident. As he consoles Sawyer, who crashed his bike into a New York City bus, he finds himself comforted instead when Sawyer offers him a pendant to keep him safe as he heads off to boot camp and eventually war.<br><br>More than a decade later, the pair are reunited on Thanksgiving Day, one on one side of a soup kitchen serving table, one on the other. They nearly miss each other, but fate -- or something else -- seems to want to bring them together.<br><br>It isn’t only on that day, either, but throughout the holiday season, during which Bart discovers the significance of the pendant and both men learn to believe in angels and second chances.

Angel Wings and Bullets

“A hundred dollars?” He took the wallet out.


“I wasn’t here four hours,” I said meekly.


We had settled on twenty-five an hour. Hardly confident discussing money, I’d initially asked for ten, but as Sawyer had informed me, “No plumber worth his soldering gun works for that anymore.” He’d been proud of himself for knowing the tool. I figured he’d looked it up on his pricy phone.


“Close to it.” He counted off five twenties, and when I balked, just with my gestures, he pushed it closer to me, once again persistent. “There’s always a ton of work around here if you’re game. I don’t know how to do any of it.” His self-deprecating smile was endearing. “Christmas! How do you feel about hanging tinsel and stringing lights?”


I’d given him my real name, not the one others still used, those I was lying to.


“I own a couple of buildings…I’m not sure if you’re looking for work. I…don’t know what your situation is.”


Chapter 4