Soul Mates (16 page)

“Whose black car was that?”

“It was Aunt Sophia’s. Jace just picked her up.”

He gave his daughter a questioning look. “So it’s Jace, is it? What have you learned about him?”

She wasn’t sure where to begin. She’d learned plenty, including that he was an exceptional lover, but that wasn’t a detail she was willing to reveal to her father. “I’ve met him a few times now. I was wrong, Daddy.” She tucked her arm in his as they walked to the house. “He’s a nice guy. Aunt Sophia really can read people. I should have trusted her judgement.”

“A nice guy,” her father repeated, a hint of suspicion clouding his voice. “Well, that’s good to hear.”

Cassandra decided that her new policy on honesty was serving her well, so she told her father about her little fact-finding mission.

“Whatever possessed you to do a thing like that?” he demanded, sounding alarmed. “What if your suspicions had been correct? You might have put yourself in danger.”

“Daddy,” she rubbed his arm with a soothing caress. “I trusted my instincts, and I think deep down I wanted to trust Aunt Sophia’s opinion of him as well. He’s really nice.”

“Yes,” he responded warily. “You mentioned that.”

“Daddy…” She decided not to hold back. If she knew her father, he’d support her. “I think I’m falling in love with him.”

“What?” He pulled his arm free and turned to look her in the eye.

“I’ve never met anyone like him.”

Her father took a deep breath and sat down on the porch swing, inviting his daughter to join him. “I’ve always trusted your judgement in these matters, kitten. But I’m having trouble here,” he admitted. “Tell me more about him.”

Cassandra curled up beside her father and began to tell him about Jace’s admirable qualities. When she finished, he let out an uneasy sigh, but remained quiet.

“How can you be sure he isn’t after
your
money?” he asked after a few minutes.

“The same way I knew he wasn’t after Aunt Sophia’s. He isn’t like that, Daddy,” she implored. “Just wait till you meet him.”

“And when might that be?”

“Well,” she hesitated. “It’s complicated. “There’s one other little detail I didn’t mention.”

“What’s that?”

“Your new housekeeper, Sarah…She’s Jace’s mom.”

LOST IN A daydream, Jace tapped his fingers to the tune on the radio as he drove. He draped the other arm out the window, enjoying the breeze.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Sophie noted. “I assume you talked with Cassandra.”

“Yeah, we talked,” he affirmed, not liking the direction of the conversation. Sophie had a way of knowing things, and he hoped she didn’t suspect what had gone on between them.

“She’s a lovely girl,” Sophie smiled.

“Yes, she is.” Jace was still frowning at the old woman’s words when a light went on in his mind. “You knew what she was going to say to me, didn’t you?”

“More or less,” she replied.

“Were you talking about Cassandra when you told me that people aren’t always what they appear to be?”

“That statement can apply to everyone, Jace.”

“Yeah,” he persisted, “but you knew something would happen between us, didn’t you?”

“It seemed like a nice idea.” She smiled again.

Jace pondered the “nice idea” for a moment. “It is,” he admitted reluctantly. “But it’s complicated. I’m not sure it can work.”

“Do you like her?”

“Of course,” he shrugged. “But it takes more than that. Our lives are so different. I can’t imagine what we’d have in common.”

“The differences you talk about are out there.” She waved her arm. “What you both have in here…,” she said, tapping her finger on her chest, “it’s the same.”

Jace didn’t know what Sophie meant.
How are we the same inside?
he questioned.
And is she suggesting that the outward differences don’t matter?
As pumped as he was over what had taken place between Cassandra and him, doubts were growing at an accelerating rate. Elise was in his life now, too, and Jace felt more than a little guilty that he hadn’t given her a single thought all day. After all, he had a date with her that evening. He wasn’t the type to date two girls at once; he had to make a decision. At the moment he had no idea what that decision would be.

“MAYBE WE SHOULD keep this to ourselves for now, kitten,” her father advised. “Your mother might not be as open minded about it.”

Cassandra hadn’t stopped to consider what her mother might think of Jace. It would no doubt be a touchy issue. Helen Van Broden had high expectations of her children, especially when it came to marriage. Cassandra’s older brother, Trevor, had given in to the expectations and married the daughter of a wealthy family in Port Hayden. The marriage had only lasted a year, and now he lived abroad enjoying his freedom. Tension still lingered between Trevor and their parents, especially their mother, and he didn’t come home as often as he used to. It had been a year since Cassandra had seen him.

They’d been close—though not in age; he was six years older—and she missed her big brother. She’d always looked up to him. Over the years he’d been her best friend and confident, her advisor, her protector. Cassandra smiled, recalling the good times they’d had, especially in the summers. Endless walks on the beach, rainy nights in front of the fireplace playing board games, and his obsession with home movies. He was always filming, and she was, more often than not, the subject of his films. He adored her, too, calling her
doodlebug
as he picked her up off her feet, swinging her around.

She remembered their long talks, how she appreciated a listening ear when she was going through her formative teenage years. She remembered his advice to her, as well, when his failed marriage became known: You’ve got to live your own life, doodlebug. You’ve got to do what’s right for you.

Her father had gone inside, but Cassandra remained on the porch swing, daydreaming. She closed her eyes and thought back to lovemaking with Jace on the beach. It had been beyond what she’d imagined. Her body still quivered at the memory of his touch. They hadn’t talked much. Neither had they made plans to see each other. But she couldn’t wait to see him again, so she decided to leave for Port Hayden, Saturday morning.
I could surprise him, and maybe we could spend the day together before I go back to the city.
She wasn’t deluding herself; there were no guarantees. Making a relationship work would be tricky, but she wanted to try. She truly hoped Jace felt the same.

JACE PREFERRED not to talk about Cassandra, at least not with Sophie. He’d have to resolve that issue himself. He had something else on his mind. Having begun to formulate a plan earlier that day, he wanted to discuss it with her. “Sophie, you said I need to change my focus; I need to think like the rich. I want to learn how to do that.”

“Well,” Sophie began. “The subject of money is really two subjects. You can think of the presence of money or you can think of the absence of it. Most people focus on the absence. But those who focus on the presence—they’re the ones who have it. Do you see how this works?”

“The rich are focused on the presence of money.” Jace repeated the statement, contemplating it. It almost seemed too simple.

“Yes. They talk about money and investments. They talk about making more money. They think about their padded bank accounts and the trips they’re planning to take, the renovations they’re planning to make, or the parties they’re planning to throw…”

“It’s easy for them to talk about it when they already have all that.”

“Maybe so,” Sophie insisted. “But you can do it, too. You just have to want it badly enough, and be determined to keep focusing in a way that feels good when you think about money.”

“I’ve been focusing on the absence of money for so long; it’s no wonder I’m always broke,” Jace grinned. “But I still don’t understand. How do I focus on the presence of something I don’t have?”

“You can visualize it, even if you don’t have it yet. But start small,” she advised. “If you try to envision mansions and yachts and exorbitant bank accounts from where you are now, you’ll run into trouble. Instead, imagine your bank account in the black each month. Imagine having money for the activities you like to do with your friends. Imagine being able to buy something special for yourself every month.”

Her advice didn’t seem very exciting. Jace was eager to dive in the deep end, and what Sophie suggested was like sticking his little toe in the water.

“The process has to happen in your mind first. You need to be able to think about your situation in a way that feels good before anything can change. A coin is a good reminder.” She took a quarter from her purse and held it up. “This coin represents money. One side is lack.” She turned it over. “The other is abundance. You can only focus on one side at a time. Whenever you’re thinking about money or talking about it, you can tell which side you’re focused on by how you feel. If you’re discouraged or frustrated or impatient when you think of money, you’re focused on lack. If you’re hopeful or excited about the idea of having money one day, then that day isn’t far away.”

“I guess.” He couldn’t argue with her, but he wanted something more substantial, something that would help him know he was moving toward his dreams.

“I know this doesn’t feel like much of a plan,” she responded, somehow reading his mind. “But your thoughts create your reality. They’re like building materials. If you construct them carefully, if you follow a blueprint, before long you’ll have a framework that will fill in with all the good you want.”

Jace liked the analogy. He could picture his thoughts coming together like the frame of a house. It wasn’t hard to see what the completed structure would look like, even though all the finishes weren’t in place. He understood the need to follow a plan and build with care to get good results. He’d been building with shoddy materials and not paying attention to the quality of his construction.
No wonder I keep building hovels that fall down around me,
he surmised. “Okay, I want to think better thoughts. I want to be more aware of what I’m creating.”

“That’s good,” Sophie encouraged. “The best thoughts to begin with are usually the most basic. Statements like: I’m doing okay. This situation is temporary. I don’t have to figure it all out right now. I’m on a journey, and I’m doing just fine.”

Jace was about to object when he realized that her statements, though general in nature, felt good. They soothed him in a way he hadn’t anticipated. He was beginning to understand Sophie’s reasoning.

“Those thoughts have the power to neutralize your deeply rooted negative beliefs,” she explained. “From there, you can start to construct your framework. You construct it with words like
ease, comfort, harmony satisfaction, anticipation
.
When you meditate on those words, you’ll be reminded of times in your life when you’ve felt that way, and you’ll feel good. The more time you spend feeling good, the stronger your framework.”

“I get it. That’s the leverage!” Jace responded enthusiastically, smiling as his wise old friend nodded with satisfaction. “I can do that. Thanks, Sophie.” The excitement was building again. He had a solid plan. Sophie was right. He needed to take smaller steps. Any steps that would take him in the direction of his dreams were worth the effort.

CASSANDRA WOKE from her daydream as a car entered the yard. She looked up expecting to see her mother returning from the party. Instead she saw a car she didn’t recognize. Leaning forward, she squinted to see through the sun’s glare on the windshield and shrieked as she saw her brother’s face. She quickly ran to meet him.