Soul Mates (6 page)

“May I help you?”

Jace turned to look straight into the eyes of the woman he’d met the day before. Her eyes were a distinct copper-brown color, not unlike her car when viewed from a certain direction. He noticed her skin as well; it was smoother and softer-looking than any he had ever seen. He wondered what it would feel like to touch.

“Are you okay?” she demanded sharply. “I just asked you a question, and you’re standing there staring at me.”

“What? Oh sorry, I…I…,” he stammered. “What did you say?”

“Are you drunk?”

“No, I’m not drunk!” His mind snapped to attention. The question was a direct allegation, and it put him on the defensive, reminding him of his disgust for her.

“Well, I asked you a question, and you didn’t answer.” She spoke slowly, repeating herself as if talking to someone with a learning disability. “You were staring at my car, and I asked if I could help you.”

“Can’t a guy look at a car?” he shot back. “You park an expensive car like that on a street in this neighborhood, you’re bound to have people take a second look.”

“You looked more than twice. I thought you were casing it out,” she accused blatantly.

“You assume because I live in this neighborhood that I’d steal your car, that I’m a criminal? What are you doing here, anyway? This is a long way from your part of town.”

“It’s none of your business why I’m here,” she replied haughtily. “I have every right to be in this neighborhood or any other.”

“Well, you’re not welcome here,” Jace growled, suddenly remembering Chad’s suggestion that she may be buying the building. He reached for self-control, but it eluded him. “Why don’t you take your fancy clothes and your fancy car and go back where you came from?”

He turned and walked up the steps before he could say more. It wasn’t like him to get into an argument with a complete stranger on the street, yet this woman infuriated him.
It’s not her,
he reminded himself.
It’s what she represents
.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t seem to separate the two. Nor did he see the need. He loathed what she represented, and he didn’t mind letting her know.

CASSANDRA HAD NEVER been treated so rudely in her life, and the shock of it left her unsure how to react. She simply watched him walk away. He’d disappeared into the building before she could think of an appropriate comeback.

How dare he tell me I’m not welcome here!
she seethed, clenching her fists and stamping her foot
.
He acts like he owns the building, the whole damn neighborhood for that matter. Are all the people around here this rude?
She hoped not, for her aunt’s sake. When she thought of her sweet, soft-spoken aunt being treated that way, her anger surged.

Needing to cool off, Cassandra got in the car and drove, quickly distancing herself from the unsettling incident. As she regained her composure, she began to think about future visits.
I hope I never run into him again, but there’s a chance of it if I continue to meet with Aunt Sophia at her apartment.
She was aware that it could take several visits to document all that her aunt wanted to impart to her. Cassandra was willing to make that commitment despite the possibility of running into her aunt’s ill-mannered neighbor.
I’m going to be the bigger person here,
she asserted.
I’m going to treat him like he doesn’t exist. I won’t let him get me riled up. I won’t give him that satisfaction.

Content with her decision, she headed back to the Town House. The garden party was about to begin, and she was to be the guest of honor. Her mother loved showing her off and bragging about her accomplishments to all her friends. Although Cassandra found social functions like that tedious, it was easier to comply with her mother’s wishes than explain why she objected to them.

She would have preferred to spend the afternoon roaming the grounds or relaxing by the pool. Moreover, she still hoped for time alone with her father to discuss the ideas Sophia had brought up and get his take on them. He was wise and levelheaded, and she valued his opinion.

They got the opportunity later that afternoon as he drove her to the airport. Cassandra appreciated the gesture, knowing he could have sent Wallace. She sensed that he wanted to talk to her, too.

“How was your weekend, kitten?”

“Interesting.” Though she didn’t lie, she chose to omit the unpleasant details. Turning to her father, she asked, “Daddy, has Aunt Sophia ever told you what she believes?”

“I guess she’s imparted some of her wisdom,” he grinned. “I used to shrug it off, but in recent years it makes more sense. There’s truth to it,” he remarked pensively. “She’s happy. If nothing else, we could learn from that. It’s not everybody that finds the secret to happiness in their lifetime.”

“She is happy, isn’t she? And yet she lives such a simple life.

“Most people believe an accumulation of assets equals happiness,” her father remarked. “And yet…I’ve seen plenty of people with material wealth, and I wouldn’t describe many of them as truly happy.”

“I know what you mean. It seems like we start out happy and then lose it along the way. We spend our whole lives looking for it. You’re right, Daddy. Few people find it. I think that’s what she wants to tell me!” Cassandra exclaimed, suddenly understanding. “I don’t think it’s her memoirs at all.”

“You may be right, kitten,” he glanced at her as he drove. “Her achievements, her possessions—those don’t mean much to her anymore. Maybe she knows she’s not going to be around much longer and wants to pass on what she’s learned.”

“I feel honored that she chose me.”

“She probably knew you’d receive it better than most.” He winked at his daughter as they pulled up to the departure gate. “She can read people. I’d trust her judgement of anyone.”

“We’ll see,” Cassandra laughed. “She seems to think my future husband is close by. When I meet him, I’ll have to take him there so she can read him.”

Cassandra signaled a porter to carry her luggage and turned to say goodbye to her father.

“See you next weekend, kitten.” He embraced her warmly.

“Bye, Daddy. I love you.”

CHAPTER 5

JACE TRIED not to think about the unpleasant encounter with the woman at his apartment or the dream he’d had of her, though the feeling of it remained etched in his mind. He sincerely hoped she was done with whatever business she’d had in his building and would never show her face again.

He didn’t want to think about finances either, yet he was painfully aware that payday was still several days away, and his debt was building quickly. It left him irritable. He’d even blown up at Chad for asking him to go for drinks after work. Jace had been telling himself it was only temporary, that his life would turn around. In the past, he’d been able to hold on to that hope. Lately, doubt had been prevailing.

Luck had never been his ally, and that belief reinforced itself the following day as his car died on the way home from work. He pushed it the final block and a half and laid it to rest down the street from his building. The transmission had been giving him trouble. He’d been meaning to have it looked at but had been putting it off. Now it was gone completely. He might have gotten a thousand bucks for it if he’d sold it in running condition. As it was he’d be lucky to get five hundred, and it would cost a lot more than that to have it repaired.

On top of that, his mom told him that her washing machine had quit working. It was old, too, not worthy of repair, and she didn’t have the money to buy herself a newer one. She told him not to worry; she didn’t mind going to the laundromat. However, she worked full time, and her employer often asked her to work extra hours if they had a special function. He hated to see them take advantage of her that way. It meant she had little time for herself, and Jace couldn’t bear the idea of her lugging clothes to a laundromat on her rare days off. The following day after work he went to a used appliance store, bought the best washer he could afford on credit, and paid to have it delivered to his mom’s place. When he got home, he put a for-sale sign in the window of his car. Defeated, he sat down on the front steps of his building and with his chin in his hands let out a solemn breath.

“Does it feel like life is beating you up again?”

He turned to see his elderly neighbor walking toward him. Nodding a reply, he turned away. He wasn’t in the mood for her pie-in-the-sky advice.

“I have a proposition for you.” She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her face level with his. “I’m not as spry as I used to be, and I don’t get around easily anymore. I’ve been thinking of getting a car, but I don’t drive now.”

“Are you…asking me to drive you?”

“I’d pay you, of course. I don’t go out much—two or three times a week.”

Jace contemplated her offer. She hadn’t mentioned an amount, yet whatever she paid him would be a bonus. He could certainly use the extra cash. Ready to jump at the opportunity, he forced himself to relax. She didn’t know how bad his situation was, and he didn’t want to appear desperate. “Sure, I guess I could do that for you,” he shrugged, trying to act indifferent but knowing deep down that she was doing him a favor.

The old woman started to go past him up the stairs. Before she entered the building, he jumped up and grabbed the door for her. “Um…thank you, Mrs. Langdon.”

“Call me Sophie.”

She smiled her sweet, grandmotherly smile, and Jace noticed for the first time that she looked pleasant for her age. Her white hair was full of tidy curls, and her skin was like silk with soft, delicate wrinkles. Her fingernails were manicured, and her clothes looked as though they’d been bought at a respectable store, not a bargain department or thrift store. Now it seemed she had money to buy a car.

In his apartment, Jace pondered the situation. Something about the old woman didn’t add up. The furniture and china spoke of wealth, but that could be from the past.
If she has money, why does she live in a place like this?
he continued to speculate.
Why would she buy a car just to have someone drive her a couple of times a week? It would be much cheaper to take a cab.
Try as he might, he couldn’t sort it out.

CASSANDRA REMAINED unsettled after returning from Port Hayden. She was sure it had to do with her aunt’s prediction. She’d had a mild yearning, a faint desire to do more with her life than she was doing. Something bigger was definitely calling her. The unsettling part was not knowing what it was.

“That’s all she told you?” Tanisha asked after listening to the voice recording. “What does it mean, anyway?”

“I’m not sure; it’s all new to me,” Cassandra answered. “I mean, I understand what she’s saying about energy, but this connectedness and the order and perfection she talks about…”

“Is she talking about God?”

“She’s not the religious type, and this isn’t the kind of message you’d hear in church. It’s deeper than that. It’s like a puzzle, I guess. I’ll know more once I have all the pieces.”

“What does she want you to do with it?” Tanisha inquired. “Besides write it down, I mean?”

“I don’t know; she didn’t say.” Cassandra shook her head. “She’s mysterious. Sometimes she seems like a sweet, little old lady who forgets, and I have to remind her what day it is. Other times she looks right through me like I’m not even there and tells me stuff no one else could possibly know. I really think she’s psychic.”

“Why? Because she told you you’re going to meet a guy?” Tanisha laughed. “You meet guys all the time. You
do
realize you could have any guy you wanted, right?”