Soul Mates (32 page)

“No,” she replied honestly. “But I’ve experienced lack in other areas of my life. I don’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to relationships.” She wanted to say more, wanted to assure him that the difference in their financial situations didn’t matter to her, but it was a touchy subject. “Jace.” She reached for his hand. “I have no doubt you’ll succeed. In fact, you already have. Happiness is the true indicator of success, and you’ve found that. Money is just…” She paused, knowing she’d sound like a hypocrite talking about money as if it didn’t mean anything when she had plenty and he had very little. She decided to be honest. “Jace, I don’t want money or the lack of it to be an issue in our relationship.”

“Then we won’t let it.” He stood up, took her hand, and pulled her to him. “Cassandra, I feel so incredible right now—like I could conquer the world. I feel rich already. You’re right, it isn’t about the money; it’s about happiness.”

Cassandra melted into his arms. Her joy was full, yet every moment seemed to offer more to love, more to appreciate. It had been Sophia’s encouragement, her belief in them, that made it all possible. She was the reason Jace was holding her, loving her. Cassandra silently thanked her beloved aunt.

A VOID FILLED his apartment the moment Cassandra left. It felt right having her there. It felt right being together. She’d gone to her parent’s place to change clothes and pack her suitcases. She’d be leaving for the city on an evening flight. That meant they had a few precious hours to spend together before Jace saw her off at the airport.

The phone rang, startling him. Seeing his mother’s name on the call display brought him back to reality. His stomach clenched.
How am I ever going to tell her that I’m in love with her employer’s daughter?

“Jace, you’ll never guess what happened.”

“Probably not.” He tried to joke. The lightness in her voice indicated she had good news. “So you may as well tell me.”

“Do you remember your father mentioning his older brother…Roger?”

“Yeah.” Jace was relieved that the conversation wasn’t going to be about the Van Brodens. “He was the one that left home at sixteen, and nobody’s had contact with him since.”

“Yes. Your father tried for years to track him down, and so did your Aunt Beth. They came to the conclusion that he must have died, or else they would have heard something over the years.”

“So what about him?”

“I just got a call from Beth. Roger passed away a few months ago. Apparently, he spent the last few years of his life in an institution of some kind. He never married or had children.”

The news didn’t really affect Jace; he hadn’t known his uncle. Still, he was his father’s brother and it was disheartening to hear that he’d lived and died alone.

“He had money,” Sarah informed him. “Not a fortune or anything, but since he had no family of his own, the money goes to his siblings. And since your father’s no longer alive, his share goes directly to you.”

Jace took a minute to digest what he’d heard. “Are you telling me a man I’ve never even met died and left me an inheritance?”

“Yes!” Sarah exclaimed. “Beth said the estate was worth almost fifty-thousand dollars. Of course, there’ll be legal fees and taxes and all that, but it’s to be split equally between you and Beth. Isn’t that amazing?” She paused for a breath. “After all these years…”

“Mom,” Jace interrupted her. “That money should go to you, not me. You were married to Dad for almost twenty years.”

“I don’t make the rules, sweetheart,” she replied. “Anyway, it’s done. You’ll be getting a check in the mail anytime. Jace, I’m so excited. This will be a turning point for you. Now you can follow your dreams. You had to give up college when your dad got sick. You can use this money to go back and get your degree.”

“Yeah,” he responded absently, still dealing with the shock. “I could…I mean, I can definitely afford to take the business courses now. I checked into them, but…”

As he said the words aloud, he became aware that his emotions had changed. That course of action didn’t line up with what he truly wanted. He’d been willing to settle when money was tight, but he didn’t have to anymore. “Mom, don’t be offended.” He hesitated. “I took those courses for you and Dad. That wasn’t what I really wanted to do with my life.”

“Oh, but I thought…”

“I always wanted to be a pilot, don’t you remember?”

“Oh, Jace…” Her voice was contrite. “I should have known that. That’s all you talked about when you were young. Why did we try to convince you otherwise?”

“You did what you thought was best for me,” he soothed. “I don’t blame you guys. I may still get a business degree one day. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to have. But right now…” He couldn’t complete the sentence. It was too surreal. He needed a moment to acknowledge what had just happened to him.

“Now…” She finished for him. “You’re going to get your pilot’s license. You’re going to fly one of those big commercial jets. You’re going to travel all over the world. Oh Jace,” she cried, “I couldn’t be more happy for you!”

As he listened to his mom describe what he’d always thought was his dream job, he took note of his emotions again. They’d changed.
How come that doesn’t feel like it used to?
Somehow the dream of flying felt better than the reality of it.
Maybe it’s not actually what I want to do as a career. Maybe…
He noticed the tingling sensation again as his mind filled with insight.
Maybe it just represents my desire to be free.

Free
. The simple word made his heart soar. His future had opened up, and though his path was not clearly laid out, his choices seemed endless. He was free to dream now, free to become whatever he wanted. It didn’t bother him that he didn’t know what that was.
I did it!
he shouted inwardly.
I created my own reality
.
He couldn’t wait to tell Cassandra.

As she came to mind, he remembered his dilemma. Telling his mom about their relationship was something he needed to do sooner rather than later. News of it might get out, and he didn’t want her to hear about it through the grapevine of gossip that went on behind the scenes at the Van Brodens. “Mom, are you going to be home tonight? I’d like to stop by. I have a dinner date, but I’ll drop by later…around nine?”

“A date?” Curiosity rippled through Sarah’s voice. “Is this someone new?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “She’s great. I’ll tell you all about her tonight.”

“MOTHER, PLEASE calm down,” Cassandra implored. “Listen to what I have to say about him.”

“He was your aunt’s chauffeur, he works at a factory, and now you tell me he’s the son of our housekeeper! What more do I need to know? Do you honestly see a future with someone like that?”

“Would you rather see me marry an arrogant, self-centered womanizer like Nick Hagen?”

Her mother looked shocked. “Nicholas is a fine young man. He comes from a good family…”

“He cheated on me, Mother.” Cassandra relayed the information calmly, no longer feeling negative emotion toward him.

Helen opened her mouth in an obvious attempt to continue the discussion but closed it just as quickly. She stared at her daughter for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

“Mother, I want you to trust me. I know what I’m doing. I’ve made mistakes. Nick was a big mistake. But you know what? I don’t regret it. It’s helped me know more clearly what I want in a relationship. I don’t care where Jace lives or how much money he makes. I care that he’s sensitive and generous and kind.” Cassandra couldn’t hide the love she felt. “He has the most amazing outlook on life. He’s going to be successful one day—even by your standards, and it won’t be because of his association with me,” she added. “He’s proud, and he’s determined to follow his dreams.

“He didn’t want to get into a relationship with me at first,” she acknowledged, “because of our differences. He was the one who was being cautious because he didn’t want us to end up getting hurt. He’s a good person.”

Her mother remained silent. Cassandra wasn’t sure whether she’d admitted defeat or was simply gathering more ammunition. Her father, on the other hand, had been sitting quietly through the whole heated conversation. Now he stood, facing the women.

“Helen,” he addressed his wife, “I know you have strong opinions about the way our children should conduct their lives. And I know that your reasons are more admirable than just for the sake of appearance. I believe that deep down you want what’s best for them. But I want to state
my
opinion here. We’ve raised two remarkable children, and I’m proud of them. They’ve got the sense to follow what feels right rather than what society deems acceptable. That takes courage and a depth of character that most young people don’t have these days.

“If Cassandra is happy with Jace, then she has my blessing.” His tone indicated there would be no arguing with his proclamation. He smiled at his daughter. “I’m looking forward to meeting Jace, kitten. He sounds like a fine young man.”

Cassandra was overjoyed to have her father’s approval. He’d been open-minded right from the start, not jumping to conclusions as she had. When she’d told them about the picture Jace had taken and suggested the possibility of her aunt donating the jewelry to charity, her father had accepted it without question. Now he was more than willing to accept him as a suitor for his daughter. Cassandra was about to respond to her father’s comments, but it appeared he had more to say.

“And furthermore…” He cleared his throat. “I want to make it clear that Trevor has my blessing as well.” He fixed his eyes on his son who stood in the doorway, luggage by his side. “Son, I know I’m old school when it comes to issues like this, but times are changing, and I think…well, I think it’s about time we change with them.”

Cassandra watched her father’s face as he spoke. It was clearly the most difficult speech he’d ever made, and she couldn’t have been more proud of him.

“If you’re happy…in a committed relationship,” he swallowed hard while nodding his approval. “Then I’d like to meet this fellow sometime, too.”

“Richard!” Helen gasped. “What will people say?”

“Damn it, Helen,” he rallied. “I’m sick to death of caring about what people think. Sophia set a fine example, living her life the way she did. We could all learn a lot from that woman. You’re going to have to deal with this in your own way. I’ve said my peace.” He let out an extended breath, and with a nod to his children he headed from the room.

Cassandra waited anxiously to see what her mother’s response would be. She was surprised to see tears well up in her eyes.

“You think I don’t love you like he does.” She addressed both her children, holding her chin up in a way only Helen Van Broden could do while eating humble pie. “Well, you’re wrong. You both mean the world to me. Maybe I have cared too much about what other people think. I can see that’s going to have to change. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to.”

Their mother wasn’t one for expressing feelings or showing physical affection, yet Cassandra had always known she was loved. Their father had more than made up for the warmth their mother unintentionally withheld. Somehow Cassandra understood and had no hard feelings toward her because of it. She turned to her brother, who was still in the doorway with a stunned look on his face.

“Did I just enter a parallel universe?”

“No,” she grinned. “You’ve got the right universe. I think we’ve just witnessed the power of deliberate creation. We made the decision to change our thinking, and look what happened. We literally changed our reality. And you know what? This is only the beginning.”

“I think you’re right, doodlebug.” He playfully twisted a strand of her hair. “So, I take it everything went well with Jace?”

“Oh, Trev, I have so much to tell you!”