by Jeane Watier
They went up to his apartment, Jace still holding her hand. He had a look on his face that Cassandra could only describe as radiant. She still didn’t understand what had caused the sudden change in him or how Sophia had been involved, but she was eager to find out. The building, the stairway, even Jace’s presence seemed to make her aunt’s memory come alive, and she welcomed the pleasant thoughts. With their time together cut short, she’d been feeling regret. Now she relished the idea of getting to know her aunt through the people whose lives Sophia had touched. And Jace was one of those people. Cassandra smiled, knowing that her aunt had played a part in their coming together; she’d helped make it happen. Maybe that’s what Jace was referring to. Maybe Aunt Sophia let Jace know she was in favor of us being together.
She sat in Jace’s living room while he got them a drink. As she surveyed the meager surroundings, she couldn’t imagine anywhere she’d rather be. Jace caught her looking around as he returned. Their eyes held for a brief second, and she longed to read his thoughts. Their apartments were so different, as were their lives, but she truly didn’t care. She hoped Jace felt the same.
“It’s a work in progress,” he shrugged.
What is it? Cassandra wondered. Why does he seem so changed? She’d rightly discerned that he was strong in character and determined, but now he possessed a confidence, an inner light she hadn’t noticed before. He sat next to her and stretched his arm behind her on the sofa. She leaned into his shoulder, savoring the intimacy. After a moment she murmured, “So what happened? You seem so…different. In a good way, I mean. But what does it have to do with Aunt Sophia?”
He was quiet for several long seconds, so she turned to look at him.
“She was pretty cool,” he began. “We used to talk about stuff.”
“Did you talk about her beliefs?” Cassandra asked, knowing somehow they had.
“Oh yeah,” he grinned. “We talked about all that. But there’s more. This is…going to sound crazy.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve never lied to you, Cassandra. I’ve never deceived you in any way, and I never would.”
“I know that, Jace,” she frowned, wondering why he’d say such a thing. “I believe in you. I had to learn it the hard way,” she added soberly. “But I do believe in you.”
“Okay, good,” he laughed uneasily. “Keep that in mind. Because what I’m about to tell you is pretty far out there.”
“Jace,” she stressed, laying her hand on his arm, “you can tell me. Whatever it is, I promise I’ll believe you.”
“Sophie is…She’s not really…gone.”
What? Her lips formed the word, but remembering her promise, she decided to let him explain.
“I know she died, but her spirit, her soul, whatever you call it—that part of her didn’t go anywhere. She’s still here.”
“I…” Cassandra didn’t know what to say. She’d been too focused on her loss, her dear aunt’s absence, to think about where her spirit might be.
“We talk,” Jace said frankly.
“Jace, wait a minute. I want to believe you; I really do. But let me get this straight. Are you telling me you’ve had conversations with her…since she passed away?”
“I know it sounds crazy, Cassandra, but it’s true.” He grasped her hands and looked her in the eye. “At first I thought the conversations in my head were a way of staying connected, a way of remembering what she told me because it felt good. But then they became two-way conversations.” He shook his head. “I thought I was losing my mind.”
The conviction in his eyes was obvious; he believed what he was saying. She couldn’t say the same, and she hoped her face didn’t convey what she was thinking. With his words verging on insanity, she scrambled to find an appropriate response.
“I can prove it,” he insisted when she remained silent. “Ask me something, anything. Something about your family, your childhood.”
Her discomfort increased. “Jace…I don’t know…”
“Do this,” he implored. “You won’t be sorry. Just trust me.” He smiled and brought her hand to his lips.
His earnest request left her no choice. If she were to have a relationship with Jace, she had to trust him. It was as simple as that. The conversation was without a doubt the strangest she’d ever had, yet she found herself compelled. Though what he was claiming sounded crazy, she wanted him to be right. “Okay,” she pondered. “What’s my middle name?”
He closed his eyes for a moment and then grinned. “You don’t have one. But that’s not hard enough. I could have found that out some other way. Ask me something more difficult.”
She didn’t know how he did it, but he was right. He was serious, too—not a trace of mischief, no sign of joking. Curiosity made her try again. “I had a dog when I was a little girl. What was his name?”
This time a few seconds passed before his smile reemerged. “Good one,” he nodded. “Trying to trick me…that’s perfect. But I know the answer. Your father bought a puppy for you when you were born. Her name was Roxy. She was an English setter, and the two of you were inseparable. She died when you were eight years old.”
“Oh my God!” Cassandra’s eyes filled with tears as her doubt vanished. “How? Did Aunt Sophia just tell you that? Is she here now?”
Jace nodded.
“Can I…talk to her?” Cassandra asked meekly, her voice nearly consumed by overwhelming awe.
“You can,” Jace responded eagerly. “You have to be in a good feeling place, and you have to believe it’s possible. That’s all it takes. She’d love to talk to you,” he added, the luminous glow having returned to his face. “She said she’s got some things to tell you.”
Cassandra gasped as she realized her aunt was communicating with her. “She really is here.” Saying it aloud helped anchor the idea in her mind. With the revelation came relief. Not only was Jace not crazy, but her aunt hadn’t gone away. Her time with the dear woman hadn’t been cut short.
“Yeah.” He drew her close and spoke softly, his lips nuzzling her ear. “Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
Cassandra looked into his eyes, feeling that her joy was complete. Her love for Jace and her delight over what she’d just discovered took her to a new high. “Now I can learn what the fifth principle is,” she exclaimed. But as the reality of it hit her, she frowned. “Do I just ask her? I mean, do I say it out loud or in my head?”
“Let’s try this together,” Jace suggested. “Why don’t we start with something simple? Let’s both think of a question and see what happens.”
“Okay,” Cassandra quickly agreed. “What should we ask her?”
“Ask her how she liked her funeral?” Jace grinned.
“You mean she was…” Cassandra stopped short, aware that she hadn’t begun to think through the implications of what she’d just embraced as truth. “She was…at her own funeral?” She burst out laughing, then shook her head, apologizing, “I’m sorry, this is all so bizarre. I’ll try to be serious. Let’s ask her.”
She reached for Jace’s hand, liking the intimacy and longing for the connection he shared with her aunt. They both closed their eyes, and Cassandra took a minute to breathe consciously before expressing the question in her mind. The words had barely formed a sentence when something touched the top of her head and slipped down over her body like refreshing rain. As she relaxed into the comforting sensation, she heard her aunt’s voice.
“It was lovely, dear.”
Springing forward, she stared at Jace, eyes wide.
He kissed her softly. “You heard it, didn’t you? She said it was lovely.”
“Oh my God!” Cassandra had not only heard Sophia’s words, she’d felt them. And the experience had been doubly wonderful because she’d shared it with Jace. “Let’s ask her something else,” she begged.
“Sure, what do you want to know?”
Cassandra knew in an instant. “We can ask her about the jewelry. Jace, we can find out what happened to it!�
� She responded to his smug look. “You already know, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged. “I agonized over it for a couple of hours, until I finally remembered that I could go right to the source.”
“So…” she poked him playfully. “What happened?”
He told her everything he’d learned. “I’m not sure anyone would believe us, though, if we told them how I found out.”
“You’re right.”
“I do have this.” Jace pulled his cell phone from his pocket and showed Cassandra the same picture he’d shown her the day Sophia died. “She’s not wearing the jewelry in this picture, and I took it right after I picked her up from the fair. Cell phones store information that tells when and where pictures were taken. That should be more than enough proof to get me off the hook. If we need to, we could make an anonymous call letting them know the jewelry was donated.”
She half listened as Jace laid out his defense. The picture of Sophia reminded her of her dream the night before. Again, Jace was present. Could the dream have been Aunt Sophia’s way of communicating with me? Cassandra wondered. As she contemplated it, she realized the answer was yes. She could feel it. She’d been looking at evidence and making judgments without listening to her heart. Her heart had been telling her the truth the whole time. Her wonderful aunt had simply been showing her how to listen to it.
“I can’t believe I ever suspected you of taking it, even for a second.” She stroked Jace’s cheek. “Can you forgive me?”
“I already have.” Jace pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “I have a confession to make, too,” he murmured. “I did lie to you once. I told you that we could never be together, and you asked me if that’s what I wanted. I lied when I said it was. I wanted to be with you more than anything, but I couldn’t see how it was possible. I still don’t know exactly how it’s going to work,” he admitted, “but I’m starting to believe in miracles.”
“Me too.” Cassandra closed her eyes as tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She was in his arms, and she never wanted to leave. “We can make this work,” she stressed. “We just have to believe in us. And if we need help, we have Aunt Sophia to guide us.”
JACE AWOKE WITH Cassandra’s lovely sleeping form next to him. The details of the previous night were still fresh in his mind. They’d talked late into the night and then made love and talked some more. It had been a near replica of his first dream, the one in which she was his soul mate. He understood now what Sophie meant. He and Cassandra were the same inside. It was a vibrational connection, a spiritual sameness. As strange as it sounded, it was the same kind of connection he had with Sophie.
Oneness. Jace pondered it for a moment. It seemed to be an underlying principle that held the universe together, but it could only truly be experienced by believing in it. Belief was like a master key. It determined, without fail, all that a person experienced. Jace was extremely blessed to have received that knowing. To be able to share it with Cassandra was beyond anything he could have hoped for. A relationship that was equally beautiful in the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual was rare.
He continued to gaze at her. She was more ravishing asleep than awake, if that were possible. A trace of a smile was evident as she let out a contented sigh. Jace memorized her face, the curve of her neck, and the way her satiny hair flowed onto the pillow. His eyes followed the line of her shoulder, down her arm to where her hand rested elegantly on her thigh. Her tanned body looked stunning against the white sheet that partially covered her. Her firm breasts were a shade lighter than the rest of her skin, the lines of her bikini top slightly visible. She looked like a goddess, a vision, someone da Vinci might have immortalized on canvas.
He didn’t want to wake her; they’d only had a few hours sleep, but he longed to touch her, to make love to her again. As he shifted to get more comfortable, she moaned seductively and opened her eyes. When she smiled, his heart confirmed what his mind had been slow to admit. He was totally and completely in love.
“Good morning,” she purred, reaching out to him.
“It is.” He pulled her closer until her body molded perfectly to his.
“Mmm,” she breathed contentedly. “I like it here.”
It seemed obvious that she meant their physical proximity, yet deep down Jace hoped she might also be referring to his home and ultimately his heart. Her next statement confirmed it.
“I like being here with you. I like being in love with you, Jace. I’ve never felt this way before.”
“Me neither,” he smiled as he held her close. “It feels good doesn’t it?”
“Mm hmm.”
CHAPTER 21
CASSANDRA WATCHED Jace as he moved about the kitchen. She was fascinated to learn that he was quite efficient. It was another one of their many differences, yet as she recalled what they’d talked about the night before, she reminded herself that they shared a common bond in areas that mattered.
He set a plate of food in front of her, and she breathed in the mouthwatering aroma. “Thanks,” she smiled, enjoying the sight of him serving breakfast wearing just a pair of shorts.
As he sat down across from her at the table, their eyes met and they silently acknowledged the underlying awkwardness. They were in love, yet it was their first meal together. Much had been discussed, yet so much still needed to be said. After sharing a life-changing secret and discussing their innermost feelings, the idea of making small talk at the breakfast table seemed uncomfortable. She was glad when Jace addressed what was on both their minds.
“Last night you said you wanted to ask Sophie about a fifth principle. What’s that about?”
Having temporarily set aside her quest, excitement bubbled up at the prospect of finding out. “Aunt Sophia started telling me what she believes. She had me write it down. There were five principles she lived her life by, but I only got to hear four of them before she…” Cassandra caught herself and grinned apologetically. “It’s going to take a while for this to sink in. I mean, I believe she’s still here, but…”
“Hey…” He touched her hand. “I get it. I’m just glad you’re still here.”
“She was very specific,” Cassandra went on, “telling me a new principle each time we were together. The idea that we’re one, that we’re all connected somehow—that’s the first principle. The second is that we’re creative beings. We actually create our reality by the thoughts we think.”
“We talked about that quite a bit,” Jace interjected. “It took me awhile to get it, but I’m finally understanding how it works. Our thoughts aren’t just random bits of information. It takes practice and determination, but we can have control over what and how we think. Creating our reality is pretty basic—at least in theory. There are two ways to think about what we want. We can think about its presence or we can think about its absence.”
Cassandra’s heart soared. Jace not only understood the principles, he was passionate about them. He was applying them in his life.
“It’s focus,” he stated confidently. “Focus puts us in control of the game. If we focus on what we want in a way that feels good, it has to manifest. I saw it happen last night.” His voice softened. “I was sitting out there thinking about how much I loved you and how I wanted to be with you, and all of a sudden you were standing in front of me.”
“I know,” Cassandra nodded, her voice thick with emotion. She’d been thinking of Jace in the same way. The impulse to talk to him had been so strong, she’d driven over without questioning. “It really does work.”
“So what’s the third principle?”
“There’s a source of well-being. It’s like a stream continually flowing to us, and we can choose to let it in or not.” Cassandra was still in awe of the powerful teaching and how deeply it had resonated with her. “It’s amazing. The only reason we have sickness, or poverty, or pain of any kind, is that we aren’t allowing the well-being to flow to us. We pinch it off with the negative thoughts we think.”
“I
learned that one the hard way,” he grinned ruefully. “I was focused on lack of finances, and I didn’t realize it. Sophie helped me to see how negative my thoughts were. She showed me how to think about money in a more positive way. It wasn’t hard to change my thoughts once I started paying attention to how they felt. I like how our emotions guide us,” he asserted. “They let us know if we’re heading toward what we want or not.”
“That’s the fourth principle,” Cassandra exclaimed. “Our emotional guidance system. Jace…I’m so glad you know this, too. It’s such an incredible teaching.”
“It is,” Jace acknowledged. “I’ve been practicing it, and I can tell I’m heading in the right direction. I’m going to make something of my life. I’m going to be successful—even rich someday.” He blushed slightly as he looked at Cassandra. “You probably can’t relate to those kinds of desires.”
“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.”
