Soul Mate (The Mating Series) by S. Swan Read Free Book Online

wanted to be a cheerleader, I told Mom. She immediately asked, “What if you get dropped and get a broken neck?” When I wanted to play softball, Mom asked, “What if you get hit in the head with a ball? People have died from playing softball.” When I told her that I had a job at Mary House, Mom asked, “What if you get a STD off the toilet seat?” I lied and promised that the staff had their own private bathroom.
    The phone rang, which saved me from another of Mom’s worst case scenarios. “Hello.” I answered.
    “Hey Babe ,” Jimmy said. He called me Babe again! I got a broad smile. Mom gave me a quizzical look.
    “Hi ,” I said. Jimmy’s soft voice gave me the feeling of free fall. I spoke to Jimmy maybe twice a week, but it was the second call in one day. When we hung out, Jimmy was always sweet and attentive, but now he seemed to be making an effort to talk to me. Jimmy’s attitude towards me had changed. He treated me like a girlfriend.
    “Who is it?” Mom whispered, as if she would be heard by anyone else.
    “Jimmy,” I whispered.
    “Tell Carmen that I said ‘hi’ ,” Jimmy said.
    “Jimmy says ‘hi’.” I told Mom.
    “Hi Jimmy.” Mom yelled and Jimmy laughed.
    “You can hear her?” I asked.
    “The same as you.”
    “I’ve never talked to her over the phone ,” I said.
    “Huh? You’re right. I’ve never heard her over the phone before, either.” I looked at mom again. She smiled and disappeared.
    “She left.” I told Jimmy.
    “We’ve learn something new about your mom. We’ll have to test this discovery later.”
    “How?” I asked.
    “I’ll have to think about it.” Jimmy liked to test Mom’s abilities, but I didn’t. It encouraged her to stick around more.
                  Jimmy and I talked on the telephone until midnight. I told him about Penny Roil’s murder and about the two detectives. He was concerned about me. He thought I should take a few days off and rest. I told him that I couldn’t because Mary Lazarus was still out of town and wouldn’t be back until the end of the week. Finally, I couldn’t stay awake any longer. “Jimmy, I have to go to bed.”
                  “Wow, we’ve been talking for hours.”
                  “We have? No wonder, I’m so tired,” I said.
                  “You need to get some sleep,” Jimmy said. “You get up earlier than I do.” Jimmy didn’t have set hours, but he made sure his first client wasn’t scheduled before ten o’clock.
                  I yawned. “Yeah.”
                  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
                  “Are we still on for Wednesday?” I asked.
                  “Sure we are.”
                  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow and I’ll see you for sure on Wednesday.”
                  “Good night, Cassie.”
                  “Good night, Jimmy,” I said and then clicked off the phone. Stiff from lying in the same position for several hours, I stretched to loosen my limbs. Then I shuffled off to bed. It took about twenty minutes for me to go to sleep. Once unconscious, I slept restless. I tossed and turned. The day’s stress haunted me in my dreams. I woke up and dozed off, always going back to dreams of the two detectives and the picture of Penny. Each time I looked at the picture, I noticed a new atrocity. The dream turned into a nightmare.
                  I woke myself screaming. Drenched in sweat and breathing heavy, I attempted to shake the dream from my head. I glimpsed movement out of the corner of my eye. I shot up. My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t see anything in the dark room. “Shhh. It’s just me,” Mom said from a corner. “You had a nightmare. You were screaming.” I didn’t answer. I tried to catch my breath, but couldn’t.
                  I sat wordless for a long time.