Soul Searcher Book 1

Staring at her phone, Cassie almost conceded and sent Ginny an apologetic text message. At the last minute she changed her mind. Holding her thumb on the delete button, erasing the message, leaving the blank box staring back at her. Still holding her phone, she decides to send Rim a text instead.

Hey. I work at the bar tonight. Another rock show if you want to come watch, I’ll tell Khloe to let you in. Free of charge. We can hang out in my down time. Cassie

Rim: Sounds like fun. What time does it start?

7 o’clock. Cassie

Rim: Sweet. I’ll see you later then.

Okay. Cassie

Smiling because Rim had answered her so quickly, Cassie stands to take a shower. Before putting her phone down on the counter though, she decides to send Khloe a message.

Hey girlie. Want to go grab a bite to eat? My treat. Cassie

Khloe: Heck yeah, you said my favorite word ‘eat’ 😊 Where you want to meet?

I was thinking we could meet up at the 50’s café. Been craving their huge freaking hamburgers! Cassie

Khloe: Dude yes! What time are you thinking?

Heading to the shower now. How about one o’clock. That way we’ll be hitting the end of the lunch rush. Cassie

Khloe: Awesome sauce! See you then!

Cassie smiles and starts to daydream about the huge cheeseburgers the café serves as she goes into her bathroom and turns the water on for a shower.

Grabbing the door to the entrance of the 50’s Café, Cassie pulls it open and then steps aside so an older couple could leave before she walked in. Looking around the small dinner, she makes sure Khloe hadn’t arrived yet before taking a seat at the bar/counter. She orders a chocolate milkshake and then pulls her phone out of her back pocket to send Khloe a text to let her know she had arrived and was sitting at the counter.

Just as Cassie’s chocolate milk shake arrives, Khloe sits down on the stool next to her. “Hey Cass. How are you?” Khloe glances at her as she smiles before the waitress comes up and asked what she would like to have. “Have you ordered anything besides your shake, Cassie?” Cassie shakes her head no, as she finishes taking a sip of her drink.

“Was waiting for you to arrive sunshine,” Cassie grins at Khloe and then looks at the waitress too. “I’ll have the Massive Attack and whatever Khloe wants can be put on my bill too.”

The waitress with a name tag pinned to her lapel with the name Betty Sue on it nods her head, her silver loose curls bobbing as she swivels her head to look at Khloe, “and for you darlin’?”

“I’d like the same as Cassie, but could I have a strawberry shake instead of chocolate?” Betty Sue nods her head again as she jots a few words down on a notepad before walking away from the girls. Turning her body so that she could face Cassie, Khloe asked, “what’s up girlfriend? Where’s Ginny? I thought she came back into town the other day?”

Cassie gives a snarky sort of chuckle before answering. “Yeah, no. She came back last night. We actually got into a fight about me hanging out with Rim. Can you believe that? She had the nerve to question me! That girl is notorious for her spontaneous, rash decisions! She had the nerve to judge me.”

“Oh gosh. Wow Cassie, I’m sorry.”

“It’s funny, I don’t think we’ve ever had such a wicked fight like that one before.” Cassie sighs as she goes to take another sip of her shake.

“Well, didn’t you say she came home early? Maybe she was just taking her anger out on you... or maybe she doesn’t want to see you get hurt like she did.”

“You are truly a good friend Khloe. I hadn’t given either of those suggestions a thought. Thank you.” Cassie wraps her right arm around Khloe’s shoulders pulling her to her side in a half hug.

“Oh, I know. You’re not too shabby yourself!” Before either of them could say anything more though, their food arrived.

Once they are done eating, the girls sit and chat for another fifteen minutes or so before deciding to head their separate ways, “I’ll see you at work tonight, Khloe. Oh, Rim might come out, if he does, could you let him in.”

“What? Oh, yeah sure. You guys have another hot date tonight?” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively towards Cassie as she asked.

Cassie burst out laughing at the question. “Oh. My. God. You are such a dork!” Khloe shrugs her shoulders, grinning widely back at her. “No, we don’t have a date planned. I just thought it’d be fun to hang out with him. For him to get to see me in my realm... Does that make sense? I want him to see my work persona and how we all interact.”

“Essentially you want him to meet your family. I get it. Though he’s already met your most important family member...” Cassie raised an eyebrow in question before it dawned on her that Khloe was referring to herself. “Oh yeah, this girl right here,” she adds, pointing her thumbs back at herself.

“Stars above, you really are a dork!” Cassie laughs harder. “Alright, I really do need to leave. I promised Jason I’d do bar prep for tonight and I have to do a catering run for the band before the show too, so I need to get home and shower. I’ll see you later though, bye.” Cassie waves goodbye and Khloe waves her goodbye as well before they part ways.

**

Grabbing the amulets, I stuck them in my left pocket with the intention of putting them on once I was surrounded by the crowd in the bar after the show started. Running a hand through my hair in an attempt to tame it down a little, I glance in the mirror and see something I hadn’t ever seen before, a glimmer of happiness. Shaking my head, I smirk at myself and then walk out the door.

I’m a bit early but I wanted to be able to see Cassie before she got super busy serving drinks and what not. When I get near the entrance to the club, I send her a text to see if she was free for a minute and would like to come outside for a bit. Noticing that the back door entrance to the bar area is propped open, I walk over and stand by it. Raising my hand, I go to knock my knuckles against the metal door and stop, hand frozen in the air as I can hear a couple voices just inside the entrance.

“Jason I’ve got everything ready to go. The food for the band is in the dressing room. I’m going to go outside and have a cigarette before the doors open, okay.” Cassie is saying this as she nears the door, basically telling him what she is doing, not asking for permission to do so.

“That’s cool Cass. Oh hey, after the show a few of us were going to a party. I was hoping you’d like to go with us too...” I laugh quietly as I can hear a hopeful pleading tone in his voice.

“Oh gosh Jay, I’m sorry. I already have plans tonight. But thanks for the offer. Maybe another time.” Cassie side steps out into the slightly humid evening air as she says this to him and hasn’t seen me standing there as of yet.

Taking her hand, I pulled her swiftly the rest of the way out of the door frame. She makes a little squeaking sound in surprise at this before colliding into my chest. “Hey!” Cassie places her hands against my chest and pushes herself away from me so she can look at my face. “Oh, hey. You surprised me when you did that. I was ready to yell and say a few choice words to whatever jackass thought they could just yank me around. But... since it’s you, I feel inclined to let it go, this time...”

“Whew, I was worried for a second. I don’t think I’d like the wrath of Cassie upon me.” I grin widely as she says ‘ha, ha’ and then she takes my face in her hands pulling it to her, so she is able to kiss me. Breaking the kiss, I can’t help but say, “well, if this is you angry, I need to remember to make you angry more often then.”

She slaps my right bicep playfully. “You think you a funny man, don’t you.” She says as she jabs a finger into my side.

“What is it with you and ‘J’ names? First Jimmy and now Jason. Should I give up pursuing you? I feel like I might lose since I don’t have the proper first initial...”

“Oh, you really do think you’re a funny guy.” She slugs me in the arm before taking my hand in hers, entwining our fingers together. “Well, ‘J’ names might be interested in me, but I can assure you, I’m only interested in someone with the initial ‘R’.” Cassie admits this as truth, not even a hint of teasing in her voice as she says so. “Don’t hate me but I want to smoke before the doors open for the night.” I watch her pull out a pack, grab one and light it up. Usually, I’m not one to be around smokers but as she takes a draw from hers, she looks so dead sexy and fierce, like an Amazonian woman especially as a light breeze blows by, tugging at strands of her long dark silky soft hair that I can’t help but stare at her in awe.

“What? Why I you are looking at me like that?”

Hmm?” My eyes lock with hers and I give her a Cheshire-cat like grin. “Nothing other than you are absolutely the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.” I shrug like I’m just stating a fact and I mean really, I am.

“Aww, you’re not so bad yourself.” She returns the Cheshire-cat grin and then winks. I stalked up to her releasing a low growl from my throat.

“You should be careful giving me looks like tha...” I don’t get to finish my “threat” to her because I am rudely interrupted by Jason shouting Cassie’s name.

“Ugh, doors are gonna open in ten minutes,” Cassie glances at her phone before sliding it back into her pocket. “Khloe knows you’re coming. I’ll see you a bit later. I should be able to get a break after the second band plays.” She takes one last drag from her cigarette before tossing it to the ground and stomps it out.

After she blows the smoke out of her mouth I lean in and place a quick kiss on her cheek and say, ‘see you inside.’