Free Soulmates by Suzanne Jenkins Page B

Cassandra moved in with him, John hoped he wouldn’t have to see her as much.
    “Well, it had to happen sooner or later,” he answered, resigned and surprisingly relieved. “I hope they’ll be very happy together.”
    “Dad, I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be,” he replied. “It’s so over, now it’s really over.” He pulled Violet over to him, chuckling. “The key is for you not to be upset. You or the others. If that were to happen, then I would be sad. I guess you’re going, right?”
    “To the wedding? Yeah, I sort of have to. The others have their differing feelings; Billy is probably the angriest. He’s pissed off at Mom, but he’s trying to find a way to use Mark to further his cause.”
    “Is he going into politics?” Guiltily, they started to laugh.
    “No, not yet.”
    “I didn’t think so,” John said. “The last time I spoke with Billy, he had a scheme that was a sure fire winner . Luckily, I was out of money so couldn’t take advantage of it.”
    “What about Debbie?” Debbie was John and Cassandra’s second child, a carbon copy of Cassandra, already a wife, mother and expert on relationships.
    “She’s disgusted as we all are. But she's got a family and her energy is spent taking care of them. As long as Mother doesn’t try to push her around, she’ll support her.”
    Looking off into space, John chuckled. This was not the way he thought he’d spend his golden years .
    “Dad, I’m so sorry.” Violet felt awful about everything; her parent’s divorce, Mother remarrying, Billy’s inability to hold a job. Now, she was living home again, unemployed after one of the big electrical giants bought out her company. Struggling to complete her master’s in record time, she hoped she’d get another job right away.
    “What’re you sorry about?”
    “I know you’d sell this place if I weren't here. It’s too big and full of memories.”
    “The memories of you kids are keeping me going right now,” he replied. “I never intended on selling. And you make good coffee.”
    “Thirty is just around the corner and I’m living home. You should be free to do what you want without me being here.”
    John frowned. “You worry too much. I wouldn’t be doing anything different if I were here alone, except maybe drink too much beer.” Violet worried about her parents when they were married. But now she focused on her dad; he was a zealous recluse, often saying his job of having to schmooze with customers was all the human interaction he could stand.
    “Is this customer a possible date? I mean you even smell good.”
    “Maybe. She seemed interested in me. But she's got a lot of baggage; a lot . Not sure I want to take on someone who has been through as much as she has.”
    “Dad, who is it ? Not Brent Smith’s mother!”
    “Was that his name?”
    “Dad, you need to run as fast as you can from that mess. Where were you Saturday? Some retired doctor stood her up at the altar. It was all over Twitter.”
    John paused coffee cup in mid-air. “I hate gossip. And if that’s true, if she was disrespected in such an awful way, it’ll make me look better. He couldn’t have meant much to her; she seemed fine yesterday and that was only four days after.” They chuckled, and then he got serious. “How terrible for her. I read about that husband of hers. Good night!”
    “Well, here’s another thing, Dad. Story is she has AIDS.”
    “That’s just bullshit,” he replied. “No offense. People will say anything about a wealthy, beautiful woman.” Violet looked at her father intently. He was pushing sixty and was looking at Pam Smith with the eyes of a sixty-year-old.
    “So it’s more than her being interested in you. You’re interested in her .”
    “I am. We had an easy time chatting. She was funny and quick. Genuine. I got the feeling she doesn’t hold any grudges or isn’t bitter about anything, which is amazing considering what she’s been through.”
    “Well, good luck. I hope