Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
CASSIE
C assie parked her car in the same parking spot she’d parked in a month ago. On that day, she had to talk herself into getting out of the car and walking into the bookstore. But not today. Today, she opened the front door to her new car without hesitation. She walked across the busy street and pushed open the bookstore door. The bell above the door chimed her arrival.
She paused just inside of the door and thought about how far she’d come in just one month. Being with Ghost had really helped her self-esteem. She actually liked talking to people, as long as she had enough of a break from socializing in between. The store looked different when it wasn’t hosting events. The aisles were more spaced out and the feel was more relaxed. She’d found a haven there.
“Hey Cass!” Myla greeted her. “You’re not on the schedule for today.”
“Nope. I’m not.” She smiled warmly at her coworker and friend. She’d started at the store two weeks ago, as a parttime employee. Ghost hadn’t been thrilled to let her out of his sight, but he’d eventually given in. It was going to take a minute to grow her editing clientele, and, in the meantime, she needed something to do while Ghost was at work.
“When did you get back in town?” Myla asked.
“This morning,” Cassie said. “I’m meeting Ghost in the coffee shop. Have you seen him?”
“Yep. He’s back there.” Myla nodded towards the back of the store before heading over to help a customer out.
Cassie scanned the room through the lenses perched precariously on the bridge of her nose. The air was thick with the scent of bitter espresso, but she’d grown used to the smell. Finally, she found him. Ghost sat in the booth furthest from the door, watching the room carefully. Although his posture was relaxed, Cassie knew he was cataloging every person who came and went into his memory.
As if sensing her presence, Ghost's gaze lifted and locked onto hers. He stood up and waved her over. A warm smile broke across his face as he stepped towards her.
“Hey, baby,” Ghost said, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “I missed you.”
“Hey yourself,” she breathed out, her own smile mirroring his. She quickly closed the gap between herself and Ghost, wrapping her arms around his body and hugged him. She pressed her face into the fabric of his shirt, relaxing instantly as his familiar scent ingulfed her. His strong arms enveloped her and she knew she’d come home.
“Missed you, too” she murmured, her voice muffled against his chest.
“I don’t think I’m going to let you leave me ever again,” he grumbled.
“I was only gone for three days.” Just long enough to pack up my stuff, donate the rest and drive my car back here.”
“I should have been with you,” he grumbled.
“Hunter needed you. Besides, it’s not like Ruby doesn’t have an electronic leash on me.” She held up her brand-new cell phone and her wrist with the sparkling smart watch.
“Neither of those two things would have protected you if you were attacked.”
“No one is going to attack me. I’m a nobody. I’m a parttime salesclerk at a bookstore and an editor.”
“Don’t ever call yourself a nobody again,” he scolded. “You’ve already been targeted once, which is one more time than I’m okay with.”
“Touché.” They both laughed. It was nice to be able to laugh about the situation which had been anything but funny.
Reluctantly, Cassie slipped from Ghost’s embrace and sat down. He pushed a hot chai tea across to her. Cassie took a long sip from the drink. “So, you are going to be out of the country for how long?”
Ghost's fingers found Cassie's and intertwined effortlessly, and she squeezed gently. “Unfortunately,” he answered. “Do you think you will be okay at my place without me?”
He hadn’t answered her question. “You didn’t tell me how long you will be gone.”
“Because I don’t know. Working private security jobs means you're on call 24/7. Sometimes, like this week, I have advance notice of an upcoming job. Other times, it could be something like rescuing a victim of a kidnapping or a hostage situation. Sometimes, we are done with a job in a day. Other times, it could last a few weeks, maybe a couple of months.” Ghost's voice was apologetic, tinged with the weight of their situation.
“A couple months? Have you ever been gone that long?”
“With the military, yes. Elite? No. The longest job I’ve been on with Elite was six weeks. It depends on who the client is and what they are needing us to do. For instance, the original job with Higgins was just a one-day personal security detail. It turned into a week-long mission when we connected her to Wilson. I’ve been on missions overseas where a gorilla group has kidnapped an American and they need to be rescued, or there’s a hostage situation. If the intel is good, we are in and out fairly quickly. Other times, when we go in blind, it could take longer. If we have to find the missing person before we rescue them, for instance.”
Cassie nodded, trying to suppress the pang of disappointment that surged within her. She understood Ghost's line of work demanded flexibility and secrecy, but it didn't make their impending separation any easier. “I get it,” she replied softly, forcing a smile. “You do what you have to do.”
Ghost squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I'll come back as soon as I can. I never thought I’d be the settle down type of guy. You’ve given me a reason to look forward to coming home. Hell, a reason to make sure I make it home. If it’s not confidential or won’t cause security issues, I’ll tell you where I am at. If it’s an OPSEC risk, I’ll simply tell you I’m safe, and I’ll call you as often as I can, okay?”
“Okay,” Cassie murmured.
“Hunter recently started dating a woman. She’s an investigative journalist and I think you two will get along great. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to give Hunter the green light to give her your info. You two can talk about what it’s like to be dating men who are gone all the time.”
“I’d like that. I have my online tribe and now I’ve started to make friends with some of my coworkers. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve been on my own my entire life. I’m used to it.”
“You’ll never be on your own again, Cassie.” Ghost told her. “Not if I have something to say about it. I know from when I was active duty that the wives who stayed busy were the ones who made it through the deployments the best.”
Cassie nodded, her mind already spinning with thoughts of how she would manage while Ghost was away. “I'll keep busy,” she assured him, her voice more confident now. “I've started setting up my editing business. My website's almost ready, and I've already gotten a few inquiries for long term projects. Iris said she often has new authors reach out to her for advice and she’s going to pass my info along to them.”
“That's great, Baby,” Ghost said genuinely. “I’m proud of you. You're going to be amazing at whatever you decide to do.”
Encouraged by his support, Cassie continued, “I'm hoping to build it up slowly, maybe eventually expand to offering more services like manuscript critiques or even ghostwriting. But for now, line editing feels like the right place to start.”
Ghost smiled. “You've got a plan. I know you'll make it happen. There are many at Elite who would be glad to sit down with you and discuss business planning. Everything from finance to advertising and anything between. Say the word and I can hook you up.”
They spent the next hour discussing Cassie's plans for her business, bouncing ideas off each other and mapping out potential strategies. With Ghost's insight into security and her own growing expertise in editing, they made a formidable team, even when physically apart.
As they talked, Cassie felt a sense of excitement building within her. Despite the uncertainties of Ghost's job and the challenges they would face, she knew they could weather any storm together. They’d known each other a month but it felt like they’d known each other forever.
A week later.
“This is different,” Ghost said, opening the passenger side door of Cassie’s car. “I’m not used to being the one in the passenger seat.”
“It doesn’t make sense for you to leave your car here when I could drop you and pick you up,” Cassie said. “Besides, this gives us a couple extra minutes together.” She got out and walked around to the trunk. Ghost reached in and grabbed his go bag out of it.
“I hate leaving you,” he admitted quietly.
“I hate you leaving me, too,” she said softly. “But we'll be okay. We always find our way back to each other. When I was in the warehouse, they tried to convince me that you were dead. I knew you weren’t. Our connection is strong enough that I believe we will always know when the other is hurt and we will always find our way back to each other.”
Ghost nodded, a mixture of emotions flickering across his face. “I love you, Cassie,” he murmured, his voice raw with emotion. Cassie stared at him, not believing what she’d just heard. He loved her? After a month together? It made sense. She loved him, too.
“I love you too, Ghost,” she replied without hesitation, her heart swelling with love for the man who had changed her life in ways she never thought possible.
With one last lingering kiss, Ghost reluctantly pulled away, leaving Cassie with a promise to call as soon as he could. She watched him get on the plane and waved at Dozer. Her heart was heavy watching him go into the unknown, yet she was hopeful for their future together.
Two weeks later.
Cassie nestled deeper into the plush cushions of Ghost’s couch, the fabric soft and welcoming against her skin. The windows were open, inviting a gentle sea breeze into the room. She sipped her iced tea while she reread the book she’d been hired to edit.
She had a system now. On the third pass, she opened a clean version of the document and read to help the author with promo while also catching anything they might have missed in the first two passes. She went through and underlined her favorite lines and marked passages with color-coded highlights, while jotting down thoughts as comments for the author to review. Her notepad, already filled with neat handwriting and little doodles, lay open beside her. As she read, she absentmindedly chewed on the top of her straw.
She adjusted her glasses, pushing them up her nose with a slight wrinkle, and scrolled down to the next page. She paused to underline a beautifully written sentence, her mind buzzing with admiration for the author’s talent. She selected blue for sad or poignant moments. and carefully highlighted the passage.
Her fingers then moved to twirl a strand of her wavy, chestnut hair. She often played with her hair when she was deep in thought or completely absorbed in a book. The small, comforting motions helped her focus, grounding her in the present even as the story whisked her away.
Cassie paused again, her eyes sparkling with delight as she read a particularly witty exchange between the characters. She jotted down a quick note: “Great banter! Feels so natural and engaging.”
The breeze picked up slightly, rustling the pages of her notepad. Cassie smiled and took a deep breath. She loved this time of day, when the world outside was calm and her home felt like a cozy cocoon. Her home. She’d stopped thinking about the house as Ghost’s and started thinking of it as theirs. Their home.
As she read on, she couldn't help but think about how other readers would review the book. Would they feel the same joy and heartbreak she felt? Would they appreciate the author’s clever twists and rich character development?
Cassie hoped so.
The new indie author she was working with was incredibly sweet. Cassie could tell she cared about her readers and that writing wasn’t just a job for her, but a calling. She hoped she could help her develop her books and that other readers would like the writing as much as Cassie did.
She loved being part of a community that shared her passion for books, a community where her thoughts and feelings could contribute to a larger conversation. Her online group chat with her reader friends was important to her. She’d never met a single one of the women, but she felt close to each one. She would definitely recommend this author to them.
Cassie’s eyes softened as she reached a particularly tender moment in the book. She chose pink—pink for moments of love and connection—and highlighted the passage on the page. She chewed on her straw again, this time with a smile tugging at her lips. She could feel the emotions the author was trying to portray. Not all writers were able to accomplish that.
Her glasses slipped down her nose once more, and she pushed them up, laughing softly at herself. It was these little quirks, she knew, that made her who she was. And in these quiet moments, curled up on her couch with a good book, Cassie felt completely at peace. She was exactly where she wanted to be, doing exactly what she loved.
As the sun began to dip lower in the sky, casting a warm golden glow through the windows, Cassie closed the document with a contented sigh. Her notes were nearly complete, but she knew she’d spend a little more time tonight working on it.
For now, she allowed herself to simply enjoy the new life she was living. She stood up and went into the kitchen. Pumpkin rubbed against her legs, and she bent down to scratch him between the ears. After making a quick sandwich, she went out onto the porch with Higgins’ newest release. She sat on the porch swing with the book, the breeze, and the sounds of the crickets and smiled. The only thing that would make it better was having Ghost home from his mission. It’d been a couple days since she’d heard from him, but she refused to worry. Her gut told her he was fine and no one from Elite had contacted her to tell her otherwise.
Just as Cassie settled into the gentle sway of the porch swing, a familiar sound of footsteps approached from behind. She glanced up to see Ghost stepping onto the porch. Her heart dropped to her stomach. He was home! Finally!
“Ghost!” Cassie exclaimed, setting the book down beside her and rising to her feet. He closed the distance between them in two long strides. Cassie practically ran into his open arms.
“Best welcome home ever,” Ghost murmured into her hair, holding her tightly.
Cassie buried her face against his chest, taking in the scent of his aftershave. “I missed you,” she whispered, her words muffled against his shirt.
“I missed you too,” Ghost replied.
“I would have come and picked you up!” She said, swatting his arm playfully.
“I know, but Ruby came to get Dozer and volunteered to bring me home.” He frowned slightly at her. “You turned off notifications on the security app? You should have seen us driving up the driveway.”
“It’s annoying. Every time the wind blows, the tree out front sets off the motion sensor, which is does a lot by the way, and then the thing chirps at me.”
Ghost’s frown deepened. “I’ll take a look at it. I like to know you are safe when you’re here alone.”
“How many times did you look at the camera when you were away?” Cassie teased.
“Too many,” he grumbled.
“Maybe next trip I’ll come outside and do a little strip tease, just to see if you are watching.”
He leaned back slightly to look down at her, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. “Just try it and see what happens.” They both laughed before he spoke again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t call you. We’ve been traveling and without communication. How were your last couple of days?”
Cassie smiled up at him. "I've been good," she assured him. “Busy with work and settling in. I've been editing the book I told you about a few days ago,” she gestured towards the porch swing where her notes lay, “and I've started getting some more clients for my editing services. All that to say, I’m even better now that you are home.”
Ghost smiled. “I knew you'd do great.”
Cassie blushed at his praise. “It's been really fulfilling,” she admitted. “I love being able to help authors polish their work and bring their stories to life.”
Ghost picked Pumpkin up and rubbed the bottom of his chin. Cassie could hear him purring loudly. “He’s been inside a lot more?” he asked, his lips quirking into a half-smile as the orange tabby rubbed against his hand when he’d stopped petting him, demanding attention.
Cassie chuckled. “I know you said he’s an outdoor car, but he's been keeping me company. He really only goes outside once or twice a day now to use the bathroom. He refuses to even try the litter box I bought him. He hissed at me when I put him in it.”
Ghost nodded again, his gaze softening as he looked at Cassie. “You seem happy here,” he said quietly, his thumb tracing circles on her cheek. “I know it's not easy, moving to a new place and then having your boyfriend leave a week later.”
Cassie shook her head, her hand coming to cover his where it rested against her face. “I’ve made this into our home, like you told me to do,” she said firmly. “And I know your job is important to you. We'll make it work, however we can. I spoke with Amber. If those two can make it work on opposite continents, I know we can.”
“You're amazing, you know that?” he murmured, leaning in to kiss her tenderly. “I’m glad what was meant to be, was meant to be. You are mine, Cassie, and I am never letting you go.”
Keep an eye out for the next book in the series Dozer , coming Fall 2024.