Love Supernaturally Read online

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  Love Supernaturally

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Story

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  She took the stairs two at a time

  and almost ran into her roommate as she came to the small landing at the top.

  “Whoa,” said Gabriella. “What’s got you in such a hurry?”

  “Nothing.”

  Gabriella folded her arms across her chest and tapped her tiny bare foot.

  “I’ve gotta shower. I’m going to the movies.”

  Pink toenails beat an impatient pattern on the hardwood.

  Did the girl have gypsy blood? Her psychic abilities were uncanny.

  “With a hockey player,” Cassie explained.

  Gabriella’s foot stilled, and her eyes widened. “Which one?”

  “Fraser something. I didn’t get a last…”

  “Tall, with dark, curly hair?”

  “That’s him.”

  Gabriella laid a hand on Cassie’s arm. “Be careful, he’s a player. And I don’t mean hockey.”

  That wouldn’t be a problem. She didn’t want a relationship, and this wasn’t a date. And if the night did end with sex, well, she’d welcome a little…distraction. After all, she was an angel, not a nun.

  Love Supernaturally

  by

  Charlotte Copper

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Love Supernaturally

  COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Charlotte Copper

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Diana Carlile

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Fantasy Rose Edition, 2016

  Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0763-3

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To my family.

  You are my everything.

  Cassie sat patiently, surrounded by the smells of bleach and death.

  The second hand beat its rhythmic pattern as she waited for Dr. Warren to finish the examination. Mr. Memphis didn’t have much longer, and the mystic knowledge weighed heavy on her like a thick, rough blanket. Angels could sense when death drew near, be it from old age or some awful disease, and she wondered for the hundredth time if, in the end, her mother had sensed her own imminent death on the day of the accident.

  Cancer ate away at Mr. Memphis’s body. The ninety-year-old man had no fear of dying, he’d declared. He’d lived a long, wonderful life. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren came to visit him almost daily in the hospital, but he missed his wife who’d died almost five years previous. He hoped wherever the afterlife led him, his sweet Bea would be waiting for him.

  Cassie envied his everlasting love for his wife and his large family. Her mother suffered greatly from her angel-human union—the one that had given life to Cassie. And because of her own unwillingness to sacrifice what she held most precious, a family and future like Mr. Memphis’s did not appear to be in Cassie’s cards.

  As Dr. Warren came out of the room, he nodded sadly to her, an unnecessary gesture reinforcing what she already knew. The confirmation stirred mixed emotions. Although it would be hard on his family—so close to Christmas—at least Mr. Memphis’s departure from the world wouldn’t happen on Christmas day. Her gaze followed the doctor’s white aura as he passed the nurses’ station.

  “Hello, Mr. Memphis.” Cassie entered his room, trying to sound cheery. “How are you feeling today?”

  “It’s time. Dr. Warren won’t say so, but I know it is.”

  “Don’t give up hope yet, Mr. Memphis. Don’t you want to be around for Christmas?”

  “What I want don’t mean a lick. Besides, everyone was here today. I’ve said my goodbyes.”

  She glanced to the wall opposite the old man’s bed. A new display of handmade Christmas cards and drawings adorned the wall.

  “Are you here to guide me to heaven, Nurse Cassie? You look like an angel, you know. Like you’ve got wings. Dr. Warren, too, although his aren’t nearly as pretty as yours.”

  Cassie smiled at the old man. Just as she saw the black aura that hung around the dying, in his final hours, Mr. Memphis sensed the white aura of peace and hope surrounding her. And yes, sometimes that aura resembled wings.

  She pulled a chair over to the bed and settled down.

  Most people tried to avoid hospitals, not Cassandra Wilson. Her days were destined to be spent helping people. Day after day. Life after life.

  ****

  Cassie walked through the noisy bustle of the hospital hallways, the scent as familiar to her as her mother’s perfume. A teenage boy passed, his arm cradled against a worn skateboard while a small wisp of a woman hurried behind him, her voice pitched between parental scolding and motherly concern. The boy and his mother stopped at the admissions desk while Cassie simply proceeded through the automatic doors.

  As she entered the cancer center, she spotted her friend and mentor, Jane, recognizable from a distance by her bright pink nurse’s uniform and vibrant red hair. The short round nurse stood next to an ancient silver Christmas tree that fought a hard battle to bring artificial cheer to the otherwise somber area.

  Jane waved her over.

  Several years older, Jane had returned to school to get her nursing degree after her kids were all in school. The two had met when Cassie was in her first year and Jane in her last. Jane had two loves in her life, her family and nursing; the latter brought the two women together. Jane worked in the oncology center administering chemo to the day-patients, while Cassie spent her days and nights in the palliative care unit with the patients not fortunate enough to go home each day.

  “Hey Cassie, hon. Do you know Fraser?” Jane tilted her head toward the man opposite her. “He plays on the university hockey team.”

  “Well, I’m not playing for the next few weeks.” He stuck out a blue fiberglass cast and wiggled the big toe peeking out the end. Someone had drawn a smiley face on the nail with a marker.

  “Sorry, I’m not much of a hockey fan.” But he did look familiar. Cassie studied the red and blue varsity jacket and the dark curly hair. “Was your father recently admitted?”

  “Stepdad, but yes. Unfortunately, Joe’s back in the hospital.”

  “Well, he’s in very good care.”

  “Thank you.”

  Voices, cries, and machinery echoed all around them.

  “Did you want something, hon?” asked Jane.

  “I don’t want to interrupt you two.”

  “No interruption. Just chatting. Wassup?”

  “I was wondering if I could talk you into seeing a movie tonight?” Cassie reached into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out a handwritten list of movies. She dangled the piece of paper enticingly in front of her friend.

  “Sorry, hon, not tonight. Both Jeff and Jack have hockey, and I’ve got to take Jamie to guitar.”

  Cassie sighed. “As expected, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

  “Is the invitation open to anyone?” aske
d Fraser. “There’s quite a good selection out there right now from what I’ve seen advertised.”

  Warning bells rang in her head, and Jane’s eyes grew wide waiting for her response.

  Cassie had a list of rules, among them: no dating a patient’s family. She received a surprisingly large number of invitations to dinner or coffee from people she met at the hospital. Aside from the moral and ethical implications such a liaison posed, death and unhappiness usually waited nearby.

  And when she knew her patient was about to die and she wasn’t able to tell her partner…

  Hi, it’s me. I think you should get to the hospital. Your mother/father/friend is going to die tonight. Yes, I’m sure. What? Oh, I forgot to mention…I’m an angel.

  No, unless she found another angel, love had no real chance in her life. And if a relationship was doomed from the first date, well…

  Would this even qualify as a date? Maybe there was nothing to be concerned about. Maybe he just wanted some company, too. Many of his friends and teammates had probably already left for the Christmas break.

  Jane titled her head comically and waited. If Cassie didn’t answer soon, Jane’s eyes were going to dry up and pop out of their sockets.

  “Ah, sure.” Cassie handed over the slip of paper.

  Fraser took the list and bobbed his head as his eyes made their way down the small sheet of paper. “Good taste in movies. I’d be interested in any of them, if you’re sure it’s okay. I don’t want to intrude.” He handed her back the list.

  “Not at all. I’d love some company.”

  “Well, I’ve got to get back to my patients,” Jane said. “You kids have fun. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She gave Cassie a sly smile and headed into the oncology room.

  Yes, I’m sure you will. First thing in the morning, I’m willing to bet.

  Jane had been married almost twenty years, right out of high school to her high school sweetheart. She’d been pregnant—the reason for the teenage wedding—but had given birth prematurely. The baby had not survived, but Jane and her husband stayed together, and went on to have three amazing and very active kids. Deeply in love with her husband and best friend, the older nurse liked to live vicariously through her younger, single friend. She tried with regular frequency to set Cassie up with various men—friends, patients, friends of patients. Jane didn’t understand—regardless of how many times they had the discussion—Cassie couldn’t do a regular relationship.

  Unwilling to suffer the same depression her mother endured, Cassie’s chances to have a family like Jane’s were limited. And unfortunately, she couldn’t share any of this with her best friend. Destiny, if an actual person, was a real bitch!

  “You sure you don’t mind?” Fraser asked.

  Mind? What single female would mind going to the movies with this guy? Cassie studied the attractive hockey player who stood before her and read the year on his jacket sleeve. Junior. Only three years separated them. He looked younger. “No, not at all. It’s always better to go with someone else. Otherwise I eat that whole large popcorn, and then I feel sick for the rest of the evening.”

  “You know they sell small popcorns, too.” Fraser chuckled deeply, and a pleasant case of goose bumps raced over her arms.

  “What fun is that?”

  “Do you have a preference for which movie you want to see?” he asked.

  “No, not really.”

  “Well, what about dinner? I need to go home and take a shower first, but…”

  “I don’t need to tell you that you shouldn’t get that wet, right?” Cassie inclined her head toward the cast.

  “Actually, I’m here to have it cut off. It’s been eight weeks. I’m hoping they won’t be putting on another one.”

  “Eight weeks?” She bent to take a closer look. “It’s in really good condition.”

  “Truthfully, I was a little rough on it. Had to come back after five weeks and get a new one. They weren’t impressed.”

  An image of the stern and unsmiling Dr. Williams popped into her head. “I’m sure they weren’t.”

  “So, dinner?”

  “I’m not off until seven o’clock.”

  “No problem. I’m just south of the campus. How long do you need?”

  “I live just off Main,” Cassie replied, referring to the neighborhood bordering both the university and the hospital. “I could be ready for eight.”

  “Really?” His dark eyebrows lifted.

  “Really,” she confirmed with a laugh.

  “OK, so if I pick you up at eight…” Fraser reviewed the movie list. “We could catch the ten-ten. Is that too late?”

  “No, that would be perfect. It shouldn’t be too busy on a Thursday.”

  Fraser’s name was called, and she entered her phone number and address into his phone. Her gaze followed his tight jeans as he hobbled down the small hallway.

  She turned and waited while the doors hissed open.

  What to wear? It doesn’t matter. It’s not a date, remember!

  ****

  Fraser limped into the small room.

  Please don’t let it be that grumpy old doctor. What was his name?

  “Dr. Williams will see you,” said the male nurse perched on a stool inside the door.

  Yeah, that’s his name.

  After reviewing Fraser’s latest x-rays—still without cracking a smile—Dr. Williams deemed the ankle healed enough to remove the cast but not well enough to get back to hockey. The doctor left Fraser lying on the table, and minutes later the curtains opened to admit a large guy with a crew cut and scrubs.

  BUZZ.

  The small saw drew closer; he held his breath. How long had this guy been out of school? How many casts has he cut off?

  BUZZ.

  Forget about it. Think about something else.

  Had he really asked out the attractive nurse?

  Did that smell like burning flesh?

  BUZZ.

  She didn’t seem to care that he played hockey. It had been a long time since he’d been out with someone that wasn’t interested in the letters on the jacket.

  It had been a while since he’d been on a date, period.

  ****

  Cassie hurried home after her shift, the sidewalk dry after the day’s earlier sprinkling of snow. She considered asking Jane for a lift, but the short walk and fresh air always helped clear the ghosts out of her head.

  She took the stairs two at a time and almost ran into her roommate as she came to the small landing at the top.

  “Whoa,” said Gabriella. “What’s got you in such a hurry?”

  “Nothing.”

  Gabriella folded her arms across her chest and tapped her tiny bare foot.

  “I’ve gotta shower. I’m going to the movies.”

  Pink toenails beat an impatient pattern on the hardwood.

  Did the girl have gypsy blood? Her psychic abilities were uncanny.

  “With a hockey player,” Cassie explained.

  Gabriella’s foot stilled and her eyes widened. “Which one?”

  “Fraser something. I didn’t get a last…”

  “Tall, with dark, curly hair?”

  “That’s him.”

  Gabriella laid a hand on Cassie’s arm. “Be careful, he’s a player. And I don’t mean hockey.”

  That wouldn’t be a problem. She didn’t want a relationship, and this wasn’t a date. And if the night did end with sex, well, she’d welcome a little…distraction. After all, she was an angel, not a nun.

  Cassie turned to go into her room as Gabriella continued down the stairs.

  She stripped off her uniform and tossed it into the corner where it landed on her clothes from the last two nights. She wrapped herself in a fluffy pink bathrobe and padded to the bathroom.

  Turning the knob to hot, she stepped into the shower stall where she stood, eyes closed, as the steaming water pulsed against her tired muscles. She adjusted the water to a cooler temperature. No sense in being drowsy for the mo
vie.

  She grabbed the towel from the hook and dried off.

  Wrapping the damp terrycloth around her hair, she walked back to her room and the open door of her closet, assessing her choices. She grabbed a pair of freshly washed jeans and threw them on her bed. From her dresser she pulled out a pair of underwear, a black bra, and a slightly low-cut black wrap T-shirt. Sexy but safe.

  Not a date.

  Cassie got dressed, then returned to the bathroom. After blow-drying her hair, she put on kohl liner, mascara, and a little pale lipstick, thankful as always for the tan complexion courtesy of a long forgotten Jamaican ancestor. Done!

  The forecast had called for snow in the evening, and as she lifted the blinds to check the weather accuracy, a shiny black SUV pulled up in front of her house.

  Pretty high end for a student. Please don’t let him be a spoiled jock taking advantage of an overpriced athletic scholarship. As someone who watched every penny, she had little tolerance for people who thought SA stood for stereo assistance instead of student assistance.

  She jogged down the stairs and arrived at the front door as the bell rang.

  “Hey,” she said, opening the door. A cool blast of the winter air caused her nipples to perk under the thin material of her shirt.

  “Hello, again,” replied Fraser, his voice deep and sexy. A small halo of green Christmas lights shimmered around him. “You ready?”

  “Yep, perfect timing.” Cassie pulled on a pair of boots and grabbed her coat from the closet.

  Locking the house, she followed Fraser to his car. He stood with the passenger door open and waited for her to get comfortable. She inhaled the musky scent of his lingering cologne as he walked around to the other side of the vehicle.

  “So…” they both began as Fraser pulled away from the curb.

  “You first,” Fraser said.

  “I was just going to ask if you had any plans for Christmas.”

  “Brilliant minds think alike. That’s what I was going to ask.”

  “Well, ’tis the season.” She waved her hand at the various decorations that sprinkled the street.

  “Okay. Well, I’m headed to Chester, Nova Scotia, for Christmas. I usually spend the holidays with my Aunt Joannie and her family. She’s my mom’s sister. Mom passed away when I was eight.”