Page 16 of Ghost of a Chance
“Maybe.At first I thought Jasper had set everything up, but Bri—”
“Oh my God, my baby’s on a first-name basis with Bri O’Brien.”
Her mom got so excited by her success.
“Mom…but sure.She’s really nice.You’d like her.”
“I would.Maybe I should come with you when you go back,” her mom said, taking Kirsty’s suitcase to her front door.“I just restocked the fridge.Dinner tonight?”
“Thanks, Mom,” she said.
“You okay?”
“No I’m not.I’m feeling cranky and scared.Like everyone’s going to find out I’m a fraud.”
“One—you’re not a fraud.You’re a fiction author.Your job is to make stuff up and get people to buy into your world.I know you’re going to be awesome and get this Jasper some closure.”
A warmth engulfed her and she spontaneously hugged her mom which took her mom aback.Kirsty wasn’t touchy-feely.But her mom had soothed her fears.
“One thing, kiddo, to keep in mind is playing at being a medium and talking to ghosts needs to be light.Summoning might awaken something inside of you.”
“Moooom… I’m not a real clairvoyant.”
“Maybe, but you have an affinity for the occult.Just be careful.”
It took all her willpower not to roll her eyes.Mom cared which was why she was giving her advice.But the last thing that Kirsty was worried about was awakening anything.
“Thanks.”
“Better?”
“I am.Thanks.”
Kirsty went into her own home as her mom disappeared next door.She wasn’t feeling as panicked as she’d been when Gia had first agreed to the entire ghost hunt.Talking to her mom put everything in perspective.And she’d be back on a college campus at the start of the fall term—something that always inspired her.
She could get her dark academia on.All those dark plaid miniskirts, romantic blouses and chunky cardis she kept in her closet but never wore because she rarely left her house.
Maybe solving Jasper’s mystery would help her with her own story.Even if he had known who she was the night they met, the connection felt real.The way her pulse raced when his warm hands had touched her in the rain.The sparks when their eyes met as their favorite band began to play…her mind was full of possibilities and the question of what it would be like to kiss him when she was sober.
He couldn’t be as good of a kisser as she remembered, right?
Four
The Airbnb looked creepy AF as Kirsty pulled into the driveway on Monday.She’d had the weekend to reread all of Aunt Dot’s books and get ready for the haunted textbook.In reality, a lifetime wouldn’t have been enough time.
She rolled her eyes as she sat there imagining the joy lighting up on Gia’s face as she found the perfect background for some ghostly-themed social media posts.Being all into the creepy aesthetic was one thing but she couldn’t do real haunted houses.Like if there were creaking stairs and breezes she couldn’t explain…she’d want to bolt but honestly those things would probably be perfect for her fake abilities.
Resting her head on the steering wheel, she moaned.
This right here.
This was why she stayed home in her tiny office with her fall rain scented candles wearing her favorite once black, now gray-from-so-many-washings sweatpants and a variety of different long-sleeved tees with sarcastic sayings on them.Home was safe.And home didn’t look like it had seen a few murders.
Normally, a bit of darkness and rain was her sweet spot when it came to setting the scene in her books, and honestly also for her internal life.
But this…wet, muddy, cold.And a house that looked more haunted than that freaking textbook.She was in for a long four weeks.
Ugh, there was never an excuse to whine.Not even now.
