A Ghost of a Chance Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Evelyn Klebert
Hallie continued to pet his head. She’d really become attached to him in the week they’d been together. And his initial shock of being here had dissipated quickly as her chewed on furniture could testify to. “Actually, I like the name Jack.”
From across the room, Jack’s eyebrow peaked at the mention of his name. Great Aunt Marie smiled at him with a knowing expression on her cherubic face. “And you didn’t think you were making any progress.”
“ Jack?” Monica quibbled, “That’s well, so boring.”
“ She’s got to go,” he whispered adamantly to Aunt Marie.
“ I don’t think it’s boring,” Hallie declared with enthusiasm.
“ I think it suits him. Besides you don’t like it, so I must be on to something.”
Monica sighed with feigned exasperation, “Oh fine, you’re going to do what you want to anyway. But I did come here to talk to you about something. I went ahead and made some arrangements. And before you protest you should know it’s for your own good.”
Hallie frowned, “When anyone ever says for my own good, I can’t help but anticipate catastrophe.”
She leaned in closer to her friend, her cool brown eyes sparkling for the first time since Jack had seen her. “Oh, don’t be negative. I’ve arranged a date for you.”
There was a vacuous moment of stunned silence. “You’re not serious.”
“ Well, it would be kind of a double date. It’s a guy who works at my office. I told him all about you, about you being an author, and he is very enthusiastic.”
“ He knows my work?”
“ Well, he knows that you’re an author. Come on, just dinner tomorrow night in Richmond. You can spend the night at my place. “
“ Look Monica, I guess you mean well, I guess you do,” she repeated without conviction. “But I just . . .”
“ Please Hallie, as a personal favor to me. I’ve already told him you’d be there, and I’ll look bad if you don’t show.”
“ You know you are ruthless. I’m really afraid this is a mistake.”
“ Come on Hal, say yes.”
“ Well, what about Jack?”
“ Leave his food out. Jack can rough it for one night.”
Hallie sighed, reluctant to resist further. “All right. But I’ve got to tell you, I don’t hold out much hope for this going well.”
“ Don’t be so pessimistic. You must be open to new experience.”
Jack felt disgruntled. He didn’t trust this, didn’t trust Monica as far as he could throw her, and in his present state that wasn’t far at all. “Well, she’s wrong about one thing.”
“ What’s that?” Aunt Marie asked with evident interest.
“ Jack is definitely going along. At least this Jack is.”
CHAPTER THREE
His namesake had been following him around all day, ever since Monica had left. It had been almost from the day Hallie first brought the puppy home that Jack realized the dog could see him. The little black mutt had been tentative at first; it had been tentative about everything at first. But Jack had seen its eyes fix directly on him from across the room. He had even barked at him – initially, perhaps not knowing what Jack’s presence in Hallie’s house meant, but, then again, he certainly wasn’t alone in that regard. Maybe Jack Jr., as he was apt to call him, instinctually felt the difference between him and his owner. Or maybe he was just another person to the dog.
To just be another person and not exist in this between state was a refreshing idea. The frustration inside him was overwhelming at times. It was extremely irritating to him that he felt so ineffectual in Hallie’s world. But even beyond that there was a growing awareness that there was something else, some other kind of living beyond Hallie’s farmhouse that he needed to get on with. There was an insidious tug-of-war starting to play out inside of him – an emerging struggle between the desire to leave and the desire to somehow finish whatever he was meant to do here. He wondered ultimately what would win
From across the room, Jack’s eyebrow peaked at the mention of his name. Great Aunt Marie smiled at him with a knowing expression on her cherubic face. “And you didn’t think you were making any progress.”
“ Jack?” Monica quibbled, “That’s well, so boring.”
“ She’s got to go,” he whispered adamantly to Aunt Marie.
“ I don’t think it’s boring,” Hallie declared with enthusiasm.
“ I think it suits him. Besides you don’t like it, so I must be on to something.”
Monica sighed with feigned exasperation, “Oh fine, you’re going to do what you want to anyway. But I did come here to talk to you about something. I went ahead and made some arrangements. And before you protest you should know it’s for your own good.”
Hallie frowned, “When anyone ever says for my own good, I can’t help but anticipate catastrophe.”
She leaned in closer to her friend, her cool brown eyes sparkling for the first time since Jack had seen her. “Oh, don’t be negative. I’ve arranged a date for you.”
There was a vacuous moment of stunned silence. “You’re not serious.”
“ Well, it would be kind of a double date. It’s a guy who works at my office. I told him all about you, about you being an author, and he is very enthusiastic.”
“ He knows my work?”
“ Well, he knows that you’re an author. Come on, just dinner tomorrow night in Richmond. You can spend the night at my place. “
“ Look Monica, I guess you mean well, I guess you do,” she repeated without conviction. “But I just . . .”
“ Please Hallie, as a personal favor to me. I’ve already told him you’d be there, and I’ll look bad if you don’t show.”
“ You know you are ruthless. I’m really afraid this is a mistake.”
“ Come on Hal, say yes.”
“ Well, what about Jack?”
“ Leave his food out. Jack can rough it for one night.”
Hallie sighed, reluctant to resist further. “All right. But I’ve got to tell you, I don’t hold out much hope for this going well.”
“ Don’t be so pessimistic. You must be open to new experience.”
Jack felt disgruntled. He didn’t trust this, didn’t trust Monica as far as he could throw her, and in his present state that wasn’t far at all. “Well, she’s wrong about one thing.”
“ What’s that?” Aunt Marie asked with evident interest.
“ Jack is definitely going along. At least this Jack is.”
CHAPTER THREE
His namesake had been following him around all day, ever since Monica had left. It had been almost from the day Hallie first brought the puppy home that Jack realized the dog could see him. The little black mutt had been tentative at first; it had been tentative about everything at first. But Jack had seen its eyes fix directly on him from across the room. He had even barked at him – initially, perhaps not knowing what Jack’s presence in Hallie’s house meant, but, then again, he certainly wasn’t alone in that regard. Maybe Jack Jr., as he was apt to call him, instinctually felt the difference between him and his owner. Or maybe he was just another person to the dog.
To just be another person and not exist in this between state was a refreshing idea. The frustration inside him was overwhelming at times. It was extremely irritating to him that he felt so ineffectual in Hallie’s world. But even beyond that there was a growing awareness that there was something else, some other kind of living beyond Hallie’s farmhouse that he needed to get on with. There was an insidious tug-of-war starting to play out inside of him – an emerging struggle between the desire to leave and the desire to somehow finish whatever he was meant to do here. He wondered ultimately what would win