Page 102 of Ghost of a Chance
As he left Kirsty pulled back.“That was the voice I heard.”
“What do you mean?”his mom asked her.
“We did a couple of séances to try to talk to the ghost.He didn’t speak out loud, just directly to me,” Kirsty said.
Tina smiled at her.“He must have liked you.”
“Well, he wasn’t too pleased that I was planning to pretend to talk to him,” Kirsty said wryly.
“That sounds like him.Honesty was one of his things.I wish I’d known he was in there,” Tina said.“I hope I showed you everything he would have wanted.”
“You did and more, Mom,” Jasper said.
“My gift is going to pale in comparison to your dad showing up,” his mom said with a laugh.
The playback from the cameras showed Marc’s incorporeal body disappearing.They also captured the happy birthday on the audio.They all kicked back in the living room eating cake and drinking champagne and talking about the night.
Kirsty came with him when he had to let Chewie out.“I wish I’d realized it was my dad.”
“I bet,” she said.“What would you have done?”
“Asked him stuff.You know, advice, things like that.”
“Maybe he was giving it to you with the lights and the songs.I mean he made them explode a few times to get your attention.Even Judge Judy—her quotes seemed to be picked out for you.”
“Yeah.”Jasper hugged her close to him.That empty part inside of him had been filled by this woman.Getting rid of the ghost that had been following him around was just the cherry on top.Seeing his dad for that brief moment and hearing his voice.
“I’ll never forget this day,” he said.
“I won’t either.I’m glad that voice was your dad’s and not just in my head,” she said.
“Afraid I wouldn’t still love you if you heard voices?”
“Nah, you like that about me,” she said, smacking him on the butt as Chewie came back in.
“I love everything about you,” he said.
“I love everything about you too,” she replied.
Epilogue
Two years later
Coming back to Burlington to get married at the Airbnb where they’d fallen in love had been Jasper’s idea.He had turned out to be a big romantic at heart.They’d done the long-distance thing for a little while.Then she’d moved to Chicago to be closer to him and found a place where she fit.
Her mom had followed, buying a town house near her and Jasper which Kirsty had loved.
Her book series had skyrocketed after theLive with Bri O’Brienshow segment had aired showing her exorcising Marc from the textbook.Media offers had come in which she’d turned down.
Occasionally she still got feelings when she was in places but she usually just walked away from them.They were married in the backyard of the house.The trees were all orange, brown and yellow.There was a tent set up for the reception.
Kirsty’s dress was black because it was her.Jasper’s smile was huge when he saw her in the figure-hugging dress with the sweetheart neckline.
Their first dance was the Dead Boys’ song they’d danced to the first night they met and only their close friends and family understood why there was a university physics textbook on the cake table.
Victor pulled them aside to give them a small, wrapped gift.
“What’s this?”
