Ghost of a Chance by Laura Peyton Roberts

Author:Laura Peyton Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780307433411
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2007-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Eleven

Melissa! James! I’m home! Did you miss me?” Chloe showed up late on Saturday morning with all her usual flair. She’d seen the Karmann Ghia parked outside and so she knew I was there, waiting for her.

“Who’s James?” I could hear Mrs. Hart asking from the entryway, and she sounded pretty freaked out, actually. No doubt she thought he was one of my boyfriends.

“Don’t you think if we had a butler his name would be James?” Chloe asked, answering with a question of her own.

I didn’t hear what Mrs. Hart said back because I was running out from the kitchen and everyone was talking at once. I just about stopped on a dime when I hit the living room, though. I had forgotten that Chaz would be with them. And did he look great! He and Chloe were both really tan. All of a sudden the picture of me in Chaz’s dresser drawer appeared before my eyes so forcefully that only James could have put it there. Of course he was waiting with me.

“Hello, everyone,” I said, trying to act real mature.

But it was a wasted effort because the next thing I knew, Chloe had her arms around my neck and was squealing, “I am so glad to see you.”

Of course I was equally glad to see her, and it wasn’t long before we were both giggling like maniacs, Chaz totally forgotten.

“Come up to my room,” Chloe directed. “I want to tell you everything.”

I knew James was dying to say hello to her too, so I jumped at the chance to go somewhere private. We were barely even to the top of the stairs, though, when Chloe started gushing about her trip.

“It was unbelievable!” she enthused. “It was paradise!”

“Santa Monica?” Obviously I was a little skeptical.

We walked through her doorway and Chloe immediately dropped her sandy backpack onto the floor and rushed to open the curtains wide.

“No, the Petersons’. Oh, Lissa, I’m in love!”

I was stunned.

“In love?” I repeated weakly. It occurred to me that this had to be the big secret she’d mentioned on the phone, and then she dropped the second half of her bomb.

“With Brett Peterson. Oh my God, he’s totally perfect.”

I could feel James leave the house like a vacuum, like all the air had been sucked right out.

“James!” I called, but I knew he was already gone.

“No, don’t call him yet!” Chloe said. “I’m not finished talking to you.”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s not here,” I said, but my mind was racing. So Chloe couldn’t tell when James was Away. I had kind of suspected that.

“You know,” Chloe said slowly, “I missed James while I was gone, but I really didn’t miss feeling like someone might be watching me all the time. Not that he hasn’t been a perfect gentleman. But I can’t help wondering sometimes—like, what if he can see us when we can’t see him? Doesn’t it give you the creeps just to think about it?”

Great, I thought. Did we have problems. James had told me Chloe didn’t know everything about him, but I was starting to wonder if she knew anything.

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