This month’s excerpts are from my short story, “A Place to Die.”
When Libby spends a summer helping out at her mom’s bed and breakfast-turned-hospice, she doesn’t expect to spend her time babysitting someone like Mr. Calloway – a young, vibrant financial planner with a mischievous streak. But Mr. Calloway is sicker than he seems, something neither he nor his family want to acknowledge. Can Libby help him accept his fate without losing her heart?
This continues from last week’s excerpt, when Libby’s mom told her to help with one of the guests. Libby’s looking for him in the dining room.
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Mrs. Nielson started serving dinner at five pm sharp, but there was never much of a crowd early, or at all; I didn’t suppose dying people had much of an appetite.
Tonight was no exception: a handful of older women sat at a table with a guy about a decade older than me, several couples ate by themselves, and a table by the door was occupied by three old men. As I looked around, I realized I had no idea what my charge looked like.
I ducked into the kitchen, where Mrs. Nielson was yelling at a couple cooks, and asked, “Sorry to bother you, but do you know a Mr. Calloway?”
She turned to me with narrowed eyes and asked, “What’s he done now?”
“Nothing,” I quickly responded, “ it’s just that I’m supposed to keep an eye on him, but I don’t know what he looks like.”
“He’s in the dining room.” She’d already turned back to the stove in front of her, but as I left, she called over her shoulder, “Better keep two eyes on him.”
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Such a different and interesting story. Enjoyed the excerpt, can’t wait to find out more about Mr. Calloway.
You waited until the last for a punch line-two eyes. Charming story and oh so interesting.
That wasn’t really all that helpful, was it? Sounds like she’ll need some luck!
Maybe she should go back and look for the person who’s causing trouble.