Free THE CHAMELEON by Kelly Ilebode

moment of insecurity, before the stone wall went back up. She was going to be a tough nut to crack for sure. He wondered who hurt her.
    “No matter what kind of baggage we have, there is always the possibility of the chance for a happily ever after. If there wasn’t, what would we have to look forward to?”
    With his words, Aisling thought of her mother. The days and nights of watching everything in their lives fall apart, because of that simple word called love. Time and again whenever her father would return, she would watch her mother transform into a giddy schoolgirl, only to be crushed when he walked out. Finally there came the day when he never came back and even though her mum had been devastated—and Aisling believed still was, until her death all of those years later—for Aisling, it was a relief that he never returned. She could no longer pick her mother up from the bottomless pit of despair. Toward the end of her mother’s life, whenever she spoke of her father, which had become extremely rare, Aisling could hear the rage in her voice and she seemed to have made it her mission to make sure Aisling wouldn’t make the same mistake as her.
    “Aisling?”
    Shaking out of her reverie, she felt exhausted with the conversation already and they hadn’t even started to eat.
    “I am not sure how to respond to that, except to say that maybe here we should agree to disagree for now, and as we get to know each other, we can understand each other’s history and point of view better.”
    It was easy to agree to her request, and Stephan felt it would be a good opportunity and a challenge to convince her otherwise if their relationship progressed past today. With their agreement, the meal passed without incident, both choosing to stick to the weather, politics, and people watching. Stephan found her intelligence irresistible and he didn’t want the day to end just with their meal. As the waiter slid the leather folder onto the table with their bill tucked inside, Stephan laid his hand on it as he contemplated his next move. He did not want to seem overly eager or greedy for her time. Honestly, he felt completely out of his element.
    Aisling slid her hand on top of his before she squeezed his fingers gently. Truth be told, she was out of her element also, and could understand his conflict.
    “So, is this it, and then I wait for the phone call in a couple of days, Stephan?”
    Happy for the opening, he felt himself drowning in her emerald eyes. “Do you want it to happen that way?” God, he hoped not.
    When she shook her head, he was dazzled by her smile.
    “I am actually free for the day, starting the moment I sat down, so if you aren’t bored with my company, I am sure that we could come up with something to do.” She hesitated, feeling unsure again.
    Stephan heaved a sigh of relief as he quickly paid the tab. “If you would like, we could take a walk to the Boston Common. I know a great coffee shop.”
    Aisling nodded and glanced down at her outfit. As cute as she looked and felt, it was not appropriate for walking great distances.
    Stephan sensed her dilemma as he stared at her feet. A woman in heels was a weakness and he loved them but heels were not made for sightseeing.
    “I did bring a change of clothes.” Her face brightened again. “Sorry, it is a habit of mine. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do, so I packed a change of clothes. They are in the car and would be so much more suitable for walking.”
    “Are you parked close?” At her nod, he held out his hands. “Come, let me drive. I know what we can do.”

 
    CHAPTER 9
    (Stephanous Petros: eight years old) The small ad fluttered in front of Stephanous as he walked the dirty streets. He grabbed it before it blew away and read the words in bold lettering with hope. RUNNER NEEDED. He had spent the day trying to find a job, no longer able to spend his days within the walls of the orphanage. Unsure of what a runner did, he rushed to the address,