Oct. 10, 2024

Haunted Hearts (Part 1) - "The Haunted Meet-Cute"

Haunted Hearts (Part 1) - "The Haunted Meet-Cute"

In the charming town of Mystic Falls, known for its elaborate Halloween celebrations, single mom Emma reluctantly volunteers at her daughter's school carnival. As decorations go up and excitement builds, Emma finds herself face-to-face with Jack, the...

In the charming town of Mystic Falls, known for its elaborate Halloween celebrations, single mom Emma reluctantly volunteers at her daughter's school carnival. As decorations go up and excitement builds, Emma finds herself face-to-face with Jack, the handsome new owner of the local haunted house attraction. Their chance encounter sets off a chain of spooky mishaps and comedic moments, hinting at an unexpected connection. Meanwhile, their children, Zoe and Max, bond over a shared love of all things Halloween. Amidst the chaos of carnival preparations, Emma begins to see the holiday season in a new light.

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Calarogu Shark Media, Hello and welcome to Romance Weekly. This

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episode is titled Haunted Heart's Part One, The Haunted Meat Cute.

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The shrill ring of Emma's alarm cut through the peaceful

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October morning, startling her awake. She groaned, fumbling for her

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phone on the nightstand. Six thirty am glared back at her,

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a harsh reminder of the day ahead Halloween carnival preparations.

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Before she could even sit up, a whirlwind of energy

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burst into her room. Mom, Mom, wake up. Her eight

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year old daughter, Zoe bounced on the bed, already dressed

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in her witch costume, complete with a pointed hat a

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skew on her messy brown curls. We can't be late

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for the carnival set up. Emma couldn't help but smile

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at Zoe's enthusiasm, despite her own reluctance. We won't be late, sweetie,

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I promise. Now, how about you go downstairs and pour

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yourself some cereal while I get ready. Zoe nodded vigorously

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and dashed out of the room, her cape fluttering behind her.

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Emma sighed, dragging herself out of bed and into the

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shower as the warm water cascaded over her. Emma felt

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the familiar knot of anxiety form in her stomach. She

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had never been a fan of Halloween, with its emphasis

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on scares and sugar induced hyperactivity, but as the only

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single parent on the pta, she'd been guilted into chaperoning

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the school's Halloween carnival. It'll be fun, they said, The

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kids will love it, they promised. Emma wasn't so sure. Downstairs,

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she found Zoe at the kitchen table, milk sloshing over

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the edge of her bowl as she excitedly spooned cereal

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into her mouth. Easy there, little witch, Emma laughed, pouring

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herself a much needed cup of coffee. We don't want

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to have to change your costume before we even leave

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the house. Zoe grinned milk, dribbling down her chin. Mum,

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did you know that real witches don't actually wear pointy hats?

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I read it in a book at the library, But

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I still like wearing mine because it's fun to pretend.

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Emma ruffled her daughter's hair affectionately. Is that so well?

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You learn something new every day? By eight thirty they

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were in the car, navigating the morning traffic. Zoe chattered

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away in the back seat, her words tumbling out in

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an excited stream about ghosts, goblins, and how many pieces

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of candy she planned to collect during the carnival games.

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The school parking lot was absolute chaos when they arrived.

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Parents and children swarmed everywhere, a cacophony of car doors

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slamming and excited voices. Pumpkins, fake cobwebs, and cartoon ghosts

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adorned every available surface. Emma took a deep breath, plastered

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on a smile, and turned to Zoe, ready for some

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Halloween magic Kiddo. Zoe nodded enthusiastically, practically vibrating with excitement.

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As they made their way through the crowd, Emma's attention

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was caught by a man struggling with an enormous box

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of decorations near the school entrance. He was tall, with

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tousled dark hair and a jawline that could cut glass.

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Emma found herself staring, her steps slowing unconsciously. Suddenly, the

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man lost his grip on the box. In slow motion,

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Emma watched as an explosion of fake spider webs, plastic pumpkins,

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and rubber bats erupted into the air. Without thinking, she

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lunged forward, arms outstretched to catch whatever she could crash,

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Emma found herself on the ground, tangled in a mess

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of spiderwebs and Halloween paraphernalia, face to face with the

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handsome stranger. His warm brown eyes crinkled with embarrassment and amusement.

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I'm so sorry, he said, his voice a rich baritone

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that sent an unexpected shiver down Emma's spine. I guess

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I bit off more than I could chew with this

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haunted house set up. Emma felt a blush creep up

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her cheeks as she realized the compromising position they were in. No, No,

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it's my fault. I should have looked where I was

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going instead of trying to play hero. The man chuckled,

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carefully extricating himself from the tangle of decorations and offering

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Emma a hand up. I'm Jack, by the way, Jack Cooper.

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I'm new in town, just moved here with my son

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Max Emma Johnson, she replied, taking his hand and trying

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to ignore the spark she felt at his touch. And

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this is my daughter Zoe. Zoe, who had been watching

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the whole scene with wide eyed fascination, suddenly piped up

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Are you the one running the new haunted house, mister Cooper?

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My friend Tommy said, it's supposed to be super scary.

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Jack's face lit up. That's right, it's called Cooper's Creepy Castle.

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We're setting up a mini version here for the carnival.

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Do you like scary things, Zoe? Zoe nodded enthusiastically. I

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love ghost stories. Mom doesn't really like them, though, she

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says Halloween is just commercialized spookiness. Emma felt her face

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heat up again as Jack raised an eyebrow in her direction.

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Is that so, miss Johnson not a fan of things

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that go bump in the night. Before Emma could formulate

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a response, a boy about Zoe's age came running up,

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his arms full of more decorations. Dad, I found the

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fog machine. Jack turned, grinning at the newcomer. Perfect timing, Max.

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This is miss Johnson and her daughter Zoe. They've kindly

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volunteered to help us set up our haunted booth. Emma

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opened her mouth to protect she most certainly had not

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volunteered for anything of the sort, but the words died

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on her lips as she saw the hopeful look on

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Zoe's face. Can we muam please, Zoe begged, bouncing on

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her toes. I want to see how a real haunted

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house works. Sighing inwardly, Emma nodded, Sure, why not, We're

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here to help after all. The next hour passed in

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a blur of fake cobwebs, plastic skeletons, and spooky sound effects.

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To Emma's surprise, she found herself enjoying the process. Jack

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had a knack for making even the most mundane tasks fun,

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cracking jokes and sharing behind the scenes stories from his

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Haunted House business. As they worked, Emma learned that Jack

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was a widower, having lost his wife to cancer three

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years ago. The haunted house had been their shared dream,

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and he'd finally gathered the courage to make it a reality.

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In her memory, Emma felt a pang of sympathy, thinking

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of her own failed marriage and the challenges of single parenthood.

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So what's your story, Jack asked, as they hung a

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particularly gruesome zombie prop If you don't mind me asking

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that is, Emma hesitated, then shrugged. Not much to tell.

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Divorced three years ago, Zoe's dad wasn't ready for the

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whole family thing. He's in California, now chasing his dreams

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of becoming a rock star. Jack nodded sympathetically. That must

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be tough. You're doing a great job with Zoe, though

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she's a great kid. Emma smiled, warmth spreading through her

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chest at the compliment. Thanks, Max, seems wonderful too. You

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two must be very close. As they talked, Emma found

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herself relaxing, her earlier anxiety about the carnival fading away.

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There was something about Jack's easygoing nature that put her

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at ease, making her laugh in a way she hadn't

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in years. Suddenly, a piercing shriek cut through the air.

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Emma whirled around to see Zoe and Max huddled by

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the fog machine, which was belching out thick clouds of

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white smoke at an alarming rate. I think we broke it,

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Max cried, frantically, pressing buttons no weight. Jack started, but

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it was too late. With a loud pop, the machine

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exploded in a massive cloud of fog, engulfing the entire booth.

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Coughing and sputtering, Emma felt herself being pulled to safety

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by a strong hand, Jack's hand. As the fog cleared,

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Emma found herself once again face to face with Jack,

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their bodies pressed close together for a moment, time seemed

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to stand still. Emma was acutely aware of the warmth

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of Jack's hand on her back, the flex of gold

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in his brown eyes, the slight curve of his lips

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as he looked down at her. Are you okay, he

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asked softly, concern evident in his voice. Emma nodded, not

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trusting herself to speak. Her heart was racing, and she

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wasn't sure if it was from the fog machine mishap

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or the closeness of this intriguing man. The spell was

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broken by the sound of Zoe and Max's laughter. Emma

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turned to see the kids covered in a fine layer

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of fog residue, looking like miniature ghosts in their own right.

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That was awesome, Zoe exclaimed, high fiving Max. Can we

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do it again? Emma couldn't help but laugh, the tension

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of the moment dissipating. I think once is enough for today, sweetie.

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Let's get you two cleaned up. As they herded the

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giggling children towards the restrooms, Emma caught Jack's eye. He

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smiled at her, a warm, genuine smile. That made her

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stomach do a little flip, you know, he said, leaning

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in conspiratorially. I have a feeling this Halloween is going

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to be one to remember. Looking at Jack's twinkling eyes

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and her daughter's joy filled face, Emma found herself nodding

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in agreement. For the first time in years. She was

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actually looking forward to Halloween. Who knew what other surprises

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this spooky season might bring.

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Romance Weekly is a production of Calaroga Shark Media executive

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producers Mark Francis and John McDermott. Portions of this podcast

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may have been created with the assistance of AI

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Calaroga Shark Media