Nicole stood there frozen in the doorway, a confusing mix of emotions swirling through the redhead's mind. There had been times that she would have prayed for Lynn's return, had longed for her on long lonely nights, but now... that fire was gone. Instead she felt irritation and more than a bit of anger at the interruption. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" Lynn asked, pushing her glossy brown hair back with a practiced, almost sensual gesture. She stood there apparently casually in the morning sunlight, but her stance was designed to highlight her beauty. "No," Nicole even surprised herself with that answer. "What do you want, Lynn? I thought we settled things months ago." Lynn was clearly taken aback. "I was just hoping we could catch up," she reached out to touch Nicole's collarbone, "I've missed you." Nicole shrugged the unwanted hand away angrily, wondering how she could have ever found such a total fake attractive. "You aren't the type for making casual visits," she answered her coldly then asked, "what do you want?" Lynn looked confused, almost as if things weren't going the way she had scripted them out. "I'm beginning to wonder why I followed your little friend Rachel up here to the boonies," she sniffed, looking innocently hurt. 'Remind me to tell Rachel about that,' Nicole made a mental note, 'boy is she going to be annoyed that Lynn followed her.' "Here, I took the liberty of opening this for you," Lynn drew out a large brown envelope from her coat and passed it over to Nicole. 'Ah, a light finally begins to dawn,' Nicole thought as she instantly recognized her publisher's name on the envelope and realized that they had sent the details on her last romance novel to her old address. "You shouldn't read other people's mail," she replied as she took the package from her. Along with the usual stuff the publisher sent was a separate envelope with her cheque for the next advance, thankfully still unopened. "Considering how much I've contributed to writing your novels," Lynn said smoothly, "I only thought it fair that I get a cut of this...." It took a great effort not to hit Lynn just then, though the mental image did make Nicole feel a bit better. "If by contributed you mean that you cheated on me and gave me plenty of writing material," she said grimly, "then maybe." "I thought that half the advance would be appropriate," Lynn continued as if she hadn't heard, "if I don't get it I'll have to take steps." Nicole toyed with the envelope a moment, a profound sense of relief filling her. "You know," she said mildly, "I wondered for awhile there if you just stayed with me for my money." A sudden smile, "It's nice to have it confirmed." Trying to get money out of an unwilling ex-lover was one thing, but being accused of being a money grubber was another, apparently, as the beautiful woman's face went bright red with anger. "Why you..." Lynn snarled out. "What's taking you so long?" a gentle voice complained. Nicole turned and had to do her best not to laugh aloud. Laura had walked into the room, looking sleepy and very sexy, half in a very scanty robe. Her blonde hair looked like spun silk, and her rich body was clearly visibly beneath the thin material. She was still a ghost, Nicole could see through her just slightly, but a newcomer probably wouldn't notice. "Who," Lynn looked shocked. Laura looked over at Nicole with a sultry smile, "If you don't come back to bed soon, I may have to start on my own." With that she turned to walk out of the room, her hips swaying slightly as she disappeared around the corner. "Sorry," Nicole gave Lynn a false smile, "but we're a little busy right now." "You.. I... " Lynn stuttered before glaring at Nicole. "This isn't over," she bit out then swiftly turned and walked over to her car. Once she was gone Nicole shut the door with a happy little sigh even as she heard Laura's voice come out of nowhere, "Did it work?" "She's gone," Nicole agreed. She raise an eyebrow, "Where did THAT come from?" "A few of those novels you brought home, actually," Laura admitted, "I rather thought that subtle wasn't going to work with her." "You got that right," Nicole laughed. She looked curious, "Why aren't you visible?" "It took a great deal of effort to look that human, as well as to become solid last night," Laura explained, "it's easier not to manifest visibly." "Not a problem," Nicole agreed. She yawned, sighing, "I need some coffee." Laura chuckled softly, "Just like every morning." "This from the person who likes startling me once a day," Nicole said casually as she walked to the kitchen, "it's like clockwork." A soft laugh was her only reply. The writing that day went well, the words practically flying on the pages. Momentum was built up as they neared the home stretch, her and her characters, and the final roadblocks to a happy ending were beginning to fall. It was difficult at times to balance the needs of the plot with her occasional inspirations but she managed. And throughout the day she and Laura talked. Nicole enjoyed the conversation as much as the writing, Laura occasionally nagging her away from the computer first for brunch then a small midafternoon meal. The spirit had adapted to the computer well enough to read over Nicole's shoulder, doing a bit of beta reading and amusing commentary. By evening Laura had regained enough strength to be visible, a ghostly wrath sliding through the rooms. Dinner in the kitchen was pleasant, the steak and potatoes Nicole made quite enjoyable. Laura eagerly kept an eye on anything that needed watching on the stove, turning things on and off as needed. "Do you ever miss things like eating?" Nicole asked curiously. :No," Laura shook her head with a little smile as she said, "it's been so long, I've mostly forgotten what it was like." Nicole met her eyes, "You're lying." "Well, yes," Laura sighed. "It's all right," Nicole shrugged. She looked over at Laura with a warm smile, "You don't need to spare me things, you know." Laura nodded slightly, her expression thoughtful. She looked curious, "Do you think that Lynn will be back?" "No, I don't think so," Nicole took a drink of soda, "she's not that stupid." She made a face, "She's petty enough to slag me around Vancouver, though." Laura hesitated, "If you don't mind, how did you two become involved?" Nicole smiled, "I was young and stupid?" "Seriously," Laura replied. Nicole picked at her food, "When I first met her, Lynn seemed like a lovely lady. She was beautiful, exciting, all that." She sighed, "The only problem was, it took me a long while to figure out those qualities were all surface, that she was shallow." "Beauty can be deceptive," Laura agreed. She looked at Nicole after a moment, smiling seductively as she added, "I hope you haven't got anything planned for tomorrow night." "I take it I'm having company?" Nicole asked, feeling a tingle of anticipation. "Oh yes," Laura agreed with a grin.
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