The Light That Guides You Home

Chapter 2

Showered and dressed, and with a dreamless night behind her, Laura was feeling herself again as she drove into St. Paul. She was meeting Toni Cox, her agent, for breakfast this morning. Still not completely sure what she would tell the other woman when asked about the new book, she was confident that something would come to her on long drive into the city. Just enough of an idea to hold Toni off until she could come up with something better, that was all she needed.

Thirty minutes later as Laura walked into the cafe, she saw a petite brunette in a booth next to a window waving her over. "I've ordered us coffee.", Toni said as she approached the table.

"Wonderful," said Laura. "I didn't take time to make any at home this morning."

"Oh, no. The only time you don't have at least 2 cups of coffee before leaving the house is when you've overslept after taking those sleeping pills. You haven't been using them again, have you?"

While Toni knew about the pills, she didn't realize the severity of the nightmares they were meant to stave off.

"Just last night.", Laura replied. "I haven't taken any in months, but I was having a little trouble getting to sleep after spending all day working on the new book. Couldn't wind down, you know?"

"So, I hope that means we have a story for the new book?", asked Toni.

Laura mentally kicked herself for bringing the book up so soon. A nice mushroom and cheese omelet first might have given her time to think. "Well, I have been mulling over a few things.", she finally answered.

"Which usually means you have no idea.", said Toni.

"I do have ideas, it's just trying to decide which one will actually fill a book.", Laura insisted. "I'm pretty sure this one is going to be a ghost story."

"Great," said Toni. "You haven't' done one of those for a while and the fans love them. Your ghost stories have always been your best received books. So, tell me about this one. Are we going with the Victorian style again?"

"No, I think this one will be more modern.", Laura spoke without really thinking about what she was saying. "A woman is being haunted in her dreams, and then in her real life by a ghost who wants her to do something. I haven't figured out what yet, though." Now where did that come from, she thought, but didn't say.

"Well, I'm glad you have a direction in mind. I admit that I was starting to getting a little worried. You usually have the next idea before you even finish the current project. I'll tell you what, write up a proposal this afternoon and send it over. I'll still be able to get it to the publisher this week."

"Ok, I have some errands to run after breakfast, but I'll get something to you this afternoon when I get back home. Now, can we order some food? I'm starving!"

Even after stopping to pick up a few groceries and rent a carpet steamer, Laura was still home by eleven AM. Leave it to Toni to suggest breakfast at 7 in the morning. Who really got up that early? Anyway, she had plenty of time to try to clean the wine from her carpet and get a proposal typed up. She wasn't sure she liked the idea she'd given Toni, but it was a start. It wasn't like she'd never changed her mind about a book's direction after getting started before.

Laura put away the groceries, and then filled the steamer's tank with hot water and the cleaning solution she'd purchased. She scooted the desk a little to make room for the steamer and got to work. The solution sprayed down into the carpet and as she passed back over the stain, the steamer sucked up hot water, cleaning solution, dirt and red wine as a muddy red-brown liquid. Gross, she thought. This really does look like blood. She shivered slightly remembering how the stain had looked like blood seeping into the carpet when she had spilled it the night before. "Enough of that!", she said aloud, shaking her head as if to shake off the memory. She finished steaming the area and pushed the desk back into place, careful not to scoot it onto the wet area.