She grabbed her laptop and wrote a scorching sex scene for Nicki while silently admitting the irony of the fact that her fictional character was getting more erotic satisfaction than Sierra was.
Time flew by as Sierra entered the world she’d created. Her cell phone chimed, reminding her that it was time to get dressed for the interview.
She chose a black V-neck sweater and tailored black pants. The gray color of the labradorite beads on her necklace shimmered with shades of blue as the light hit it. Her hair fell onto her shoulders, behaving for once instead of sticking out in all directions. She’d carefully applied her makeup, ending with her extravagant purchase of red Chanel lipstick. She only used it on special occasions.
She turned from the bathroom mirror to find Ruby watching her.
“Remember. Behave,” Sierra told the ghost. “No funny stuff.”
“I promise. Cross my heart and hope to … um … fly?”
“No flying.”
“Why not?” Ruby said. “You’re the only one who can see me.”
“Because you’ll distract me. I can’t be looking over the reporter’s shoulder or in the other direction while he’s interviewing me. Just go wherever you go when you disappear.”
Sierra was going to ask where that was but the knock on the front door had her rushing out of the bedroom into the hallway.
“That’s him. How do I look?” Sierra asked Ruby.
But it was Ronan who answered. “You look great.” He reached out and rubbed a few strands of hair between his fingers. “I love this color.”
“It’s my natural color,” she said.
“I know.”
She wanted to ask how he knew but kept her mouth shut. He lowered his hand to his side. “You better answer the door,” he said.
Turning the doorknob, she pasted a smile on her face and greeted the reporter, who was in his thirties as was the woman standing beside him. They were both blond, and had athletic builds and overly generous smiles. He wore horn-rimmed glasses while she had her long hair tied back in a ponytail.
“This is my photographer,” Bob said. “She’s also my wife, but that’s not why she got the job.”
“I was a photographer for the paper before we got married,” she said. Putting out her hand, she added, “I’m a freelancer now. My name is Mary, by the way.”
Sierra noted the other woman’s strong grip and her interest in the house as they stepped inside.
“This house dates back to the early nineteen hundreds, right?” Mary asked.
“That’s right.”
Mary turned to look in the living room.
“Much of the furniture came with the house,” Sierra explained as she ushered them into the room.
“This is beautiful.” Mary’s attention was focused on the sideboard. “It’s a Liberty and Company English Arts and Crafts piece.”
“Are you interested in antiques?” Sierra asked.
“I’m a fan of Antiques Roadshow,” Mary said. “And I do love Arts and Crafts items like this. The bullet glass on the top doors is original. The entire piece is in excellent condition.”
Now that she was looking at it closely, Sierra had to agree. “I like it.” Okay, so she hadn’t really noticed it much until now but she’d been distracted by a naked vampire and demanding ghosts.
“I understand you inherited this house from your grandfather,” Bob said.
“My great-uncle, actually.”
“Did you visit him here as a kid?”
“No. I didn’t actually see the house until I walked into it a few days ago. Please sit down.” She gestured to the couch.
Bob sat on one end and Mary on the other, leaving Sierra to sit in the middle.
“Do you mind if I record our interview?” Bob asked. “It’s standard procedure.”
Sierra’s previous interviews had been via e-mail or Skype.
Bob held up his smartphone.
“Okay,” Sierra said.
He nodded his approval. “You write about ghosts. Your first three books feature Nicki Champion, ghost hunter. Your publicist told me your latest book continues Nicki’s story, is that right?”
“Yes. She has a new case to solve.”
“A new haunting to solve?”
Sierra nodded. “Right.”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard that legend has it that this house is haunted.”
“I had heard that rumor, yes.”
“Have you sensed any ghosts here?”
She sidestepped the question by saying, “I write fiction.”
“I realize that. But how much of your fiction is autobiographical?”
“Some of it.”
“Care to give me some examples?”