Carla frowned. “Writing room? You confiscated my old room, didn’t you,” she accused.

“I did. You’ll never miss it.”

An evil grin followed the frown. “So what have you written? Anything?”

“Nothing I’m ready to share yet. It’s a slow, creative process. It doesn’t just happen with a snap of the fingers, you know.”

“So you haven’t written anything, huh?”

“No,” she groaned. She sat down at the table next to her mother. “I mean, I’ve written words. They just aren’t going anywhere.”

“So, sis, maybe this book writing gig isn’t for you.”

“How can you say that? I’m already published.”

“That was seven years ago.”

“Eight,” she corrected with a sigh. Who knew writing a second novel would be so damn hard?

“I think you’re afraid of success,” her mother said. “You always hated calling attention to yourself. You hated speaking in public. You hated piano recitals.”

“I hated piano, period.”

“You were so good at it.”

“That doesn’t mean I liked it. And I’m not afraid of success.” She bit into her own pizza slice. “It wasn’t like it was a monster seller or anything.”

“You made the Top Twenty,” her mother reminded her.

“For all of one week. God, that seems like ages ago.”

“It was,” Carla said. “That’s why I’m thinking, maybe, just maybe, you should have a fallback plan.”

“Like get a job?”

“Yeah. Like normal people do.”

“I had a job. I hated it.”

“I could try to get you on at my place,” she continued, as if Laura had not spoken.

“Really? So you’ll quit your job then to stay here with Mom?”

Carla shoved pizza into her mouth.

“Thought so,” Laura murmured.

Chapter Six

Cassidy Anderson spun around in her chair when she heard her office door open. Tanya, her assistant and her friend, looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“It’s nearly four. Are you not heading out to the country this weekend?”

“I am.”

“Something got your attention?”

“No. Not really.”

“What’s wrong?”

Cassidy blew out her breath. She’d known Tanya nearly twenty years. Tanya could read her like a book. “It’s Claudia.”

“Claudia? Oh, yes. The flavor of the month. What about her?”

Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t like her very much.”

Tanya raised her eyebrows.

“Sex is great. It’s just everything else.”

“Another one bites the dust,” she murmured. Tanya put her hands on her hips. “Do you know how many times we have this very same discussion?”

“We do not. The sex isn’t always great.”

“I have lost count of how many girlfriends you’ve had.”

“Oh, please. Claudia is not my girlfriend. She’s just…just someone I’m going out with.”

“Let’s see…this weekend makes what? Four weekends? Five? So yes, I suppose it’s about time to move on to someone else.”