This is the sixth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V before continuing.
Some months later, Abby was scrolling through social media when she saw an announcement that Virgin River had been renewed for a fourth season.
“Claire!” Far beyond being startled by Claire’s sudden appearances, Abby had learned to summon her ghostly friend by calling her name. If she didn’t immediately appear, Abby would just keep screaming her name until she responded.
“What’s the matter? Are you injured?”
“No, I just saw this and couldn’t wait to share the news with you.” Abby showed Claire her phone screen.
It took Claire a moment to navigate everything that was visible on the screen, but she had learned from sharing a house with someone who was always on social media, and within a few seconds, her eyes had landed on the important post. She saw the date, but time was always a bit fuzzy for her, so she looked at Abby and said, “When?”
“Not until next year, but I thought you’d want to know right away, given the fact that the last season ended on such a cliffhanger.”
“Yes. Oh, that’s wonderful news.”
Abby looked hard at Claire, and it made Claire feel rather uneasy, something she had not been accustomed to feeling since she had died. “What is it?”
“I just realized that I saw something and couldn’t wait to tell you about it.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
Abby tilted her head. “I don’t know. I mean, as long as we’re both inhabiting the same house, I suppose it’s not a bad thing, but what happens if you … I don’t know … move on?”
“What do you mean?”
Abby looked at Claire for another moment, struggling to voice what she was feeling. “I would miss you.”
Claire shimmered in the way that Abby had learned meant Claire was feeling an intense emotion. “I think my opportunity to do so has long since passed, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get another one. It’s far more likely that I’ll be bereft when you move on, either to another house, or…”
“Oh, no, I’m never moving again. This is a done deal for me.”
“What if you meet some lovely man and he wants you to move in with him?”
Abby wrinkled her nose. “I can’t see myself ending up with anyone who wouldn’t want to move in here so I can stay with you. At the same time, I can’t imagine a man who would willingly do that, so I guess you’re stuck with me.”
Claire giggled. “I have heard of such women, but you’ll pardon me if I confess to never having counted myself among their number.”
“What? Oh, no! Oh, Claire, that’s not what I meant at all!” Abby burst into peals of laughter at the thought. “You thought I was in lesbians with you?”
Being a ghost, Claire was incapable of blushing, but she bent her head and did that shimmering thing that Abby knew meant she would be blushing if she still had blood.
“Oh, Claire. I assure you, I have never felt that way about you or any other woman. Sometimes the friendship between two women can be stronger than any romantic relationship, and I think that is the case here. That’s all I meant.”
“I see. I am sorry to have offended.”
“I’m not offended. You just gave me the chance to have a good laugh. That’s all.”
Claire smiled, but her head remained inclined downwards. “I am glad I was able to amuse you.”
“Oh, Claire, I’m not laughing at you. Just the idea of being romantically attached to a ghost is … well, you have to admit, it is rather funny.”
“Like one of your paranormal romance novels?”
Abby did have an affinity for paranormal romance, but she had yet to come across any romantic leads – fictional or otherwise – who existed more on the spectral plane than the earthly one. “Close, but I prefer my undead heroes to be of the vampiric variety, rather than ghostly. I’m not even sure how one would have sex with a ghost.”
Claire disappeared and Abby knew she had gone too far. “Oh, I’m sorry, Claire. Come back! I’ll stop, I promise!”
To be continued…
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