Jenna Bayley-Burke

Alas, there are a plethora of scenes that had to be edited out. This is from the aftermath of coitus interuptus, Lauren is trying to find out where Cameron stands.

“With the way you ran out on Monday, I felt like I’d been outed by Christa’s little display.” 

“How do you mean?"

“I mean you probably think I have visions of coupledom dancing through my head, and I don’t. I want to enjoy being single, but I don’t see the thrill in impulsive sleepovers with random himbos, and every relationship decays too quickly for anything to happen.”

“Then it’s good that we were interrupted.” Cameron was still shocked at how close he came to making such a critical strategic error. He needed her professionally; both for the ease with which she hosted a party and for the advances he wouldn’t have to waste time with because there was already a woman on his arm.

“My lack of sluttiness is a turn-off for you?”

Cameron shook his head. “I don’t want you to be disappointed, to romanticize what happens with us. It’s a business arrangement. I don’t have the energy for emotional entanglements.”

At NaNoPubYe we have 5 minute challenges to warm up the muse. We see how many times we can use a word in the time limit. Here's a scene with Just One Spark characters.

1:41 pm            BAGELS

“I brought bagels,” Kate said opening the door into the empty apartment. “Hannah, are you home?”

Of course she wasn’t home. It was the holiday season and Hannah would be working fifteen hour days. Which is why she told you not to bother coming home, Kate reminded herself.

Setting the bagels on the counter Kate spied a bowl of fresh fruit. Odd. Hannah never kept food in the house, unless you count take out containers and stale bagels. For some reason she liked to save money and buy day-old bagels instead of piping hot fresh bagels from the coffee shop on the corner. Who knew what she was saving all that money for.

Kate wheeled the carry-on suitcase she’d been lugging behind her into her bedroom and kicked off her pumps. Back in the kitchen she checked the calendar on the fridge. Hannah closed tonight, she wouldn’t be home until midnight.

Taking two bagels from the bag Kate slid them into the toaster oven and realized she had to do something fun tonight. She’d been dealing with a toxic mold case in Klamath Falls for a week. She needed city life, to speak to someone who had more than an eighth grade education, who could look her in the eye instead of up and down.

A booming knock on the door brought her back to the present, and scared her a little. That or she dropped the bagels because they were too hot. The pounding was insistent, and Hannah had been receiving suggestive cards under the door. Who could be knocking?

Staring through the peephole Kate smiled. Come to Mama. She swung open the door and cocked her hip to the side. “Hello, there.”

Deep middle of the ocean blue eyes stared straight into hers. “Are you Kate?”

God, he was cute. But how did he know her name? “And you would be?”

“Mason, I love upstairs.”

Mason, Hannah’s new boyfriend. Lucky girl. Kate pushed the door open and motioned for him to enter.

“I heard something moving around down here and I knew that Hannah wasn’t home so I thought I would check it out.”

“Check out whatever you want, honey. I have bagels if you’re hungry.”

1:46 pm            BAGELS – 8  376 words