With an unsteady hand, she took the pen and the book then scribbled her name. Usually her handwriting was neat, smooth and precise. Not today. Her nerves had undergone a major case of battering. She took deep breaths, hoping the oxygen would help her brain to function right now.
“I don’t know you,” she answered his question as she returned his pen and the book.
She didn’t really lie about not knowing him, since the only way she knew him was in her dreams. She had also been friends with his sister-in-law, Tori, which was where Katelyn had received most of her information to write about his life. She and Tori had worked together, and Tori vented to Katelyn all the time about her good-for-nothing, brother-in-law.
“Really.” The tone of his voice let her know he didn’t believe her answer. He leaned closer. “Is Chelsea Mitchell your real name?”
Her hand was still wobbly when she returned the book and pen. “Well...not really.”
“Will you tell me what is?”
She swallowed, moistening her dry throat. It was quite embarrassing having a good-looking man study her so intently, especially today of all days! Self-consciously, she swiped her hand over her hair. Why didn’t I at least style it today?
He wanted to know her name. If she gave it to him, he’d certainly remember her from college, wouldn’t he? And, if she told him her real name, he’d sue her. Then again, she had no other choice. She couldn’t lie—or skirt around this question.
“I’m Katelyn Palmer. Chelsea is my middle name and Mitchell was my mother’s maiden name,” she rattled on, feeling once again like the shy girl she’d been in college.
“Ms. Palmer, if you don’t know me, why is my name and identity in your book?” He pushed the book on the table, making it slide into her plate.
Surprised, she blinked with wide eyes. He still didn’t remember her, even after she gave him her name. Well, she needed to play off that.
She picked up the book, pretending to study the front cover. Frantically, she searched through her mind for an easy way to answer him. Her thoughts filled with ideas, but she didn’t dare voice any. Although she’d been caught, she still fought for control.
“What makes you think that this is you on the cover?” She glanced into his angry brown eyes, very dark right now. “I must admit, the resemblance is remarkable, but—”
“Lady,” he interrupted, “you’ve used my name for your hero.”
She gulped. “Your name is Shane Hunter?”
“Sure is, sweetie.”
She forced a laugh. “I can’t believe it. What a coincidence.”
His eyebrows rose. “Is it?”
“Of course it is. It’s like you pointed out; we don’t know each other. How could I possibly use your identity in my book if I don’t know you?”
His close scrutiny sent chills up her spine, and without having to look in the mirror, she knew her expression was that of a sinner going to church. As each second passed, his face softened, and she finally felt in control of the situation.
He drummed his long fingers on the tabletop. “Do you know a lot of what I read in your book fits with my life?”
Katelyn wiped her moist hands on her pant legs. “That’s remarkable.” She forced another shaky smile.
As his expression gradually weakened, she held herself strong. Soon, he released a heavy sigh and her heart soared with relief.
He relaxed in his seat. “Maybe you’re right.” The corner of his mouth turned up into a smile. “I’m sorry if I’ve come across like a lunatic, but your book unnerved my ex-wife’s sister, and she’s trying to complicate my life because of it.”
Katelyn breathed easier. “I’m sorry my book has caused problems. I assure you it wasn’t my intention.”
She waited for his acceptance and when he grinned and the dark anger from his eyes disappeared, she melted. His ruggedly handsome features struck her nearly senseless. Hopefully, she wouldn’t see him after today.
“I just thought because the man in your book shared similar adventures with me, that we were one and the same.” He shrugged. “I guess I overreacted.”
She smiled without a struggle this time. “It’s understandable, although I’ve never had anyone accuse me of such a thing.”
He laughed. “To tell you the truth, if my ex sister-in-law didn’t think I’d had an affair with the author because of what was written in the story, I’d feel a little flattered over the resemblance.”
“And I’m flattered that you’re flattered.” Her cheeks heated. She couldn’t believe Tori would accuse him of having an affair with the author just because of the contents. Ridiculous! She continued to stare at his hypnotic, remarkable eyes, feeling her mind gradually falling through a bottomless hole.
Standing, he broke the spell. “Again, I’m sorry about the mistake. I hope I didn’t come across like a madman.”
Katelyn shrugged. “I was a little frightened at first, but not any longer.”
“Good.” He turned to leave, but stopped. “In fact, to let you know how sorry I am, let me pay for your breakfast.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t let you do that.”
“I insist.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a twenty-dollar bill and threw it on the table. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”
She nodded.
“You know, your novel was the first romance I’ve ever read, and I thought it was very good.” He stretched forth his right hand. “Although it was under these circumstances, it was really nice to meet you.”
She kept herself calm as she slipped her hand into his. Right away a warm, comforting current emanated from his clasp and grew inside her. “And it was a pleasure meeting you.”
Shane stared at her for a few moments longer. The smile on his face changed, almost to a smirk. Finally, he winked, turned and walked out the door.
She exhaled deeply, blowing the few strands of hair hanging on her forehead. That was a close call, one that she didn’t want to experience ever again.
Yet, did he believe her? From his expression just now, he looked like the cat that had captured the canary...chewed her up and had her for dinner.
KATELYN DARTED FROM her parked car to the porch of her friend’s condo. Thankfully, Melissa didn’t live too far from the city limits. When Katelyn reached the door, she pounded on the hard wood, not caring if her knuckles turned red from the supreme effort. After rapping a couple more times, she waited and listened for any movement on the other side of the door, but only detected her own quick nervous breaths.
“Come on, Melissa, wake up,” Katelyn muttered impatiently, and knocked again.
Shuffling of feet and a loud curse came from inside before her friend opened the door. Melissa stood in her white bathrobe, her short dyed-blonde hair in disarray with a newly awakened expression on her forty-five-year-old face. The sight was laughable, but Katelyn refrained from grinning. Not today, and definitely not after what happened at the pancake house.
Melissa blinked as if trying to focus and Katelyn waited for recognition to strike. Her friend’s eyes widened, and then just as quickly her brows creased.
“What are you doing here this early in the morning?” she grumbled.
Katelyn pushed past her friend and entered the expensively decorated apartment. “It’s nine o’clock in the morning, which isn’t early at all.” She moved to the dinette table, pulled out a chair and plopped down.
Melissa closed the door and crept into the room, taking the chair across from her. “For your information, the party lasted until two in the morning. That’s why I was still asleep. So now tell me, what was so all-fired important to see me this early?”
Katelyn frowned. “I need your help and I can’t wait a moment longer.” She sighed, covering her face with her hands as she dropped her head to the table. “I’m in trouble, and I don’t know how to write myself out of this one.”
“What?” Melissa shrieked, which made Katelyn jerk her head up and look at her. “How can you be in trouble?”
Melissa continued, “For as long as I’ve known you, trouble isn’t even part of your vocabulary. You, my dear friend, are the one person I know who never gets into difficult situations.”
Confusion clouded Katelyn’s mind for only a second, then she forced a sharp laugh. Her friend knew her well. “Well, this time I’m in deeper than I ever thought possible.” She shook her head and leaned forward, grasping Melissa’s hands. “I’m having problems only a writer can have.”
Melissa tilted her head, her face still lined with confusion. “But I thought you were going to finish the novel last night. You told me on the phone—”
“I’ve finished the book.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Katelyn stared at her friend for a few moments in silence, trying to think of the right words, but there was no way to say it gently. “Before I tell you, I need to know something.” She paused briefly, not really waiting for a response, just time for a deep breath. “We are friends, right?”
“Of course we’re friends.” Melissa narrowed her gaze. “Sweetie? What’s wrong?”
Katelyn pushed away from the table and walked to the window. She adjusted the blinds until a small amount of sun shone through. The large pool filled with water was void of swimmers, and the tennis courts not too far from it remained empty, as well. It didn’t surprise Katelyn that nobody wanted to be outside today in this blustery weather. Already, the weather this year had been much cooler than normal.
“I met Shane Hunter this morning.” She peeked over her shoulder at her friend.
Melissa’s expression wavered slightly. “Shane Hunter... Shane Hunter...” Her eyes widened with recognition. “Shane Hunter, the hero in your first book?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. I know you daydream quite a bit, but to actually meet one of your heroes in real life. That doesn’t make sense.”
Katelyn ran her fingers through her ratty ponytail and took a breath for courage. “Seven years ago, before I had envisioned the plot for Ladies’ Man, I was in college, working part time in an office. There was a guy on campus that I had a crush on. I couldn’t stop thinking about the man who made my toes curl.”
Melissa’s smile widened.
“He married and moved to Montana before I could tell him how I felt, but I was shy and I didn’t think it would have happened anyway. During college, I worked with his sister-in-law, Tori. I didn’t let her know how I felt about Shane, especially since she used to tell me stories of her sister while she dated Shane. I knew at that moment he was going to be the hero in my first book.”
Melissa rose slowly. “Do you mean to tell me you used the identity of a real man when you wrote Ladies’ Man?”
Nodding, Katelyn cringed. Here comes the lecture... Melissa was going to lay into her now. “You see,” Katelyn quickly explained, “I had studied Shane so much I knew every detail, his deep brown eyes, straight nose, square chin and that perfect mouth. Because I’d stared at him so much in college, I knew the curve of his eyebrows when he was confused and the lift of his lips when he laughed. I changed a few things when I wrote about him, because in real life Tori said he was a class A jerk, so I molded him into every woman’s hero. I wrote about situations and events in his life.”
A cheesy grin touched Melissa’s mouth. “I’d like to meet this man.”
“Melissa, be serious.”
“I am. You forget, I’ve read your book. Several times, in fact.”
“Well, I met him for the first time this morning after all these years, and he wasn’t very happy I used his name and his identity without getting permission.”
Melissa’s eyes widened. “He knows?”
Katelyn nodded.
“How?”
A soft laugh escaped Katelyn as she walked back to the chair and slumped on the seat. Humor was not on her mind, and the laugh came from realizing she had indeed stirred trouble for the first time in her life. “Apparently, Tori read my book and thought I was writing from experience. She thought when Shane was married to her sister he was having an affair with the author of the book. This morning while eating breakfast at my favorite diner, I overheard Shane talking to his lawyer. Shane is planning to bring charges against me for Violation of Privacy.”
“But... but how did he know it was you?”
“He saw the picture on the back cover, and put two and two together. He came to my table and asked if I was Chelsea Mitchell.”
“What did you say?”
“I said yes, of course. What else could I say?”
Melissa leaned forward, twining her fingers on the table. “Then what happened?”
Katelyn frowned. “He wanted to know why I wrote about his life without his permission.”
“How did you answer that?”
“I lied!” Katelyn buried her face in her hands. “He didn’t remember me from college, and so I lied to him, Melissa. I was scared to death about having my reputation ruined.” She sobbed, finally letting out the fear inside. “Writing is my life. I can’t have it ruined!”
“Okay, Katie, dear, don’t panic.”
Katelyn lifted her head. “Too late. What you don’t understand is that I’m not used to lying. Even as a child, my family knew when I lied because of my expression. It was then that I realized I couldn’t lie—so I didn’t again. Until this morning.”
“First thing we need to do,” Melissa said, moving into the adjoining kitchen, “is make a strong pot of coffee so that my brain can function properly. Then, I’ll know how to help.”
“I don’t drink coffee,” Katelyn reminded her friend.
“Fine, I’ll pour you a glass of milk while I have a cup of coffee.”
“I’d like something stronger than milk,” Katelyn muttered.
“All right, apple juice it is!”
Katelyn remained at the table while her friend prepared the coffee maker then grabbed a cup and saucer. With every perk from the coffee maker, Katelyn’s hopes sank lower. She was doomed. Her career as a writer was over and she wasn’t looking forward to being taken to court and dragged through the gossip columns.
Surely people would speculate. All they had to do was read the book to know Katelyn had a crush on him. She’d never forget how excitement shook through her whenever he had looked her way, which really wasn’t often.
There was no way she could see him ever again. Fate wouldn’t be so unkind to her twice in a lifetime. Right? The only place she wanted to see Shane Hunter was in her dreams and to remember him as she wanted him to be, instead of the awful person Tori had told Katelyn about all those years ago.
When Tori had first told stories of Shane, Katelyn didn’t think any man who looked that dreamy and had such a melting smile could be so heartless to his wife. The way Shane had treated Amber was absolutely unforgivable. He was oblivious to a woman’s needs, unfeeling to the world around him. According to Tori, Shane actually flirted outwardly with other women in front of his wife. He’d even insulted Amber for everyone to hear. That was the lowest form of insensitivity.
Melissa took careful steps from the kitchen as she carried her coffee cup and Katelyn’s juice. She placed the juice in front of Katelyn. The fresh brewed smell of her friend’s coffee rose to Katelyn’s senses and brought her out of her thoughts.
Melissa sipped her drink, then placed the cup on the saucer and linked her fingers. “I think I have a solution.”
Katelyn gaped. “So soon?”
“Yes.” She took another sip. “It’s an easy solution, really. All you have to do is become his friend. Then your problems will be solved!”
Chapter Three
Katelyn had taken a drink of her apple juice when her friend’s words registered. She slammed her drink down hard on the table. “What? Are you out of your mind?”
Melissa grinned. “I may be, but go with me on this. He’s a single man, and you’re a single woman—”
“Stop right there,” Katelyn instructed with a harsh tone. “If you’re possibly t
hinking I would take an interest in him again after all these years, you can forget it.”
Her friend shrugged. “But you said he’s a gorgeous hunk of man.”
“He’s gorgeous, but—”
“Then you’re attracted to him.”
“It’s only physical.”
“That’s a good start.”
Katelyn scowled. “No, Melissa. A man’s true self-worth and beauty comes from within. I recall the stories Tori told me, and Shane Hunter doesn’t have a heart.”
“A person can change. Besides, all I’m suggesting is becoming his friend. He’s not going to press charges on someone he likes.”
“But I don’t want to like him. Besides that, I’m a horrible liar...and it’s not right to lie.”
Melissa folded her arms and leaned forward on the table. “Would you rather he take you to court and have your name dragged through all the gossip columns in every newspaper and magazine? Would you rather let him ruin your writing career?”
Katelyn hung her head and stared at her drink. “Just how friendly am I supposed to be?”
“Get to know him, and let him know you.” Melissa chuckled. “When he discovers what a wonderful woman you are, he’ll think twice about taking you to court.” She took a sip from her cup. “And it won’t hurt to go out on a date with him a time or two, and let him kiss you, either.”
Katelyn sprayed a mouthful of apple juice across the table. “That is out of the question,” she screeched.
With the sleeve of her robe, Melissa wiped the excess liquid off her face. “And why can’t that happen?” She paused, but didn’t give Katelyn time to answer. “Besides, there’s no way a man, such as our gorgeous Shane Hunter, and a lovely woman like yourself, can be friends without dating. Both of you are young, single, and are very attractive people, and after being around each other you’ll have those lovey-dovey feelings sooner or later. In fact, I’m willing to bet he’s thinking about you at this very moment.”
Katelyn rolled her eyes heavenward. “Melissa, look at me. I’m not wearing make-up. I haven’t washed my hair in twenty-four hours—or even brushed it for that matter—and I’m wearing an old pair of jogging sweats.” She swept her hand over her attire. “This is what he saw when he looked at me this morning. Yes, he’s thinking about me, all right. He’s wondering what cave I crawled out of.”
Dreaming 0f You (Christian Romance) Page 3
