Fade to Black

by Unknown

  Maybe it was that the decision had been made for her. Her intrigue with the new feelings she had for Rich had been dashed in a single moment, after a slight brush of their lips. The electricity she’d felt nearly melted her insides. But as soon as his lips left hers, he pulled away emotionally as well, leaving her even more confused than before.

  Since that day two weeks ago, she forced herself to focus on Jesse. Only Jesse. Too bad her heart had a mind of its own.

  The morning after Dale informed the two of them that they were perfect together, and Rich’s choking fit, Kate showed up to work to find that she’d been reassigned. Nate was now her photographer and, although she was sure he knew why Rich stepped aside, Nate wouldn’t say anything, playing dumb.

  Today was supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year, but Kate highly doubted that she was going to walk out and find Jesse—or Rich—sitting under the Christmas tree with a big red bow on his head.

  She dragged herself out of bed and into the shower, pulled on some clothes and made the journey to work. The ghost town had only a handful of people doing the work of many others. Olivia and Jordan were supposed to have been off but…

  “Kate,” Olivia sighed. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Kate smiled, wishing she could return the sentiment. “If it’s okay, you’re going to stay in-house. Dale would like you to anchor again today.”

  That was the first piece of good news she’d had in a long time. “Really? What about Clayton?”

  “I don’t think he’s been forgiven of his stupidity yet.” She giggled and pushed back a chair at the work station next to her desk. “You can sit here. It’ll be fun.”

  “Okay,” Kate murmured then her mind drifted off to where it always seemed to go these days. Rich.

  “Kate?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just miss…” Kate stopped as her eyes caught sight of Rich striding across the newsroom in his tight black jeans and long-sleeved white t-shirt with News17 across the back. He paused to speak briefly with Jordan, but blatantly kept his gaze away from where she was seated. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and continued, “I just really miss Jesse.”

  “I can only imagine how hard that must be.” She looked over at Jordan and sighed. “Hey, what are you doing for Christmas dinner?”

  “I don’t know. Josh and Sophia invited me over to their house, but I’m thinking I’ll just go home and nuke a Lean Cuisine and call it a night.”

  Olivia gasped as if the words were utter blasphemy. “Don’t be ridiculous! You’re coming with us.”

  “Olivia, no. Really, I just want to be alone,” Kate protested.

  “Nonsense. What kind of friend would I be to let you eat something out of the microwave for Christmas dinner?” She stood up so that she could see over the assignment desk. “Jordan, honey, it’s not a big deal for Kate to tag along to Christmas dinner, is it?”

  Jordan shook his head. “Nope. I’ll call Mom and let her know to set a place for one more.”

  Rich’s eyes met Kate’s for only a moment before she dropped her gaze. Those pools of shimmering ocean water had a way of seeing straight to her soul, and she didn’t want him to know what he’d done to her.

  It’s better this way, she told herself. He’s married and I’m in love with Jesse. Nice and easy.

  But there was nothing easy about the conflict waging war in her heart. Kate hated that she ached to feel the touch of another man. She loathed herself for feeling anything for Rich. She loved Jesse, adored him, and would happily become his wife—someday.

  “It’s all settled, Kate, you’re coming with us. Do you wanna stay the night at our house too?”

  “Oh, no.” Kate laughed although it sounded forced. “I’m a big girl, I can stay home alone.”

  “Kate,” Rich said, his voice concerned, “you do make sure that everything’s locked, right? I wouldn’t want… We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Maybe you would be better off staying with Olivia and Jordan.”

  She wasn’t sure why his concern irritated her, but it did—big time. “Listen Rich, I appreciate that you’re all concerned for my well-being, but Jesse has been gone for three weeks and Freddy Kruger hasn’t shown up. I think I’ll be fine.”

  Jordan and Olivia laughed, but Rich’s face looked wounded for only a second before he composed it into an emotionless mask. “I was just…”

  The vicious side of her wanted to go for his jugular, but she just took another quick stab and then retreated. “The boogeyman hasn’t made an appearance either. But if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll check under my bed before I climb into it at night.”

  He forced a defeated smile and dropped his head. “Yes, that would make me feel better. Do you think you could double-check your doors and windows too?”

  “Fine,” Kate scoffed, rolled her eyes at him then stood. “Olivia, I’ll be back. I’m going to the bathroom. Rich, would you like to do recon for me, first? Just to make sure it’s safe.” Her voice had just enough venom to be potent, but not enough to make her sound like a complete bitch. It was the only response she could have to Rich now.

  His rejection stung and she couldn’t stand to be around him. She felt like such a fool. Jesse’s a great guy, who doesn’t deserve a girlfriend who is pining away for a jerk that finds pleasure in screwing with her emotions.

  When she finally locked the door to the bathroom, tears started to stream down her face. After putting the lid down on the toilet, she sat down and let the emotions she’d kept bottled up to flow. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure that at any moment it would start to rattle the walls. She was miserable. Jesse was gone. Rich was distant. And she couldn’t decide which was worse.

  **

  “…and fade to black. Roll commercial,” the director spoke the familiar words in Kate’s ear. Fade to black, her thoughts repeated the phase, the one that meant she could finally breathe, finally relax, finally enjoy a job well done.

  Within a few minutes, Kate climbed into the back of Jordan’s Mustang for the trip to his family’s Christmas dinner. Olivia chatted incessantly while Jordan laughed. Both of them allowed her to stay quiet, for which she was grateful.

  They pulled up to a beautiful brick house that had a long sidewalk and big, open fields of undisturbed snow on each side. It was easy to imagine the lush green grass that would be in its place come summer.

  Jordan led the way and opened the door. “We’re here,” he yelled into the hustle and bustle.

  A woman came running from the kitchen, rubbing her hands on her apron. She pulled Olivia into a hug, moved on to Jordan then wrapped her arms around Kate. “Kate, it’s so nice of you to join us.”

  “Th- thank you for having me.” Kate questioned Olivia with her eyes.

  Jordan tugged at the arms that were crushing her. “Kate, this is my mom, Elise Greene. Mom, please…let go of Kate.”

  She brushed her hands over her hair, then called into the other room, “Elaine, the kids are here.”

  “Elaine?” Kate shot a glare at Olivia. “As in Dale’s Elaine?” she whispered.

  Olivia giggled and nodded. “Um hum.”

  “You had me crash Dale’s Christmas dinner?” Kate groaned, wishing she could just turn and run all the way home. “Olivia, how could…”

  “Kate,” Dale’s voice said.

  She forced a smile and turned around. “Hi, thank you for having me.”

  “Absolutely.” He motioned toward the living room. “Please…come in. Another fantastic job today, Kate.”

  “Thanks.” Any other house on the planet and Kate would have been more comfortable.

  “I have to say that I’m a little surprised you’re here.”

  Her body filled with nervous energy and she started fidgeting. “I’m sorry, Olivia invited me…and with Jesse gone…” Her eyes burned and she cursed her overactive emotions.

  His brows crinkled “Where’s Jesse?”

  Whe
n Kate didn’t answer right away, Olivia spoke up, “His dad’s sick, so he’s in Arizona. He’s been gone since the day after the Christmas party and Kate’s pretty upset about it.”

  “Olivia,” Kate hissed, brushing the tears away from her cheeks. As if her misery wasn’t hard enough, but now, her boss knew. “I’m sorry, Dale, this isn’t something you need to worry about.”

  “Nonsense. I wish you would have told me sooner.” He winked. “When is he coming home?”

  Kate sniffed. “We don’t know. He’s been going to come home but then doesn’t dare leave his dad.”

  Dale put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “How about I make you a deal?”

  “A deal?”

  He laughed. “Yeah.” His smile was contagious. “If you’ll cover the New Year’s Eve celebration, then I’ll give you two weeks in Arizona.” His smile grew with each word he spoke. He knew he was offering a proposition she couldn’t refuse. “You just have to be back in time for ratings,” he added. Deal?”

  “Let me get this straight. If I cover New Years’, I get two weeks off?” He nodded, and she squealed, covering her mouth to stifle it. She brushed at the tears on her cheeks again as she jumped up and threw herself into his arms. “Deal, Dale, you’re the best!”

  Elaine snickered softly from the doorway. “What have you done now?”

  Dale blushed and tried to remove himself from her excited death grip.

  “You remember Jesse,” Olivia started to explain. Elaine nodded. “He’s in Arizona with his dad, and Dale just made a deal that will allow Kate to go see him. I think she’s a little excited.”

  Kate could feel herself blushing as everyone around her chuckled at her expense. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to accost your husband, Elaine. It’s just…”

  “You don’t have to explain to me, dear.” She looked adoringly at Dale as he stepped to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Being separated from the man you love is not something I enjoy either.”

  Kate smiled at her—at them. “Excuse me, I need to call Jesse.”

  “Of course you do.” Elaine smiled. “Please don’t take too long, dinner is almost ready.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  Elaine and Dale left the room, hand in hand. Olivia gave Kate a thumbs-up and flitted toward the kitchen.

  Jesse’s phone rang twice before a female voice answered. “Hello?”

  “This is Kate…Um… Who’s this?”

  Laughter rang out. “Kate, it’s Terri. Merry Christmas.”

  “You, too. I’m sorry, but I only have a second… Is Jesse there?”

  “He was just helping Dad in the bathroom. Hold on, and I’ll let him know you’re on the line.”

  “Thanks.” Kate walked around the exquisitely decorated formal living room, looking at the pictures. There was one of Jordan and Olivia where she actually had long hair, down to her mid-back and one from their wedding day.

  “KC?” Jesse sounded a bit panicked. “Is everything okay? I thought we were going to wait and talk tonight.”

  Hearing his voice caused her eyes to burn with unshed emotion. “Oh, Jesse,” she sighed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” She paused, thinking of the best way to mess with him. “How much do you miss me, Jesse?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” He chuckled. “I miss you so much, it’s making me crazy.” His voice was full of want and desperate need.

  “When are you coming home?”

  He sighed, and she could picture his long fingers running through his black hair. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, you can’t come home until at least the middle of January.”

  “Oh, you really miss me, huh?” he scoffed.

  She laughed at his disappointed tone. “Because I’m coming to Arizona.”

  “What! Really, KC? You’re coming here?”

  His excitement made her smile. “Yep. I just have to cover the New Year’s Eve celebration, and then I’ll get on a plane on the first and be out there for two weeks.”

  “Merry Christmas to me!” He let out a holler. “Who do I have to thank for this present?”

  “Dale. I just have to be back in time for ratings.”

  “May or July?” he teased.

  She smiled. “February.”

  “Bummer.”

  “Surely, you’ll be able to come back with me.”

  “Let’s not worry about that right now.” She could hear that he was still smiling. “Damn, this is the best news. Tell Dale thank you for me.”

  Olivia cleared her throat from the doorway. “Dinner’s on the table.”

  Kate nodded at her. “Hey Jesse, they’re holding dinner for me.”

  “They, who?” It sounded an awful lot like an accusation.

  “Would you believe I ended up at Dale and Elaine’s with Olivia and Jordan?” Kate laughed.

  “Anybody else from the station there?” His question screamed Rich. Jesse was suspicious. And despite her saying otherwise, he did have a jealous streak that could get nasty.

  “Nope, just the four of us.” Olivia cleared her throat again. “Listen, I really need to get going. I’ll call you tonight.”

  The house was completely dark as Rich pulled into the garage. The presence of the little red BMW assured him that Shea was home. Worry and relief hit him at the same time. If she was home, she couldn’t be anywhere near Kate and with any luck, she was already asleep. As he walked into the house, he softly called for Shea.

  A soft whisper of an answer came from the living room, “In here, baby.”

  Baby? He rolled his eyes. “I’ve had a long day,” he said on the short trip toward her. “I’m just going to go…”

  She smiled, twirling a lock of hair that was hidden underneath a red and white Santa hat. Her breasts were covered in a red and white bra and she wore matching panties. Her ensemble was completed with thigh-high stockings and red stilettos. “I thought you might want to open your last present,” she purred.

  His member jerked, but the wiser of the two heads won out. “Um, I’m…ah…”

  She stalked toward him with the beauty of a cheetah. The urge to flee surged through his bloodstream and he stepped backward. Her tongue tsked and the pouting began. “Rich, darling, you haven’t made love to me for so long. I need you.”

  “That’s a nice offer, but I’m gonna turn in.”

  She eased toward him and put her hands on his shoulders, ran them down his back and rested them on his ass. She squeezed and pulled his hips into her. “You want me to beg?” Her tongue ran over her cherry red lips. “Please, Rich.”

  He took another step backward, his back meeting the wall. Dammit! “Thanks anyway, Shea, but I’m going to go to bed—alone.”

  She narrowed her eyes and stepped away from him. Her hands moved around to her back and ripped her bra from her body, tossing it across the room where it landed on an upper branch of the tree. “What’s the matter, Rich, you don’t like these anymore?” She took a breast in each hand. “You certainly paid enough for them. I would think that you’d like to reap the reward of your investment.”

  “Shea, I’m not in the mood…” His thoughts moved to Kate and a sigh escaped.

  Tears filled Shea’s eyes. “I knew there was another woman.”

  “Not this again.” He groaned and ran his hands over his tired face. “There is no other woman. Never has been.” Until I’m rid of you. “I am faithful to you, Shea.”

  He brushed past her, frustrated in more than one way. Shea’s breasts were magnificent, Dr. Pretètiti made sure of that, but sleeping with her would have been wrong, given what he had in the works. Not only that but, strangely, having sex with his wife would have felt like cheating on Kate.

  The den door closed and Rich turned the lock. He wondered if tonight would be enough to set Shea off—not that he was trying to upset her. His body ached for release, but not from the one Shea was offering. He wanted to be rid of
her so that he could on to better things.

  He flipped on the TV and watched the rerun of Kate anchoring in silence. Her intoxicating eyes looked so sad. The distance he’d put between them had seemingly had an effect on her. Or was it just wishful thinking?

  Minutes went by before he heard the clicking of Shea’s stilettos coming down the hall. He expected her to stop at the door and start another rant, complete with her hand hammering against the barrier he used to keep himself safe while he slept, but her bedroom door closed softly.

  She was not reacting at all how he expected. Slamming doors, screaming fits, and careening objects was more her style. His eyes inspected the lock to make sure it was in the locked position before he let them drift closed and fell asleep.

  The morning sun shone through the window, cheerful and full of promise. Rich ran his hands over his face, the whiskers scratchy against his palm. Remembering the events of last night, he stopped breathing to listen for any sign of Shea.

  Only silence answered.

  With shaking hands, he unlocked the door and slowly opened it. The expectation of something flying through the air at him had his nerves on edge. He peered down the hall in each direction before stepping out completely.

  Still nothing.

  He started a quick recon mission, searching for the crazy woman who would soon be his ex-wife. She wasn’t in her bedroom. The bed was made. He couldn’t be sure if she’d slept in it or not.

  “Shea?” Even his voice was shaky.

  Silence.

  He walked through the kitchen and opened the door to the garage. Her car was gone, but where the hell had she gone—and when?