Unwritten

by Rachel Lacey

  “Well, here I am.”

  “Yes, here you are.” She held his gaze a moment longer, then broke away. She walked to the window and looked out, taking a long sip of her wine.

  He walked up behind her. “So who’s Wade Rynes?”

  Okay, Josh was definitely different. He had just blown the perfect opportunity to put a move on her, instead opting to press the conversation into personal territory.

  She swallowed over the lump in her throat with more wine. “Wade Rynes is my father.”

  Holy hell, did I really just blurt that out? Her heart fluttered frantically in her chest, and heat crept up her neck.

  “Your father.” Josh stepped closer and rested a hand on her shoulder. “You used the present tense. She used the past.”

  Goose bumps pebbled her arms. “Yes.”

  He turned her to face him. “You’re handling this awfully well for someone who just learned, if I’m not mistaken, that her father died and she may have a sister she never knew about.”

  His hands felt warm and comforting on her shoulders, his eyes never wavering from hers. At that moment, she felt as naked as the photos still burning up the internet. She’d just revealed more about herself to Josh Randall—a man she barely knew—than any other man she’d ever dated.

  She stepped back, and his hands returned to his pockets. Better that way. Besides, however sympathetic he might be right now, as soon as he went home and let slip to his buddies about her family drama, she’d regret this moment of bonding. “My father left when I was a toddler. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead or if he fathered other children. And I don’t know Lori Booth. Who knows if she’s telling the truth? She could be some kook out for money.”

  Please, let her be a kook looking for money.

  Kate couldn’t even begin to wrap her mind around the alternative.

  “What will you do?” Josh asked.

  She sighed. Fatigue weighed down her limbs and burned her eyes. Little sleep and lots of stress was eating at her. “Call my manager. He’ll get to the bottom of it. God, this after the nude photo thing yesterday. Really, my life is not usually this crazy.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, pinching at the headache growing there.

  Josh watched her in silence, his expression difficult to read.

  “Sure you’re not headed for the door?” She managed a smile.

  “Honestly? I have no idea what we’re doing right now. You…you’re out of my league, Katherine Hayes.”

  She tilted her head to meet his eyes. “I disagree.” She’d dated her share of Hollywood actors. More than her fair share. None of them would have handled the situation in the park with Jerry or her run-in with Lori Booth with the steady, hands-on attitude Josh had.

  She wasn’t sure if tonight was really a date or just for show, and he didn’t seem to be either. What she did know was, at that moment, she didn’t want him to go. And as their eyes held in the soft light of her living room, with wine warming her belly and an emotional roller coaster sweeping through her veins, she wanted him to kiss her.

  The moment held, so quiet she could hear her own breathing. Josh’s eyes glittered with the reflection of the New York skyline behind her.

  “I, ah…you said this would be everyone’s business by tomorrow. For the record, your secret’s safe with me,” he said finally, breaking the spell.

  “Thank you. I would really love to keep this out of the tabloids.”

  “Something tells me there’s never a dull moment where you’re concerned.”

  She sipped her wine. “That depends on your definition of dull.”

  “I don’t think it’s in your vocabulary. You live in Technicolor.”

  She smiled in spite of herself. “You have an interesting way of looking at things.”

  What in the world was she going to do about Josh? She’d fucked up tonight. After what he’d witnessed with Lori and the things she’d confessed afterward, she couldn’t just say goodbye. She needed to keep an eye on him until the media backlash against her died down, and she didn’t mind nearly as much as she should have.

  5

  The next morning, Josh sat on the 7 train as it rumbled through the darkened tunnels below Manhattan, then blasted up into the dazzling sunshine of the elevated tracks as they crossed the bridge into Queens.

  He joined Lily and her husband Herman for Saturday breakfast at least once a month, but this was his first visit since returning from his summer abroad. Somehow, over the past few years, the standing breakfast invitation had become an opportunity for Lily to check up on him, their roles reversed as his little sister became the protective one. She worried about him, and their mom only added fuel to Lily’s fire. Between the two of them, he’d never have a moment’s peace until he was happily married.

  There was only one problem with that scenario.

  He sighed. Much as he dreaded the conversation, telling them about his dinner with Kate was the easiest way to get them off his back about dating.

  The thing was, he was fairly sure Lily was a fan of Katherine Hayes. In fact, he thought Lily had even attended one of Kate’s concerts a few years ago. It should make for an interesting conversation at the breakfast table.

  Lily answered the door, her dark hair tucked behind her ears. She wore jeans and a green top, her feet bare against the carpet. With a big smile, she threw her arms around his neck. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “You too, Lil,” he said as he hugged her back.

  She motioned him inside and closed the door behind him. “Mom and Dad bailed. Dad’s giving a speech at a library fundraiser tonight, and Herman’s out of town. He got stuck with this awful Monday-morning meeting that couldn’t be rescheduled. I hate when he’s gone on the weekend.”

  Herman was a buyer for a large furniture importer in the area, and several times a year he had to fly out to California to oversee business on the West Coast.

  “That’s too bad.”

  “I’m on call this weekend anyway, so I’ll probably end up working most of it myself,” she said with a shrug. “Anyway, just you and me for breakfast.”

  “More food for both of us?”

  Lily grinned. “Exactly. Come tell me about your summer.”

  “Long. Hot. Spanish.” He summarized his trip as he followed her toward the kitchen, where the smell of bacon and pancakes had his stomach growling in anticipation.

  Lily rolled her eyes. “Wow, I’m drowning in the details.”

  “So have I missed anything around here?”

  “Oh, not much, just…this.” She turned to press something into his hand.

  Josh looked down at the blurry black-and-white photo on his palm. An ultrasound photo. His head snapped up, and he saw the giddy grin on his sister’s face. “You’re pregnant?”

  She nodded, beaming.

  “Holy shit. Congratulations!” He grabbed her in an impulsive hug.

  “Thanks. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but we wanted to do it in person. Herman’s so bummed he couldn’t be here.”

  “Hey, no problem. When are you due?”

  “March first. I’m twelve weeks.”

  Josh rocked back on his heels, still smiling. “I’m going to be an uncle.”

  “Yup.” Lily picked up a spatula to stir the eggs.

  “How’s it going so far? Morning sickness?”

  “Not too bad. It’s getting better now that I’m almost out of the first trimester. A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been in here cooking eggs.” She scrunched up her face.

  “Give me that.” He made a grab for the spatula, but she pushed him away. She scooped the eggs onto a serving plate and placed it on the island with the pancakes and bacon he’d smelled from the living room. “Well, your news is going to make you dislike my news even more.”

  Lily turned to face him. “What news is that?”

  “I’ve accepted a year-long sabbatical teaching at the University of Valencia.”

  She jabbed the spatula at him. “You’re spend
ing an entire year in Spain?”

  “It’s a great opportunity. I couldn’t pass it up.”

  “Or the chance to get away from your meddling family for a whole year.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “That’s not fair.” Except it was, and right now—knowing he had a niece or nephew on the way—he felt guilty as hell.

  “Doesn’t mean it isn't true.”

  He looked at his sneakers. “I need this. Maybe this is my way of moving on.”

  Lily walked around the island and handed him a plate. “Speaking of moving on, I think I’ve finally found the perfect girl to set you up with. She goes to my gym. Her name’s Heather. She’s an elementary school teacher at—”

  “Nope.” He shook his head as he plucked a pancake with his fork.

  “Josh, it’s been two years…” Her eyes softened. They’d had this same conversation more times than he could count. Today, it would go a little differently.

  He took his plate and sat at the kitchen table. “I know how long it’s been.”

  “So…” Lily joined him, her plate noticeably free of eggs.

  “You didn’t have to cook eggs for me if you don’t like them right now.”

  “The smell doesn’t bother me. They just don’t look appetizing.” She pointed her fork in his direction. “And you’re changing the subject.”

  “So, the point is, I may not need your help after all.” He drizzled syrup over his pancakes and took a big bite.

  “What?” Her brow wrinkled, then her eyes widened. “You mean…did you meet someone?”

  “As a matter of fact.”

  Lily’s mouth fell open.

  He would have enjoyed the moment a hell of a lot more if he could have left it there. He didn’t understand what it was with women that they had to know every detail about private things, and for him, dating was private.

  She pursed her lips. “Wait, does she live in Spain?”

  “Nope, right here in New York.”

  “Well, then.” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. “This is fascinating news. How did you meet?”

  “We met in Central Park. I helped her out when her dog got tangled up on one of those boulders near Empire Rock.”

  “That sounds like you.” She took a bite of her pancake. “Tell me about her. What’s her name? What does she do for a living?”

  “That’s the interesting part.” He cleared his throat. “She’s, ah…Katherine Hayes. I think you already know what she does for a living.”

  Lily stared, then shook her head as though she’d misunderstood. “Come again?”

  “Katherine Hayes. The woman I met is Katherine Hayes.”

  “As in, ‘I Wish,’ number-one single on the charts, performed on the Today show yesterday, best-selling female artist of the decade?” Her eyes were as round as the pancakes on her breakfast plate.

  “That’s the one.”

  “Josh, it’s not nice to play jokes on your pregnant sister. I have hormones now, remember? Be serious.”

  “I am. She goes by Kate, has two little white dogs named Ben and Jerry, and lives in a massive condo on Central Park West. Blue eyes, blonde hair, about five foot six. Any of this ring a bell?”

  Lily dropped her fork. It clattered to the floor, and she made no move to retrieve it. “You’re serious. You went on a date with Katherine Hayes?”

  “Dinner. The date part is a bit up in the air.”

  “Oh my God. ‘She lives in a massive condo on Central Park West,’” she quoted him. “Does that mean you’ve been inside her condo?”

  “I have, but—”

  “Jesus Christ. You go two years without so much as a date, and whoa—”

  “Settle down. It was just dinner.”

  “Dinner with a superstar, and she took you home afterward. Did you—”

  “Of course not.” And even if he had hooked up with Kate, he sure as hell wouldn’t tell his sister about it.

  “Mom’s gonna freak!”

  “Probably,” he agreed.

  “Well, tell me everything. What is she like? What was she wearing? Did you tell her about me?” Lily leaned forward, her eyes gleaming.

  “I plead the fifth, and no, your name didn’t come up.”

  “You’re no fun. Did you see her Grammys? Does she keep them in her living room?”

  “No, I didn’t see her Grammys. I imagine she keeps that stuff at her house in LA. I get the impression she spends a lot more time there than she does here in New York.”

  “My brother and Katherine Hayes.” She shook her head. “So there will be a second date? At which time you might mention the possibility of hanging out with your supercool sister?”

  “We’re having coffee this afternoon. I don’t know if that’s technically a date. The whole thing is…complicated.” Truthfully, he had no intention of dating Katherine Hayes. There were moments when he felt completely smitten with her: her beautiful smile, the musical way her voice lilted when she laughed. There was no denying that he was attracted to her.

  But the whole thing was ridiculous. He would never date a pop star. She wouldn’t have even suggested coffee if he hadn’t stumbled into her family drama last night. Leave it to him to get himself tied up in something like this. Not a casual date with a nice girl to get his feet wet. No, he had to tumble headfirst into the crazy world of Katherine Hayes.

  “You know I’m just teasing,” Lily said. “I’m happy for you. You deserve to be happy too, you know.”

  “Well, we’ll see. But I did go out, and that has to release me from all talk of blind dates through at least the end of the year.”

  She laughed. “Deal. But watch out come January, unless, of course, you and Katherine are still going strong.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Her face softened, and she placed a hand over Josh’s. “Does she know?”

  “About Noelia?”

  Lily nodded, her brown eyes crinkled with concern.

  “No, Lil. That’s not usually something that comes up on a first date.”

  “I know. But it’s also a huge part of who you are, so don’t keep it to yourself for too long, okay?”

  “I won’t, but I really don’t see this going that far.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short. You deserve a family too.”

  Josh smarted at her words. A family was once something he’d taken for granted, something he rarely thought of anymore, but the joy on Lily’s face made him aware all over again of everything he’d lost. He stared at his plate.

  She rested a hand on his shoulder. “You know I love Katherine Hayes, and you dating her is beyond cool, but she’s pretty high profile. Especially now with this nude photo scandal. I mean, have you thought about seeing your face in a tabloid?”

  Josh sat back, his chest uncomfortably tight as last night’s paparazzi disaster replayed in his head. He’d been photographed arm in arm with Katherine Hayes, entering her building. He didn’t like the idea of that winding up in a tabloid, not at all.

  “Just be careful, that’s all.”

  “I will be.” He’d allowed his libido to cloud his judgment in agreeing to see Kate again today, but his eyes were open now. His dad, Tom Randall, was campaigning for mayor in Umbridge, Massachusetts, where he currently served as police chief. He’d hinted about wanting Josh and Lily around on weekends to show off his family, about the increased scrutiny the family would be under during his campaign. The last thing his dad needed was to have Josh connected to a pop star in the middle of a nude photo scandal.

  Never mind his students catching wind of it. The very idea of them having any knowledge of his dating life made his skin crawl, let alone the fascination that would no doubt ensue if they found out their Spanish professor was dating their favorite singer.

  Josh didn’t need his face in a tabloid, period.

  * * *

  Kate struggled through the morning. An impromptu powwow had been called with Jenn, Harry, and Vero. The nude photos had been yanked from
the internet thanks to the threat of legal action, although who knew how many perverts had copies already downloaded on their computers and cell phones. Fake or not, the thought made Kate sick to her stomach. But there was nothing else she could do about it, so it was time to move on to the next crisis: Lori Booth.

  “Katie!” Veronica Padrón swept into the room. Her dark hair was tied in a neat twist at the nape of her neck. She wore a teal skirt and purple blouse, accented by ample colorful bangles adorning her wrists and neck. Kate assumed her flashy style was compensation for the fact that Hollywood’s top publicist was barely larger than a Barbie doll.

  She stood. “Vero.”

  Harry followed in Vero’s wake, hands thrust into his pockets, his expression pensive. Jenn skirted around them both to set a tray containing a pitcher of ice water, finger sandwiches, and an assortment of fruit on the coffee table.

  “I gotta say, Katie, this is the busiest you’ve ever kept me,” Vero said in her husky voice. “Nude photos and a long-lost sister all in one week? What’s next?”

  Kate poured a glass of water, then returned to her seat. “Hopefully back to business as usual.”

  Harry and Vero sat on opposite ends of the couch across from her, while Jenn settled into the armchair to her left, ready with her iPad to research and take notes.

  “So far, Lori Booth checks out,” Jenn said as her fingers flew over her iPad. “Wade Rynes is listed as her father on her birth certificate, and I’ve got an obituary from the August tenth edition of the Herald Sun for one Wade Arnold Rynes, beloved father and uncle. No mention of a wife.”

  Kate’s heart stumbled in her chest. So, it was true. Her dad was dead.

  “Lori’s the only child mentioned in the obituary.” Jenn glanced at Kate apologetically.

  She nodded, gulping air to combat the painful tightening in her chest.

  “Well, this has all the workings of an emotional TV reunion,” Vero said.

  Kate stiffened. “Absolutely not.”

  “It would bring great ratings, but we’ll talk about it once the test results are in,” Vero said. “Let’s try to keep Lori under wraps until then. Offer her whatever she wants to keep quiet. We don’t want you publicly embarrassed if she turns out to be a fraud.”