One from Mac, I’m sorry, Babe. I love you.
She noted Mac had also tried calling, but she had set her phone to vibrate only. He had called not once but three times.
Fantastic.
What was she going to tell him? Sorry I missed you. I was drinking champagne with Nick, and we were laughing about the time we took dance lessons.
No, that wouldn’t work. She’d have to see how or when she’d tell Mac about Nick. Maybe, for everyone’s sake, she’d simply avoid it altogether.
. . . .
Rebecca almost flew into her arms the minute Kate arrived.
“God it’s good to see you again!” she smiled. Kate hugged her back. It was great to have Rebecca on board. Like herself, Mac, and Lulu, Rebecca had come from Morris & Dean. Like Mac, she had a great eye for a good book, and Kate had invited her to join Lavigne House to bring in more Young Adult and New Adult books.
“It’s so great to have you on board! I’m sorry that I wasn’t here when you arrived.”
“Totally fine,” Rebecca smiled. “Mac was here, and we were sitting in his office. It was like old times, only without you-know-who,” she said with a wink.
Rebecca slung an arm through Kate’s and walked with her to her new office. Lulu beamed from her desk.
“I love this office, Kate. Big enough but not too big like MD with sprawling offices everywhere. Lots of open space, lots of windows so I don’t feel like I’m in some book prison.”
Kate recalled the MD offices, which were enormous and often dark and depressing.
Mac walked out of his office, smiling that big, handsome smile that always made her want to dropkick him to the ground and rip off his shirt.
“Rebecca and I brainstormed the entire fall season while you were gone.” He kissed Kate on the cheek.
“Sorry guys. I started working on a new book then met up with the author to sign the contract.” Kate pulled the envelope from her bag and held it up.
“My Katie is such the rock star! Hunting down authors to get them to sign their contracts,” Mac smiled, putting an arm around her. So she had been honest; she did meet up with the author. She just left out a minor detail that it was at Nick’s apartment, with Nick. And champagne.
Rebecca said, “Well, I’m going to leave you two. I have a bunch of manuscripts that look really promising. I’m going to go over them this afternoon and should have some ideas by tomorrow morning.”
“Great,” Mac smiled. “How about we all have drinks tonight to celebrate? Lu, can you come, too?”
“Sure,” she nodded.
“I’ll need to call the hubby and see if he can pick up Olivia,” Rebecca chimed in.
Kate was already so tired, but she knew she had to rally. “Great idea, Mac.”
Mac turned to Kate. “Can I see you in my office for a few?” Mac asked softly. Mac quickly whisked Kate to his office and closed the door.
“I’m an ass,” he said, looking impossibly contrite. He took her hands and pulled her to him.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” She rested her head against his firm chest.
“No, it’s not fine. We’re lucky to have Vivienne. I should have just left it at that. Authors have requests all the time. Hers just happened to be me.”
“Mac.” Kate pulled away from his chest, looking up at him. “I told her you’d be on the book. I would never exclude you. You just won’t have direct contact with her, that’s all.”
“As I said, I’m an ass.” Mac cupped her face in his hands and placed a kiss on her lips. “Can you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Mac.”
“We have one drink with Rebecca and Lu, and then we’re heading home where I plan to make love with you all night. God, how I’ve missed you.” He kissed her again, this time with more urgency.
When he finally let her go, she stepped back and smiled. She loved Mac. Of course she did. Nick was a great love, but he was in the past. That was all there was to it. For now, she would not tell Mac where she’d been, but she promised herself she’d tell him later. However, there was something else that couldn’t wait.
“Mac,” she said finally. “This is a helluva thing to lay on someone on their first day, but we need to alert Rebecca to what happened this morning. I mean, the guy is in custody but you know there will be questions, follow up, and she should know.”
He nodded, “I agree. I’ll tell her later when we’re at the bar.”
Then he kissed her again.
CHAPTER 30
Kate spent what was left of the afternoon lost in her work. True to her word, Lulu had her office cleaned and even had flowers delivered. A burst of sunflowers brightened up the room. Had it really only been a few hours ago when someone had stood in her office with a gun? Kate tried to shake it off when Mac popped his head in.
“We’re leaving in ten minutes or so. We’re just going to The Blue Note across the street.”
Kate’s phone rang. It was Grace.
“I’ll be right over,” she said to Mac. She smiled and hit the Call button on her phone.
“Grace, hi. What’s up?”
“What’s up?” Grace sounded irritated. “Kate I’ve been waiting at the dress shop for twenty minutes. Where are you?”
Dress shop? Oh, crap. She had made plans to go wedding dress shopping with Grace and then forgot about it. How could she forget shopping for her own dress? Well, a gunman in her office might have had something to do with that.
“Gracie, I’m so sorry. I’m coming now.”
Kate grabbed her purse, shoved her laptop in the bag, and headed out. Everyone else had already left for drinks.
Freaking lovely. She’d have to text Mac. What a great day it’s been.
“What the hell, Kate? Did you forget?” Grace asked. Kate could hear the faint sound of laughter: Brides, happy and laughing. She should be one of them.
“No. I’ll explain later. Let’s skip the dress shopping tonight and go have a drink. Meet me at Joe’s. I’m so sorry.”
“Kate, did you change your mind about marrying Mac?” Grace’s voice sounded almost elated.
“No, I have not. But something has come up. I’ve got to go now; I’ll see you in a few.”
Kate hung up and called Mac. “Honey, look, I’m so sorry. With everything that’s happened, I totally forgot I’d promised to go dress shopping with Grace.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll tell Rebecca you can’t make it. See you at home later?”
“Yes. Love you.” Kate hung up and raced to Joe’s. She got there before Grace did and asked for her usual cosmo, which she downed in three quick swallows.
“Another, please.”
“Long day?” Joe smiled, taking her glass.
“You have no idea.”
CHAPTER 31
“So tell me what’s going on.” Grace said as she slid onto a bar stool. “Joe, let me have a regular wine. That organic crap is awful.”
“I ordered an entire box for you,” he said, sounding frustrated.
“I know. I’m sorry, but we should have gotten a taster first. Live and learn. Can you give it to the tourists?” Grace threw him her best apologetic smile and then turned back to Kate.
“Now, tell me why are we drinking in a bar instead of trying on white, poufy dresses?”
Kate felt lightheaded. Drinking so fast probably wasn’t the best idea. Had she eaten today? She’d grabbed a quick bagel on the way back from Nick’s. Other than that, she’d had a glass of champagne and a cosmo, with another on the way.
She was becoming an alcoholic. Another wonderful accomplishment.
Some days she wondered why she wasn’t just stupid drunk most of the time.
“I need to eat something,” Kate said and ordered a plate of fries.
Booze and fat. Great, soon she’d be not just an alcoholic, but a fat one, too. Should get her a lot of dates after Mac dumps her for spending the afternoon at Nick’s and not telling him. But she planned to tell him as soon as s
he got home. No, really.
A hand waved in front of her face.
“Earth to Kate. Come in Kate. Woo-hoo. Are you there?”
Kate straightened herself. “Yes. Yes, I’m here. It’s just been a long day.”
“I can see that. Now tell me what’s going on.”
“There was a guy with a gun in my office this morning.” Her whole body shook.
“Wait. What?” Grace lost all the color in her face. “What the hell happened? Are you okay?”
Kate nodded and blurted out the whole story of the author showing up, Vivienne dropping in, Carolyn being sick, and postponing the wedding. She stopped short of telling Grace about spending time with Nick.
Grace covered her friend’s hand with her own.
“My God, I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine.”
“I was scared. For a moment I didn’t know, you know, if he was going to shoot me, and I thought, ‘This is how I’ll die, working in my office.’ Quite an epitaph.”
Something in Kate’s voice cracked and a memory flickered in her mind. She and Grace had been in this same bar when Grace had asked, When are you going to start living for yourself?
Grace finished her wine and shook her head. “This is crazy. You need more security there.”
“Mac said the same thing, but I think getting private security is crazy.”
“It’s better than being dead,” Grace blurted out, and when Kate winced she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound crass. It’s just. God, if you had been hurt…”
Tears burned Kate’s eyes. “I know.” And then a floodgate of them opened, right there in the bar. She scrambled for a tissue and dried her eyes. “There’s so much going on right now. I just, I feel like…”
Grace leaned forward and took Kate’s hand.
“You don’t always have to be the strong one, Kate, and I’m sorry about Mac’s ex. That’s really awful.”
Kate nodded and continued to dry her eyes. She held off taking another drink until the food arrived. “It’s terrible, and Mac’s doing all he can.”
“Kate, sorry, but don’t you think it’s odd that Mac is doing this? I mean, running to her rescue?”
“Not really,” she shrugged. “I mean, they have two boys—”
“Who are both adults and capable of helping their mother,” Grace interjected.
“Grace, no. I don’t think it’s odd. Well, maybe a little, but I think that Mac wants to be there, especially for his kids. He was pretty absent most of their lives.”
“So this is how he plans to make it up to them? By caring for their dying mother?”
“Grace, I’m sorry. I don’t know. It’s been a long day.” Kate was frustrated; she didn’t need to be pushed. Especially now.
Grace put a hand on her arm, “I’m so sorry.”
“I was really scared,” Kate said quietly.
“I know you were. I hope that creep goes to jail.”
Kate shook her head. “Who knows? He has a history of mental problems. He may go away for a while, but then he’ll be out there again.”
“It’s going to be okay, Katie, and you’re a better woman than I would be to let Mac do this.”
“I don’t know if I’m good, but I know he’s got a lot of guilt there, and I think he needs to resolve it before she dies.”
Grace was silent for a moment, but Kate could see she was holding back. Grace had never liked Mac all that much or trusted him, especially since Kate used to be the “other woman.”
She used to tell Kate, “He does it with you; he’ll do it to you.”
Mac cheating never entered Kate’s mind; she was confident in his love for her. But the Carolyn stuff was new territory.
Is it cheating when you’re caring for a dying ex-wife?
Finally the food arrived. Kate dug in.
“I saw Nick today,” Kate said, in almost a whisper.
Grace stopped mid-sip. “Wait. What? You saw Nick? Where?”
“We just signed his sister to a contract. She’s a brilliant writer.”
“Whoa, Katie. Shit, you have been keeping secrets. Nick’s sister? I thought she was some globetrotter or something. She writes?”
“And very well. And it’s a secret. Who she is, I mean. She wants to write under a pen name, at least for now.”
Grace let the news of Nick’s talented sister settle in.
“Wait, so how did his sister end up publishing with you? Is it a Lavigne thing?”
Kate shook her head, “No, not because of the company. In fact, I didn’t even know who she was until she came in one day for a meeting. She didn’t want the name to influence anyone’s decision making.”
“Admirable.”
“Yeah. Anyway, she sort of went kicking and screaming into this contract.”
“Why? I mean it would seem like Lavigne House is a natural fit her.” A light bulb went off in Grace’s head. “Mac,” she said finally and Kate just nodded.
“So, how did you circle that little issue?”
“I told her he would be minimally involved and not work directly with her.”
Grace chuckled, “I’m sure that went over well with Mr. King of Egos.”
“Stop it.” Kate threw her a look that told her she meant it.
“Fine, sorry. So tell me about Nick. How did you see him?”
Kate told her about going to the apartment, finding Nick there, and having tea and then champagne.
“I think it’s a sign,” Grace said quietly.
“It’s not a sign. I plan on telling Mac all about it.”
“Miss Honesty above all else. I would caution against that.”
“Why? Because keeping secrets always works out so well?”
“Kate, listen, I just don’t think that Mac can handle it right now. I know from watching my mom die that it’s impossibly awful and everything is heightened. Besides, you’re publishing his sister’s book. Nick is going to be around. Will you tell Mac every single time you see him? Seems a bit overkill, unless Mac is insecure about how you feel about him.”
Grace’s nudge was not lost on her.
“Mac is very secure and we’re getting married, just not now.”
“I love you. You know that, right?”
“I do,” Kate smiled.
“I just want what’s best for you. If you marry Mac, I will stand up with you and stand by you, but I always in my heart believe that Nick was the one you were meant to be with.”
Kate didn’t respond but recalled the afternoon and remembered a time when she believed it, too.
CHAPTER 32
Kate’s phone buzzed. She recognized the number immediately.
“Hello there!” she smiled.
“Dahling, I haven’t heard from you in ages. I thought I would call to see how you are.”
Andrew’s voice was always a welcome sound.
“I’m doing okay. Mac is back, but he’s distracted.”
“How’s cancer wife?” Andrew refused to call her anything else, and Kate knew better than to try and talk him out of it.
“She’s as good as can be expected. I think Mac wants to go back and spend time with her and the boys again.”
Kate thought about the three days Mac had been back. He’d spent most of that time getting caught up on work. He’d also been calling every specialist in the country trying to find some alternative to just pumping her full of chemo, which seemed to do more to kill her rather than cure the cancer.
“And how are you holding up, Love?”
Kate filled him in on the past week; the crazy author, signing Vivienne, seeing Nick, and how upset Mac was about Vivienne’s request to keep him off of her book.
“First, you need to get into another profession where people don’t hold you at gunpoint to sign their books, and second, you’re right not to tell Mac. I think it would just anger him. Besides, nothing happened, right?”
Kate was silent.
“Katie, Love, did something happen?”
“No, no, of course not. It was just, nice.”
“Hmmmm. Well how nice was ‘nice?’ I mean, was it nice-to-see-you-again nice or I-wish-I-could-rip-your-clothes-off nice?”
“Of course it wasn’t the latter,” Kate insisted.
Well, maybe it wasn’t in the clothes ripping territory, but it was definitely somewhere in between that and a “nice to see you.” She decided not to tell Andrew. She’d already heard enough about it from Grace; she didn’t need someone else pestering her about how perfect Nick was for her.
“Katie, my love, you have had a lot to deal with. I recommend that you go see a therapist.”
Kate was startled. A therapist?
“I don’t need a therapist,” she said quickly.
“I disagree. I think you do; besides, doesn’t everyone in New York have one? Isn’t it mandatory that you have a therapist to live there?”
Kate smiled. Certainly a lot of people did, but that kind of thing had never been her cup of tea.
“A lot of people do, Andrew. It’s just not my thing.”
“Well,” he continued pressing on, “you should make it your thing. You have a lot going on: A stressful job, a fiancé who keeps running to the aid of his ex-wife, a very hot ex-fiancé who is back in the picture. Trust me, Love, you’re a straitjacket just waiting to happen.”
“I’ve handled worse, Andrew. Really I’m fine.”
“Look, I’m going to text you her name and number. Just go for one visit. She’s in the city, and I think she has an office near where you live. She helped me tons and she’s fantastic.”
Kate knew he meant well, although she had no intention of seeking professional help.
“I love you for suggesting this, Andrew,” she said simply.
CHAPTER 33
Kate loved waking up beside Mac. He was curled around her, his breath in her hair. It was Friday morning, and it promised to be a not-too-hectic day at work. She was looking forward to the weekend that stretched out in front of them. And given what had happened earlier, Mac promised to spend the weekend with her and not head back to Connecticut until Monday. He had also insisted that while he was gone she had private security for the office, despite Kate’s insistence that they didn’t need it.
Climax: The Publicist, Book Three Page 11
