Climax: The Publicist, Book Three

by Christina George

  “Morning, Sunshine,” he said softly and seductively.

  “Good morning.”

  Mac pushed himself closer to her and she could feel his hardness.

  “I love you, Katie.” His voice was full of need and passion. The seductive quality of the deepness of it always made her want more, and want him. He turned her towards him and kissed her deeply, his tongue exploring her mouth. His hands drifted across her body, exploring it as though he’d never touched her before. Mac’s lovemaking was always slow and soft and loving. He eased Kate onto her back and hovered over her for a moment before he plunged himself inside her and rocked her to ecstasy.

  . . . .

  Mac lay beside Kate thinking about everything that was going on.

  This was not an easy time. Mac fought the need to be with Carolyn and help her and his sons. At the same time, he knew that the “right” thing to do would be let the fulltime nurse he hired care for her without his help. That way he could focus on just being there for his sons. But he needed to do this and couldn’t see himself letting a stranger care for her full time. After she took Mac’s advice and started working in the garden, it had changed her; she was happy in a way he hadn’t seen in a long time. Often they would spend two and three hours in what was once “their” yard. He’d help her weed and carry boxes of summer flowers the boys had picked up from a local grower. His sons would help, but often it was just he and Carolyn, talking about how the yard would look when they were done and the flowers she planned to plant the following spring. However, both of them know that she likely would not be around to do it. The more she talked about the things she planned in the future, the more Mac became determined to give her one.

  He realized that most of it was for his sons, who adored their mother, but he also realized that he was doing it selfishly, too. He hadn’t given Carolyn much of a life, not really anyway. He spent most of it away from home and diving from one relationship to another until he found Katie. Now he was happy, and he and Katie were happy, and his ex-wife was dying. It seemed altogether unfair. And although it hurt him to admit it, he knew that the boys needed her much more than they needed him. They really always had.

  Mac had been calling every specialist in the country in hopes of finding a better solution to this endless and seemingly unsuccessful process. He learned of an oncologist at City of Hope in Los Angeles who was experimenting with new surgical procedures and new methods of recovery, but that doctor was, understandably, hard to reach. The procedure was part of a clinical trial, so there was risk. After he and Carolyn had talked about it, they both agreed it was worth the effort to at least see if they could reach the doctor to secure an appointment. He’d had a copy of Carolyn’s file sent to this doctor and had left messages every day for her—sometimes twice daily to that point that he knew he was irritating the hell out of the nurse he spoke to each time, but he didn’t care.

  While Kate was in the shower getting ready for work on that Friday morning, Mac’s phone rang. It was a Los Angeles area code. “Mac Ellis,” he said, his voice tense.

  “Mr. Ellis, it’s Doctor Lee Wong. I know you’ve left several messages.”

  Mac’s heart jumped. “Dr. Wong, I’m so appreciative of the call back.”

  “Yes, I have your wife’s file. Her oncologist there sent it over. I think I can help her. Can you get your wife to Los Angeles?”

  Mac answered without thinking. “Yes, yes I can, when?”

  “Sooner the better. I’m booked solid for the next several weeks, but I had a cancelation on Monday morning—nine a.m. I know you’re in the New York area. Is that doable?”

  “Yes, yes it is.” Mac took down the information and hung up.

  Kate! he thought. He hadn’t even considered Kate’s schedule, and he wanted her to come with him. Kate was his future, and this was his family. Awkward though it may be, having her there was a sign of respect—not just for Kate, for their relationship in general. Just then, Kate emerged from the bathroom draped in a towel. Mac spun around and smiled.

  “I found a doctor who may be able to help Carolyn.”

  “That’s great.” She used the towel to squeeze the rest of the water out of her hair. “When can you get in?”

  “Monday, and I’d like you to go.”

  Kate turned back to the bathroom. “Really? Why? Where is the doctor?” she asked, absentmindedly hanging her second towel on a hook.

  “Los Angeles. We have an appointment at nine a.m. on Monday. And maybe we can stay a few days there and relax, or just spend time together.”

  Kate was combing her hair and stopped mid-stroke.

  “California?”

  CHAPTER 34

  The perfect morning and the careful cocoon she and Mac had woven shattered like a light bulb tossed out a window. The awareness of what Mac said took a while to hit her, but when it did she felt she was being scattered in shards on the pavement.

  Kate sat down at the edge of their bed. “California, Mac? I can’t possibly. Next week is Book Expo. What were you thinking?”

  Mac’s eyes darted around the room as though he were looking for an easy solution to this. Mac walked over to her and sat down.

  “God, I’m sorry. Katie, the doctor called and all I could think about was…”

  “...Carolyn,” Kate said softly, finishing his sentence. She couldn’t look at him.

  Mac turned her towards him.

  “Katie, it’s not like that. I need to do this. She was my wife and we have two sons together.”

  Kate felt a tear slip from her eye, which surprised her. Her emotion was closer to the surface than she’d expected. Running Lavigne House was one thing, but running it without Mac there was another. And having him gone all the time and the strain of Carolyn’s illness was wearing on her. She could feel herself starting to fray at the edges. All of the sudden Kate felt ashamed. She was crying and Carolyn was dying.

  Get it together, she thought. Mac took his thumb and traced the tear from her face.

  “Katie, I’m so sorry.”

  Kate shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m just being silly. It’s fine. We’ll be fine. But I can’t go—not just because of Book Expo. I’m also on such a tight timeline for Vivienne’s book.”

  Mac leaned in and kissed her. “I love you. You know?”

  “I love you, too,” Kate whispered as she opened up her lips and let his tongue dance inside her mouth. His would arms were around her and she melted into him.

  It was fine. It all be fine. She kept repeating that over and over until Mac finally let her go so they could finish getting ready and head into work.

  CHAPTER 35

  Kate loved Book Expo. Of all of the publishing events that happened each year, Book Expo America was by far the biggest. Generally, the event was held in New York, although Kate recalled a year when someone on the Expo board thought it was a good idea to run the event in Los Angeles. That ended up being funny and awkward. Amidst the casual dressers and flip flops, you could spot the New Yorkers dressed in black (although it was summer), looking stern and slightly unhappy to be so far away from the center of the universe.

  Kate decided it was a good idea to bring Vivienne to the event, just to give her a taste of the industry and perhaps meet a few reviewers. The morning was crisp and cooler than it had been, with not a cloud in the sky. It promised to be a perfect New York day. Lulu, Rebecca, and Annabelle all planned trips to Expo, but Kate was the only one who would be there for the entire three days of the event. She was supposed to be there with Mac, of course, but he was in Los Angeles with his family. The thought of it bothered her in a way that felt both stupid and selfish and very, very chick-like. He was helping his dying ex-wife. Kate needed to put her big girl panties on and deal with it.

  The Jacob K. Javits Center housed this event during a three-day period midsummer. Kate could remember when Expo took up all three levels of the Javits center, with the big publishers center stage on the main floor. Random House, Penguin Putnam, Simon
& Schuster, and other big houses would all take up the center aisle with large, expensive booths that were draped in posters of forthcoming books and filled with editors and marketing people and stacks of books they’d give away to anyone asking for one. The bottom floor (also referred to as the basement area) was for children’s books, gift shops, and used books. It was dark with low ceilings, and it wasn’t hard to see why it was referred to as a basement.

  But that had all changed. As publishing shrunk, so did the budgets for these elaborate events. Most of Expo was now held on the main floor, although the big five publishers were still front and center with large, carpeted booths that buzzed with activity. Along the back wall there was a prominent signing area filled with tables for a series of authors who would sign over the three days Expo was held. Expo could often see hundreds of authors doing book signings—from the lesser-known first-time authors hoping to pull in a crowd to names like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Danielle Steele. Fans would clamor to meet their authors in person, and lines for these events were often very, very long. The more celebrities, the bigger the buzz. Kate recalled the year Bill Clinton’s memoirs came out, and she saw him walking down the hall with his detail. The joke at Expo that year was that someone should publish whatever had been cut from the book; no doubt that was the best and juiciest part.

  Kate still recalled her first year at Expo, which she attended with wide-eyed excitement. There were celebrity authors everywhere, and it seemed her former publishing house Morris & Dean had most of them. But after years of working with celebrities and their often untamed egos, Kate did all she could to avoid them.

  As Kate walked through the tall glass doors of Javits, she could feel her heartbeat speed up ever so slightly. Book Expo still held a lot of excitement for her. Publishing people were everywhere. Big, colorful banners hung from the walls and ceilings announcing new books—mostly fall releases. Even the individual steps on the staircase leading to the main floor were decorated in new books in the form of decals that were attached to the steps to dress them up. Kate noticed the big C-SPAN bus setting up for its own Expo coverage, and beyond that was the hall, bright and welcoming. This was publishing. This was her world and she loved it, despite the dysfunctional publishing environment and often über-needy authors. She loved it all.

  “Kate, hi!” A voice came up behind her. It was James Patterson (yes, the James Patterson).

  “James, hi there.”

  The author leaned in to peck her on the cheek. Although Kate had never worked with Patterson, their paths had crossed on many occasions. James was known for his marketing prowess and could always be found in the midst of the publishing mecca. This year, however, he was set to give a big announcement at Expo. Patterson was funding independent bookstores to help fuel them with cash to do marketing, expansion, or whatever they needed. It was part of publishing battle against Amazon, which Kate always found a bit silly. Fighting Amazon, really? She loved that Patterson was helping stores, though. A world without bookstores made her shiver.

  Kate entered the hall; when she did, she immediately saw Jane, Vivienne’s agent, who would no doubt spend her day in meetings with authors.

  “Kate, you look fabulous, as always!” Jane came over and pecked her on the cheek. “I hear you’ve brought Viv with you today.”

  Kate smiled. She really did like Jane a lot. Besides being a fantastic agent, she was a tremendous person, always looking out for her authors.

  “Yes, I did. It’s good to see you, too.” Kate returned her semi-hug. “Yes, I thought it might be good for her to see this. Depending on how her first book goes, we may have her back here next year for a signing.”

  Jane’s smiled broadened, “Ever the publisher, Kate. Always thinking ahead!”

  Kate’s phone buzzed. It was Vivienne. Cab just pulled up. Where shall I meet you?

  “Oh, Jane. Viv is here. She’s outside. Want to go meet her?”

  “I’d love to, but I have a meeting in five minutes. Tell her I’ll see her later. Maybe we can grab lunch?”

  “That would be great. See you later!” Kate headed out the doors while texting Vivienne.

  I’m headed outside now. Main doors.

  The cabbies all knew where to drop off the book people for the expo, and sure enough, when she walked outside Vivienne was just paying the driver.

  “It’s good to see you.” Kate smiled, not sure if she should lean in and give her a small hug. No, probably not. The girl wasn’t her friend, just her author. However, most of Kate’s authors turned out to be her friends. Well, the sane ones did.

  “Nice to see you, too. I got the edits back. They look great. It’s really helped the book.”

  Vivienne looked like a perfect little doll. She was in a soft peach dress that set off her reddish hair and green eyes.

  “I’m glad you liked them.” Kate was truly happy that Vivienne was easy to work with. No ego, no demands—just gratitude. She loved that. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

  Kate could tell that Expo, the people and the celebrity authors, were impressive to her author. They were inside the main hall when Vivienne asked, “Is that Debbie Macomber?”

  Kate nodded, “Yes, you’ll see a lot of big names here today.”

  They walked up the aisles as Kate explained the layout to her.

  Main publishers all front and center, smaller publishers outside of that expo center area, followed by independent publishers and a few authors who decided to brave Expo and get their own table.

  “Why doesn’t Lavigne House have a booth?” Vivienne asked. It was a reasonable question. Most publishers had a booth. More often than not, publishers used their booths as a statement to the industry that they meant business. Kate knew from experience that the booth space could cost twenty to thirty thousand dollars once you factored in staff time, booth swag, books, and décor. She never wanted a booth, nor did she feel that Lavigne House needed to use one to make a statement. Their books were their statements, and she could use the money somewhere else, like on her authors.

  “It doesn’t make sense, financially.” Kate leaned into her and said softly, “Folks here have a booth to do one of two things: Advertise themselves or make a statement. Lavigne House doesn’t need either of those. People know who we are.” The pride in Kate’s voice was evident.

  During the walk, Kate introduced Vivienne to some media she met in the halls, colleagues, librarians she knew well, and book reviewers. All of them were excited to read Vivienne’s book, which had officially been named The Summer I Died. Kate had their cover artist finalize the cover, which they all agreed was stunning, and Kate had them turned into postcards to hand out at Expo. They continued to walk the aisles of Expo when Vivienne stopped suddenly and pointed to a very tall man across the aisle.

  “Oh my gosh, is that Chris Noth?” Vivienne almost chirped with excitement.

  Kate nodded. “It is. And do you know who he’s talking to? That’s Candice Bushnell of the Sex and the City books.”

  Vivienne grabbed her arm. “I loved Sex and the City. It made me want to come to New York.”

  Kate smiled. She’d heard that a million times. “Yes,” she nodded. “The show certainly had that affect on women. Want to meet them?”

  “Can we?”

  Kate looked at Vivienne, who seemed to glow with excitement.

  “Of course, come on.”

  They pushed their way through the heavy crowd and the lookie-loo women who had also spotted Chris.

  Kate tapped on Candice’s shoulder. “I hate to interrupt…”

  Candice turned and her smile broadened. “Katie, my darling. How are you?”

  The two women embraced and Chris smiled at Vivienne.

  He leaned into her, “Hi, I’m Chris Noth. Are you an author?”

  Vivienne was tongue tied for a moment as she shook his hand. “I-I’m…”

  Kate stopped mid-hug, “This is Riley O’Connor, our latest author, and she’s brilliant.”

  “Riley,�
� Chris said, “great name.” He threw her his best Mr. Big smile, and for a moment, Kate thought Vivienne would pass out.

  “So you’re a publisher now, Katie. Good for you,” Candice smiled.

  “I am.” Kate was always proud to say that. She was indeed a publisher and a damned good one at that. “I love it.”

  “Allan’s book was beautiful and devastating. I think I read it three times. Oh, and you know Chris, right?”

  “Not formally, but it’s nice to meet you.” He was handsome, Kate observed, and for a moment Grace’s words floated through her head.

  Big had his own issues. a commitment phobe doesn’t just wake up one day and decide to get married. Once a commitment phobe, always a commitment phobe. She should have stayed with Aiden. He loved her the way no one ever did. But she shrugged him off and then he found someone else.

  Kate shook off Grace’s words as Chris continued to speak. “Wait, you all did After the Fall, didn’t you?”

  Kate smiled and nodded.

  “Loved that book and the movie. What a brilliant writer. Too bad he only wrote two books.”

  “I know. It really is a shame.”

  “That’s really the kind of talent you find once in a lifetime,” Candice added, “Truly a legend.”

  “So how’s the show for you?” Kate asked, steering the topic away from Allan. She noticed Vivienne shifting nervously on her feet.

  “It’s good,” Candice said, “New book coming out, you know, and Chris here is working on a project.”

  Kate raised an eyebrow. “A book?”

  Chris chuckled, “No, I’m not that talented. A movie based on a book.”

  “Oh, which one?” She asked.

  “Katharine Mitchell!” a voice bellowed. All heads turned as the rather large woman pushed through the crowd. Kate knew her immediately; she was head of reviews at the Library Reviews Journal.