Climax: The Publicist, Book Three

by Christina George

  “So, you decided to just hang around and hope I would screw up so you could swoop on your white horse, or surfboard, or whatever.”

  Nick slammed him hard and Mac fell to his knees. “I didn’t have to hope. We knew, Mac. We all knew, because you can’t keep your zipper shut.”

  Kate looked upstairs. Vivienne had spotted them and she could see Lulu forcing her to stay up there. Lulu nodded at her, as if to say, “I’ve got this.”

  Kate looked back. Now Nick was sliding across the floor.

  Grace kept holding onto her.

  “Don’t you dare stop this,” she said. “You’ll get hurt.”

  Kate yanked her arm loose. “Someone has to stop this before one of them really gets hurt. I’m calling security.”

  The men rolled across the floor, and the crowd around them grew even deeper. Kate wove her way through and could hear slivers of conversation about why the two men were fighting.

  Then she heard someone yell from the loft, “Take off your shirts!”

  It was Andrew.

  Jesus.

  Grace leaned in to Kate and whispered, “I feel dirty.”

  From out of the corner of her eye she could see several phones raised.

  Pictures.

  Just wonderful.

  Now Nick had Mac pinned to the floor and was slugging him repeatedly.

  “You took everything!” he yelled as his fist hit Mac’s jaw with a power that even Nick didn’t know he had.

  Mac reached up, grabbed Nick by the throat, and pushed him off.

  “I didn’t take anything that didn’t want to be taken, you fucking beach bum.”

  There was no time to find security, and why the hell weren’t they there, already?

  Kate pushed through the crowd and then barked, “Stop it! Stop it, both of you, now!” Neither man listened. Then she knelt down and put her hand on Nick’s arm, which stopped him cold.

  “If you want to keep this up,” she said to both of them, “you’re gonna have to hit me, too. And for the record, you both disgust me.”

  Then Nick got up and blinked, suddenly realizing what he’d done. He looked around and then stood up and stepped back.

  “Jesus, Kate, I’m sorry,” Nick said, his breath heavy and worn. Blood dripped from the corner of his eye onto his bright white shirt.

  Kate turned to Mac. There was a big gash on his forehead.

  “You need to leave, now, and I suggest you go to an ER or someplace they can patch you up.” There was also a shiner starting to form on his eye.

  Then Kate turned to Nick and grabbed him by the elbow. He winced slightly.

  “Come with me. I’m going to get you cleaned up.”

  Kate grabbed Grace and whispered, “Listen, make sure no one leaves. I’m going to go help Nick clean up and then I’ll be back. Have Lulu make sure that Vivienne keeps signing books. Ask Annabelle to make sure the servers extra pour the champagne, but please keep everyone here. If you have to, ask Andrew to sing something. I don’t care what.”

  Grace nodded and smiled. “Now, aren’t you glad you didn’t bring a date? This worked out so much better.”

  CHAPTER 126

  Kate led Nick to a small room off the kitchen that was quiet and out of the way of the wait staff.

  “Come with me.”

  She was pissed and worried, and if this hadn’t happened at a party she was hosting, she might have actually thought this was slightly humorous in an odd, caveman kind of a way. She led him into the room, flipped on the light, and then said, “Stay here. I’m going to get some first aid stuff so we can get you cleaned up.”

  “Kate, I’m sorry.” Nick settled into a chair. Kate just shook her head and left. She returned a few minutes later with a kit, clean towels, and a bowl of warm water. She put everything on the table, grabbed a chair, and slid it in front of Nick. Then she surveyed him, trying to figure out where to start. His hair was messed up, his shirt slightly torn at the sleeve, and one of his hands was bleeding.

  Kate’s heart sped up. He actually looked pretty hot.

  “Kate, I’m really sorry.”

  “Give me your hand,” she said firmly, her jaw clenched. Nick gave her his hand and she started to dab some disinfectant on it. He flinched slightly.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” She looked him as she worked. Their knees brushed. That damned electricity again. She scooted her legs away.

  Nick shook his head. “I-I don’t know. It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I know that’s not an excuse, but I just, poor judgment, I guess.”

  “Which is really unlike you. I’d expect something like that from Mac, but not from you.”

  “No one is perfect. We all have our days.”

  “But did you have to have it at your sister’s book launch party?”

  Nick shook his head. “Crap, I know. Do you think she saw it?”

  Kate sighed, “Nick, you two were rolling around on the floor. Everyone saw it. I’m sure as we sit here, pictures of the brawl are being splashed across a few publishing blogs, too. You may also be trending on Twitter.”

  “Jesus, I really don’t know what got into me, except that Mac is a piece of shit and he doesn’t deserve you.”

  Kate’s head was bent down. When she looked up, she was inches from his face.

  “I know that, Nick. Mac and I are over. I told you that in…” she stopped before she said Mexico. But still it hung between them.

  “Why was he here?” The tension in the room grew.

  Kate sat up straighter. “Really, Nick? When did you start going all Neanderthal on me? I don’t know why he was here. He wasn’t invited. He showed up. That’s what Mac does.”

  “He really seems to think he’s something, doesn’t he?”

  Kate shook her head. “He always does. Most of the time I think he does it intentionally, and other times I just think he wouldn’t know what a boundary was if it walked up and bit him in the ass.”

  They fell silent for a moment as Kate grabbed a washcloth and started to wipe Nick’s face. It was an oddly intimate moment, and her stomach tightened in a warm spiral.

  “It wasn’t that bad,” she finally said in almost a whisper. She was so close to his face. She fought the urge to kiss him. “Most of the bloggers were here, but the majority of media hasn’t arrived yet, including the scout from Affleck’s company. They’ve expressed interest in your sister’s book.”

  “Thank God. I’m sorry, Kate. Damn it, I don’t know what got into me.”

  “Remnants of petty jealousy?” She flashed him an unguarded smile so soft and full of so much promise, he thought for a moment he might drown in it. He felt a responding smile form that started in his chest.

  “Kate, listen, about Mexico, I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye.”

  She wasn’t expecting that. She fumbled with a bandage and nearly dropped it. “It’s fine. I get it. You were with Stephanie. It happened. I’m sorry; it was really my fault for being so pathetic and getting lost down there.”

  Kate was applying a bandage to his temple; Nick reached up and grabbed her hand. “It wasn’t your fault. You were having a rough time. I was glad I could help save you from a career in broom making.”

  He smiled and she thought she would melt. He pulled his hand back, but she could still feel it, like a phantom grip that burned into her skin in a way that made her want to slip out of her dress.

  Classy.

  “So, how was the wedding?” Kate realized as soon as it was out of her mouth that she should be prevented from speaking ever again. Maybe after the party she should consider getting her vocal cords removed or something.

  How was the wedding? Really?

  Nick just looked at her. In a flash, the intimate moment vanished in a cloud of matrimony. For a split second he thought about telling her, just telling her what happened, but pride or something forced him to say, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Why?” Kate wasn’t looking at him, she couldn’t. Wha
t a dumbass subject to bring up. The thought of it slammed into her.

  Nick shrugged, “I’m a guy. What do you want?”

  “When is the baby due?”

  Christ, she knew the whole story. Nick did the math in his head. Technically, his fake kid would have been born in the spring, no, wait, summer.

  “Summer,” he said.

  “Summer is long, especially in California. Got a date?”

  Nick shifted in his seat. “Kate, can we talk about something else?”

  Kate settled back in her chair and looked at him. “I don’t know, Nick. Can we? I mean, it’s not like you to make love to one woman and then marry another.”

  “She got pregnant. I take responsibility for my actions.”

  Liar, liar, pants on fire. He was pretty sure if that saying were true, he’d be engulfed in flames by now.

  Kate squeezed some Neosporin onto his knuckles and gently rubbed it in. The act itself was almost too much. She stopped, then wrapped her fingers around his hand and said, “I know, and I’m sorry. I just, I need to hear it from you, Nick. I need to hear that you’ve moved on, that it’s over. That this is really what you want and that you’re happy. Because I need to move on, and I can’t unless I know you’re finally happy.”

  He squeezed her hand slightly. The urge to kiss her was overwhelming. He pulled his hand back and said, “I’m happy.”

  He stood up. “I’m sorry again, Kate, and thank you for this amazing party. Now, I’m going to go apologize to my sister until the end of time.” Then he leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek, and somehow he felt like he was saying goodbye to the best and brightest gift that life had ever granted him.

  CHAPTER 127

  “So, what happened in the kitchen?” Grace cornered her friend when Kate finally emerged, which was long after Nick had gone to see his sister.

  “Nothing. He’s happy. It’s over.” Kate steadied herself and smiled to some new arrivals. The place looked like nothing happened. Chairs were set straight again. Soft music was playing in the background. Drinks were being served. Laughter floated throughout the room. Kate shot up a grateful prayer. The ex-boyfriend brawl had caused less commotion than she thought. Or maybe not.

  “Look, they’re trending on Twitter!” Andrew walked up, holding out his phone. “It’s like this little battle, #teammac versus #teamnick. So far, #teamnick has the most posts and you should see some of these pictures!” Andrew was obsessively scrolling through his phone.

  “Oh God, I have to retweet this one to my peeps. Kate, you should see it.”

  Kate held up her hand, “No! I can’t—”

  “Kate, it’s okay, really. I mean, it was awkward, you know, your exes fighting over you.”

  “They weren’t fighting over me. Nick was just stressed, and Mac pisses him off. Also, I think Mac was drunk.”

  Grace smiled her Team Nick smile at Andrew. “Fine, whatever you have to tell yourself. But, listen. He’s a) not wearing a ring, and b) seemed pretty damned pissed at Mac for what he did to you. He still cares about you, Kate. That’s what Andrew and I think, anyway.”

  Christ, now they’d taken a poll.

  Kate clenched her jaw. “I don’t have time for this, Grace. Maybe he’s not wearing a ring because they chose not to wear rings or he hates jewelry or something. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. I just asked him if he’s happy and he said he was. End of story. How’s Vivienne?”

  “She’s fine,” Grace put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Look, I know this is hard for you, but—”

  Kate spun around to her friend. “Gracie, I love you,” she turned to Andrew, “I love you both, but now is not the time to obsess about my love life, or lack thereof. This is Vivienne’s day, and I need to work this party. So, if you’ll excuse me.”

  Andrew smiled and held up his phone. “Look at this great #teamnick picture!”

  Kate shook her head and went back to working the party.

  CHAPTER 128

  Despite the unplanned boxing match, the party had been a success. But, as Kate feared, photographs from the brawl wound up everywhere.

  The blog headlines were hideous. Everything from “A Publishing Bombshell Worth Fighting For,” to the Post (once again) putting Nick and Mac on their cover using cartoon Ka-Pow writing in several places. The headline said, “A Book Gal Worth Fighting For?”

  And naturally, images had also wound up on the evening news. Given that it was widely known in publishing circles that she and Mac had broken up, there was some speculation that the men were fighting over Kate. To Kate’s chagrin, several reports also mentioned Nick being married and that he and Kate had been engaged once, and wasn’t that just “questionable?” When reporters called for a quote, she’d insist that wasn’t true. Nick was happily married. It was just a misunderstanding. She wasn’t sure they bought it. In fact, she was a terrible liar, but it didn’t matter. They weren’t celebrities and the story had no legs. But she did find some funny memes about it on Twitter and Pinterest. Someone had even created a short video set to the song “My Boyfriend’s Back,” and put it on Vine and Instagram. And even twenty-four hours later, #teammac and #teamnick were still trending on Twitter.

  God, how she hated social media sometimes.

  All of it, of course, drew even more attention to Vivienne’s book, although Kate was sure that neither Vivienne nor Nick would be happy about all the press. He was supposed to be in town through her big signing at Maeve’s bookstore where it would be announced that she was a Lavigne. Then he would go home to his wife and unborn child.

  Kate still felt the sting of his words. “I’m happy.”

  In other words, “Scram, Kate, and let me live my life.” And so she would.

  Kate had once seen a quote that read, “You keep dancing with the devil and wonder why you’re still in hell.”

  It was true, especially of her life. The devil being Mac, and to some degree her feelings for Nick. None of it would lead her to happiness, and so once this book was out and the events were over, she was going to make some changes.

  Indeed she was.

  . . . .

  “You’re all over the papers,” Vivienne walked in, carrying a stack of them.

  Nick was in the kitchen, making breakfast. “Crap, why did you bring those home?”

  “Because there are stories about my book event, which of course are overshadowed by my brother trying to channel Ali.”

  Nick added some mushrooms to the omelet he was making. “I will never forgive myself for getting so out of control.”

  Vivienne set the papers on the table, pulled up a bar stool, and sat down, leaning on the counter. Nick pushed a cup of coffee towards her.

  “It’s really fine. I mean, I wish you hadn’t done it, but it wasn’t the end of the world. And because of you, my event made the news.” Last night they’d come home just in time to see it on Nightly News.

  “It’s not fine. I was an ass.”

  “You were, but you’re an even bigger ass to not tell Kate about what happened.”

  “That’s not up for discussion, Viv.” He handed his sister a plate.

  “I don’t get it. I really don’t. You know I didn’t like Kate when I first started working with her. Actually, that’s not true. I didn’t want to like Kate, but she is, without a doubt, one of the hardest working, most genuine people I know. You are clearly in love with her and she with you. I don’t see the problem here.”

  “Sometimes you just can’t go back.” Nick pulled up a barstool next to Vivienne.

  “Sure you can.”

  “No, Vivy, you can’t. Too much has happened.” Nick started to dig into his breakfast and then realized he’d lost his appetite. He set down his fork.

  “That’s what you say,” she said, her voice soft and sympathetic. “And look, I know the whole Steph thing hurt you more than you’re willing to admit, but Kate’s not Stephanie. The truth is that your fears make you foolish.”

  CHAPTER 129


  The remainder of the week, Nick and Kate deftly avoided each other. Thankfully, there was no sign of Mac anywhere. The events went better than Kate could have anticipated and crowd turnout for Vivienne’s first signing at Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue was fantastic. Then came the announcement that she was a Lavigne, and as they say, the crowd roared—online of course. Media and Allan Lavigne fans turned out in droves at Maeve’s signing.

  They sold a record five hundred books that day, which was a lot for a book event. Most did less than a hundred copies, and that’s if you were really, really lucky.

  The week had been fantastic but hard. First of course, there was Nick looking impossibly handsome and off-limits, and it was also hard because now, more than ever, Kate missed Allan. His legacy was alive and well in Vivienne and his fans were in awe of her talent. Kate heard them say to her over and over, “It’s like Allan is alive in you.”

  And indeed it was.

  . . . .

  After the signing, Kate headed back to the office. She knew that Nick was leaving that evening. Truthfully, it was all for the better. He needed to be home with his wife, and Kate needed to resume her life sans her God-given gift for shitty decision making.

  Her phone buzzed. It was Vivienne. Can I pop by?

  Sure, Kate typed back. No doubt her brother was on a plane. Kate’s heart squeezed with a sharp pain.

  It was over.

  All the months of working with Vivienne on her book were now coming to a wonderful climax and soon life would return to normal. Or whatever normal was these days. And Kate would move on to other books and other non-Nick related authors, and someday she’d start dating again.

  When hell froze over.

  Just then Kate’s phone buzzed. She checked the number. It was Matt, a long time publishing reporter for People Magazine who was doing a story on Vivienne and her book.

  “Katie. Hi there. How are you? Recovered from the party?” There was a slight snark to his voice. Matt was a decent person. She couldn’t blame him for being amused by the whole thing. If it hadn’t been her party and her author, she would have probably laughed about it, too.