Cupid Cats
Page 31
Tracy churned along beside him, kicking up little rooster tails of sand. “I offered her snacks and stuff, but she didn’t want anything. I hope she brought a book, because she’s been here for almost two hours. Everyone expected the shoot to be over sooner.”
“Right.” Jon tried to make his mind a blank. He would approach this meeting with no expectations. But what was she doing here? It was the last thing he’d expected of her.
“Are you going to want me to make lunch reservations? Or maybe for dinner?”
“Huh?”
“For you and Kate.”
Jon almost laughed. Kate would go ballistic if he suggested the two of them patronize a hot spot for lunch or dinner. “Kate doesn’t like being on display, so I don’t think we’ll need reservations anywhere.”
“Let me know if that changes. I’m heading out.”
“Thanks, Tracy. See you tomorrow.” He’d started up the trailer steps when he heard the familiar staccato sound of rapid-fire questions being directed at someone. For once he wasn’t that someone.
He glanced off to his right where barricades cordoned off the set. During filming, fans often gathered beyond the barricades to catch a glimpse of the cast.
And there stood Kate, wearing a white halter dress and wedge sandals. With her oversized sunglasses and the trendy purse on her shoulder, she looked like the star she never wanted to be. On the other side of the barricade, fans brandished cameras and cell phones as they called out questions. A few waved autograph books.
Jon called to his assistant. When Tracy turned around, he jerked a thumb in Kate’s direction. “Can you tell me what she’s doing over there?”
Tracy followed the direction of his gaze. “Oh, wow. Maybe she got bored in the trailer. Go ahead and change your clothes. I’ll handle it.”
“No, let me handle it.”
Tracy frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
“I thought you said she didn’t like being on display?”
“She doesn’t. She’s just being nice.” He went back down the steps and turned toward the barricade. Kate must have decided to wander and then been caught by the fans who often hung around the outskirts of a set. Paparazzi didn’t frequent sets because security was tight and there were seldom any juicy stories to be had, but if word got out that Kate was here to see him, the pros would show up soon enough.
In his wet tux shirt and pants he felt like a walking sauna as he approached. He hadn’t planned on seeing Kate again, but any fantasies he’d had on that score wouldn’t have played out like this.
Once the fans noticed he was headed in their direction, they started calling out his name, which caused Kate to turn around. She shoved her sunglasses to the top of her head and faced him, squinting a little in the midday sun.
He told himself not to get his hopes up. She might have some reason for being here that had nothing to do with their relationship or their lack of a relationship. Maybe she wanted him to do a public service spot focused on saving the monkeys of the Amazon.
But he couldn’t help noticing how gorgeous she looked in the halter dress. And he couldn’t help loving her. He hadn’t been able to stop doing that when she wasn’t even present, so not loving her when she was standing right in front of him would be impossible.
He waved to the fans. “You’ll have to excuse me for a minute. I need to talk to this lady.”
A few people stopped asking questions, but others continued to shout them out.
He turned his back on the crowd. “Hi, Kate.”
“Hi, Jon.” She seemed a little breathless, but otherwise calm. “Wet seems to be your new look.”
“Yeah, it does.”
She smiled, although the smile trembled slightly at the corners. “I like it.”
He had the feeling she was being brave under trying circumstances. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Look, I don’t know why you’re here, but we should go back to my trailer. All it takes is one phone call from somebody in this crowd and the media will be all over you.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” She squared her shoulders and glanced around.
“You don’t seem to understand. You’re in LA now. It’ll be way worse than what happened in Bisbee. You and I being seen together will start a feeding frenzy.”
She took a deep breath. “Actually, I do understand perfectly well, which is why I need to ask you something before we leave these folks.”
“You can ask me in the trailer.” He took her arm.
She resisted his attempt to steer her away. “For demonstration purposes, I need to ask you now. And you’re not—”
“The boss of you. I know that, but—”
“Jon, do you still want to be with me?”
He stared at her in total incomprehension. “What?” “You. Me. Us. Are you still interested?”
“This is really the sort of conversation best held in the privacy of my trailer.”
“Is it because you don’t want to embarrass me by rejecting me in front of these people?”
He ran a hand over his face. “Kate, are you okay? Because this isn’t sounding like you at all.” He realized the fans had gone completely silent as if they didn’t want to miss a word.
“Yes, I know.” Her voice grew stronger. “That’s on purpose. I’m trying to show you something.”
“That’s fine, but could we take this party somewhere else? Please?”
“After you give me an answer. Do you want me or not?”
He kept his voice low. “Yes, I want you. But you don’t want me, so what’s this all about?”
“It’s about my changing my mind and going public with it.”
It took him a moment to absorb what she’d just said. Even then, he was afraid to believe, afraid he’d misunderstood. “You want to try living in my world after all?”
“Jon, if you remember your Yoda quotes, there is no try. There’s only do or do not. I want to do.” Then she leaned close and murmured in his ear. “You.”
Blood pumped through his veins so fast he could swear he heard it rushing. He didn’t know what had brought on this change of heart, but he wanted to take her somewhere private and find out. He tightened his grip on her arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
“So is that a yes?”
“Of course it’s a yes. Let’s go.”
“Just a minute.” She turned to the fans. “It’s official. We’re together. Okay, Jon. We can go now.”
The fans cheered, but Jon didn’t stop to acknowledge that as he propelled her back to the trailer as fast as her wedge-heeled sandals would allow. “Am I dreaming, or did you just make a public announcement about our relationship?”
“I told you I wanted to go public as part of my demonstration. Would you rather we issued a joint press release? I didn’t mean to screw up any potential PR plan.”
Tracy stood by the trailer steps looking concerned. “Anything I can do, Jon?”
“I’ll let you know. Go on home, and I’ll be in touch.”
“Okay. The trailer’s unlocked. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Tracy.”
“She’s very nice,” Kate said as they went up the trailer steps.
“She feels the same about you.” Jon ushered Kate into the trailer before closing and locking the door. “Now, what in hell is happening here?”
She set her purse on a nearby counter. “I should think it would be obvious.”
“Well, it’s not. You’ll have to spell it out for me.”
“I can do that. I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U.”
“And loving me has sent you around the bend? Because the Kate I know wouldn’t have been looking for a public forum where she could make announcements about her personal life. The Kate I know would be doing everything in her power to keep any and all personal info private.”
“Then it’s time for you to meet the new Kate.” She stepped toward him and cupped his face in both hands. “You are the best thing that’s ever happe
ned to me, and I want to prove I can handle the spotlight.”
He searched her expression and found nothing but sincerity there. “I’m still having a little trouble comprehending that you—”
“I knew you would. That’s why I decided to talk to those fans, because I wanted to show you I’m working on my paranoia. It was a small step, but I’ll get better at it. As you said, who cares about a few stupid tabloid pictures if it means you and I can be together?”
“I must be going around the bend, too, because this is starting to make sense. Wonderful, crazy sense.”
“Then could you please give me a hug? In fact, I’d go for more than a hug.”
He looked down at his clothes. “I’m sopping wet.”
“As if I haven’t dealt with that before.” She slipped her arms around his waist and nestled against him as she tilted her face up to his. “I believe I’ve mentioned before that wet looks good on you.”
He gave in and wrapped her in his arms. “Soon it’ll be looking good on you, too.” His clothes squished as he pulled her close, but holding her made his body happier than it had been since leaving Bisbee. “Where’d you stash your cat?”
“At my mom’s. Incidentally, Esmeralda insists Darwin’s a magical cat who helped orchestrate the whole chain of events leading up to this moment.”
“I’m in the mood to believe in magic.” How he’d craved the scent of her and the feel of her body tucked against his. “In any event, Darwin’s been a significant player, and for that reason, I’m a big fan of your cat.”
“I was hoping you’d start thinking of Darwin as our cat.”
He realized that was a significant detail, and joy flooded through him. “You’d really share Darwin with me?”
“My cat’s only the beginning of what I’ll share with you, Jon Ramsey. Now kiss me.”
“I intend to do a lot more than that.” His lips hovered over hers. He’d waited years for this moment, and he wanted to savor it. “I hope you’re not in a hurry.”
“Take your time.”
“A lifetime?”
She brushed her lips against his. “I think that can be arranged.”
“It’ll be a very private ceremony.”
“Yeah, right, Ramsey.” Then she kissed him with so much confidence that all his remaining doubts faded away. They would face whatever the future might hold . . . together.
KATIE MACALISTER lives with her husband and two dogs in Snohomish, Washington. Visit her Web site at www.katiemacalister.com.
CONNIE BROCKWAY lives in Edina, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband and their daughter. Visit her Web site at www.conniebrockway.com.
VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON lives with her black rescue cat, Eve, in Arizona. Visit her Web site at www.vicki-lewisthompson.com.