“You look well rested.”
“Thanks.”
“Did your friend in the bedroom enjoy her trip?”
Andre chuckled. “What makes you think I have someone in my bedroom?”
“You always have someone in your bedroom.”
“Gabrielle had a good time in Paris.”
“I bet she did.” She took a deep breath. “Sorry to interrupt the evening.”
“No you’re not.”
Billie looked at Andre and indeed he was well rested for a man who’d just flown in from France. At six foot one, he had a muscular build and penetrating brown eyes. He was that rugged kind of handsome that she liked to see in men. Despite his jab at her husband, he had that same rugged quality to him as well.
“Want to grab some dinner?”
“Have to get back to New York.”
“Right.” He laughed. “Sometimes I think you sent me here as a punishment.”
“I asked you to move here to watch over someone very precious to me. It wasn’t punishment. I knew you would always keep her safe.”
“Except this shit with Pierce.”
“Kate’s a grown woman. Sometimes we just pick the wrong person to love.”
“And sometimes we pick the right person and it still doesn’t work out.”
“It was a pleasure, as always, Mr. White.” Billie hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
“Be seeing you soon?”
“If the weather permits.” Billie smiled and left the penthouse.
* * *
Kate and Chris were enjoying breakfast the next morning when Sabrina called and told her to turn on the television. News about her wager with Kingston Shane was plastered all over the news. They cited Twitter reports from some of the party guests being posted last night. Kate thought for a moment. The average age of the people at the party was at least fifty. Apparently technology wasn’t for the young anymore. Chris received a text from one of Stan’s assistants stating a few industry cougars had mentioned him on Twitter as well.
“This one was all you, Kate.” He laughed.
“I think your infamy is rubbing off on me.” She smiled.
“So what’s on your agenda for today?”
“Going to put together a kick-ass press release and go to the studio and practice the drums.”
“You handled him quite well, by the way.”
“Thanks. Will be good to get back to basics.”
“As long as you have fun doing it. And hey, if you have a chance to one up some fossil who thinks he’s better than you, that’s a bonus.”
“That’s the plan.”
Chris was getting ready to go to the set. Kate reached over and handed him his motorcycle keys.
“Please be careful on that thing.” She sighed.
Chris winked at her. “I will.”
“I thought I’d try my hand at some stir-fry tonight. Will you be home for dinner?”
“No place else I’d rather be.”
* * *
Chris was in his trailer emailing one of his sisters when he heard a ruckus outside. He peeked through the curtain. Filming had become pretty uneventful during downtime after everyone found he and Jack were staying out of each other’s way. For three weeks he was able to focus solely on the role of Danny. He’d even managed to get a few nods from Jack after taping.
He heard a woman screaming at the top of her lungs, and now he was really curious. It wasn’t an acting kind of scream. Chris put on his boots and went outside.
He found Jason, a production assistant, standing around with a clipboard. “What’s going on?”
Jason stepped close to Chris, leaning into him. “That’s Brianna Sage. She snuck onto the lot and found Jack. Apparently she’s pregnant. Jack called security.”
Security had indeed arrived and was attempting to put Brianna in the cart. Jack stood nearby, stone-faced with a furrowed brow, looking furious.
“You ruined my marriage, now you want to ruin the rest of my life!”
“Give me a break, Jack! I didn’t get pregnant by myself.”
“And I’m supposed to believe it’s mine?”
Brianna tried to leap out of the cart again, but security subdued her.
“Get her out of here.” Jack walked away.
How would Kate feel about Jack’s affair resulting in a love child? She had no interest in reconciling, but now there was a baby involved.
“Boy, Kate Garrison really dodged a bullet there.” Jason whistled softly. “Luckily she has you.” He whipped out his cell phone and opened his Twitter app.
“Hey, not everything is meant to be posted for all to see.”
“You know how many followers I have because I work on this set?”
“So I guess your user name is Movie Specter?” Chris shook his head.
“Damn. How did you know?”
“You’re as transparent as Cling Wrap. You’re the only PA on the set who follows me everywhere. So, yeah, when you tweet I had a chicken Caesar wrap for lunch while I’m eating it, I kind of know it’s you.”
“Why haven’t you ratted me out yet?”
“Believe it or not, people like you help others behave. The set has been pretty quiet since you’ve been posting everything that goes on, and I’ve been able to work better. But I do have some advice for you. If you plan to have a long-term career in this town, you better cut it out. Other people know; they just haven’t said anything. And when people see you doing things you shouldn’t, you better believe they are going to come to you for a favor in exchange for their silence. You may not be able to grant that favor. People don’t keep secrets in this town for no reason. Don’t let this movie be your last one.”
“Right.” Jason put his head down and walked away.
Chris thought maybe he’d drop by the bakery Kate liked and get some cupcakes. Hopefully that would ease some of the conflict she was bound to feel.
* * *
Kingston Shane turned his bet with Kate into a media frenzy. By the time she made it into the office, most of the staff was in one of the conference rooms watching the footage. Kingston declared, seemingly in a scotch-induced stupor, that it was about time to step back into the music scene and teach the posers how music is really made.
Sabrina saw her enter first and began clapping. “Bravo!”
Everyone began clapping and whistling at her. Kate did an exaggerated bow and blew kisses at everyone.
“I can’t wait to hear this.” John linked his arm with hers and walked her down the corridor.
“I was at a party at Marvin’s house last night and a weird conversation got even weirder. End result, Shane challenged me to play drums at the Eighties Rocks benefit.”
John frowned. “You usually take me to Marvin’s industry parties.”
“Chris left the set on time to accompany me.” She reached up and kissed his cheek.
“I keep forgetting you’re living with yet another man.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I think you’re implying I’m a tramp.”
“Not at all. If you average out the two men you’ve recently dated over a lifetime, you still qualify as a virgin.”
“Ass.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
“I stopped by to have a little chat with Chris while you were in New York to lay a little Jersey gangster on him. He’s a good guy.”
“He didn’t mention you stopped by. What Jersey gangster did you bring with you? Or did you have to call Andre?”
“Ha ha.”
“I’m going to put in for some downtime. I need to practice. The benefit is in three weeks.”
“You don’t need practice.”
“Never hurts to perfect your craft.”
“I’ve always envied your natural affinity for instruments. And singing. And your kind heart. And your eerily accurate intuition. With the exception of Jack, you are hardly ever wrong about things.”
“Some things we are just meant to experience, John. It helps us grow as human
beings. I knew Jack was a spiraling plane—I just didn’t bother to put on a parachute.”
“If I have to be bumped as your escort on call for Marvin’s parties to make room for Chris, I’m not entirely mad about it.”
“He must have made a hell of an impression on you.”
“No, he must have made a hell of an impression on you. Real love agrees with you. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” John winked and went into his office.
* * *
Kate made her way home thinking about what John had said. Was she in love? She certainly was happier these days. Life was beginning to feel normal again, even though everything in it was not. She underestimated how tremendously helpful it would be to have Chris around. Half the time it didn’t seem as if they were pretending to be a couple. They both had jobs, and after long, hard days they would come home and swap stories. They would eat at home or eat at some chic restaurant. They would visit Marvin and Clara. They didn’t hit industry parties every other night and hobnob with other celebrities. Here, at her beach house, there was a bubble of some sort, and she liked it.
She’d loved only a few men in life, though she still didn’t feel as though she’d experienced adult love. All the men in her life were always trying to push some would-be suitor away. When a guy was interested in her when she was younger, they’d have to do covert maneuvers to woo her. A gun-toting former military father, law enforcement brothers, and Billie were all reasons why men never tried too hard. Now in California she had Andre and John. Jack slipped in through the back door, and she kept that a secret for a long time before they ran off to Vegas and got married. Chris just seemed to walk through the front door, announcing his intentions, albeit fake, to the whole world.
The sound of “Ribbon in the Sky” being played on the piano was heaven to Kate. She didn’t think Chris would beat her home and definitely didn’t think he knew the song. But why not? She’d told him how much she liked the song. He played the piano and was pretty good at it. Kate walked past Merlot’s doggy bed. He was fast asleep. Normally the dog went nuts when she entered the house.
“Hey.” She sat next to Chris on the bench.
He kissed her. “Hey, yourself.”
Kate splayed her fingers over Chris’s as he continued to play. She liked the feel of him leading her fingers across the keys. They sat that way for a few minutes, just listening and enjoying the feel of one another’s hands connecting.
Kate laid her head on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“Some drama happened on the set today.”
“Jack didn’t start a fight, did he?” She frowned.
“Jack was in a fight but with Brianna Sage. She made a huge scene and yelled out in front of everyone that she’s pregnant.” Chris’s hands stilled on the keys.
Kate’s stomach clinched a little bit. She didn’t see that one coming.
“I’m so sorry, Kate.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s life, I suppose. Speaking of kids, why is Merlot fast asleep?”
“We went for a walk on the beach when I got home.”
“Ah.” She smiled.
“Do you surf?”
“I’ve tried once or twice but fell metaphorically on my ass.”
“I surf. I’ve been getting an itch to take it up again. Maybe we can go together. I can teach you how to do it properly.”
“Why do you think I didn’t learn properly?”
“Surfing is water, waves, and rhythm. You get the natural rhythm of life that is all around us. You wouldn’t fall on your ass if someone taught you to surf properly.”
“You’re on. First you get me to get on that motorcycle of yours, now you want to teach me to surf. What else are going to teach me, Mr. Cavanaugh?” Kate nuzzled Chris’s cheek.
“I am going to teach you how to make love on a piano bench.”
* * *
Kate was getting in her car when she saw Henry Weismann coming her way. There was something about Henry that made her want to karate kick him every time she saw him.
“Kate, you gotta a minute?”
“Not really. On my way to dance class.”
“Just a minute of your time.”
“What do you want?”
“I was hoping you’d talk to my dad for me. We’re on the outs again.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“My father hangs onto to your every word. I was hoping you could talk to him. Ask him to give me another chance.”
“That’s none of my business, and I have to respect that your father has his reasons for what he does.”
“He listens to you.”
“I’m not getting involved. Why don’t you spend more time figuring out how to build a new relationship with him instead of scheming and asking people to do the hard part for you?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“I’m not doing it. End of discussion.” Kate got into her car. “If you don’t mind, I need to leave now.”
“What are you going to do? Send that goon Andre after me again?”
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
Kate stared at the steering wheel and then brought her gaze back to Henry. “Take your own advice. If what you’re saying is true and you crossed paths with Andre White, I would avoid having to do that again. Goodbye.”
If he made some sudden move, she’d kick his ass—and wouldn’t mind doing it. If his path did cross with Andre at some point, she hoped for his sake that he didn’t do anything foolish.
* * *
Chris surveyed the studio audience as he fixed the microphone clipped to his shirt. He wasn’t usually nervous before a television interview, but today he felt a bit out of sorts. He had to leave a very pleasant yoga session with Kate to come to the thing. He’d only taken an interest in yoga initially because a woman he liked, Tonya, had described a few of the poses that had dirty-sounding names. He kept up the classes until he bedded Tonya. It was worth it to find out what the downward-facing dog pose was all about.
Clark Addison, who’d always passed on interviewing Chris, came onto the stage and took a seat to make his introduction.
“Please welcome Chris Cavanaugh.”
The sound of applause got his feet moving. He shook Clark’s hand and took a seat. Clark didn’t waste any time starting the interview.
“So, Chris, it’s about time you were a guest on my show. I’ve been after you for years.” Clark plastered on a phony smile.
“Lucky for us things just kind of came together this time around.” Chris flashed an even bigger, phonier smile.
Clark started in on his personal life right away, and Chris knew where it was going. Exactly where he’d been herding the media circus for some time now. This time he didn’t want to drone on about how they met and came to live together. What he was beginning to feel for Kate was becoming a topic he didn’t feel like sharing with the whole world anymore. He wanted a peaceful existence with the woman he’d developed real feelings for in such a short amount of time.
Chapter Eight
Kate loved the smell of the fresh mountain air. As she drove up the tree-lined driveway she remembered the first time Jack had brought her up there. This was his serenity, where he went to create. She respected that. When Chris came home and said shooting was suspended for a week, she knew Brianna’s pregnancy news had rattled Jack.
She broke the news to Chris that she would be going to Jack’s cabin one night after they made love.
“Wait! So that’s what all the good lovin’ was for? So you can go to some secluded cabin to see your future ex-husband?” Chris propped himself up on his elbows.
“No. You would have gotten laid anyway. Like you have every night for the past month.”
“What’s going on? You want him back?” Chris looked into her eyes.
“Of course not. The most self-centered man I know is about to have a child. I think he doesn’t know how to handle it. He’s like a machine when he’
s working. I think he just needs to talk.”
“No.” Chris got out the bed, naked, and started pacing. “I know we have a weird arrangement but I do not condone this. Karma bites him on the ass for having an affair and you go running back to him! You’re mine!”
Kate was trying to suppress a laugh.
“And what’s so damn funny?”
“You just took a rather possessive stance for Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor. You think I’m naïve enough to take back a man who is pregnant with his hook-up’s love child? And your speech would have been more effective if your penis wasn’t swinging in the wind.”
“Kate.” He let out a big sigh.
“And you didn’t let me finish. There is a lovely hotel ten miles from his cabin. I was going to ask you to go with me and we could stay there. I don’t intend to do anything that disrupts our real or fake relationship. I like you.”
“I like you too.” He smiled.
“So are you up for a trek to the mountains?”
* * *
It smelled like Jack was cooking fish. He liked to fish in the lake not too far from the cabin. Kate knocked on the wood frame.
“Well, hello there.”
“Hello, Mr. Pierce.”
Jack opened the screen door to let her in. “Where’s Chris? Is he in the trunk or attached to the undercarriage?”
“He’s at the hotel.” She gave him a dirty look.
Kate followed Jack into his kitchen. An array of food was scattered about. “I forgot how much you liked to cook.”
“Have some.” He pointed to a cheese tray with crackers and fruit on it.
“So how have you been?”
“Since Brianna’s told everyone I am her baby daddy? Just peachy.”
“Being a dad is a big deal.”
“I don’t want to be the dad of Brianna’s kid. I thought you were going to be the mother of my child.” He sipped his martini.
“Did you really? Think we would have kids? I don’t recall us ever discussing that or much of anything. I had plans. Have plans that don’t include having a child anytime soon. I am focusing on Atlantis for the foreseeable future.”
Star Crossed Page 9
