by Unknown
“Fade to Black. Roll Commercial,” the voice of the director said in her ear. “Good job, everyone.”
“We’re clear,” came a voice from behind the studio camera.
Kate was just gathering her scripts when Olivia and Jordan walked around the corner, holding hands, looking somber.
“Dale called.”
Kate’s stomach fell through the floor. The news director calling during a newscast was never a good thing. Praise simply didn’t come that way. “Oh, yeah?”
“He’d like you to call him.”
Crap! The butterflies were back as she walked away from them toward her desk. Her hand had just picked up the phone receiver, and had entered the first few numbers to call Dale when a commotion over her shoulder stopped her. She replaced the phone and stood, bracing herself.
Clayton entered the newsroom through the back door like a hurricane ready to strike land. “…That’s crap and you know it,” he was telling someone on his cell phone. “I don’t care. We should have traded.” He paused, listening to the person on the other end of the line as he closed the distance. “Whatever. I guess it’s in the past, huh?” He didn’t even say goodbye to whomever he was talking to as he closed the phone and slammed it down onto his desk. “How dare you?” he hissed at Kate.
“What’d I do?” she asked, her defenses up.
Clayton was seething as he raged in the newsroom. His fists were clenched at his sides, and he literally spat as he spoke. “You stole my job!”
“I didn’t steal anything,” she answered in a voice so calm that he actually huffed at her. She rolled her eyes. “You were out on a story, and I just happened to be here when Olivia needed an anchor.”
His normally pasty skin was an unnatural shade of red, and Kate expected steam to spout out of his ears—or the top of his head to blow off like in a cartoon. “Like you would have ever set foot behind that anchor desk if not for your best buddy, Olivia.”
Kate heard Jordan’s approach before he actually spoke, “Clayton, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. You need to back off.” He stepped in between the irate guy and the girls. His hands made fists then relaxed at his sides.
“Yeah, that’s right, Jordan, jump to her defense.” Anger poured off of Clayton in waves.
Jordan opened his mouth to speak, but Olivia placed her small hand in the center of his chest and stepped forward to address the accusations herself. “Listen, Clayton, you’re the one who ran out of here like a bat out of hell when the call came in on that fire. You’re the one who left me in a lurch. If you want to be pissed, that’s fine, but look in the mirror. You have no one to blame but your egotistical, chauvinistic self.”
“Screw you,” he yelled, grabbed his phone, and turned on his heel. He looked like an angry, spoiled child as he stomped his way out the door.
“I guess I’d better call Dale,” Kate whispered, her blood hammering in her veins.
Olivia giggled. “It’s not bad, Kate. I was just messing with you. He was really happy with how things went. He probably wants to just pass along the ‘atta-girl’ himself.”
“Please don’t do that,” Kate muttered as she picked up the phone, punched in the numbers, and waited for Dale to answer.
“Oh, Kate,” Jordan whispered, “Rich called back, he’s okay.”
Relief washed over her, easing a ton of the anxiety that had only moments before plagued her. There was no chance to respond to this newest information because Dale answered, “Hello?”
“Hi, Dale. It’s Kate. Olivia said you wanted…”
“Kate, great job. I really liked what I saw tonight. You’re a natural. And I’m glad you’re ours. Enjoy the rest of your night, and thank you very much for stepping in on such short notice.” There was a smile in his voice.
She hung up from Dale, relieved and excited. It was nice to hear his praise even if she was too tired to enjoy it. Her whole body was exhausted. Between the stress of Shea’s text message, worrying about Rich, and then having Clayton come completely unglued for something that wasn’t even her fault; she was tired—emotionally more than physically.
Jordan had said that he’d talked to Rich, and that he was okay, but that did little to ease Kate’s worry. She needed to see him with her own eyes, safe and sound, in one too-handsome-for-his-own-good piece. With a sigh, she pulled on her coat and slung her bag over her shoulder before heading toward the door. It opened, a cold blast of air hitting her in the face, and then her heart stopped at the sight of the man standing in front of her. Kate couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy to see someone.
The world seemed to pause around them in that moment, as they just stood there, looking at each other, neither of them even blinking. The corner of his mouth finally lifted on one side, forming the smirk that always seemed to make her heart skip a beat. “Hi,” he said shyly.
As if his voice broke whatever spell she was under, she shook her head, a huge smile spread across her face. The bag on her shoulder fell to the floor with a thud, and she began to run toward him, closing the distance in a matter of seconds. “Rich,” she said, launching herself into his arms. Her breath was heavy against his skin as her lips pressed against his cheek for an intoxicating few seconds. “I was so worried about you.”
His arms tightened around her, cherishing the feeling of her soft, warm body against his. He lowered her to the floor and rested his chin on her head. She fit perfectly. This, he decided, was the greatest sensation in the world. He chuckled. “I like this reception.”
She wiggled against his chest, and he held her for just another moment before letting her slip from his grasp. She took his hands in hers and held them out as if she were examining him for injuries. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Her voice was breathless as she began her panicked interrogation. “Shea must have gotten my text message because…”
“I’m sorry.”
She shook her head defiantly, refusing to let him take the blame that was his alone, and dropped his hands. “No, I’m the one who shouldn’t have even sent you a message. It’s my fault. You’re married, Rich. You were with your wife. I crossed the line.”
He ached to touch her again, but forced his hands safely back into the security of his pockets in an attempt to make them behave. “Did you get a response?” She nodded. “What did it say?”
She laughed bitterly as her cheeks turned pink. “Let’s just say I knew right away it wasn’t from you…even though it had your name at the bottom. It certainly reminded me of my place—as your friend.”
“May I see it?” She held out her phone and he opened it to read the newest text message from his number. All the air flew from his lungs in an agonized whoosh. The thought of sweet Kate getting this was… “I am so sorry she sent that to you. She had no right.”
Kate studied his face for a long moment. “It’s okay, really. I have to admit that it did surprise me though. How on earth did she get your phone?”
His fingers raked through his hair then he shook his head. “It fell out of my pocket when I sat down at the table. I’d gone to the bathroom when your message came in. Shea was just setting the phone back on the table when I got back.”
“She must have been really pissed,” she said with a smile.
A humorless laugh erupted from his gut. “You have no idea. She threw her plate at me when I left.”
She laughed. “Food and all?”
“Yeah.” He smiled at her. “I’m sorry, Kate. I shouldn’t have brought you into this. It’s just that I…” His heart was screaming at his brain to tell her the truth, to tell her how much he cared for her, but his head had stopped his tongue, and there was no restarting the declaration now. Not yet. “I knew you were worried and wanted to let you know I was okay. That’s all,” he lied.
“Are you going to be okay going home tonight? I wouldn’t want something to happen to you.” A playful smile graced her lips and she winked. “While you’re asleep.”
“You can bet I
’ll make sure the door’s locked.”
She placed her hand flat against his chest. “You do that. I’d sure miss you if you weren’t around. Working with Tommy today was torture.” She laughed, and took a step away from him, her eyes twinkling. “If I had to hear his sticky sweet conversations with Leslie one more minute, I might have gotten physically ill.”
“That bad, huh?” The conversation was so natural, so comfortable, Rich never wanted it to end.
“Yeah, that bad.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You’re not allowed to be off anymore.”
“Are you saying that you missed me today?” he teased, wanting desperately to hear her say that she had.
“Of course I missed you, Rich.” She sighed and glanced down at her watch. “I really need to get going though. Jesse’ll be waiting for me.”
Rich’s heart went from jumping out of his chest to being body slammed in a matter of seconds. She was going home—to Jesse, the man who held her heart. He hoped that the inward grimace hadn’t made its way to his face, completely betraying him.
She brushed her fingers against his hand. “Goodnight, Rich. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Her hand retreated and curled around the straps of her bag, hoisting it back to her shoulder. “Be careful tonight. I know it would piss her off, but if you need me, you can call me. I’m here for you, Rich.”
Those thoughtful, caring words began to sink in, and warmth filled his veins. The fact that she cared, even a little, meant the world to him. Gave him hope for the first time in…well, years.
“You could come home with me. We’ll pull out the hide-a-bed.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Jesse would love that,” Rich scoffed.
She bit down on her lip and looked at the floor. “Oh, he’s more of a lover than a fighter…and I really need to get home to him,” she lied through a fake smile.
Despite his belief her words weren’t completely truthful, a huge lump leapt into Rich’s throat, making it hard for him to swallow, let alone speak—or even breathe. “Oh, okay,” he croaked. “You shouldn’t keep him waiting then.” The words were bitter against his tongue. “Goodnight, Kate.”
His feet wouldn’t move and his lungs refused to breathe as he watched Kate walk out the doors. She was going home—to Jesse. And her reference to him being ‘a lover not a fighter’ left little doubt what they would do once she got there. The thought of another man caressing her, tasting her, loving her, sent bile rushing up the back of this throat and his knees nearly gave out.
The ringing of his cell phone rescued him from himself, catapulting him from the white hot memory of Kate to the frigid blizzard that was Shea. With a quick push of a button, Rich sent the call to voicemail, not wanting anything to do with her right now. What he needed was a drink—a strong one.
“Hey, Jordan.” Rich walked up to where the guy was perched on the corner of Olivia’s desk.
“I’m glad you’re alive, my man,” Jordan said with a cocked brow.
“Yeah, thanks,” Rich responded sarcastically. The muscles in his shoulders were tense, and he wondered at what point they’d snap. He shrugged, hoping to release some of the pressure. When it didn’t, he rolled his head loosely on his neck.
“Wanna talk about it?” Jordan asked.
“Not really. You aren’t up for a drink, are you?”
Jordan glanced down at Olivia, who nodded. “Um, sure, but I doubt anyplace will be open. We can go to my place.”
“Oh…right.” Rich didn’t want to make a nuisance of himself, but the thought of going home was not one he wanted to consider. “No, I think I’ll…”
Olivia smiled. “It’s okay, Rich. I was going to go right to bed anyway. You two can have some guy time.”
“Are you sure?”
She smiled. “Absolutely, mi casa es su casa.” She gathered her things and took Jordan’s hand. “So, we’ll see you there in a little while.”
“If you’re sure.” Rich was skeptical.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jordan scoffed. “You can even sleep on the couch if you’d like.”
“No, that’s okay. Not going home tonight wouldn’t make things any better. Shea’s already suspicious as hell, even though there’s nothing…”
“Is it really nothing?” Olivia asked quietly. Rich’s horrified eyes met hers and she smiled. She’d meant no accusation in her question, just a simple perception. “I see the way you look at her, Rich. Not even Shea held your attention like Kate does. Have you fallen in love with her?”
Yes. “No. Of course not. I’m married.”
“To a psycho bitch,” Jordan reminded him. “Kate would be so much better for you.”
“Kate loves Jesse.” And with those three words, Rich successfully cut off any further discussion of the woman, who only a few short minutes ago had been wrapped in his embrace.
The three friends gathered their things, and Olivia handed off the reins to the incoming producer. “Good night,” she called over her shoulder as they hurried out the door and into the frigid night. They stood outside their cars for only a moment before Rich deactivated the alarm on the car, a chirp filled the silence.
“We’ll see you at home,” Olivia said as she disappeared into Jordan’s blue Mustang. Jordan tossed a wave over the roof of the car then also disappeared, the engine roaring to life.
Rich followed the familiar round taillights, but fifteen minutes into the drive, he decided that avoiding home was not going to do anything but add to Shea’s aggravation, and consequently, his own.
Three rings later, Jordan picked up, “Yeah, man.”
“Hey, I’m just gonna go home. There’s no sense delaying the inevitable.”
“You sure?” he sounded even more skeptical than Rich felt.
“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jordan chuckled. “I sure hope so.”
“If not, call the police.” It was meant as a joke, but there was a strong sense of warning in his tone that both men knew existed. He closed the phone and tossed it into the passenger seat. At the next light he flipped a U-turn, and headed in the direction of the brewing storm that was waiting to unleash its fury.
The house was completely dark, eerily so. Rich wondered with a sense of panic what Shea had planned for him when the lights turned on. The garage door went up and her car wasn’t there.
Hesitantly he opened the door to the house and called, “Shea.” Only silence answered. She’d called, but surely, she wouldn’t stay away. A strange combination of relief and dread were warring in his gut as he opened the phone and dialed voicemail.
“Rich, I can’t stand to look at you right now. I thought it was best if I stayed with Sharlice tonight.” She paused. “I love you, and I’m sure that we can work through your infidelity. I just need some time to process what you’ve done. I’ll call you tomorrow when I’ve had a chance to calm down.”
A round of honest-to-goodness, come-from-your-toes laughter burst out of him. The audacity of that woman. My infidelity? “Oh, good hell.” A tear slid down his cheek as the hilarity of the situation continued to feed his amusement. She thought she’d caught him in some form of fornication.
And for a split second, he wished she had.
Even though he hadn’t seen Kate’s text message, he doubted that she’d offered to meet him at a hotel in twenty minutes, or given any other sort of invitation that would give Shea proof of an affair. There wasn’t an affair—at least on Kate’s end. For Rich though, he would have gladly accepted any offer Kate proposed.
No, I wouldn’t.
He couldn’t do that to Kate. She deserved better than simply being the other woman—the mistress. She deserved to be the one and only. And right now, she was Jesse’s.
Lying on the cool leather of the couch in the den, with the door securely locked, he flipped on the television. It was a silly thing to record the newscasts, but he always did. It made him a better photographer to see his work—his mistakes—playing out on the illuminated box. Tonight, he woul
d enjoy watching Kate’s anchoring debut. He sighed and concentrated on the big green eyes, long lashes, and full lips speaking from the TV. He didn’t want to give into sleep, but lost the battle.
Chapter Seven
Kate snuggled into the warm body next to her, and enjoyed the comforting sound of light snoring. Last night had been everything Jesse promised it would be. Her finger gently traced the muscles of his defined chest, causing him to shy away from her touch. “You shouldn’t scratch me, KC. That’s not very nice.”
She laughed lightly, and continued to run her fingertips over his sensitive, ticklish sides. “I would hardly call this scratching. Did you sleep well?”
“Alright.”
“Just alright?” she asked, surprised because she’d slept great.
He nodded, and tucked her under his arm. “I’ve got something that we need to talk about.” There was a seriousness in his tone that sent her adrenaline into overdrive, and her mind raced with the possibilities.
“Whatever it is, Jesse, you can tell me.” She sounded anxious, but it was nothing compared to the anxiety she felt.
He twisted a lock of her hair around his finger, and kissed the top of her head, then sat up to get a better look at her face. His eyes focused on the curl wrapped in his hand. “Dad’s not doing very good.”
Kate shifted to look at him. His eyes were worried. “Is it that bad?”
“They’re thinking it’s terminal.” He bit on his lip as his voice cracked. He coughed to cover the emotion. His eyes filled with tears that he wouldn’t let fall.
“Oh, Jesse, I’m so sorry. What do we need to do?”
“I’d like to get down there as soon as I can.”
“Absolutely, what are you thinking?”
“We have a little time, and I know you can’t go with me.” He tightened his hold on her. “So, I’ll stay for the party next week, then go home for a couple weeks and hopefully be back by Christmas.”