Final Cut (The Kate & Jay series Book 4)

by Lynn Ames

  “What’s that?” Jay slid on top of Kate, the feel of her body so familiar, and yet so new.

  “Our love for each other.”

  “We’ll always have each other.” Jay ran her fingers lightly over Kate’s smooth skin.

  “Jay?”

  “Mmm?”

  “Stop talking.”

  EPILOGUE

  Jay couldn’t remember ever being this nervous. She fidgeted with her diamond necklace for the umpteenth time and smoothed the lines of her Caroline Herrera dress.

  Dara leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You look radiant. Stop fussing.”

  “I don’t know how you stand it. I’m a mess.”

  “I’m an actress. Don’t try this at home.” Dara laughed.

  “Seriously. I’ll take any pointers you have. This is the premiere of my first movie. What if they don’t like it?”

  “They’re going to love it.”

  “But what if they don’t?”

  “Jamison Parker. The book spent fifty-two weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Fifty-two weeks! You and Rebecca wrote a script that was faithful to the book. George’s direction was magnificent. I gave my best performance ever, I hope…” Dara winked. “Everything is going to be fine. And if not, there’s nothing you can do about it now.”

  Kate approached them with glasses of champagne.

  “Thank you,” Dara said. “Your wife is a wreck.”

  “Tell me about it. You should’ve seen her getting dressed.”

  “Hey!”

  “Well, sweetheart. You changed three times.”

  “A girl needs options.”

  “Who needs options?” Rebecca came alongside Dara and kissed her on the cheek. Kate handed her a glass of champagne too. “By the way, I love the idea of a private pre-premiere party for the cast and crew. Genius.”

  “I propose a toast,” Kate said. “To all the women in my life. You make this journey an adventure. To you, Dara, and you Rebecca, Jay and I are so grateful for your friendship. It’s been such a delight getting to know you and to be part of your lives.” Kate clinked glasses with them. “And to you, darling,” Kate’s eyes sparkled at Jay, “you are the love of my life, my heart, my soul, my breath. Whatever happens tonight, you’re my shining star, and I love you endlessly.”

  “Here, here,” Dara and Rebecca chimed in.

  “I’ll drink to that,” Jay said. She kissed Kate gently on the mouth. “You’re my world, Katherine Ann Kyle.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way out front into the theater. The crowd is assembled and ready for your entrance.”

  “Oh my God!”

  “It’s going to be fine, Jay. You’ll see.” Dara squeezed her hand. She set their champagne glasses on a nearby tray. “You and Kate will sit next to me. If anyone throws rotten tomatoes, I’ll catch them.”

  “Not helping.”

  They reached the back door of the theater, the area behind the screen, and paused.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the event organizer intoned, “please welcome your producers, writers, cast and crew.”

  “That’s our cue.” Dara squeezed Jay’s hand one more time. She lifted her chin, looped her arm through Rebecca’s, and strode into the packed theater to thunderous applause.

  Kate came alongside Jay and took her hand. “Ready?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” Kate kissed her and led them behind Dara and Rebecca. George entered behind them, followed by the rest of the cast and crew.

  When they were all at their seats, George turned on his lavaliere microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of our executive producers, actors, actresses, writers, and friends, I want to thank you all for being here tonight. Every movie premiere is special. This one is no different. Please relax and enjoy the show.” He took his seat and everyone else followed suit.

  The lights went out and Jay stared nervously at the screen. What if people didn’t like it?

  “Sweetheart?” Kate whispered in her ear.

  “Yes?”

  “Your thoughts are so loud I can hear them all the way over here. It’s going to be fine. Everyone’s going to love it, just like they loved the book. Have a little faith.”

  The sound came up, the opening sequence began to roll, and suddenly Jay forgot everything. She sat utterly transfixed by the story.

  Two hours later, she blinked as the closing credits crawled on the screen. She reminded herself to breathe.

  And then it happened. Waves of applause rolled throughout the theater, followed by shouts of Bravo!

  Dara turned to her and smiled brilliantly. “Well, what did you think?”

  “I think…” Jay cleared her throat. “I think it’s magnificent. I think it surpasses my wildest dreams.” Tears pricked her eyes. “Oh, my God. Thank you. Thank you, Dara. It’s like seeing my inner world brought to life. I can’t believe it.”

  “Well, I’d strongly suggest you stand up with me right now and take a bow, because they’re all clamoring for you.”

  Jay shook her head. “No, it’s you they want.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on that.” Dara lifted their joined hands together.

  Jay covered her mouth with her other hand. The entire audience was standing and applauding, and looking directly at her and Dara. It was beyond anything she could imagine. There was the president, and next to him Mimi Hyland, and further back she could see Peter, Lorraine, Sabastien, and Derek. They were all on their feet, clapping and whistling.

  Jay glanced over at Kate. Her eyes were gleaming with tears. Jay leaned into her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong, darling. In fact, everything is just exactly right.”

  “I love you, Kate.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  “We made it. Together.”

  “We sure did. We sure did.”

  The End

  About the Author

  Lynn Ames is the best-selling author of The Price of Fame, The Cost of Commitment, The Value of Valor, One ~ Love, Heartsong, Eyes on the Stars, Beyond Instinct, Above Reproach, All That Lies Within, Bright Lights of Summer, Final Cut, and one of five authors of the collection Outsiders. She also is the writer/director/producer of the history-making documentary, “Extra Innings: The Real Story Behind the Bright Lights of Summer.” This historically important documentary chronicles, for the first time ever in her own words, the real-life story of Hall-of-Famer Dot Wilkinson and the heyday of women’s softball.

  Lynn’s fiction has garnered her a multitude of awards and honors, including four Goldie awards, the coveted Ann Bannon Popular Fiction Award (for All That Lies Within), and the Arizona Book Award for Best Gay/Lesbian book. In addition to the Ann Bannon Award, her contemporary romance All That Lies Within, was a Lambda Literary Award (Lammy) Finalist and winner of a Rainbow Award for Lesbian Romance and was additionally honored as one of the top ten lesbian books overall of 2013.

  Ms. Ames is the founder of Phoenix Rising Press (www.phoenixrisingpress.com). She is also a former press secretary to the New York state senate minority leader and spokesperson for the nation’s third-largest prison system. For more than half a decade, she was an award-winning broadcast journalist. She has been editor of a critically acclaimed national magazine and is a nationally recognized speaker and public relations professional with a particular expertise in image, crisis communications planning, and crisis management.

  For additional information please visit her website at www.lynnames.com, or e-mail her at lynnames@lynnames.com.

  Other Books in Print by Lynn Ames

  Stand-Alone Romances

  Bright Lights of Summer

  ISBN: 978-1-936429-10-3

  It’s March, 1941. Captain America appears in a comic book for the very first time. New York City receives 18.1 inches of snow, its 3rd largest snowfall in history. In Holland, the Nazi occupiers forbid Jews to own businesses. In Poland, Heinrich Himmler inspects Auschwitz. World War II is raging
in Europe, but America has yet to enter the fray.

  And in Phoenix, Arizona, a 16-year-old scrap of a girl named Theodora “Dizzy” Hosler, takes the field to try out for the World Champion P.B.S.W. Ramblers softball team.

  Set against the backdrop of perhaps the most dramatic time in US history, comes the story of Diz and Frannie, two women fueled by an unquenchable passion for the game of softball and feelings for each other that go far beyond the bounds of friendship. Will their love for the game bring them closer together or tear them apart?

  All That Lies Within

  ISBN: 978-1-936429-06-6

  How far would you go to hide who you really are inside? And what do you do when you find the one person from whom hiding your true self isn’t an option?

  Glamorous movie star Dara Thomas has it all—an Oscar nomination, dozens of magazine covers proclaiming her the sexiest woman alive, and people of both sexes clamoring for her attention. She also has a carefully guarded secret life. As Constance Darrow, Dara writes Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction, an outlet that allows her to be so much more than just a pretty face.

  Rebecca Minton is a professor of American Literature in love with the work of the mysterious, reclusive author Constance Darrow, with whom she strikes up a correspondence. A chance phrase in a letter leads her to a startling conclusion about the author.

  What happens next will change the course of both of their lives forever.

  Eyes on the Stars

  ISBN: 978-1-936429-00-4

  Jessie Keaton and Claudia Sherwood were as different as night and day. But when their nation needed experienced female pilots, their reactions were identical: heed the call. In early 1943, the two women joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots—WASP—and reported to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, where they promptly fell head-over-heels in love.

  The life of a WASP was often perilous by definition. Being two women in love added another layer of complication entirely, leading to ostracism and worse. Like many others, Jessie and Claudia hid their relationship, going on dates with men to avert suspicion. The ruse worked well until one seemingly innocent afternoon ruined everything.

  Two lives tragically altered. Two hearts ripped apart. And a second chance more than fifty years in the making.

  From the airfields of World War II, to the East Room of the Obama White House, follow the lives of two extraordinary women whose love transcends time and place.

  Heartsong

  ISBN: 978-0-9840521-3-4

  After three years spent mourning the death of her partner in a tragic climbing accident, Danica Warren has re-emerged in the public eye. With a best-selling memoir, a blockbuster movie about her heroic efforts to save three other climbers, and a successful career on the motivational speaking circuit, Danica has convinced herself that her life can be full without love.

  When Chase Crosley walks into Danica’s field of vision everything changes. Danica is suddenly faced with questions she’s never pondered.

  Is there really one love that transcends all concepts of space and time? One great love that joins two hearts so that they beat as one? One moment of recognition when twin flames join and burn together?

  Will Danica and Chase be able to overcome the barriers standing between them and find forever? And can that love be sustained, even in the face of cruel circumstances and fate?

  One ~ Love, (formerly The Flip Side of Desire)

  ISBN: 978-0-9840521-2-7

  Trystan Lightfoot allowed herself to love once in her life; the experience broke her heart and strengthened her resolve never to fall in love again. At forty, however, she still longs for the comfort of a woman’s arms. She finds temporary solace in meaningless, albeit adventuresome encounters, burying her pain and her emotions deep inside where no one can reach. No one, that is, until she meets C.J. Winslow.

  C.J. Winslow is the model-pretty-but-aging professional tennis star the Women’s Tennis Federation is counting on to dispel the image that all great female tennis players are lesbians. And her lesbianism isn’t the only secret she’s hiding. A traumatic event from her childhood is taking its toll both on and off the court.

  Together Trystan and C.J. must find a way beyond their pasts to discover lasting love.

  The Kate and Jay Series

  The Price of Fame

  ISBN: 978-0-9840521-4-1

  When local television news anchor Katherine Kyle is thrust into the national spotlight, it sets in motion a chain of events that will change her life forever. Jamison “Jay” Parker is an intensely career-driven Time magazine reporter. The first time she saw Kate, she fell in love. The last time she saw her, Kate was rescuing her. That was five years ago, and she never expected to see her again. Then circumstances and an assignment bring them back together.

  Kate and Jay’s lives intertwine, leading them on a journey to love and happiness, until fate and fame threaten to tear them apart. What is the price of fame? For Kate, the cost just might be everything. For Jay, it could be the other half of her soul.

  The Cost of Commitment

  ISBN: 978-0-9840521-5-8

  Kate and Jay want nothing more than to focus on their love. But as Kate settles into a new profession, she and Jay are caught in the middle of a deadly scheme and find themselves pawns in a larger game in which the stakes are nothing less than control of the country.

  In her novel of corruption, greed, romance, and danger, Lynn Ames takes us on an unforgettable journey of harrowing conspiracy—and establishes herself as a mistress of suspense.

  The Cost of Commitment—it could be everything…

  The Value of Valor

  ISBN: 978-0-9840521-6-5

  Katherine Kyle is the press secretary to the president of the United States. Her lover, Jamison Parker, is a respected writer for Time magazine. Separated by unthinkable tragedy, the two must struggle to survive against impossible odds…

  A powerful, shadowy organization wants to advance its own global agenda. To succeed, the president must be eliminated. Only one person knows the truth and can put a stop to the scheme.

  It will take every ounce of courage and strength Kate possesses to stay alive long enough to expose the plot. Meanwhile, Jay must cheat death and race across continents to be by her lover’s side…

  This hair-raising thriller will grip you from the start and won’t let you go until the ride is over.

  The Value of Valor—it’s priceless.

  The Mission: Classified Series

  Beyond Instinct – Book One in the Mission: Classified Series

  ISBN: 978-1-936429-02-8

  Vaughn Elliott is a member of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Force. Someone high up in the United States government has pulled rank, hand-selecting her to oversee security for a visit by congressional VIPs to the West African nation of Mali. The question is, who picked her for the job and why?

  Sage McNally, a career diplomat, is the political officer at the US Embassy in Mali. As control officer for the congressional visit, she is tasked to brief Vaughn regarding the political climate in the region.

  The two women are instantly attracted to each other and share a wild night of passion. The next morning, Sage disappears while running, leaving behind signs of a scuffle. Why was Sage taken and by whom? Where is she being held?

  Vaughn’s attempts to get answers are thwarted at every turn. Even Sage does not know why she’s been targeted.

  Independently, Sage and Vaughn struggle to make sense of the seemingly senseless. By the time each of them figures it out, it could be too late for Sage.

  As the clock ticks inexorably toward the congressional visit, the stakes get even higher, and Vaughn is faced with unspeakable choices. Her decisions will make the difference between life and death. Will she choose duty or her own code of honor?

  Above Reproach – Book Two in the Mission: Classified Series

  ISBN: 978-1-936429-04-2

  Sedona Ramos is a dedicated public servant. Fluent in three languages, with looks that
allow her to pass for Hispanic, Native American, or Middle Eastern, she is a valuable asset to the super-secret National Security Agency. When she accidentally stumbles upon a mysterious series of satellite images revealing activity at a shuttered nuclear facility in war-torn Iraq, somebody wants her dead.

  With danger lurking at every turn and not knowing who among her colleagues might be involved, Sedona risks her life to get the information to the one person she can trust—the president.

  The implications of Sedona’s discovery are clear and quite possibly catastrophic. Potential suspects include foreign terrorists, high-ranking Cabinet members, and assorted others. Whomever the president picks for this mission must be above reproach.

  Vaughn Elliott is enjoying her self-imposed isolation on a remote island, content to live in quiet anonymity. But when old friend Katherine Kyle brings an urgent SOS from the president of the United States, duty trumps comfort.

  Time is of the essence. Vaughn, Sedona, and a handpicked team of ex-operatives and specialists must figure out what’s really going on outside Baghdad, stop it, and unmask the forces behind the plot. If they fail at any point along the way, it could mean the loss of millions of lives.

  Will Vaughn and company unravel the mysteries in time? The trail of clues stretches from the Middle East to Washington. The list of people who want to kill them is long. And the stakes have never been higher…

  Anthology Collections

  Outsiders

  ISBN: 978-0-979-92545-0

  What happens when you take five beloved, powerhouse authors, each with a unique voice and style, give them one word to work with, and put them between the sheets together, no holds barred?

  Magic!!

  Brisk Press presents Lynn Ames, Georgia Beers, JD Glass, Susan X. Meagher and Susan Smith, all together under the same cover with the aim to satisfy your every literary taste. This incredible combination offers something for everyone—a smorgasbord of fiction unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else.

  A Native American raised on the Reservation ventures outside the comfort and familiarity of her own world to help a lost soul embrace the gifts that set her apart. A reluctantly wealthy woman uses all of her resources anonymously to help those who cannot help themselves. Three individuals, three aspects of the self, combine to create balance and harmony at last for a popular trio of characters. Two nomadic women from very different walks of life discover common ground—and a lot more—during a blackout in New York City. A traditional, old school butch must confront her community and her own belief system when she falls for a much younger transman.