The Price of Fame - KJ1

by Lynn Ames

  “Yeah, right. Now get out of here so I can get some sleep.”

  Just as they were headed back to the exit, the phone rang.

  “Now who would that be at this hour?” Barbara wondered aloud.

  “Well,” she sighed, “if they tracked me down here, it’s a sure bet that I should answer it.”

  After a moment, she handed the phone to her patient, shaking her head. “It’s for you,” she said, her eyebrows hiking into her salt-and-pepper hair.

  “Hello, this is Katherine Kyle.” Now she was all business, all trace of exhaustion gone. Jay marveled at the transformation.

  “Hiya, kiddo,” her producer greeted her. “I figured when I couldn’t get you at home that you might have stopped for some TLC.”

  Kate sighed in exasperation. “First of all, how in the world did you track me down and what could you possibly want now, Phil?” she said with a mixture of wonder and respect. “And secondly, I thought you told me to take the rest of the night off.”

  “Number one, I have many skills,” he said proudly. “Number two, I did, and now it’s tomorrow morning.”

  Kate groaned. “Okay, what is it?”

  “Great news. You’re a star and you’re in demand; all three networks want you on their morning shows tomor—er...today. First appearance at 7:05 a.m. You have to be in makeup at 6:00 at the NBC Today Show studios.”

  There was dead silence on the anchorwoman’s end.

  “Kate, did you hear me?”

  A heavy sigh. “Yeah, I heard you.”

  “Terrific, a limo will be outside your house at 3:30 a.m. That’s...two and a half hours from now. Better get your beauty rest, not that you need any.”

  “Gee, thanks, buddy. I’ll fly back and be here in time for the 6:00

  ’cast. Get me some reservations, will you? And Phil, I’m going to call you at 6:30 a.m. sharp, and I want an update on everything we know to this point. See ya.” She hung up before he had a chance to respond.

  When she put the phone down, both Jay and Barbara looked at her with inquiring eyes.

  “I’m the catch of the day, apparently; all three networks want me on their morning shows...six hours from now.”

  “Oh Kate,” both women groaned together.

  “Kate, you’re in no shape to travel to New York right now, that’s insane!” Jay was well and truly worried about her friend.

  “That’s okay, they’re sending a limo to drive me.”

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  “Oh, well, that makes it all better then,” the writer said sarcastically.

  Barbara decided right then and there that she liked her. A lot.

  “Come on, Jay, let me get you back to your hotel. Thanks for taking such good care of me, Barbara, as always.” And with that, the three women walked into the parking lot.

  As Kate was getting into the passenger seat, Barbara escorted Jay around to the driver’s side. The look in her eyes when she was watching Kate hadn’t escaped Barbara, either. “Take good care of her, Jay, she’s a special one.”

  Jay blushed, but nodded her head. “I know.”

  The ride to the hotel was companionably silent, as both women were too tired for conversation.

  Once there, Kate insisted on walking Jay to her room. But before they could get beyond the lobby, the desk clerk called out, “Excuse me, are you Ms. Parker?”

  “Yes, I am,” Jay answered, surprised, approaching the desk.

  “Thank God,” the clerk exclaimed, relieved. “I’ve got a message for you; this woman has been calling every half-hour.”

  Jay smiled and shook her head. “Ah, that would be Trish.” To Kate she said, “My editor.”

  Jay accepted the piece of paper from the clerk and read the note, groaning.

  “What is it?”

  “The governor has rescheduled the interview for...2:30 p.m. today...in his New York City office. It seems he doesn’t want to appear to be cowed or deterred by terrorists.”

  Kate thought for a minute. She really didn’t want to say goodbye to Jay again so soon. “I’ve got an idea.” At the younger woman’s raised eyebrow, she continued before she could lose her nerve. “How about if we get you checked out right now? You can come to my house with me, we can shower there, get changed and ready, and then you can ride with me in the limo back to the city.” When Jay didn’t respond right away, Kate rushed on, “That is, if you don’t mind traveling at that ungodly hour, and I would love it if you would accompany me on the rounds to the shows. If you want to, I mean; I think you’d have plenty of time before your interview with the governor.” She could never remember being so nervous and anxious about an answer before; it had never mattered like this.

  Jay was floored by the offer. “That sounds great, are you sure?” At Kate’s bashful nod, the blonde turned toward the elevators. “I’ll just go 40

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  get my stuff and be down in a minute.” Heck, she thought to herself, I’d walk to New York if it meant I could spend more time with you.

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  42

  The Price of Fame

  CHAPTER FOUR

  fter throwing her few things together the writer placed a quick Acall to her edito

  r.

  “Sure,” Trish practically yelled at her in her heavy New York accent.

  “You, the most responsible person I know...first you hang up on me, and then, if that isn’t bad enough, you go flying off somewhere and don’t even bother to get in touch with me when the whole world is exploding up there. Jesus, Jay, I thought something really bad happened to you.”

  “I’m sorry, Trish, I guess I didn’t think about it that way; don’t worry, everything’s fine. I don’t have time right now, but I promise to explain it all to you the next time we talk, okay?”

  The editor could never stay mad at her young friend for long. “Yeah,”

  she said. “Okay this time, but no more heart attacks, all right? I’m too young to die.”

  “Cross my heart, Trish. Listen, I’ve already got a ride back to the city, and I’ll be there in plenty of time for the interview.”

  “Jay,” the editor said seriously, “there’s an awful lot riding on this interview now given what happened. Make me proud.”

  “Have I ever disappointed you?”

  “Nope, and don’t let this be the first time, either.”

  “Bye, Trish.”

  “See ya, kid.”

  The ride to the television anchorwoman’s house took a little over twenty minutes, Kate driving this time, since it was easier than giving directions. When they pulled into the driveway, Jay was amazed at how beautiful and big the house was. “Wow, Kate, this is impressive.”

  “It’s home,” she shrugged.

  The house was set back from the road, which was a cul-de-sac, the driveway shaded by large old oak trees and extending perhaps three hundred feet, with a circular drive leading to the front door and a 43

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  continuation to the side leading to a three-car attached garage. From the front door, the writer couldn’t even see the lights of the neighboring houses.

  The house itself was spectacular, contemporary in style with large windows, including one huge rectangular window above the entranceway topped by a second, semicircular window. Through that opening Jay could see a beautiful hanging gold and glass light fixture that presided over a wide-open expanse.

  Kate unlocked the front door, insisting that she would not take her guest in through the garage. Jay was stunned by the elegance of the interior: it was airy and open, with a high cathedral ceiling and skylights in what she could see was the sunken living room. And yet it also had a cozy feeling that was most likely a result of the post-and-beam construction and the choice of furnishings.

  Before Jay could make any more observations, Kate called out, “Hi, honey, I’m home! Fred, are you here, I brought somebody home to meet you.” Kate completely missed the look of tota
l shock and dismay on her companion’s face.

  Jay wasn’t sure she could stay standing, Kate’s words slamming her in the gut like a two-by-four as she felt the air rush out of her lungs.

  There was a sharp pain in her chest, and it was hard to breathe; how could she have missed something as major as a husband? Good Lord!

  Kate didn’t have any rings on her fingers, but then that didn’t necessarily mean anything; how could she have been so stupid? Of course someone as special as Kate would be taken.

  Just as Jay was trying to figure out how she could extricate herself gently from the situation without making too much of an idiot out of herself, a beautiful golden retriever came bounding around the corner from another part of the house. The dog had a stuffed parrot in his mouth and what the writer thought passed for a big smile on his face.

  “There you are,” Kate said, still oblivious to her companion’s distress. “Now be a gentleman and introduce yourself.” The dog sat obediently, sticking out his right paw for Jay to shake, his tail wagging furiously and his whole body shaking in excitement. “Jay, this is Fred.

  Fred, meet Jay.”

  The feeling of profound relief that flooded through her left the blonde feeling light-headed. She kick started her brain again, reaching out to take Fred’s extended paw.

  “Oh, and Fred,” Kate said in a stage whisper, “no kissing on the first date.” She winked at Jay, who stood there with a lopsided grin on her face. Now that she was pretty sure her heart was going to recover, she was absolutely smitten with Fred.

  “How old is he?” Jay asked as she scratched him on the chest.

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  “Two years,” his mother replied. “His parents are both breed champions.”

  “He’s charming and handsome.”

  “Yeah,” Kate agreed with obvious pride and affection. “But don’t tell him that, it’ll go right to his head.”

  The anchorwoman indicated that Jay should follow her further into the house, showing her to the living room and inviting her to sit on the couch. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No thanks, I’m fine.”

  “I’d light the fireplace, but I don’t think we have enough time to enjoy it.”

  “That’s okay, Kate, you don’t need to worry about me. You must be exhausted.”

  After a short silence, Jay decided to take advantage of the moment.

  “By the way, I’ve always wanted to thank you for all that you did for me in college,” she started conversationally. Kate made a dismissive motion as if to say, “it was nothing.”

  “No, really,” Jay persisted. “You were always taking your clothes off for me,” she said earnestly, referring to the sweatshirt and Kate using her ski jacket to warm her on the ski slope.

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth and Jay got a good look at her companion, whose eyebrows had hiked all the way up into her hairline, she realized what she had said. She scrubbed furiously at her face, which had turned beet red.

  “Uh-oh. Damn, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I mean, I did mean it but,” she stammered. “Oh, never mind,” she finished miserably.

  Kate was utterly charmed both by the adorable blush and the attempted explanation; she tipped her head back and gave a full, throaty laugh.

  Jay thought it was the most wonderful sound she’d ever heard. “Let’s just rewind the conversation, okay?”

  Kate decided she should let her friend off the hook. “You’re welcome, Jay, I was glad to be in the right place at the right time.”

  In an effort to lighten the conversation, knowing that they were both too tired just then for anything really heavy, Kate said, “Listen, I need to take a shower in the worst way.”

  “Me, too,” Jay agreed.

  “Well, come with me, I’ll give you the nickel tour so you can find your way around and show you to the guest suite.”

  Fred led the way out of the living room and into a fully stocked library, complete with built-in floor to ceiling bookshelves. Jay made a mental note to come back and check the titles in Kate’s collection; some of them clearly looked like first editions. On the wall opposite the 45

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  bookshelves was what appeared to be a well-used fireplace. Noticing her gaze, Kate said, “This is my favorite room in the house; Fred and I spend a lot of time in here reading by the fire.”

  Jay made note of the fluffy dog bed sitting next to a comfortable-looking recliner, which was sitting at an angle to the fireplace. Boy, she thought, I could get lost in here for days.

  They exited the library, next entering an office with a rich beige leather couch on one wall and a large dark oak desk on another, a matching oak filing cabinet and credenza sitting against the opposite wall. It was clear from the state of the room that Kate did quite a bit of work there. There were neat stacks of magazines and newspapers in racks next to the desk, which was free of clutter but still managed to look well used.

  They moved on to the family room, which sported state-of-the-art video and audio equipment, yet another fireplace, and a light-colored plaid armchair and matching sofa; French doors opening out onto a huge, two-tiered wooden deck completed the space.

  Behind the family room was the kitchen, which appeared to have every modern convenience but lacked any indication that it had ever been used. A mudroom that doubled as Fred’s dining area adjoined the kitchen, and a bathroom was situated adjacent to the mudroom.

  Finally, the last room on the first level was the dining room, which featured a beautifully intricate Oriental rug on the hardwood floor, and very expensive-looking matching mahogany chairs and a table big enough to seat ten people comfortably. A mahogany sideboard and china cabinet rounded out the furnishings.

  “C’mon, let’s go upstairs.”

  Kate showed Jay the three bedrooms upstairs, including the guest suite, which included its own large bathroom with a sunken tub. Finally, she stopped at the threshold to her own bedroom suite. With a gesture of her bandaged hand, she motioned Jay to precede her, following her inside.

  The room was large and airy, like the rest of the house, but with an intimacy about it that took Jay’s breath away. The colors were warm and inviting, the furnishings tasteful and understated; the ceiling featured a huge fan, recessed lighting, and a skylight through which she could see the moon and stars shining above.

  “It’s fantastic,” she breathed. “The whole house is.”

  “Thanks,” Kate said simply. “I designed it myself.”

  “You designed the house?” Jay exclaimed in wonder.

  “Um, yeah.”

  “Wow.” Jay looked at her friend with a mixture of awe and respect.

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  Kate kicked her shoes off and sighed, beginning to shrug out of her suit jacket, although with her hands stitched and bandaged, it was a challenge.

  Jay, seeing the flicker of pain cross her companion’s features, stepped forward. “I can help you with that.”

  “No, it’s okay, I’ve got it,” Kate said gamely even as she winced again.

  “For all the times you helped me, it’s the least I can do, please.” She looked up into those cerulean blue eyes with pleading emeralds.

  Kate lost herself in those orbs for a moment, silently nodding her surrender.

  Jay moved forward further, brushing Kate’s hands aside gently, undoing the two buttons on the ruined suit jacket and easing it from broad shoulders, then reaching for the buttons on the silk blouse. She swallowed hard and her fingers shook slightly as she carefully opened each button, revealing more and more beautiful skin, seeing clearly the line where the ash and dirt ended and the flesh that had been protected by the blouse and jacket began.

  Exposing more skin, Jay made the mistake of looking up into those incredible deep blue eyes. The expression she saw there precipitated a flush of heat beginning in her stomach and radiating downward. Trying hard to maintain her comp
osure, she lowered her hands and unhooked the button on Kate’s slacks and pulled the zipper down. Finally, reaching behind her back, she released the catch on her bra, stepping back as if a snake had bitten her, not trusting herself to refrain from reaching out and touching that amazing body so close by. She turned away quickly and began studying the artwork on the walls.

  Kate, who had seemingly forgotten to breathe for several minutes, recovered enough to excuse herself and go grab a silk robe off the back of the adjoining bathroom door. Good Lord, Katherine Ann, she thought.

  You are in so much trouble! Her entire body was singing with desire, which was no easy feat considering just how tired she was and how much pain she was in.

  Once she was relatively sure that her body wouldn’t give her away, she returned to the bedroom wearing only the robe and her underwear.

  “Um, why don’t you go take a shower first, Jay, you can use the guest suite down the hall; I’ll just rest for a minute until you’re done.”

  Glad for a bit of normal conversation, and beyond relieved that she had had a moment alone to compose herself, Jay readily agreed.

  When she returned to Kate’s room to let her know she was ready, Jay found her fast asleep curled up in the middle of the bed. The writer took a 47

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  moment to study the sleeping form, acknowledging that she was by far the most beautiful woman Jay had ever seen, even with her eyes closed.

  Knowing that her friend was exhausted, she was loath to wake her, though she knew she must; in only another hour the limousine would arrive. But Kate looked so peaceful.

  Jay decided to delay the inevitable, going instead to the kitchen to throw together something for them to eat. She was certain that her companion hadn’t eaten in at least twelve hours, and she was hungry, too. Not that that was any great news flash, she chuckled to herself.

  When she opened the refrigerator, it quickly became clear that her initial assessment of the state of Kate’s kitchen had been accurate. Aside from a carton of skim milk, a stick of butter, a dozen eggs, a slab of bacon, some cocktail sauce, half a dozen cans of soda, fresh oranges, some salad dressing, and a jar of pasta sauce, the refrigerator was a wasteland.