The Price of Fame - KJ1

by Lynn Ames

  At first, Peter had tried hard to get the anchorwoman to fall for him.

  Finally, as delicately as she could, Kate had explained the facts of life to him. He had reddened, chuckled, and said, simply, “Ah, I get it now.”

  And that had been the end of it, except for the endless jokes, asides, and friendly contests to pick out the prettiest women everywhere they went.

  But deep down, Peter knew that his tall friend kept herself too far apart from the rest of the world. She was lonely and she didn’t even know it, which broke his heart. He could see, though, looking next to him at the pint-sized woman, that he wouldn’t have to worry too much longer.

  “As long as she’s in the house and the alarm is set, she’ll be as safe as a babe in her mother’s arms.”

  “Good, because what happened this morning scared the living daylights out of me for her.”

  When Peter looked at her oddly, Jay said slowly, “She did tell you what happened, didn’t she?”

  “No.”

  “She was attacked this morning by a stalker. She didn’t mention that?”

  “No.” Now he was angry.

  Jay noticed the shift in mood and reached out to place a gentle hand on her new ally’s arm. “She’s fine, not even a scratch. The police caught him after his first pass at her. It must have slipped her mind.”

  “I’ll just bet it did,” he said ominously. “It’s okay, Jay, she probably didn’t tell me because she knew I’d go down there and beat the tar out of the jerk.”

  “That’s right,” a low, sexy voice rumbled from behind him.

  “Geez, you sure know how to ruin a guy’s good time.”

  “Yeah, I know, I feel so sorry for you. Listen, Technowiz, it’s not that I’m not having a great time, because I am, but we’ve got to run. Some of us have a job to do.” Kate winked at him. “Thanks again for taking care of the security system so quickly.”

  “No problem, Anchorbabe, I’ll meet you at the house at midnight so that I can set the system with your code. That’s how you set and disable the alarm.”

  “Great, we’ll see you there.”

  As she made to leave, Peter held her back just a little. In her ear he said, so that only she could hear him, “I can set it to recognize a different code for Jay, too, if you want her to be able to get in and out of your place.”

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  Kate started to protest, but the look on Peter’s face told her that he wasn’t trying to jerk her chain.

  The security expert said, “I really, really like her, kiddo, she’s special.

  And, whether you know it or not, you’ve got amazing vibes going on between you. I think it’s fantastic, now just don’t mess it up.”

  “I’ll try not to, thanks for the vote of confidence.” But behind the light-hearted tone, it was obvious that his opinion had meant a lot to her.

  She jogged a few steps to catch up to Jay, and they disappeared into the parking lot to retrieve the car and head back to the station.

  True to his word, Peter met the two women in the driveway at midnight as they pulled into the garage. Showing them the system, he explained its features at length, taking them to the main control panel in Kate’s office so that he could individualize the program. He punched a sequence of numbers and symbols in the blink of an eye and told the anchorwoman to enter the four-digit code she wanted to use on the keypad on the console. Then he entered another string of numbers and the system beeped. Next he turned to Jay, who was watching the process with interest.

  “Okay, half-pint, your turn.”

  The writer didn’t move. “Are you talking to me?” she asked incredulously.

  “Are there any other vertically challenged individuals in this room?”

  Peter, who stood 6’4”, was fairly confident of the answer.

  Jay looked from one of them to the other. Kate nodded at her and said, “Let the man do his job, Jamison.” Her eyes sparkled.

  “Y-you want me to be able to arm and disarm your security system?”

  “Is there some reason I shouldn’t trust you?”

  “Well, no, of course not, but—”

  “Then follow the man’s instructions. After all, it’s your fault I’m stuck with this damn thing now, anyway.” Kate hid her smile behind her hand at the look of befuddlement and wonder on Jay’s face.

  Within minutes, the programming had been completed and tested.

  Remote consoles inside the front door, inside the garage door, and in Kate’s bedroom would each allow the system to be activated and deactivated with the proper code sequence. Peter had already taken the time during the day to ensure that the laser beams on which the system functioned would not be set off every time Fred came bounding through the house.

  The exhausted women bid the security expert goodbye and headed into the living room.

  “Peter seems like a great guy,” Jay began.

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  “Yeah, he’s the closest thing to a brother I have. And he’s pretty handy to have around, as you can see.”

  “I guess. Does he work for the police?”

  “Technically, no, his main job is with the New York State Department of Correctional Services; in other words, the state prison system. He’s their technology, tactical, and weapons expert; he knows more about explosives, weapons, electronic surveillance wizardry, and security than any one else in the country. Which means he does a lot of freelance work on loan to other agencies and companies. He designed the security systems for the White House and the governor’s mansion, for instance. And anytime there’s a bombing anywhere in the country, it’s Peter they call to come figure it out.”

  “He sounds like a good guy to know.”

  “Mmm, he can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Let’s just say I’m glad he’s on my side, I’d sure never want to piss him off.”

  “I’ll try to remember that.”

  Kate fidgeted for a minute, wanting to ask Jay her plans for the rest of the week, but suddenly feeling nervous. She couldn’t believe how quickly the woman was becoming a part of her life that she didn’t want to be without. She was fun, companionable, intelligent, compassionate, and beautiful. The anchorwoman wasn’t sure how much more material the writer would need in order to put together her story, but she didn’t imagine it could be much. And that would mean that she didn’t need to be there, with Kate.

  For her part, Jay was interpreting her friend’s fidgeting in an entirely different way, wondering if perhaps she wasn’t overstaying her welcome.

  In truth, she had more than enough material to write the story already, but she didn’t want to leave. She could justify staying to experience her subject’s reaction to the funeral of a boy she had saved and the editing of the special, both of which would take place tomorrow, but beyond that...

  Jay had never met anyone remotely like Kate. She enjoyed everything about her: her sense of humor, her passion for everything she did, her intellect, and her unconscious elegance and beauty. She had a toughness and strength about her that belied her thoughtful, caring, gentle, and compassionate nature. Jay wished she could find a way to prolong her assignment, and was desperately afraid that Kate might not want her to.

  “Um, how’s the story coming along, Jay?”

  “Good, good, your co-workers have given me some interesting material to work with.” At this the writer smiled, which scared the pants off of her companion.

  “You’re not going to write anything embarrassing, are you?” she asked uncertainly.

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  The emerald eyes danced and Jay let her friend sweat for a minute before she let out a full, throaty laugh. “This isn’t the National Enquirer.”

  “Oh, right.” Kate seemed to relax a bit.

  Jay continued, “And some of the families and victims have helped me to see how much what you did that day meant to them. It puts a completely new perspective on what makes a good journ
alist and where the lines are between professional objectivity and inserting humanity into a story.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got most of what you need then, huh?”

  Lost in her own train of thought, Jay didn’t catch the note of wistfulness and disappointment in Kate’s voice, she only heard the words. “I guess so. I was going to stay for the funeral and the editing of the special tomorrow, and then I could get out of your way. I’m sure you’d like to have your life back.” She couldn’t even look up.

  No, Kate’s mind screamed, I just want you. “Um, actually, I was planning on taking Thursday off, and I wanted to ask you if you could take the time, too?” Now that she had started, she wanted to finish in a rush before Jay could turn her down. “I know you have to have the story in on Monday morning, but I would love it if you could spend a day off with me. If you needed to, you could even start writing here. I promise Fred and I wouldn’t bother you at all.”

  Jay couldn’t believe her ears. Was this amazing woman asking her to spend a day off with her, as in a date? She needed confirmation. “Are you asking me for a date?”

  Kate found something interesting to study on the rug. “Yes,” she answered so quietly her companion wasn’t sure she’d said anything at all.

  “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.” Jay’s face split into a grin from ear to ear, a look that mirrored the one facing her. “I can go home and start writing on Friday, and finish on Saturday morning before I have to come back up here.”

  “You’re coming back up here this weekend?” She didn’t know what to make of that. Has she met someone up here already, someone who beat me to it, and she’s going on a date Saturday night? That was quick; one of my co-workers? Well, duh, Katherine. She’s a knockout and everybody in the world wants to be around her, of course she’s found someone. Kate’s heart dropped into her stomach.

  Jay, who was busy calculating ways to make the schedule work in her mind, answered distractedly, “Didn’t I tell you? The governor invited me to join him and his wife for something called the Legislative Correspondents’ Association Show. It’s this Saturday night.”

  “You’re going to the LCA Show?” Kate tried to sound nonchalant as her heart found its way back up into her chest.

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  “Well, yeah, the governor invited me. Do you know anything about it?”

  “Sure, sure. It’s sort of a spoof of state government put on once a year by the journalists who cover the capitol beat. It’s supposed to be pretty good, I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”

  “Do you know what I’m supposed to wear? I have no idea.”

  “It’s formal. Are you sitting at the governor’s table?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing.” Kate tried to kick start her brain. “You know, Jay, that show ends pretty late. You’re not going to want to travel back to the city afterwards. Why don’t you just plan to stay here Saturday night?

  You could go home Sunday morning, if you want.”

  “Oh, Kate, I don’t want to be an imposition.”

  “Are you kidding me? Didn’t we go through this once before? Fred and I would love to have you. I’ve got plans Saturday night, but I should be done right around the time that you are, so it should work out fine. In fact, if you can catch a cab to the show, I could pick you up and take you home.”

  She’s got plans Saturday night? Irrationally, Jay was jealous. Get a grip, Parker, of course she’s got a life. She’s gorgeous; she’s perfect.

  You think she sits home on a Saturday night? Get real. “I don’t want you to have to cut short your plans just for me.”

  “Trust me, Jay, the timing will work out perfectly. I’ll pick you up outside the Convention Center when the show lets out, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, now that that’s settled, I’m beat.” Kate’s announcement was punctuated with a yawn. “The funeral’s at 11:00 a.m., so the activities schedule for tomorrow morning will be the same as today’s, if you’re interested. Or, you could sleep in.”

  “What, and miss an episode of Charlie’s Angels? No way. I’ll see you in the fitness center at 8:00 a.m. sharp.” The blonde smiled tiredly at her friend.

  “Sleep well, Jay.”

  “You, too, Kate. G’night, Fred.”

  With that, both women toddled off to their respective bedrooms for some much needed shuteye.

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  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  neaking back into the house at 7:15 a.m., Kate sighed; one more Sday and she wouldn’t have to be up before the sun anymore. She couldn’t wait. This burning the candle at both ends stuff was for the birds. She scratched her faithful canine behind the ears and made her way quietly upstairs to change into her workout clothes, glad that her houseguest seemed to be a sound sleeper.

  As she had the previous day, Jay found freshly brewed coffee and orange juice on the kitchen counter. She smiled at the notion that her friend had observed her choices of the day before; gone were the tea, the grape juice, and the tomato juice.

  Reaching the bottom of the stairs in the basement/gym, she said,

  “Good morning. How did you know I wouldn’t want something different to drink today?”

  “That’s easy. You ordered coffee and orange juice when we had breakfast in the city, you accepted coffee gratefully at the Today Show interview, and you chose coffee and orange juice yesterday. Do I need to say anything more?” Kate was inordinately pleased with herself at having noticed the little things. In truth, she noticed everything about the gorgeous woman.

  I can’t believe she was paying that close attention! “Hmmph. I guess I need to work at being less predictable.”

  “I don’t know,” Kate replied, “I think there’s something to be said for being steady and reliable.”

  “What about boring and mundane?”

  “Jamison Parker, those are two words I would never use to describe you. Now get your butt the rest of the way over here. Your girl Jaclyn is just about to lay out one of the bad guys.”

  The rest of the workout was spent in companionable silence with the exception of occasional comments about the action on the television screen.

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  As the two women headed out the door for their run, Kate turned to Jay. “Do you want to take a different route today? Is it going to bother you?”

  “No, I think it will be fine. It’s such a pretty run, I don’t want to let anything spoil that.”

  But as they reached the spot of the previous day’s incident, Kate could feel her friend tense up. She reached out, touching her on the arm.

  “It’s okay, Jay,” she said softly, “he’s in a very secure place and he can’t hurt me anymore. Please don’t worry.”

  Jay smiled a half-smile up at her long-legged companion, “I know you’re right, it’s just...”

  “I know. But we can’t spend every minute worrying about what might be around the next corner, or we’ll forget to live in the moment, right?”

  “Right,” Jay agreed.

  After completing the rest of the run without any difficulty, they spent a few minutes playing ball with Fred, eating breakfast, and showering in preparation for the day.

  Once they were in the car on their way to the funeral, Jay looked over at her friend. “This is going to be hard for you, isn’t it?” She had seen two nights earlier how deeply affected Kate had been by the news of the little boy’s death.

  “It just seems so damn senseless. The kid goes on a field trip to learn about the history of his state, and he ends up crushed under the rubble of the capitol. Why? All because some nutcase somewhere has a beef with someone or something that has nothing to do with this poor little boy, who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Knowing there wasn’t anything to say to that, Jay merely reached out and wrapped her
fingers gently around Kate’s arm in mute comfort. The contact lasted only for a few seconds, but it made both women feel better.

  Blue eyes met green in a look of silent thanks.

  The church was packed. Kate stopped to give some instructions to Gene, who was already set up in an unobtrusive position with his camera.

  Then she and Jay made their way midway up the aisle and chose seats on the end of a row, barely sitting down before Joey’s father approached them from the front of the church. “Ms. Kyle, I know it’s short notice and a lot to ask, but we’d be greatly flattered if you would say a few words about our Joey. He was so taken with you and so excited to meet you. It was all he talked about the last two days of his life.” Tears coursed down the man’s cheeks.

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  Kate didn’t know what to say, the request caught her so far off guard.

  Her eyes welled up with tears, also. Quietly, she said, “I’d be honored.

  Thank you so much for asking me.”

  Seemingly pleased and satisfied, the man went back to his seat, his head bent close to his wife’s. She looked back at the dark-haired angel and smiled. The anchorwoman smiled sadly in return.

  As the service began, the writer noticed that her friend’s breathing had changed. She chanced a glance upward and saw that Kate was struggling with her emotions. Without hesitation, Jay reached out and slid her hand into the larger one resting next to her on the seat where no one else could see. God, it was getting harder and harder to keep from touching the remarkable woman. She got a squeeze of the hand in return and a quick look of gratitude.

  When it was her turn to speak, Kate straightened to her full height and made her way gracefully to the altar. A buzz of recognition went through the crowd of mourners, but Kate noticed none of it. She had not known what she would say until the moment she looked out across the sea of faces.

  “I look at you all today, united in your grief and sadness for the loss of a small boy who had his whole life in front of him, and I share your pain. I only got a chance to know Joey for a brief moment in his young life, and even in that short time, I knew there was something special about him. He had a light: a vibrant curiosity about the world around him. Lying there, trapped under the rubble, we spoke of baseball and his favorite teams. He showed no fear, just bravery and maturity well beyond his years. We here on Earth may have been robbed of his presence, but I know that his spirit and courage will live on for me as an example to be followed for the rest of my life. I hope he has touched you all in a similar way. I know that I am a richer person for having had the opportunity to meet him. Good rest, Joey; thank you.”