The Price of Fame - KJ1

by Lynn Ames

  At 7:45 a.m. Kate let herself into the house quietly from the garage.

  As soon as she stepped into the kitchen and saw Jay, she froze. The younger woman wore a look of such abject fear and despair on her face that it broke her heart. She barely had time to open her arms as the blonde threw herself into them, burying her head in Kate’s chest.

  Not knowing what else to do, Kate held on and tightened her grip, rubbing Jay’s back and kissing the top of her golden head. She couldn’t begin to fathom what had prompted such a reaction. At length, she pulled back enough to see Jay’s face. “What’s wrong, are you okay? Did something happen while I was gone?”

  Jay shook her head no and fought for her composure. What was wrong with her, anyway? “I was worried about you after your nightmare, and I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I would just check on you to make sure you were okay. That was at a little after 6:00 this morning, and when I didn’t find you in bed, I began to wonder where you might have gone. I searched the whole house and then, when I realized you weren’t here, my imagination started running away with me and I was afraid something bad had happened to you. It sounds so stupid now when I say it out loud,” she finished meekly.

  Kate smiled down into the shimmering emerald eyes. “It doesn’t sound silly to me at all, Jay; it sounds as if you care, which is a foreign concept to me. No one has ever worried about me that way before, and 125

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  I’m deeply touched. I’m sorry I gave you such a fright, I didn’t mean to. I just wasn’t thinking; I should have left a note. Forgive me?”

  Looking up into those pools of blue, Jay knew she would have forgiven this woman almost anything. She nodded her head.

  Kate said, “Now, can we start the day off properly?” Putting her hands on either side of Jay’s face, she looked deeply into eyes that reminded her of a beautiful summer day. Just as she was about to lower her mouth to Jay’s, she knew a moment of uncertainty. She asked, “May I?”

  “Please,” the writer breathed.

  The long, slow, thorough kiss that followed wiped all thought from both women’s brains, leaving only sensation in its wake. Every nerve synapse in Kate’s body was standing at attention, begging for more, but she was in no rush. She would not push Jay too far, too fast. She wanted to be sure of her friend’s feelings for her rather than make assumptions; Heaven knew she knew what she felt. She sighed, “Now that was the way a day like today should start.”

  “I’ll say,” Jay seconded dreamily, her senses reeling from the taste of the softest lips imaginable. Ooh, I’ll take some more of that, thank you very much. Out loud she said, “So where were you, anyway?” She caught a flicker of something in the other woman’s eyes, but then, just as quickly, it was gone.

  Kate wanted to be completely honest, at least as far as she was willing to go. “I stopped by to see Barbara before her day got too busy so she could take my stitches out. See?” She held out her hand and arm for her companion to examine. Indeed, the tiny rows of X’s were gone, leaving only healing pink scars in their wake.

  Jay ran her fingers over the thin lines that bisected Kate’s palm and the other marks that marred her perfect forearms. God, her skin is like velvet. Not content simply to let her fingers explore, Jay lifted one of the injured hands and kissed the palm gently.

  Kate tried hard to contain the involuntary shiver of pleasure the contact evoked, knowing that if she were to pursue her impulses, they would never get out of the house that day. Still, her eyes revealed the desire that was building in her, and the emerald orbs that held her gaze sparkled with the knowledge.

  Finally, the magic of the moment was broken when Fred pushed between them, unceremoniously depositing his ball at their feet. Both women laughed and shook their heads. Kate moved off to entertain her canine while Jay took a shower. Within an hour, both women were clean, dressed, and sitting at the kitchen table over coffee and Raisin Bran.

  “Ready to go?” Kate asked as she cleared the bowls and glasses from the table. She was anxious to show Jay the beauty of the Catskill 126

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  Mountains and it was the perfect day for it: sunny with just a sprinkling of clouds and 72 degrees.

  “You bet. Where are we going, by the way? And what, pray tell, is in that huge backpack?”

  “In keeping with your love of American Literature, I thought I’d take you to one of the most oft described vistas of the romantic era. Is it safe to assume that you’ve read James Fenimore Cooper’s The Pioneers?”

  Intrigued, Jay said, “Of course; 1823. Natty Bumppo and all that.”

  “Right, well, if you go back and look at the book, you’ll find that Natty gives a wonderful description of the view from one of the spots we’re going to hike to today.”

  “Really? Now I’m going to have to dig out my old copy and reread it.”

  “No need,” Kate smiled indulgently. “I’ve taken the liberty of marking the passage and bringing along my copy, which is one of the things in that backpack.” She motioned with her head to the large framed pack that sat in the corner of the kitchen by the mudroom. At Jay’s raised eyebrow, she added, “Hey, I’ve got all the essentials. Lunch, water for humans and Fred, binoculars, and James Fenimore Cooper.”

  Jay laughed, “Who could ask for anything more?” Then, after a minute, she added with a note of suspicion, “You read The Pioneers?”

  Kate gave her companion one of her full-fledged intimidating-arched-eyebrow looks. “Just because I’m a television news anchor doesn’t mean I’m illiterate, ya know. You’d better be nice to me or I’ll start spewing Shakespearean soliloquies from Macbeth.”

  “Ooh, we wouldn’t want that, now would we, Fred?” The canine wisely chose to remain silent, and followed his mistress, who had shouldered the pack and was heading out the door.

  The drive was a relatively conversation-free affair, since, with the top down, it was virtually impossible to hear. Fred happily occupied the back seat with the backpack and left the driving and navigating to the humans.

  Almost an hour into the drive, Kate was startled out of her reverie by the feel of a warm hand covering hers where it rested on the gearshift.

  Tentatively, slowly, smaller fingers wrapped around her larger ones and she glanced over to see Jay looking at her, a question in her deep green eyes. Smiling broadly into that beautiful gaze, she picked up their joined hands, placing a delicate kiss on the back of the smaller one and bringing them both to rest on her thigh. Both women sighed happily.

  A little more than half an hour later, as they neared their destination, Jay reluctantly released her hold on Kate’s hand so that she could downshift and guide them to a stop. “Where exactly are we?”

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  “North Lake, to be specific. The hike we’re going to take is a five-mile loop encompassing Kaaterskill Falls and the Cliff Walk. I really wanted to share this with you because it’s one of the most scenic, peaceful, least populated trails around here, and a personal favorite of mine. I hope you’ll like it as much as I do; the views are sensational, especially on a clear day like today.”

  Kate hoisted the heavy pack onto her back as if it weighed nothing, cinching the chest and waist straps and shifting the weight until it was balanced perfectly. Fred, waiting impatiently for his mistress to give him the signal that he could begin blazing the trail, leapt with glee when her hand gesture finally indicated that he was free to go. She checked her watch and turned to Jay. “How hungry are you?”

  “Is that a trick question?”

  Kate laughed, “No, in this case it’s not. We can either hike to the falls first, in which case lunch will be in half an hour, or we can hike the Cliff Walk first, in which case lunch will be in two and a half or three hours.

  The choice is yours.”

  “Hmm, decisions, decisions. Do I want to eat first and then walk it off, or do I want to work up an appetite first and feel as if I’ve earned my meal? That’s a tough call
, Stretch.”

  “I have faith in your ability to figure it out and come up with the perfect solution, Scoop.”

  “Oh you do, do you? In that case, I say we go to the falls and eat first, since I want to make sure I have an appetite for dinner tonight.”

  “Wise choice, young lady, as dinner will be a spectacular affair; the falls it is. Right this way.” She swept her hand in the correct direction, indicating that Jay should lead the way and set the pace. As they walked, Kate explained that the Kaaterskill Falls were once as popular as Niagara Falls, and, at 260 feet, represented the highest falls in New York state, including Niagara Falls. The falls consisted of two tiers: the upper, which was a 175-foot vertical drop, and the lower, comprising the other 85 feet.

  Jay was impressed with her friend’s knowledge of the area and its historical value, and she loved listening to her talk; Kate’s deep, melodious voice flowed over her like honey. The day was still fairly young, but already it was shaping up to be one of the best she could recall having in a long, long time.

  A short time later the trail led through a stand of virgin hemlock trees, emerging at the lower basin of the falls. When the two women arrived at their destination, standing at the bottom of the falls looking up, Jay was struck speechless. The roar of the water crashing down was overwhelming and, even from a good distance away, the spray proved powerful enough to coat them with a light mist.

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  “My God, Kate, this is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Jay regarded the scene with a sort of childlike wonder, turning around in a circle to take in the entire view. “And there’s nobody else here.”

  At that last comment, Kate smirked, knowing that she had picked that spot in which to picnic for that very reason. She had been fairly confident that, so early in the season on a weekday, the place would be relatively empty of tourists and day hikers. She was glad beyond words that she had been correct.

  She led them further down the trail, far enough away from the falls that the noise was minimal and the spray non-existent, yet the view of the falls was still breathtaking. They were standing on the edge of Spruce Creek, which featured a number of huge stones and some pieces of the upper segment of the falls that had fallen to the creek bed long ago.

  “Come over here and give me your hand, Jay.”

  “Why?”

  “Has anybody ever told you, you ask too many questions?” the taller woman mock-growled.

  Jay chuckled and moved closer, making a grand show of presenting her hand. At that, Kate grasped the hand, pulling the smaller woman to her and scooping her up in one smooth motion, supporting her under her knees and her shoulders.

  “Wha,” the writer sputtered, “what are you doing?” She latched on to Kate’s neck reflexively.

  Kate smiled down at her mischievously. “Well, I assumed that you didn’t want to get wet, and since our picnic spot is over there...” With her head, she gestured to a huge, flat rock in the center of the creek. “I thought this might be the best mode of transportation for you. Now, if you’d prefer...” She made as if to set Jay down in the water.

  “No!” the petite blonde screamed.

  “I didn’t think so.” With little effort, Kate picked her way across the rocks that populated the creek and over to the designated dining area, carrying Jay in her arms. Since the water wasn’t particularly deep at that point and her hiking boots were waterproofed, unlike her companion’s sneakers, she wasn’t concerned about her feet getting wet. When she reached the giant boulder, she set her date down gently on top of it.

  “How’s that?”

  “Mmm, great.” Jay knew Kate was asking about the lunch spot, but she was actually thinking more about being swept up into those strong arms.

  “Glad you like it,” Kate chuckled. She removed the pack from her back and spent several minutes looking around inside for the items she wanted. First, she pulled out a red-and-white checkered tablecloth, which the two of them spread out on the rock. Then she produced two paper 129

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  plates, napkins, and silverware, which she arranged on the makeshift table. Next, she unloaded several sandwiches, bags of chips and pretzels, fruit, and carrot sticks. Finally, she removed two bottles of water from the pack and hoisted herself up onto the surface of the boulder.

  “Wow, this is quite a spread.”

  “I wasn’t sure what kind of sandwiches you liked, so I got a bunch of different ones for you to choose from. You get first pick: there’s turkey with mayo, roast beef with Russian dressing, grilled chicken breast on a hard roll, and a lettuce, tomato, and cheese sandwich with mayo.”

  Jay was flabbergasted. “You are amazingly thoughtful, you know that? I can’t believe you went to all this trouble and carried all this stuff in that pack. It must weigh a ton!”

  “Nah, it’s not too bad, and besides, since I didn’t work out today, this will substitute nicely.”

  Jay selected the turkey sandwich, some Fritos, a handful of carrot sticks, and an orange and arranged them on her plate. Kate handed her a bottle of water, took the roast beef sandwich, some of the remaining carrots, and the other orange, and the two women sat side by side watching the falls and laughing at Fred, who had taken to hunting for rocks on the creek bed.

  When they had finished eating, Kate collected the plates, orange peels, chip bags, and silverware and placed them in a plastic bag before putting them back in the pack. Then they folded up the tablecloth and she stuffed that in as well. With everything cleaned up and put away, she leaned back against a shelf in the mammoth rock, motioning for Jay to lean against her. The writer happily complied, fitting herself in the space her tall friend had made between her legs and resting her back against the convenient chest.

  Kate wrapped her arms around Jay’s waist and rested her cheek on the fair head. The smaller woman placed her arms on top of her companion’s and turned her head slightly. “That was a fantastic lunch.

  Thank you for putting it all together. This is a beautiful spot.”

  “Mmm, almost as beautiful as you, but not quite.” She smiled as a blush crept up Jay’s neck and into her cheeks.

  “Yeah, right,” Jay said dismissively and shifted uncomfortably.

  Kate put her fingers briefly to the lips below her and tightened her grip around the blonde’s waist, bringing them into even closer contact.

  “Don’t, Jay. Don’t do that. You are without question the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I’m not known for giving idle or false compliments. Please don’t dismiss or discount how incredible you are; you need only look in the mirror to know that I’m right.”

  Jay was quiet for a moment before saying, “My father used to tell me that I was ugly and nobody but him would want me and that I was lucky 130

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  to have him. I guess I believed him, and, even though you’d think I should know better by now, part of me still believes him.”

  Once again, Kate was glad she’d never met the man, because she would have strangled him if she could have. “Your father was a sick man, Jay; the things he told you were designed to lower your self-esteem and keep you under his control. They weren’t the truth.” She let her words sink in for a few seconds before continuing. “Do you trust me, Jay?”

  The younger woman was surprised by the question. “More than I’ve ever trusted anyone in my life. Why?”

  “Because I want you to know that you can always, always trust me to tell you the truth, and the truth is that you are gorgeous, and amazingly desirable, and that, right now, I’m having a really hard time keeping my hands to myself.” Kate’s eyes had darkened with longing; the urge she felt to touch this woman was nearly overwhelming.

  Jay shifted in the circle of Kate’s arms, burying her hands in the dark mane of hair, urgently drawing the tall woman to her mouth. This kiss was filled with passion, promise, and desire, igniting a fire deep inside both women. Time stood still for several
long minutes and the rest of the universe ceased to exist, until reality finally intruded as they became aware of the sound of hikers in the distance.

  They both pulled back at the same time, breathing heavily, eyes locked on each other. Kate ran her finger along Jay’s jawline and across her lips, and gently disentangled herself. Without a word, she stood up, shouldering the pack and settling it, and hopped down off the rock.

  Picking the smaller woman up into her arms, her sapphire eyes never losing contact with the sea green ones, she carried her back across the creek to the trail where, reluctantly, she set her back on the ground.

  “Shall we go on?” Kate asked huskily. “It’s a magnificent hike from here along the Cliff Walk.”

  “I’m all yours,” Jay said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “I can only hope,” Kate murmured, so softly the petite woman wasn’t sure she’d heard her correctly. “C’mon Fred, let’s go.” With that, the canine bounded out of the water and back onto the trail, shaking himself off and managing to spray his mistress in the process. “Gee, thanks, buddy, I guess you could tell I needed some cooling off.”

  Jay just laughed.

  They moved along the trail at a comfortable pace, with Fred running ahead several hundred feet and doubling back to check on the humans’

  progress every now and again. The two women estimated that by the time the day was over, he would have covered twice the ground that they had.

  After a short time they came to a series of open overlooks atop steep outcroppings of rock. On two sides were clear vistas of mountains, and 131

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  below was Kaaterskill Creek, which led to the Hudson River. They stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the view and to allow Fred to rest and get a drink, since his tongue was hanging out the side of his mouth.

  “Let’s keep going,” Kate said. “The view gets even better when we get to Sunset Rock and Inspiration Point.” And, true to her word, as the pair approached those landmarks they came upon a riot of wildflowers lining the path, along with colorful butterflies and several varieties of birds.