Chasing Kate (An American Dream Love Story Book 1)

by Josephine Parker

  There was no energy left to fear his words. No energy to respond. Kate simply sobbed into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, clutching at the fabric of his shirt. She felt warm in his arms as tears slid down her face, soaking her pillow. A long, shaking breath left her lips. She was astonished at herself. She cried so much here. She never used to cry at all.

  Kate listened to the steady beat of Chase’s heart as they lay entwined under the covers in the darkened, private cave of her bedroom. Their arms stayed wrapped around each other as the remaining daylight faded and the room plunged into total darkness. Kate realized she was holding Chase as fervently as he was holding her. They were hiding together. She let herself fall away into the safety of this moment, and this perfect embrace. At least for this moment, she didn’t have to be Kate Piper. She was just Kate, safe in Chase’s arms.

  She must have drifted off into sleep, for as she awoke, a wave of regret crashed over her. She was so stunned by her own personal crisis she had lost focus on Chase and what he must be feeling. A rush of adrenaline swirled through her chest as a final tear slid down her cheek and onto the still damp pillow. She laced her fingers around the back of Chase’s neck and took in the scent of his hair and skin one last time, then slid out of his embrace.

  As she repositioned the covers over him, she saw his eyes open in the darkness. His hand reached out and took her by the wrist. “Where are you going?” he whispered.

  Kate took his hand and lifted it to her mouth, kissing it, then holding it to her cheek for a moment. “To work,” Kate said, placing his hand back under the covers. “To work.”

  Chapter 22: Chase

  Chase awoke in the dim gray light of Kate’s bedroom to his phone dinging on the bedside table, notifying him of an unread text message. He untangled his arm and reached out to look at the screen. It was Kate. “Come soon. Wear the dark blue suit, white shirt, solid tie.”

  He blinked at the words and sat up slowly, reaching to rub a stabbing pain out of one of his shoulders. He looked at the time. 9:37 AM. How could he have slept so late? He felt like he had been drugged. His mind shifted and the words in that awful tweet flooded his mind. He groaned and fell back against the pillow. Peggy and his parents must be losing their minds. He sent them all a quick text. “All okay. Will explain. Coming in.” He staggered back through the dark corridors of the tornado shelter, then up into his own house. He showered and dressed quickly, giving Fitz a quick rub on his way out. “Don’t look so glum, buddy,” he said. “Everything will work out, right?”

  As he pulled into the KinCo parking lot, the security guard nodded at him, but then averted his eyes. Chase was grateful for that. He didn’t know what to say to anyone. He didn’t know how to explain. He walked briskly through the hallways with his head down, questions racing through his mind. When he got to his office, his assistant said quietly, “Kate’s in there,” then, too, looked away.

  Kate stood looking out the window. When she heard him enter, she turned. “Good morning,” she said loudly enough for his staff to hear. “Let’s get started.”

  As Chase shut the door, Kate rushed over to him, wrapping her hands around his waist and pressing her forehead into his chest. “You’re here,” she said.

  Chase felt his anxiety start to fade away as he held her. “Yes,” he said, stroking her back, “and so are you.”

  She nodded into his chest, exhaled, and then pulled away.

  “I owe you an apology,” she said. “Yesterday, when you asked if we were screwed, I should have looked you in the eye and said no, I’ve got this.” She grimaced. “But I didn’t.” She took both of his hands in hers and squeezed them. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. That won’t happen again.”

  Chase felt tiny springs uncoiling in his belly. He nodded. “We’re in this together, Kate,” he said. “So you call it. What’s next? Because honestly, I have no idea.”

  She guided him to a chair then sat and looked at him with her perfect blue eyes. “You are doing an interview.”

  He blinked. “Who?”

  “You.”

  He shook his head. “You know how I feel about that. I can’t—”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll prep you.” Kate glanced down at her watch. “We have an hour.”

  “An hour?” Chase said, then realizing his voice was raised, said again, “An hour? Kate, that’s crazy.”

  She placed her hand on his arm and looked at him reassuringly. “Chase, listen. It’s happening. It has to.”

  His head dropped into his hands. He did not want to look back up. The last time he did an interview, he found himself saddled with a crazy stalker. His head felt like it was being squeezed in on both sides. He’d rather be in another fiery car wreck than do an interview.

  Kate spoke in a steady, determined voice. “What we do now will determine how this whole story is reported from now on, Chase. We can control this narrative, but if we don’t fill that space, the media will. We have to do the interview today.”

  He looked up at her, his voice catching in his throat. “Control, how?”

  Kate eyed him evenly. “No one died here, Chase. This doesn’t have to be a major scandal. There was no accounting fraud, spying, violation of safety regulations, none of that. Those are the type of scandals that ruin corporations.” She shrugged. “Right now, you just look like a misogynistic asshole.”

  Chase grumbled and rubbed his face with his hands.

  “We can control that,” Kate continued.

  He let out a haggard laugh. “How, Kate? How could we possibly fix that? Deny it? It was my twitter account, for Christ’s sake.”

  Kate shook her head. “No, we don’t deny. We don’t apologize, and we definitely don’t rationalize. The public and the media will eat you alive if you do that.”

  “What, then?”

  “Have you ever heard of Reputation Capital?”

  “No.”

  “When it comes to corporations, Reputation Capital is as important as any other asset. It’s an intangible strength embedded in the company’s value.”

  “Okay. I guess they forgot to teach that part in business school,” Chase said snidely.

  “Funny. Listen, your personal reputation is not what’s important here. If we handle this right, we can repair that, too. But what we need to focus on is the company’s reputation and your ability to be CEO.”

  “Agreed.”

  “If we rationalize, that does nothing to placate the markets. What the market wants is integrity and bravery. Remember that. Integrity and bravery.”

  He nodded. “Integrity and bravery. Go on.”

  “I will give you a list of talking points. Have you ever heard a good politician do an interview? No matter what they’re asked, they just stick to the talking points. That’s what you’ll do.”

  Chase shook his head. “They won’t go for that.”

  “TV Interviews are edited. They don’t have room for the back and forth. That’s boring. The producer is only looking for the sound bite. That’s what our talking points give them.”

  “What happens when they ask about the tweet? They will ask. That’s the whole point, right?”

  Kate shook her head. “That’s what gets them in door, but then we switch the pitch. We redirect. When they ask any question related to the tweet, you laugh and say, ‘I was as shocked as anyone. That was a joke in poor taste. Apparently, we are getting attention because the launch of our IPO is going so well’. Then you launch into the valuation going up. That the result will be more American jobs. That’s it. Deflect. Joke in poor taste. You were surprised. Valuation going up. More American jobs. All investors will hear is valuation going up and more American jobs.”

  Chase looked at Kate in stunned silence.

  She nodded at him in reassurance. “You can do this.”

  Kate reached over to the desk and grabbed a short stack of note cards. “Here are your talking points. You don’t have to remember everything. Just don’t get in the weed
s, and whatever they ask, your three responses are, Joke, Valuation, Jobs. Got it?”

  Chase swallowed. “Will you be there?”

  “Yes. Not on camera, but in the back of the room.” As she looked at him, her eyes got softer. “Do you need a fluff?”

  “A what?” Chase scoffed.

  “A fluff.” She moved her chair so it was directly in front of his and leaned forward. “You listen to me,” she said. “You are Chase Kincaid. You are smart and brave, and have built one of the best companies in the United States.”

  “Kate…”

  “No. You listen. No one can lead KinCo into a new era better than you. Anyone who thinks they can keep you down is mistaken. You are Chase Kincaid, and they don’t know who they’re messing with. Got it?”

  Chase grinned at her. “Yeah.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Chase Kincaid.”

  “That’s right.” Kate leaned forward and tenderly kissed him on the cheek. “Okay, then. You prep. I’m going to check on your lighting.”

  Chase rubbed the sweat from his palms and took a deep breath. Two months ago when he visualized this final week, he thought everything would come together, the launch would be celebrated, and the company would be his. Now his IPO was in danger, and in seven days, Kate would be gone. Chase felt a hollow black hole in his stomach as he thought of it. He scowled down at the notes one last time, then walked out of his office. He couldn’t help but notice KinCo employees turning away from him as he walked down the halls. Everyone was unsure how to respond. He pulled himself up so his back was straight. He would fix this. He would fix everything.

  As he walked into the interview room, a giant light ignited across him, bathing everything in cold, white rays. He raised his hand up to shield his eyes. “Is that really necessary?” he asked.

  He saw Kate rush across the room to his side. “Concentrate on your talking points. Everything here is just a tool for you to convey the message.” Kate reassured him with a final squeeze to his arm then stepped back behind the lights.

  The reporter approached Chase and introduced herself, then directed him to a chair. He took a deep breath. As he did, he looked through the beams of light to see Kate. She was walking around in the background, stepping gingerly around the trail of black electrical cords that littered the floor. She settled in a spot against the wall, leaning there and gazing at him in silent reassurance.

  He returned her gaze and suddenly wished they could go back to this morning when they were huddled in bed together, just the two of them, embracing in the darkness. He silently counted the steps between them. It was only twenty feet to Kate’s arms, to Kate’s skin. He cast his eyes to the ground. Last night, when he told Kate he loved her, she didn’t respond. Instead, she got up and went back to work. If he had one more year, maybe he could make Kate love him back, but he only had seven more days.

  Chapter 23: Kate

  “You might understand how some of our viewers might question your ethical standards given the recent tweet about Ms. Piper.”

  Chase revealed a charming smile to the reporter. “I don’t blame them. That tweet was a poor joke played by someone who clearly doesn’t know Kate.” Chase pivoted his eyes just slightly, so they looked beyond the reporter back to where Kate stood. Chase looked at her directly. “Kate is my professional colleague. She is brilliant and beyond reproach. We are lucky to have her on our team.” Then he cast his attention back to the reporter. “We continue to move forward, looking ahead to the launch of our IPO next week.”

  Kate reached her hand back behind her and steadied herself against the wall. The way Chase was looking at her made her body flush. She wanted to look down to compose herself, but her eyes were planted on Chase’s mossy green eyes bathed in the camera’s lights.

  “Will you be a different leader from your father? How will KinCo be different with you at the helm?” the reporter asked.

  “Our entire history has been about innovation and creating the best U.S. made products for our customers. We are committed to continuing that tradition.”

  “We look forward to seeing what happens,” said the reporter. After a moment, the lights turned off and the reporter reached out her hand. “Great interview, thank you,” she said as she stood.

  Kate walked over and handed her a folder. “You are getting this ahead of the pack,” she said. “You have a five hour lead.”

  “Got it, thanks, Kate.” The reporter gathered up her things and walked back to her crew.

  Chase loosened his tie as he watched her go. “What was that?” he asked.

  Kate took a breath. “Press release. Announcing the new spring product line.”

  Chase turned towards Kate with a look of admiration. “The art of a fresh narrative, I take it?” he asked, but Kate couldn’t respond. She had to wait for the crew to pack up and exit the room. She remembered to breathe as they exited, shutting the door behind them.

  “Chase,” she whispered. “About last night—”

  “I know, Kate.” He frowned. “I know you don’t feel what I feel.”

  “No, I—”

  “I’m alright. I know you have to leave soon, and this,” he motioned to the space between them, “can get messy.”

  Kate took a breath and said what she needed to say. “I can do messy.”

  Chase gave her a look of confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, we just—” She took another breath then looked up at him. “I don’t want to waste any more time. If we only have a week, I want to spend as much of that week with you as I can.” As she said it she felt the heat in her body rise. “Will you spend tonight with me?”

  She saw desire flash in his eyes, then he shook his head and looked away. “I don’t know, Kate. Won’t that just make things worse? When you leave?”

  Kate nodded. “Probably. I just know I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t spend this time with you.” Her hands clenched together. “I feel like we’ve wasted so much time already. I understand if you don’t feel the same.”

  Chase took an audible breath. “Come here,” he said.

  She had never wanted anyone as much as she wanted Chase at that moment. She rushed towards him and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her mouth against his; their lips and tongues crushed together in mutual longing.

  She could feel his breath, hot and building, lingering with her own as their lips touched. His arms clutched around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. Her breath became ragged as she felt his erection long and hard against her. She wrapped a leg around him as they pushed against each other, Chase swiveling his hardness into her.

  They were abruptly interrupted by his cell phone ringing. Chase pulled away with a gasp. “Dammit,” he said, running his hands through his hair.

  Kate stood up straight, smoothing her skirt down. She wiped at her mouth and tried to lower her heart rate. She watched as Chase went over and picked up his cell phone. “One minute,” he said, and pressed the mute button.

  Kate walked over and raised herself up on her toes, kissing him softly on the mouth. “Seven tonight,” she whispered in his ear, then walked out.

  l

  Kate took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair hung in long, curling tendrils which brushed down against the straps of a cream camisole. She turned around slightly and looked at herself from another angle. Below the cami, she wore small, silky cream colored shorts which hung loosely just above the curve of her ass. She frowned for a moment, wondering if she should change again. Stop the nonsense, she told herself. He’s already seen you naked.

  Mixed in with little quivers of anticipation was a lingering fear that she was doing the wrong thing. She shook out her arms and tried to make the nerves fly away. This morning, curled safely in Chase’s warm embrace, she knew what she wanted. He had cared about her when he should have only cared about himself. And, even after chasing her relentlessly for weeks, he did not try to have sex with her. He hadn�
��t even tried to reach under the thick layers of her clothes to touch her last night as she cried. He just held her. She wasn’t in charge and she wasn’t impressive—she didn’t have to be. He was there for her anyway.

  Today, at the interview, he was still trying to save her. He could have thrown her under the bus to help himself, but he didn’t. And the way he looked at her as he spoke, his eyes boring through the lights, right into her, she could barely wait another minute.

  She padded over to the blinds and peaked out. Soft lights shone from within Chase’s bungalow but there was no movement inside. She scurried over to the cellar door and put her ear to the wood, checking again to make sure it wasn’t locked. She did not hear the tap of underground footsteps, so she walked to the kitchen and poured an open bottle of wine into one of the glasses, then took a sip and gave herself over to the ecstasy of waiting.

  She finally heard a tiny knock and the creak of a door. When she turned, Chase was standing there in her hallway, his eyes full of questions only her body could answer. Without a word, she walked over to him and placed both of her hands flat upon his chest and looked up at him. “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi,” he grinned, his arms circling around her waist. He bent down and drew his warm mouth across hers. “You taste like wine,” he said.

  Kate felt a quiver run through her legs. She took a deep breath and moved her hands down to his hips, steadying herself. “Want some?” she asked.

  “No,” he said softly.

  “No?” Kate looked up into his eyes, feeling her throat constrict as she did.

  Chase reached up with his fingers and tucked back a tendril of her hair, then ran his fingers down along her jaw. “What are we doing, Kate?” he asked, his eyes glistening.

  Kate felt the ground shift below her. The fear of how she would suffer without him in the months to come crushed in on her. But the fear of not having him now, in this moment, was greater. She felt her voice tremble as she looked up at him. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I just know I want you.”