Falling Into Drew (14 page)

CHAPTER 19

“You don’t have to drive me to the airport. The concierge said there’s a bus that goes directly to Shannon from Galway.” Kate carelessly tossed the clothing she’d unpacked the day before into her suitcase. She’d been repeating the same thing to Drew ever since she booked her flight to New York, but he’d made up his mind to drive her to the airport anyway. Drew O’Connor could be a stubborn mule and his unreasonableness added to her frustration.

“I’m taking you to the airport. We can either go by car or I’ll ride with you on the bus. Your choice,” he said, tucking his hands in his jeans’ pockets.

“Some choice,” she muttered.

“I get that you’re independent and I respect it. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t need anyone else. I want to spend as much time with you as I can, since I’m disappointed that you have to go.”

“I’m not happy about it either. I hoped you might let me see where you grew up. It could help me understand you.”

“Am I that much of a mystery?”

She simply raised her brows and gave him the kind of look that wordlessly said you’ve got to be kidding.

If she only knew, Drew thought. There was no way in hell that he could bring her to that place, not unless he told her…but no, not yet, maybe not ever. She’d run and he wouldn’t blame her. He couldn’t risk it.

Once she finished packing, Drew took her bag and they rode the elevator to the lobby. He slung one arm across her shoulders as they crossed the large space and when Kate turned to smile at him, she spotted a flash of red. There was no mistaking the hair of the woman who’d flirted with Drew the day before. The redhead also noticed her and smiled when she saw the suitcase. “Christ, does she live here or do you have a stalker?” Kate said.

Drew had been oblivious to the women’s silent interaction. “What? Who?”

“That redhead. She’s watching me leave and looks pretty happy about it.”

“Kate…babe,” he sighed, as they left the hotel and he hefted her suitcase into the car’s back seat. “I’ve never liked redheads. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m partial to brunettes.”

“And blondes and…” She told herself to shut up and not let jealousy ruin the couple of hours they had left. “I’m sorry. I’m upset that I have to leave and worried about my meeting tomorrow. They’re probably going to fire me.”

Drew easily navigated the free for all of two roundabouts and soon they were on the motorway headed south toward Shannon’s airport. “Charles offered to go to the meeting with you. Are you sure you don’t want him there? He blames himself for this whole fiasco.”

“No. I’m a big girl and a professional. I think we all made mistakes, but if I’m honest? I would do it again if it meant that I could be here with you.” She looked out the window so that he wouldn’t see the tears filling her eyes.

“My feelings exactly. If — and I’m only saying
if
because they’d be idiots to do this — but if they let you go, I want you to be on the next plane back.” He began to tap his thumb against his bottom lip. She had a sudden vision of him as a little boy, thumb firmly in his mouth and maybe even dragging a blanket or teddy bear around. The boy in her imagination didn’t look happy. Neither did the man beside her and she was powerless to make it better.

Drew found a space along the crowded curb outside the airport’s departure area. He lifted her bag from the back seat and pulled up the handle. “I don’t want you to go,” he said before wrapping his arms around her as if that act could keep her from leaving.

“I wish I didn’t have to,” she said between the kind of kisses that usually led to more.

He forced himself to pull away and studied her face, his own filled with emotions he wasn’t ready to express. He kissed her forehead and whispered, “Come back to me.”

“I will,” she murmured, then summoned some inner strength to smile and toss back, “Just try to get rid of me, O’Connor,” before disappearing into the terminal.

The return drive to Galway seemed twice as long as the trip to the airport. The reason why was no mystery — part of him was missing and on her way across the Atlantic.

How had this woman become so important to him so quickly? One of his relationships had lasted close to a year and his body had never ached when that woman’s work obligations took her away for weeks at a time. In fact, he’d relished the freedom her absence gave him.

That woman had claimed she’d loved him, but a model with a face as famous as hers would never have dated him if he were a construction worker or salesman. It wasn’t arrogance to accept that he was easy on the eyes, but he’d always been aware that if fame and wealth didn’t accompany his looks, a woman like that wouldn’t have given him more than an admiring glance.

Kate was different. Sure, the initial reason they were together was because he’d accomplished enough to make an interesting subject for a book. Yet with that project on indefinite hold or cancelled, she was still interested in Andrew O’Connor, the man, not the celebrity.

It was humbling and scary. He’d thought he was in love once before and to say that situation had been fucked up was an understatement. He sighed and debated whether to bypass the motorway’s exit for Galway and the safety of the hotel or continue north to face his past.

CHAPTER 20

A sign with “Kate Porter” written in big black letters was hard to miss as she emerged from customs into the crowds of JFK’s international terminal. She assumed that Drew had arranged for a car to pick her up, but the driver who approached her looked familiar. When he opened the town car’s door, she wasn’t totally surprised to find Charles in the back seat.

He raised both hands in surrender before she could say anything, “Drew didn’t ask me to meet your flight. In fact, he made it clear that you want to do this on your own, but Liz said she’d cut off my balls if I didn’t make sure you were all right. She’d be here too, but couldn’t get out of filming today.”

“Are you done?” she asked, turning to look at him. Charles Morrison was always cool and confident, so his uncharacteristic nervous chatter didn’t help her anxiety.

“Yes,” he answered. Unsure of what she wanted from him, Charles focused on how his driver expertly squeezed their car between two taxis before steering it toward the airport’s exit.

“Thank you for picking me up. I’m on edge, exhausted, and,” she fidgeted, unsure of whether to confide in Drew’s best friend, “I already miss him.”

Charles watched her eyes fill and pulled her against his side. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You know, if Drew saw us like this, he would kill me, although in this case, I think he’d understand.”

Kate relaxed against him. “You’re a good man, Charles Morrison.”

“Not many people realize that, but you and Liz seem to be especially perceptive.” He grinned, then wiped away a tear that had leaked from her eyes and handed her a tissue. “I’m sure Drew misses you too.”

“Yeah, well…it’s hard, but I need to put him out of my mind and focus on the reason I was ordered to come back here.”

“Your editor is a bastard to do this, but my big mouth is the reason you’re not in Ireland with the man I love like a brother. I’ve made two special people unhappy and for that I apologize.” He held his hand up when she started to respond. “Let me finish. I’m positive that you can handle whatever the bigwigs will say to you today, but because of my part in this, I’m coming to the meeting with you. Do not argue because you won’t win.”

“Okay,” she said quietly and then laughed when Charles’ eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock. She was sort of surprised herself, but unlike the man she’d left in Ireland, she had an open mind and he did have a point. Just then her phone pinged, signaling a text.

“Drew?” Charles asked.

“Yeah, give me a minute.” Her lips curved as she tapped a reply.

A moment later Charles’ phone rang. “Get your fucking hands off my woman,” Drew shouted loud enough for her to hear. Confusion filled Charles’ face for a second and then he pointed a finger at Kate and growled, “You…” but stopped short of calling her the name that came to mind.

“Chill, Drew. Your woman told me how much she misses you and so I comforted her. No biggie.” He looked toward Kate and mouthed, “He’s got it bad for you.”

“Give her the phone,” Drew barked.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased you,” she said, although she was thrilled by the way he’d reacted.

“No, you shouldn’t. Have you ever gone to a bullfight in Spain?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Doesn’t matter. Picture me as the bull. If you wave a red cape in front of my eyes, I’m going to react.”

“Understood,” she said, changing the subject.” What are you doing?”

“I’m about to go downstairs to the bar, have a beer, get something to eat, and talk myself into going to visit my past first thing tomorrow.”

“I thought you were looking forward to it.”

“I am, or at least I was.” He paused as if considering whether to say more, then finished with, “I hope your meeting goes well, but if it doesn’t I’ll expect you to be on a plane tomorrow.”’

Kate sensed he was holding back, but she kept her response light. “So I shouldn’t reset my watch to New York time?”

He laughed and she could almost hear him relax. “No. Keep it on Irish time so you’ll think of me.”

“I do that anyway,” she admitted, softly.

“Okay, you two, that’s enough,” Charles said. “Three’s a crowd and I feel like I should leave my own car.”

“He’s right. I ‘ll call you after my meeting, which is,” she glanced at her watch, “in two hours. I have to shower and change, so…bye, Drew. I miss you.”

“Me too. Come back to me soon,” he said.

“I will.” She’d been so focused on the conversation that she didn’t realize that the car was minutes away from her apartment building. She turned toward Charles. “Do you want to wait here or come upstairs? I’ll be a half hour or so.”

“Here’s good,” he said, but before Kate left the car he covered her hand with his. “For as long as I’ve known Drew, he’s never acted so possessive about a woman. You bring out the animal in him.”

“Thanks for telling me that,” she said, a smile lighting her face. As she walked into her building she pushed down the impulse to pump her fist and shout, “Yes!” Alpha men usually turned her off, but with Drew that behavior had the opposite effect.

“Well, well, our traveling editor returns and you’ve brought Mr. O’Connor’s agent with you. I trust you enjoyed your visit to Ireland.” The snark in senior editor Ed Harper’s voice instantly put Kate on high alert.

“Yes, I did.” Just like a witness on the stand in a courtroom, she wouldn’t offer more than asked. There were fewer people at the conference table than the day she’d pitched Drew’s book to a very enthusiastic staff. Charles sat next to her facing the heads of publicity and marketing. They glared at her as if she’d stomped on their favorite toy, breaking it beyond repair and perhaps she had. She recognized the man to their left as the lawyer who handled the company’s contractual issues.

“Please fill us in on what progress you’ve made on this project since Mr. Morrison believes that his client wants to break our contract. Is that your impression, Ms. Porter?”

Before Kate could answer Harper leaned forward and continued, “The photos of you two at JFK gave the impression that you might be more than co-authors — good publicity move by the way — and then you spent a few days over there with Mr. O’Connor, presumably working.” No one missed the sarcastic implication that work wasn’t Kate and Drew’s priority. The editor lowered his glasses with one finger, never taking his eyes off Kate. “So you understand why I might assume that you would know what your fellow author’s thoughts are better than anyone else.”

Kate felt her face flush. Her heart rate accelerated and her throat tightened as if there were a noose around it. The people at the table were delusional if they thought she knew what the hell was in Drew’s mind. She reached for the glass of water in front of her and drank half of it before speaking.

“I think I can…” Charles began, trying to deflect attention from Kate until she could pull herself together.

“I believe I directed my question to our employee, Ms. Porter,” Harper snapped and turned his eyes in her direction. “Kate?”

“Yes, well.” She cleared her throat, sat up straight and looked directly at her boss. “Drew — I mean Mr. O’Connor — began to have doubts about the book once we arrived in Ireland. I believe he didn’t realize how much of his personal life, his life outside sports and his public persona, would have to be included. There are things in his past that are painful, maybe from his childhood — I have no idea what they are since he doesn’t trust me enough to confide in me — but the closer we got to the place where he was born, the moodier and more withdrawn he became. When I tried to probe, to ask questions, he became angry and made it clear that parts of his life were off limits. But he never told me that the book was a no-go. I have since learned that he only conveyed that decision to Mr. Morrison, his agent.”

“What I don’t understand, Ms. Porter, is why he didn’t send you home once he decided that the book was dead.”

She squirmed in her seat. “You would have to ask him that question. The day you called we’d planned to visit his family’s village as part of our continuing research.”

“This is awful,” Amanda Napier, the head of publicity whined. “We’ve already started our campaign, sent out teasers to the press, built anticipation.” She pushed her chair back and stood towering over Kate in skyscraper stilettos. “I admired how clever you were when the pictures came out of Drew kissing you at the airport and snuggled up together on the plane. That was publicity gold, but you and Drew O’Connor as a couple? Good try, Kate, but I hope you kept your emotions in check. Women fall all over him, which makes him a PR person’s dream. He doesn’t even try to get attention. It just happens, like this item in today’s
Tattler,
” she said, waving a printout of a U.K. tabloid’s photo and story.

“Let me see that,” Kate said, but Charles intercepted it. She grabbed the paper from his hand and paled. It was a photo of Drew with that redhead from the hotel in Galway. The headline screamed, “IRISH SKIER FINDS LOVE IN GALWAY.” The accompanying picture was grainy, but Drew’s his lips were about to meet the bitch’s ear as she leaned toward him. Kate blinked several times and bit her tongue to keep from screaming.

Charles took the paper from her hand and whispered, “It’s not what it looks like. He wouldn’t…”

Kate stood and rested her palms on the table to support herself. Later she would wonder how she’d been able to form sentences that made sense. “The food on the plane must have made me sick. I don’t feel well. Since it appears the book deal is off, I’ll get back to work on my other projects tomorrow if that’s all right. Mr. Morrison can work with the lawyers on cancelling Mr. O’Connor’s contract.” She gathered her things and walked out of the room without waiting for an answer.

Fuck it. If they fire me, I’ll deal with it, she thought, but she couldn’t stay in that room and let that grown-up mean girl taunt her for one second more.

Another editor was using her office while she was on leave so there was no place to hide. She bit her lip until it almost bled to hold back the sob that was building inside her and impatiently stabbed the button for the elevator. Once on the street, she hailed a cab and somehow made it home before collapsing.

Charles called Drew the moment he left the publisher’s offices. “Oh, man. You really blew it this time.”

“Aren’t they letting me out of the contract?” It was early evening in Ireland and Drew was on his way to pick up fish and chips that he planned to eat along Galway’s sea wall.

“The contract’s history. It’ll cost, but it’s done.”

“Then what’s the problem? Is Kate okay?”

“No, Kate’s not okay, not okay at all. You really are a bastard. What the hell were you thinking?” Charles blurted out. He hardly ever lost it, but he liked Kate and hated to see how that photo had devastated her.

“Are you fucking going to tell me what I did or make me guess. If this involves Kate, I need to know so I can make it right.” Drew’s hands fisted as he strode to his hotel room’s window to gaze blindly at the lively scene in the large square below.

“You really don’t know, do you?” Charles’ anger subsided as he realized that this was yet one more example of how innocent pictures impacted celebrities. “One of the publicity people showed Kate a paparazzi photo of you whispering to or kissing the ear of some redhead. The story’s headline said you’d found love in Galway. Kate took one look and went ballistic.”

“Where is she? I need to explain. Aw, fuck. She’ll never believe me. Kate was sure that woman was after me and I didn’t take it seriously. After I got back from the airport I couldn’t just sit in the room we’d shared, so I went to the hotel bar. As soon as that girl approached me I turned away, but she was persistent. The place was noisy and I had to get close so she’d hear me tell her to get lost.”

“Yeah, well, makes sense because I’ve witnessed enough of those situations. I know it meant nothing, but I’m not the one who’s in love with you.”

“And she is? She told you?” Drew’s voice was hopeful.

“No, but it sure seems that way and you’re following close behind.”

“I can’t lose her. I’ll catch the first flight out.”

“Good idea. I’m going to be honest with you, Drew. The pictures were bad enough, but the story with it said that brainy Kate is history and that you’ve moved on to someone more your type. I saw her reaction and I’m not sure this is fixable.”

“When she’s calmer she’ll realize that the whole story is bullshit, but until I get there I don’t want her to be alone. Can you get Liz to stay with her?”

“Yeah, like wild horses could keep Elizabeth away when her friend is hurting. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of her until you get back.”