Getting It Right This Time (22 page)

From the first time they’d met, she recognized the dislike in Marcia’s eyes toward her even though her smile couldn’t have been friendlier. And with all the trouble she and Mark were experiencing, Kate was increasingly reluctant to spend time with anyone apart from those close to her. And Marcia was definitely not one of those people.

She inched her chair closer to Jessica’s and slipped a protective arm around her shoulder.

“So, have you seen Mark today, Marcia?” Kate asked.

She turned from admiring Jess’s bracelets. “Um, no. No, I probably won’t see him until the film premiere on Friday. Shame you can’t come to that.”

Kate smiled. “Mark did invite me, but I’ve got more important things than publicity to take into account,” she said, tipping her head in Jess’s direction. “I think I’ll leave that side of things to you and Mark.”

“Good idea. You’d have to have your hair done, makeup and goodness knows what clothes you’d find on such a tight budget.”

Kate glanced at Jess who hummed happily to herself, oblivious to the tension building around the table. She met Marcia’s eyes. “The budget wouldn’t be a problem, I--”

Marcia slapped her hand to her chest. “Oh, Kate, forgive me. I assumed because of the store bought clothes you prefer…but of course, you can’t be short of money, can you?” She lowered her voice, turned theatrically away from Jessica. “Not with you being a widow. Mark told me…James, was quite the sporting success, wasn’t he?”

Heat roared through Kate’s veins. How dare she? And in front of James’s child. Her chest rose and fell with each breath and even though she knew her anger would be evident in her gaze, she couldn’t care less.

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“You’re right. We are okay for money. Not that it’s any of your business,” Kate said, with an exaggerated smile.

Kate turned to Jess, and her temper cooled as she watched her daughter admire the way a green and a red necklace looked knotted together. Marcia touched Kate’s hand, and she snapped her head round and waited.

Marcia grimaced. “I’m sorry, Kate. I didn’t mean--”

“Apology accepted,” Kate interrupted, not wanting her to mention James again in front of Jessica. “I won’t be going to the premiere because I hate the publicity, no other reason. It’s bad enough having journalists poking into my personal life on a day-to-day basis, let alone volunteering for the pleasure.”

A moment passed before Marcia’s smile widened. “Oh, absolutely,” she said, shaking out a napkin and smoothing it across her lap. “I suppose that’s the trouble being with someone like Mark.

You have to be a certain kind of person. The press adore him. They’re interested in anything and everyone who is seen with him. If you’re going to be with him, you’ll have no choice but to accept that tabloid journalists are relentless. You’ve nabbed Foxton’s very own celebrity hunk I’m afraid.”

Kate opened her mouth to respond, but Marcia turned her attention to Jess. Kate’s nerves revved closer and closer to the breaking point with each word from Marcia’s mouth. Enough was enough, once Jess was happily tucking into her doughnut, she broke the silence.

“So, what did you make of Mark’s break in last week?” Kate picked up her mug and blew across its surface. “He told me nothing of yours was stolen. That must have been a relief.”

Marcia stared at her. The accusing tone of Kate’s question couldn’t have been clearer. Her icy-cold stare bore into Kate’s. Women knew women, and the gauntlet was drawn. She waited for the return strike.

“A relief, yes.” Marcia sighed. “But also a concern.”

“That’s understandable.”

“You see, Mark has become a little distracted over the last few weeks.”

Kate took a sip of her coffee. “Really?”

Her laugh tinkled. “Oh, Kate, less of the innocence, please. He’s besotted with you.

Dangerously so, it seems.”

Kate slowly put down her mug and stared into its depths. “Dangerously so?”

“Yes. Look what happened last week. That silly boy with the phone taking an intimate picture of Mark and me, his office being broken into…”

“The picture was hardly intimate, Marcia,” Kate said, hating the fact her self-control wavered. “Mark explained you’d had a little too much wine, these things happen…”

Marcia grinned, revealing teeth that suddenly seemed amazingly fang-like. “Is that what he told you?” She laughed. “Oh, okay, we had too much to drink.”

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Kate glared at her as the insinuation hit home like a dart to her heart. Feeling the temptation to fling her latte in Marcia’s face gather strength, she swallowed and steered the conversation away from such potentially explosive ground.

“Anyway, as I said, the important thing is the papers Mark thought were missing were in the office all along. And now the press knows that, hopefully they’ll have the decency to let the whole thing go.”

“Exactly,” Marcia agreed. “And considering he’s re-established his commitment to his clients and me, I’m sure his work life will get right back on track.”

Watching Marcia over the rim of her mug, Kate said, “The commitment never left, you know. He was extremely angry someone could think he would stand by and let them sabotage his business.” She paused. “Or our relationship.”

She sat immobile as Marcia ran her gaze slowly over Kate’s face before she turned her attention to Jessica. She plucked a bracelet from the pile on the table. “This one’s lovely,” she said, putting it on Jessica’s wrist. “Pink for a perfect little girl.”

Kate’s gut clenched as she watched her. Her dislike of the woman grew with every passing minute, yet she knew it was based on nothing solid. Sure, she’d aimed a few glowers Kate’s way, a few derogatory glances, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Yet it grew like a gremlin in her stomach.

Mark told her how much he’d admired Marcia’s work, and was confident she would become one of Britain’s biggest exports over the coming years. Mark liked her, she meant a lot to him.

Distaste burned bitter in Kate’s throat. For his sake at least, she should learn to get on with her. She knew Mark didn’t want to risk Marcia jumping ship to another agent. But every time Kate was around the woman, she felt as though another blow was imminent. And then it came.

The flash of a camera exploded between them like a flash of lightning.
No, no, no!
Kate leapt from her seat and snatched Jessica into her arms. Her breath caught before she burst into tears when Kate pressed Jessica’s face into her bosom, and away from the glare of the camera. Marcia flew headlong at the photographer. She reached for the camera, but he was too fast. He looked like a grinning, evil fox as he held the camera out of reach.

“Give me that camera, Underwood,” she yelled. “Now!”

“A picture of Mark’s current and ex-lover is worth quite a bit of lolly, Miss Langton. Can’t blame a man for making a living.”

“If you have that picture printed, Mark will kill you,” Marcia spat.

Kate tightened her grip around Jessica, unsure which of them caused the shaking between them, her or her daughter. Mark’s current and ex-lover? Did he mean Mark had a sexual relationship with Marcia?

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Acid burned hot in her chest as the notion filled her senses. No, it was impossible. He would have said something. Surely he wouldn’t do that to her--leave her open to Marcia’s goading or superiority? He’d warned her about this Underwood. Explained the vendetta he held against him.

Damn Underwood. If it wasn’t for Jess being there, Kate would have attacked him right alongside Marcia.

A movement to her side caught Kate’s attention. The mother of the waitresses came out from behind the counter, her face etched with fury as she marched toward Underwood, wielding a wok spoon the size of a small shovel.

Knowing she had the back up of yet another female, Kate hitched a now hiccupping Jess higher onto her hip and stepped toward Underwood. She could not let the man walk out of there mistakenly thinking she was a pushover, that she couldn’t look after herself because she damn well could. She gripped his forearm as he stood sneering at Marcia, purposely digging her nails into the flesh. He yanked his arm from her grip as he swung around.

“Hey, take your bloody hand off me!”

“Either give me the camera or get out of here right now and destroy that picture,” Kate said, quietly. “I will be ringing the police in exactly five seconds, and I’m sure they won’t look kindly on a man taking pictures of little girls.”

“I didn’t…”

“Yes, you did, and if my daughter’s picture…”

The owner whipped him around by his other arm before Kate could finish her sentence.

“Get out! Get out!” the petite five feet two inch woman screamed in his face. “You will not hassle my customers. Get out!”

“All right,” he said, backing toward the door. “I’m going.” He flashed a smile at Kate, held the camera aloft. “I’ve got what I came for anyway.”

“Get out!” The woman pushed him toward the door. He opened it and ambled down the street without an ounce of guilt weighing on his shoulders.

The owner turned and looked at Kate. “I am so sorry.”

Kate shook her head. “It’s okay. We’re fine.”

“Are you sure?”

She forced a smile. “Absolutely.”

The woman hesitated before heading back toward the counter where her daughters were each holding serving spoons of varying sizes, clearly ready to back up their formidable mother if the situation turned more volatile. Kate gave Jess a reassuring squeeze as she watched Marcia slump into her seat.

“Damn him,” she muttered. “Why does he have this thing with Mark? Can’t he leave him alone for one minute?”

Ignoring her, Kate sat down with Jess on her lap. She cupped her pretty face in her hands.

“Are you all right, sweetheart? It’s okay, the horrible man’s gone now.”

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She sniffed. “Why did he do that?”

Kate smiled, wiped the tears from under her baby’s eyes. “He wants to take our picture because we know Mark.”

“Doesn’t he like him?”

She looked at Marcia above Jess’s head and the two of them exchanged a collaborative glance. “I don’t know. But me, you and Marcia certainly don’t like that man, do we?”

Her smooth forehead creased and her green eyes darkened. “No, he’s a horrible man. Looks like an ugly Swiper.”

“What’s a Swiper?” Marcia asked.

Jess shifted around on Kate’s lap. “He’s a horrible fox on Dora.”

“Dora?”

Jess nodded eagerly. “Dora the Explorer.”

Marcia laughed. “Ah, in that case that is exactly what he is.”

Kate pressed a kiss to her temple. “Right, I think we should go home, sweetheart, don’t you?”

Kate moved to stand up when their waitress returned with Marcia’s lasagna. “I am so sorry about that man,” the young girl said, her cheeks flushed. “Mum is in the kitchen, slamming around because she didn’t spot him the minute he came in.”

Marcia waved a dismissive hand. “It’s fine. Kate and I eat the likes of Mike Underwood for breakfast, don’t we?”

Forcing a smile, more for the benefit of Jessica and the waitress than Marcia, Kate nodded.

“Absolutely.”

The waitress walked away and Kate stood up.

“Oh, no, Kate. Please don’t go. Not yet,” Marcia said.

Unease rippled across Kate’s shoulders. She didn’t want to stay one more second and risk anything else happening today. “Marcia, I want to get Jess home.”

“I understand Underwood has frightened you somewhat…”

“It’s not that he’s frightened me,” Kate said. “He’s frightened Jess, and if her picture appears on the front of any magazine tomorrow…” She stopped. “I will not be held responsible for my actions, put it that way.”

“And I totally understand. In fact, I want an invite to watch.”

Their eyes met and Kate couldn’t ignore the sincerity staring back at her. At least their hatred of Underwood and his damn camera represented an inch of common ground between them--an important step toward forging some sort of relationship with her for Mark’s peace of mind. The tension in her shoulders eased and Kate smiled.

“I’ll be sure to call you if it happens.”

“Could you stay a few minutes longer?” Marcia pressed. “I want to talk to you about something. I was going to catch up with you next week but with Mark being so stressed and everything…”

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“Marcia, please. Another time, okay?”

But she didn’t seem to be listening as she turned and took her purse from the back of the chair and reached inside. “Do you want to go on the horsey ride over there, Jessica, honey?”

Kate blanched. “Marcia…”

But it was too late, Jess scrambled from her arms and stood like a soldier at attention in front of Marcia. “Yes, please.”

“Here, take this. Do you know how to put the money in?”

Jess nodded and took the money. “Thank you.”

Marcia grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Kate watched her traitorous and easily bought three-year-old bounce toward the ride, the entire Underwood escapade forgotten already. Glaring at Marcia, Kate dropped back into her chair.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

Marcia picked up her fork, looking suitably ashamed. “I know and I’m sorry. I just can’t go a moment longer without telling you something. It’s not fair.”

“To whom? Me?”

She nodded. Kate noticed Marcia’s hand trembled when she dug into her lasagna. The steam when she broke through the thick layer of cheese and pasta erupted in the space between them.

Clearing her throat, Kate tilted her chin.

“What is it you have to tell me?” she asked.

Marcia stabbed at her lasagna. It was a minced beef and tomato massacre within seconds.

Once the demolition was seemingly complete, she looked up and met her eyes. They shone with unshed tears and trepidation flung itself against Kate’s stomach pushing the air from her lungs.

“Well?” she managed.

“I want you to know this is extremely hard for me, Kate, but I don’t see that I have any other option. Please don’t think badly of either myself or Mark.”