The Publicist Book One and Two (41 page)

Chapter Fifty-One

The weeks leading up to the launch of Allan’s book proceeded at a frenzied pace. Lulu surprised Kate by flying out to help her with the launch. With her husband’s blessing, she was able to stay until Thanksgiving and was bunking in a friend’s empty apartment in Santa Monica. Kate really welcomed her help.

As the November 12 date loomed, the interest for the book was overwhelming. Several movie production companies had even contacted her to discuss the movie rights for
After the Fall
. It wasn’t a surprise, really. When a book carried that much buzz into a launch, often movie rights were a given. But this time it was different. Allan’s first book had never been turned into a movie, but now there was talk of a two-movie deal. Since Allan’s first book still resided with MD, a movie deal might save them from certain ruin if the movie was a hit. But first, the studio wanted to get his second book into production, then see about doing the first. Kate finally settled on Ben Affleck’s company, and the deal was to produce the film by fall of the following year.

In the midst of all of this, Kate decided she wanted to take on other titles. She was starting to get the hang of this publishing thing. She put in a call to Madeline Masters. The last time Kate had spoken with her was to tell her that MD didn’t want her book. It had been a rough call, but Kate had promised Madeline that she’d try to find her another publisher. At the time, she couldn’t have imagined it would be her. Madeline was elated and agreed to come by the following week to talk terms. Kate was finally going to get the books she wanted.

Good books. Books that could change lives.

On November 12, Allan Lavigne’s book was released to a very eager readership.
People Magazine
ran their story along with a book excerpt, and pre-orders had been in the thousands. When it released, the book hit all of the major bestseller lists right away. The ebook, which Kate released immediately, topped the
New York Times
ebook bestseller list. It was the biggest event of her life. She had no idea how any of it could get any better until she got the call about two weeks after the book was out.

“Kate Mitchell.”

“Kate, it’s Noah at
Publishers Weekly
.”

“Noah, Hi. Good to hear from you. What can I do for you?” When Kate was at MD calls from media people often seemed routine, but now whenever a big call happened she got this unmistakable twinge of excitement. It was odd and good at the same time—sort of like being back in her early publishing days when everything was fresh, new, and exciting.
“The Lavigne book is doing well. Beyond well, in fact. I’m thrilled for you.”

“Yeah, thanks, it’s still so unreal.”

“It’s been longer than I care to remember that a true literary fiction novel has had this much of an impact on the publishing community.”

“I know. It’s high time we brought back literature.”

“Agreed. Look, I wanted to let you know that we’ve decided on our publishing person of the year and we’ve named you.”

For a moment, Kate felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Me?” she said, almost stammering.

“Yes, for bringing back books worth reading, for bringing back literary fiction.”

Kate recalled last year their publishing person was EL James of the
Fifty Shades of Grey
success. You could hear just about everyone in publishing groan when that announcement was made.

Kate steadied herself on her desk. “Noah, I’m stunned. Thank you so much.”

“The issue will be out in a couple of weeks. I’d love to get some more background for it. You don’t mind talking about the MD piece of this, do you?”
By now she was getting used to it. “Sure, I’m fine with it.”

“Oh, one more thing. Just happened this morning. We’re getting ready to do an announcement on it. Edward got fired. I guess the board finally put two and two together that he canned Lavigne and pretty much single-handedly sent MD into bankruptcy.”

Chapter Fifty-Two

“Babe, I’m so sorry. We caught one of our managers stealing money, a lot of it. Remember I told you I thought we had a shoplifter because stuff’s been missing out of inventory. Well, it’s not a shoplifter. It’s a greedy manager who just moved to taking cash. She’s looted over $5000 from us so far and had another stash of expensive stuff in her car. I need to wait for the police to get here. I’m so sorry.”

Tonight was the premier of the latest Ben Affleck film, followed by the after party. With Ben’s company having signed on to the
After the Fall
movie deal, going to this event was a pretty big deal for Kate.

“Nick, I’m glad you finally caught her. What a relief. Don’t worry; I’ll go. Of course, it’ll be fine. You take care of this.”

“It’s pretty sad, actually. I never would have suspected. She immediately started crying when I confronted her. Anyway, I’ll call you and let you know how it’s going. I’ll try to join you later.”

“Sure. See you later.”

Kate hung up and surveyed the bedroom. She was disappointed she was going to the party alone; she had been looking forward to being with Nick at an event like this, especially with the movie deal. She walked into the closet and eyed her dresses. Thank goodness, she’d had them sent out after she left New York. When she moved out here, she never thought she’d need this part of her wardrobe shipped. She plucked the shimmering midnight blue dress from the rack and took a long look at it. It was, by far, her best evening dress. She wondered when she had last worn it. Then the memory of it hit her and knocked her back. The MD Christmas party, the night she and Mac had kissed for the first time. Kate slowly lowered herself onto the bed. The memory swung through her mind—the first snow of the season in Battery Park, Mac’s lips on hers.

“Merry Christmas, Kate,” he’d said, and she was breathless.

“Pull yourself together,” she said out loud. Kate stood up; she debated whether to wear another dress and then realized she was being stupid. She needed to associate the dress with another memory. Tonight, the party, the Ben Affleck movie. Hell, she’d probably even meet George Clooney. Kate unzipped the dress and stepped into it.

Perfect fit.
Screw the old memories
, she thought, touched up her hair, and headed downstairs.

…

The movie had been amazing. She was so sorry that Nick had to miss it. She texted him right after the movie ended.
Headed to the party. How’s your convict? XO

He sent back a message that he was still waiting for the police to finish their report. Welcome to law enforcement in Los Angeles.

When Kate arrived, the after-party was in full swing. The event was being held in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. She spotted Ben Affleck and his wife, and over the din of conversation, she heard familiar laughter. It was George Clooney. Lu would have loved this. She wished now she would have thought to call her. The girl would have come completely unglued seeing all of the celebrities.

Kate mingled and talked to several people. Some of the folks she’d met during negotiations. Some knew her because of all the publicity around Allan’s book. Someone from
Variety
was there and asked her what she thought of the movie. “Brilliant,” she smiled. “I am so thrilled that Affleck’s group will be working on the screenplay. I’m certain the movie will be amazing.”

…

He’d been watching her since she stepped into the party, admiring how she floated from conversation to conversation, smiling, laughing; she was truly in her element.

When she was alone, he walked over to her. Her back was turned, her dark hair twisted into a chignon.

“Hello, Katie.”

Kate froze. That voice, it couldn’t be. She turned slowly and found herself face to face with MacDermott Ellis.

Her breath left her in a sudden whoosh. She nearly felt her legs give out, too.

“You look beautiful,” he smiled, “That’s always been my favorite dress.”

Kate couldn’t speak; she blinked, hoping he would vanish. She must be imaging this. It was the dress. Damn this dress.

“Kate,” he said again, his voice low and sexy, “are you okay?”

She gathered her wits as best she could, despite the fact that they’d scattered across the floor, and she was pretty sure a few guests had already trampled on them.

“Yes, f-fine. Mac, what on earth are you doing here?”

“I was invited. I may be unemployed, but people still seem to want me around. Well, some people,” he added.

“Mac, I need you to go. Nick will be upset.”

“He’s not here.”

“How do you know?”

“I watched you, first at the premier and then here. I wanted to be sure you were alone before I approached you. I figured it was best.”

Kate jutted out her chin; he’d been at the premier?

“I was invited,” Mac said, “because I had to be in LA for other business anyway, so I thought I’d come. I had no idea you’d be here.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Right.”

Mac plucked two glasses of champagne from a waiter who was passing by. “Here, take this. It’ll help.”

“I don’t need alcohol; I just need you to go, or leave me alone, or both.”

Mac sipped from his glass. His moves were smooth and in control. He was dressed in a dark suit with a white shirt that set off his tanned skin and blue eyes.

“Kate, I’m not leaving until I talk with you. It’s been months. You left New York, and we didn’t get a chance to, you know, set this straight between us.”

“There is nothing to say, Mac. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Kate started to step away and Mac hooked her arm with his hand.

“Katie, please.” His voice was low. Kate felt a familiar warmth grow deep in her body.

Mac’s gaze never left hers. “I’m so proud of you, Katie. The rest of us just dissolved under this failure, but you, I mean look at you. You’ve become more than you ever thought you could be.”

“Well, I couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t wrestled Edward into submission, so thank you for that.”

“It was purely selfish, I assure you. I loved to watch that weasel squirm. Now, can we talk?”

“We are talking.”

Suddenly, the
Variety
reporter she’d been speaking with earlier walked up to them. He threw Mac a broad smile.

“MacDermott Ellis. I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.” His eyes went from Mac to Kate. “Is this a Morris and Dean reunion?”

Oh crap
, Kate thought. If he wrote about this and Nick saw it, he’d be livid.

“No, just a chance meeting,” Kate said quickly, “and Mac is just leaving. Mac, let me walk you out.”

Kate stepped ahead of Mac and he followed her. When he caught up with her, he leaned in. “Smooth, Kate. But I’m not just leaving. Let’s go outside.”

Kate stopped abruptly. “No, more reporters. The last thing I need is a picture of us leaving the party together splashed online.”

“Come on.” Mac wove through the crowd; she followed him into the kitchen and through a service entrance that led them into a hallway. Mac pulled her into a supply room and shut the door. Kate didn’t like this. Being alone with Mac was never a good idea.

“Mac,” Kate asked shakily, “what do you want?”

“Carolyn and I are divorced,” he began, and Kate felt as if the floor had vanished beneath her. “I decided it was time to fix my life, and you know what the crazy part was? I had been hiding from something that wasn’t even real. I was so worried that a divorce would crush Carolyn. I just didn’t give her enough credit, I guess. Turns out she had moved on too and had been seeing someone else. It seemed so ridiculous. I’d been living this half-life because I thought it was what I had to do when the truth really was that the marriage was a shield. It let me get only so close to someone before I could play the marriage card and back off. The day I realized I no longer wanted to do that, that I had fallen in love so completely that I was ready to drop the pretense, it was too late.” He paused for a moment and then continued. “I didn’t divorce her in the hopes of winning you back, although to be honest, that was in the back of my mind the entire time. I did it because it was the right thing to do. You make me want to do the right thing, Katie.”

Kate was breathless.

Mac was single.

He reached up and touched her cheek, caressing it with his fingers. “God, how I’ve missed you. Not a day goes by that I don’t–”

“Stop,” she whispered. “Stop. It’s too late, Mac. I’ve moved on.”

“I know you have, Katie. I get it, and I should probably just walk away and realize that I had my chance. I tried. I left you alone. I took care of my business and wanted to give you time to heal. In fact, maybe I shouldn’t have even come here in the first place. But I love you and I am fighting for you, for us, because you deserve the fight, and because I’m too stubborn to give up.”

Kate ran her tongue over her lips. Her heart pounded. She needed air. Mac continued. “Katie, look, if you really love Nick, I’ll go away and never bother you again. As nice a guy as he is, I really don’t think you do, and being the arrogant bastard that I am, I think you still love me.”

Kate didn’t respond. She felt shaken to her core. She swallowed hard and said, “I do love Nick.”

Mac moved in closer and Kate felt that delicious pull that electrified her body. It was all that all too familiar charge that sped up her heart and caused her breath to hitch whenever she was near Mac. Kate hated how she responded to him. Mac pulled her to him; she could feel his breath on her skin.

“I love you. You may love Nick, but you aren’t in love with him.” He bent his head down toward her. Kate squirmed, but not as hard as she probably should have. She felt a pull and she hated herself for it. That old, familiar tether—the electricity. Mac touched her lips lightly with his own, just brushing past them—a quick, warm touch that sent shivers down her spine and set off fireworks in her brain. Mac watched her respond to him. “I want to kiss you, Kate, but I’m afraid if I do I’ll never stop. So, I’ll go now, but think about what I said.”

Mac brushed past her, opened the door, and vanished through it.

Kate wasn’t sure how long she’d stood in that musty supply room or how long they’d been in there together, but when she emerged and went back to the party, she found it was nearly over. She walked with clipped, graceless steps through the party and headed towards the door. Her mind was a riot of confusion and unwelcome emotion.

Mac.

Divorced.

She couldn’t shake the thought from her head or the feel of his hands on her, his lips touching hers.

Danger. Danger.

…

It wasn’t until Kate was settled in her car that she finally stopped shaking. She hadn’t seen Mac after he left. He wasn’t at the party and she looked for him outside. She didn’t need any more surprises.

Mac was gone.

Was that disappointment she felt?

Kate slipped the key in the ignition. She heard her phone buzzing. It was Nick. She took a deep breath and picked up. “Hey there.” Her voice was hoarse and unsteady.

“Kate, I’m so sorry. The police just left. They carted her off. I almost felt sorry for her. Anyway, I should be home within the hour. I’m really sorry I missed the premier.”

“I-it’s fine.”

“Are you home?”

“No, I was just leaving.”

“Katie, are you okay? You sound off.”

Shit, of course she sounded off, she’d just spent the last hour in a supply closet hyperventilating. “No, I’m fine. It’s just the party was overwhelming. Everyone was there. I saw George Clooney.”

“Really? You’re not leaving me for him are you?”

She let out a nervous laugh. “So, I’ll see you when you get home. I’ll wait up.”

Nick hung up, still puzzled by the call. Something was definitely up, and it had more than just meeting a celebrity.

…

When Kate arrived home, she immediately ran upstairs and dropped her dress on the floor. She kicked it into a shimmering pile, convinced it was cursed; she vowed to burn it the next day. She climbed into bed. Her mind raced in a million directions. How did Mac know where she’d be? How long had he been here? Would he try to stop by the house? The thought made her stomach lurch. God, that was the last thing she needed.

Kate heard the door in the kitchen open and shut. Nick was home.
Pull yourself together
, she thought. Kate took a few deep breaths. One, two, three, she could do this. She had to do this. Nick was on the stairs.
Breathe, damn it
, she thought.
Five, six, seven
. She felt herself get lightheaded.
Great
, she thought,
now I’m going to pass out
.

“Hi babe,” Nick said softly from the doorway, “you still awake?”

Kate pushed herself up on her pillows. “Yes.” Kate threw him her best ‘absolutely nothing is going on other than you’ smile. Nick caught the glimmer of something in the corner.

“Katie, your dress. You should really hang it up.” Nick picked it up off of the floor.

“Right, careless. I am thinking of getting rid of it anyway.”

He emerged from the closet. “Get rid of it? I would have loved to have seen it on you!”