Treading Water: Coming Home Part 37

"No," he said, laughing, "I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No." He stopped her reb.u.t.tal with a pa.s.sionate kiss that reminded her of how much he loved her.

"Yes."

"Always have to have the last word, huh?"

"You bet." The playful exchange had helped with the nerves, and Kate felt ready to face whatever this day might bring.

"I'll keep that in mind." He walked her out to the black sedan with the polarized windows that would make it impossible for anyone to see who was in the car.

"You'll be careful flying?"

"You bet."

"Call me when you're on your way back?"

"I will." He kissed her one last time and held the door for her. "Knock 'em dead today, darlin'."

"I'll try."

She slid into the car and forced a smile for him. "See you later."

He leaned into the car and kissed her again. "I love you."

She caressed his face. "I love you, too."

Reid closed the door and then slapped the roof to tell the driver to go.

As the car pulled up the long lane that led to the main road, Kate thought about him going to see her dad and what might transpire between them. She knew she ought to call her dad and warn him that Reid was coming, but then she decided the element of surprise might work in Reid's favor.

The two men had once been close friends. Perhaps that history might inspire some civility in her father. She could only hope so. While she appreciated Reid's honesty and knew it was critical to their relations.h.i.+p, she sort of wished he hadn't told her his plans. It was one more thing to worry about in a day already full of worries.

The car drove past the media still gathered outside her gate, and though they strained to peer inside the car, Kate took comfort in knowing they couldn't see her.

What a way to live, she thought, trapped in her own home. On the way into town, she went over the answers she and Jill had rehea.r.s.ed to the most probable questions. Jill had made it clear with the segment producer that Kate would not directly address the s.e.x tape but would speak about her relations.h.i.+p with Reid and their engagement. She was prepared to talk about their age difference, the possibility of children and some vague thoughts about her career. Jill had encouraged her to hold off on any big career announcements until they had time to make a concrete plan.

Jill met her at the Hermitage Hotel on Sixth Avenue in downtown Nashville, where a suite had been secured to film the interview. Nancy Ferguson, one of the top stars in celebrity news, had flown in to interview her. Nancy had treated her well in the past. Kate hoped she treated her well this time, too.

On the sidewalk outside the hotel, Kate hugged her sister. "Back in the suit, huh?"

"I thought it was appropriate for the day's agenda."

"Back in jeans after this, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jill took a perusing look at the brown sweaterdress they'd chosen for Kate. "You look great. I love that color on you."

"Thanks, now let's get this the h.e.l.l over with."

Laughing, Jill linked her arm through Kate's and led her into the hotel.

They attracted a few stares and a couple of murmurs on the way through the lobby, but they'd chosen the Hermitage intentionally, hoping the staff and clientele could be counted on for discretion. Jill had suggested she come in via the loading dock, but Kate had refused to do that. At some point, she'd have to show her face in public again, and as far as she was concerned, there was no time like the present.

Nancy Ferguson's a.s.sistant met them on the top floor with handshakes and effusive thanks for giving Nancy the exclusive.

"No problem," Kate said, even though it was a huge problem.

The hair-and-makeup people descended the second they were in the suite, undoing all of Kate's efforts in record time. While she wanted to protest, she let them have their way because arguing about it would take time she could better spend at home.

When she was ready, they brought her into the main salon, where cameras and lights had been erected around two chairs.

Nancy came in a minute later, drinking from a mug and talking a mile a minute. A pet.i.te blonde, Nancy had built her career on probing celebrity interviews. She was known for getting stars to divulge information they wouldn't tell their own mothers. If Nancy tried that c.r.a.p today, she would leave disappointed.

"Kate!" Nancy said, deftly handing her mug to one of her lackeys. "It's so good to see you again!"

Kate returned Nancy's embrace because she was expected to, not because she was particularly happy to see the woman.

"Thank you so much for this," Nancy said. "I can't tell you what it means to me that you picked me out of everyone who wanted this interview."

"No problem."

"Have a seat. Get comfortable."

Sure, as if that was going to happen. Kate took the seat that Nancy designated for her and sat still while microphones were adjusted, hair was fussed over-again-and bronzer was reapplied. While they did their thing, Kate thought about Reid and their rides on Thunder and Saroya, one of the other horses in Kate's stable, a gorgeous white mare with a gentle disposition. Kate had insisted that Reid ride Thunder, even though he'd protested that the horse was hers now and he didn't feel right taking him away from her.

"It makes me happy to see you on him," Kate had said, which was all her fiance had needed to hear.

"Whatever makes you happy," he'd said.

Kate smiled, thinking of the afternoon they'd spent exploring every inch of the property and the picnic they'd enjoyed by the creek. The unusually warm autumn weather had provided the perfect backdrop for yet another exceptional day together. The more time she could spend exactly that way, the happier she would be.

They'd also made plans for his unused home, which Ashton had agreed would make an outstanding place for women in need to get back on their feet. He'd also offered to handle all the legal work involved in the project.

"Kate?" Nancy asked, drawing Kate out of her musings. "Are you ready?"

"Sure, whenever you are."

Before Kate's eyes, Nancy morphed into her on-air personality, launching into an elaborate intro scripted on cue cards that were held by a man standing to Kate's right.

"Kate, we're so very pleased to welcome you to the Nancy Ferguson Show today for an exclusive interview."

"Happy to be here." Could the whole world tell she was lying? She hoped not.

"This has been an eventful couple of months for you, between the bout with pneumonia, the fainting incident on stage and now your highly publicized new relations.h.i.+p with a much older man. Would you describe the last few months from your point of view?"

Yeah, Kate wanted to say, a lot of it has sucked, but the last part has been pretty great. Of course, she couldn't say that. "It's been kind of crazy. I was really sick for a while there. Until you've had pneumonia, you can't fully appreciate how it totally wipes you out. I was anxious to get back to work and made the mistake of going back too soon, thus the fainting incident in Oklahoma City. And just to clear up any misconceptions, I wasn't in rehab. I've never spent a single day in rehab of any kind."

"That rumor seems to stick to you. Why do you think that is?"

"Who knows? I've never touched a drug in my life. I've never even smoked pot. I have an occasional gla.s.s of wine with dinner. I'm about as boring a celebrity as you'll ever find, so I have no idea where those rumors keep coming from. There's not a shred of truth in it, not that anyone will believe me." Kate shrugged to show that she didn't care if they believed her or not.

"I believe you, Kate," Nancy said, resting a hand on Kate's knee.

"Glad someone does," Kate said with a laugh.

"What your fans really want to hear all about is the new man in your life." This was said in a conspiratorial girlfriendy tone that made Kate want to barf.

"Reid is... Um..." How did one describe the love of one's life? "He's wonderful, and we're very happy."

"That's so nice to hear," Nancy said, sounding sincere. "How did you meet?"

"We knew each other years ago. He was a friend of my dad's."

"You said was a friend of your dad's. Are they no longer friends?"

G.o.d, I walked right into that, Kate thought, furious with herself for giving Nancy the easy opening. "They haven't seen each other in recent years."

"Does your dad approve of your relations.h.i.+p with a man his age?"

"He's not thrilled about it, naturally, but I think he wants me to be happy, and I am very happy. Happier than I've ever been."

"Speaking of the age difference between you and Mr. Matthews, can you tell us your feelings on that?"

"I have no feelings on it. I love him. He loves me. Other people are hung up on the age difference. We're not."

"A woman your age must give occasional thought to children, no?"

"Very occasional. I've been a little busy the last few years."

"Indeed," Nancy said with a smile that seemed forced. Apparently, it was sinking in that Kate wasn't going to roll over and play dead. "Are children in your future plans with Mr. Matthews?"

"Could be. We're not ruling anything out."

"I understand you're engaged."

"That's right."

"Care to show us your ring?"

Not really, Kate thought, but she extended her left hand anyway.

"It's gorgeous. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"When's the big day?"

"We haven't set a date yet, but we hope it will be soon." No way was she giving up that information.

"As one of the top female singers of your generation, naturally your fans want to know what your personal plans mean for your career."

"I'll be cutting back on the touring, for one thing." She could almost sense Jill's wince as the words rolled out of her mouth. That was definitely not part of the plan for the interview. At some point over the last few blissful days at home with Reid, she'd made a decision. "I'll be touring in the summer and spending the rest of the year at home with my family and working on new music."

"That's a substantial change in what you've done in recent years."

"Yes, but it's time to come home from the road. I can't continue to tour two hundred days a year and have any kind of life, too. I'm ready for some balance, and this plan seems to give me the best of both worlds."

"I don't mean to sound condescending, but you appear to be that rare performer who's completely grounded in reality. Is that a fair statement?"

"I'd like to think I keep it real. The last ten years have been amazing. I'm so grateful to my fans and to my dear friend Buddy Longstreet, who's been such an amazing mentor and supporter, and all the folks at Long Road Records who've worked so hard on my behalf. But I've started to feel lately that life was pa.s.sing me by a bit, and it was time to step out of the public eye for a while. That didn't work out exactly as I planned," Kate said with a laugh, making a vague reference to the infamous s.e.x tape, "but I know it's the right thing for me to do."

Kate could tell that Nancy was absolutely dying to ask about the video. "So your fans can still expect plenty of new music?"

"Oh absolutely," Kate said, relieved that Nancy hadn't crossed the line and stayed within the boundaries Jill had set ahead of time. "I'm always writing music, and I've got a full recording studio at home that I plan to make good use of in the next few years. As soon as we have the plans for the summer tour locked in, we'll let the fans know."

"Kate, it's been an absolute pleasure to spend this time with you today. I hope you know that the Nancy Ferguson Show is a huge fan of your work, and we'd love to have you on again any time."

"Thanks, Nancy. I appreciate that."

"That's a wrap," the director announced.

Kate let out the deep breath she'd been holding during the half-hour interview.

"Thanks very much," Nancy said, extending a hand.

Kate shook her hand. "Thank you. I appreciate the fair treatment."

"Sure thing. Keep in touch, okay?"

"I will. When is this due to air?"

"Day after tomorrow. We're rus.h.i.+ng it through to get it on the air as soon as possible."

That gave Kate two days to tell the rest of the people who mattered to her that she was engaged-and invite them to a day-after-Christmas wedding.

Reid pa.s.sed the three-hour flight to Rhode Island thinking about all the many ways this mission could blow up in his face. While he was adamant about following tradition when it came to his fiancee's father, he was well aware that he was far from welcome at the office where Jack worked with his brother-in-law, Jamie Booth.

Once upon a time, the three men had been close friends at Berkeley where they'd studied architecture together and formed a bond that had been blown to smithereens when Reid had an affair with Jack's eighteen-year-old daughter.

As a father himself, he could certainly understand Jack's anger. He'd experienced his share of shame over the feelings he'd had for Kate, right from the first minute he met her. Despite the years between them, though, their connection had intensified every time they were together.

Being with her again was nothing short of miraculous. For the rest of his life, he'd never forget the sight of her walking toward him on the beach in St. Kitts. His heart had nearly burst from his chest when he heard her voice. Over the years, he'd thought about going after her, but she was the one who'd ended their relations.h.i.+p, and he'd tried to respect that decision.