Nantucket Romance 3-in-1 Bundle (57 page)

“Actually, Chloe called me this morning,” he said.

If Chloe was using her agent as a go-between, her editor was distancing herself from Kate. Not a good sign. “You have bad news.”

“I’m afraid so, Kate. It hit the papers this morning.”

Her throat constricted. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and braced herself for the news. “Which ones?”

“
New York Times
,
Washington Post
,
Chicago Tribune
,
LA Times
. The Associated Press picked it up. I’m afraid it’s everywhere. Mainly in the entertainment section, from what I can see.”

Entertainment. Like her life was a circus meant for the public’s amusement. The worst had happened.
I’m a laughingstock. A fraud.
The letters from her disappointed readers would pour in. She’d disappointed so many people. The weight of it dragged her under the choppy water, and she fought for breath.

“Paul and Chloe scheduled a conference call with us at noon to discuss how to handle the media. They’ll want your story in detail to determine if there’s any way to spin this in a positive light.”

“Of course.” She didn’t see how. For the life of her, Kate couldn’t see how they could control the damage. It was all true. She was an expert on finding Mr. Right, and she’d impulsively entered a loveless marriage. A marriage with no real feelings.

That’s not true, Kate, and you know it.

All right, maybe she did have feelings for Lucas now, but she didn’t have them when they’d married.

“They’ll call you on your home phone, and I’ll be there too,” Ronald said.

“What about my column? What about
Glamour
? Do you think—” She was afraid to pose the question, but she had to know. She pulled at a loose thread on the quilt and balled the string between her fingers.

“I wasn’t going to say anything; you’ve got enough on your plate right now. But
Glamour
has asked you to step down for the time being. Maybe when this blows over . . .”

But even when it blew over, Kate knew the damage left behind would be irreparable. “I’m guessing the syndicated column is in jeopardy too?”

The silence on the other end spoke for itself.

Kate felt her throat closing, her eyes burning.
I can’t believe this is happening. How have I fallen so far? So hard?
She was on the verge of losing control of her emotions. She cleared her throat again, hoping for a space to open up. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you at noon.”

After they hung up, she set the phone on the nightstand. In the other room, she heard her cell phone ringing. She’d forgotten to turn it off. She couldn’t talk to anyone. She wanted to pull the covers over her head and pretend none of this had happened.

But what good would that do?

Come on, Kate. Buck up. Get out of bed and figure a way out of this hole you’re in.

That’s what she would do. She had four and half hours to find a way to spin this to the good for Rosewood. Four and half hours to develop a plan.

Kate jumped out of bed, took a quick shower, then dressed. Realizing she detected the robust aroma of brewed coffee, she entered the kitchen, Bo on her heels. A note, scribbled on the back of the utilities bill sat beside the coffeepot.

KATE,

WENT OUT FOR A WHILE.

BE BACK SOON.

L

Where had he gone so early in the morning? It was pouring buckets outside. Maybe he really was having an affair with Red. Maybe he’d gone out to meet her. Maybe he realized the marriage was over now.

She’d no sooner finished the thought when she heard the door open. By the time Lucas appeared, she’d poured herself a mug of hot coffee and added cream.

“Morning.” His voice was deep and groggy, a welcome sound. Even the stubble on his jawbone had grown on her.

“Morning,” she replied. His navy T-shirt was plastered to his shoulders, and his hair was spiky-wet and tousled from the rain. Or maybe someone had run her hands through it.

She wasn’t going to ask where he’d been. It really wasn’t her business anyway.

“Don’t suppose you heard from your editor,” he said.

“My agent called. We have a conference call with the people from Rosewood at noon. The news has hit the press in a big way.”

Kate realized this was bad for Lucas. It was his life they were talking about too. Everyone would wonder why he’d stepped in last minute, and he could hardly admit it was because of his parents’ souring relationship. She’d put him in a tight spot.

“I saw the papers.” He poured himself a cup of coffee and let Bo out the back door.

“Is that why you went out?” She didn’t mean to ask.

“I was hoping to bring back good news.” He tucked his hands in his pockets.

Kate pulled her laptop from her case and flipped it open. She still had—she checked her watch—almost four hours to come up with an idea. Something that would make the media back off or at least soften the blow.

“Do you have any of the papers?” Kate asked. “I need to see what I’m up against.” She pushed the On button and tapped her fingers, waiting for it to boot.

“I left them in the truck.” He shifted his weight. “What’s the plan?”

Kate plugged her laptop into the outlet under the table. “My plan is to come up with a plan. I need some ideas for my publisher, some way of spinning this so they, at least, don’t come off smelling like a pig.”

Kate opened the word processor, and a blank document appeared on the screen.

“I’ll be right back.” Lucas left the room.

There wasn’t much Kate could do until she knew what the media was saying. Maybe it was only hearsay, her word against Stephanie’s. Though Kate hadn’t exactly defended herself on TV. She’d only tried to change the subject. People would see right through that.

When Lucas returned, he carried a thick stack of damp newspapers. He set them beside the laptop and sat across from her. “Sure you want to do this?” His was the look of someone who’d already read the articles.

“Everyone else is going to know what they say;
I
may as well.”

The kitchen light was off and the storm outside darkened the room, but there was enough light to read by. She’d start with the Nantucket paper. The
Inquirer
and
Mirror
had tried to call the day before, but she hadn’t answered. The paper was already opened to the article. Kate unfolded it and read.

“Famous Local Advice Columnist Jilted at Altar”

In a TV interview on
Live with Lisa
, local resident and famous author Dr. Kate was accused by a call-in listener of marrying a stand-in groom. The caller, who identified herself as Stephanie from Boston, claimed Dr. Kate’s original fiancé, Bryan Montgomery, broke the engagement on the morning of their wedding. A marriage license bearing the names of Montgomery and Dr. Kate was found on record, substantiating the woman’s claim. Neither Montgomery nor Dr. Kate could be reached for a comment.

Dr. Kate and local furniture maker Lucas Wright were wed on June 21, the same day as the release of Dr Kate’s first book
Finding Mr. Right-for-You
. It is unclear how Wright came to be the stand-in groom.

“I should have tried to eradicate the evidence,” Kate said. “I didn’t think about the marriage license.” Kate set the paper down and sighed. “I’m sorry they mentioned your name. I was hoping at least the local papers . . .”
Who am I kidding? It’s not like everyone on the island doesn’t already know Lucas is married to me. Now they just know it’s a sham.

“Which one has the Associated Press article?” She riffled through the papers.

Lucas pulled one from the stack and laid it open to the article.

Kate read the headline. “Dr. Kate’s Mr. Wright is Mr. Wrong.”

“Clever,” Kate said, sarcasm oozing from a deeply wounded spot. The article read much like the local one; only the journalist had scored an interview with Stephanie. They cited the marriage certificate as well.

“This isn’t good,” Kate said, setting the paper down. “I didn’t realize they’d find proof so quickly. I hope Pam hadn’t planned to deny it, because there’s no way I can do that now.”

Kate glanced at her watch. She had to think. There must be a way to make this better. She shoved the papers to the other side of the table.

“Let’s think this through,” Lucas said. “Maybe we can come up with something if we put our heads together.” He leaned on the tabletop, his bulky forearms planted squarely in front of him.

Kate didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she was done with depending on someone else for help. She worked better alone. “If you don’t mind, I think I need to do this on my own. I need to focus, because I have less than four hours.”

He shrugged and gave that half smile that charmed her. “We pulled off a wedding in barely under that.”

She smiled wryly. “Seems to me that’s what got us into this mess to begin with.”

By the time the phone rang at noon, Kate had all her notes on the screen. Lucas was somewhere else in the house. She’d been lost in her own thoughts since he’d left the table four hours earlier, and she hadn’t seen him since.

Kate answered the phone.

“Hello, Kate. It’s Chloe. Pam, Paul, and Ronald are already on the line.”

“Hi, everyone,” Kate said.

Their greetings were less than enthusiastic. Hopefully, they’d agree to what Kate had come up with as the best approach.

Lucas entered the room and leaned against the doorway as she opened the conversation.

“Can I just say something first? I want to tell you how sincerely sorry I am for the trouble this is causing. It was never my intention to damage your businesses or careers, and I’m deeply sorry.” Kate hoped her tone expressed the depth of her regret. “I’ll do anything I can to help rectify this.”

“Fair enough,” Paul said. “The damage is done now, and we need to figure out how to proceed. Kate, if we could hear what happened, in your words, that might help.”

Kate took a deep breath and told the story of her wedding morning: Bryan’s phone call, Pam’s news of the
Dr. Phil
show invitation, Lucas’s offer.

Chloe stopped her there. “You said Lucas was only an acquaintance. Why did he offer to take Bryan’s place?”

Kate stopped pacing, her eyes fastened on Lucas’s. Could she tell them about Lucas’s parents? She wasn’t going to hang him out to dry again.

“I agreed to help him on a personal project. That part of the story really has no bearing on this.”

“Tell us the rest of the story,” Paul said.

Kate finished, explaining the temporary nature of the agreement. “I’ve done a lot of thinking this morning, and I think our best bet is for me to face up to what I’ve done publicly. I’m genuinely sorry, and I think once my readers see I was jilted at the altar and made a poor quick judgment, they’ll be generous with their grace.”

“Let’s not overlook the fact,” Ronald said, “that any publicity is good publicity. It’s quite possible the scandal could increase Kate’s sales. It’s happened before with other books.”

Kate stopped at the back window. Now that was the best news she’d heard in a while. Was it possible this might turn out well for her publisher?

“Keep in mind,” Pam said, “that Kate’s book is a self-help book, not a novel or a memoir. Her readers are willing to plunk down their money because they trust her advice. That trust has been broken. She might be seen as hypocritical since she advised her readers one direction and took an entirely different direction herself.”

Kate jumped in. “That’s why I should apologize, offer an explanation. I think my readers would sympathize with the fact that I was jilted at the altar. What woman wouldn’t be confused and prone to bad judgment at that point?”

“The fact is, though,” Paul said, “you aren’t every woman. You are Dr. Kate, expert in love relationships. Your whole book is about finding a marriage partner for a lifelong relationship, and you’ve entered a loveless marriage on a one-year lease. I’m not going to sugar-coat it, Kate. The media sure isn’t.”

Kate felt heat flush her neck and cheeks. That was as close to a dressing down as she’d received since her dad scolded her for loaning out her Nikes when she was in fourth grade.

“We need time to digest this,” Paul continued. “We’ll get hold of you later today and let you know what we’ve decided. Until then, don’t answer your phone.”

By the time they disconnected, Kate felt wrung out. More waiting.
I’m tired of waiting. I want to do something.
She leaned against the windowsill. Outside, the landscape looked gray through the blanket of rain.

“How’d it go?” Lucas asked.

Kate shrugged. “They’re going to decide how they want to handle it. They’ll call back later today. I don’t think they were too keen on my honesty plan.”

Kate didn’t think they were too keen on her either, and she didn’t blame them.

Hope is not a strategy.