The Publicist Book One and Two (46 page)

Kate licked her lips nervously. “I wish—”

“Don’t say it. I know. I wish things could have been different, too. But they aren’t. I need to know though, Kate: Are you happy? I mean, happier than you were with me?”

She nodded. “I am.”

“Then that’s all that matters.” Nick thought of Mac, but decided he didn’t feel like asking. Kate was clearly happy and Mac’s name left a bitter taste in his mouth. One he didn’t care to experience again.

An awkward silence followed. Kate wanted to hug him, but she wasn’t sure it was really right or fair. Nick walked over to her and stood in front of her. Tall, handsome, and a smile that crinkled his eyes.

“You’re glowing, Kate,” he said softly. “You belong in this city, and I suspect the city is a bit lost without you, too.” A gentle hand reached up and pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, and for a moment Kate thought he might kiss her. Nick sighed. “I miss your spirit, Kate. But in case you’re worried, I’m fine. Really. Life does go on, sometimes whether we want it to or not.”

Kate felt her eyes burning with tears. “I’ve missed you, too,” she said, her voice breaking.

“I need to go,” Nick said, his voice still soft. “Let me help you with the box.”

“No, it’s okay, it’s not heavy. By the way, what’s in it?”

Nick smiled. “Uncle’s computer and all the notes he made from
The Fall
and
After The Fall
. I found them and thought you’d want them.”

Damn, those tears again. They slipped from her eyes. “Yes,” she was barely able to talk, “thank you.” Kate reached up and kissed Nick on the cheek, then scooped up the box and scurried down the stairs. It was the last time she would be in Allan’s apartment and possibly the last time she’d see Nick.

…

Mac walked into the Radiance Tea House on Fifty-Fifth Street. In addition to tea, Radiance also served lunch in a quiet and serene atmosphere. When he walked in and up the short flight of stairs, he saw Elizabeth sitting at a table, her hands around a mug of tea. She didn’t look much different from the last time he’d seen her at MD. Her blond hair was shorter and wavier and framed her face. She looked up and saw Mac, a familiar smile greeted him, and for a moment, he was back in that time with Lizzy. They’d had a lot of fun during their year together. Trips to upstate New York and weekends in various elegant B&B’s. Lizzy was fun and easy to be around.

“Elizabeth,” he smiled as he approached her table, “it’s good to see you.”

She stood up, clasped his hands, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for coming; it’s good to see you, too.”

Mac shrugged out of his coat and draped it over the chair. Pushing it back, he sat down.

“So, how are you, Lizzy?”

“I’m good. Well, great actually. I’m getting married.”

Mac couldn’t have been more surprised or happier for her. He knew the breakup had been really hard on her, too. “I’m thrilled for you.” He smiled and his hand reached out and touched hers.

“That smile, Mac. I’ve missed that smile.”

“So, tell me about this lucky man.”

…

Kate was still shaking when she left Allan’s. She decided to head home, drop the box, and go back to work. After she left the apartment, Kate decided to head to a nearby teashop for a cup of ginger tea. Kate walked into the Radiance Tea House, but she wasn’t prepared for what she saw. Mac was there with Elizabeth Eberhardt, a former editor at MD. There had been a rumor that they’d been seeing each other and that’s why Elizabeth left. Kate could feel herself starting to shake. There had to be a good reason that Mac was here. Of course there was. Then, she saw him lean forward and drape his hand over hers and smile. They smiled together. Was that a smitten look Kate saw on her face?

“Miss, may I help you?” The hostess jarred her from her thoughts.

“N-no, no thank you. I’m leaving.” The hostess frowned as Kate hurried back through the door, her heart thumping in her chest. She was outside, her jacket hung open, but Kate didn’t notice.
Mac.
What was he doing with Elizabeth, and if it was innocent, why hadn’t he told her he was meeting her?

Kate raced back to their apartment. Too much. The day had been too much. First, the shock of seeing Nick and now this. She needed to think somewhere quiet. Kate raced back to their apartment as fast as she could.

…

“Hey sweetheart,” Mac said, walking through the front door. “Katie?” he called out to her. He walked into the living room. She wasn’t there.

“Kate?” he said again. Finally, she emerged from their bedroom clad in a robe, her face colorless. In a few quick strides, Mac was upon her.

“Honey, are you okay? Lu said you went home. Are you not feeling well?” He put his hand to her forehead.

Kate had spent the afternoon thinking about what she saw and feeling like perhaps Carolyn may have felt a time or two.
No. No. It was different. Mac was different. It was all some reasonable misunderstanding.

“Kate,” Mac said again, the worry evident, “are you all right? It’s not like you to leave work.”

She nodded. “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I just had…well, a rough day.”

Mac pulled her to him. “That’s right, Allan’s apartment. Of course, how could I forget? I should have gone with you.”
Oh God,
Kate thought,
that would have been a disaster.

“No, it was fine. Turns out it’s been sold.”

Mac kissed the top of her head. “Sold? Wow, that’s a surprise. Did you know anything about that?”

Ask him!
Her mind urged.
Don’t be such a coward. Ask him!

“Mac,” Kate began hesitantly, “I-I need to ask you something.”

“Kate, listen, I know it’s been a rough day, but I need to tell you something, too. And it’s important that I tell you right now.”

Oh God, here it comes,
her mind screamed.
You’re getting the old heave-ho, just like you gave to Nick. Serves you right.

“Kate, let’s sit down.”

Sitting is never good. Nothing ever good started with someone saying, ‘Let’s sit down.’

Mac eased her over to the couches, and against her better judgment, Kate sat down.

“Kate, I’m so sorry…”

No. This can’t be happening.

“I saw Elizabeth today, for tea. She called me and asked to see me, and I told her I couldn’t—that I was with you. But, she insisted and, well, I sort of figured I owed her that. I mean, the way we left it when we broke up, and I was such a chicken shit about the whole thing. Anyway, I went to your office to tell you and you weren’t there, so I went and I’m sorry.”

It took Kate’s mind a moment to catch up with what Mac was saying; when it did, she thought her heart was going to explode.

“What?” she said, but it was more of a semi-gasp and the air pushed out of her lungs in sheer relief.

“I saw Elizabeth, but it was quick and she just wanted to tell me that she was getting married, and, I think, get closure.”

Suddenly, Kate started to cry. Fuck, she felt stupid. Of course, it was innocent. She threw her arms around him. “Thank you.” She could hear herself sobbing and decided she sounded pathetic.
Rein it in, Kate,
she thought.

“Kate, what’s wrong?” Mac was no fool.

Kate pulled her scattered mind together, took a deep breath, and said, “I saw you two. I went to Radiance after Allan’s, just to grab a cup of tea, and I saw you there.”

Mac just looked at her. “And you thought that she and I…?”

“No. Well, I mean, no. I mean, I wasn’t sure. I had just come from the apartment and seeing Nick and I was just frazzled.”

Mac frowned. “Wait, you saw Nick?”

Kate nodded. “I was at the apartment, and he arrived after I got there. We talked.”

“How did it go?”

“Initially, not well. At all. Actually, that’s an understatement. But then it was just okay. I mean, I think he’s okay.”

“And then you left there and headed to Radiance and saw me with Elizabeth.”

Kate nodded; she felt like a child having to admit what she did wrong.

Mac kissed her softly. “Katie, you had every right to think what you did.”

Kate blinked. “What?”

Mac smiled and stroked her hair. “Of course, you wondered. With my track record, who wouldn’t?”

“Mac, it wasn’t fair. I should have known.”

“Yes, you should have, but I can’t blame you that you did. I wasn’t faithful to Carolyn, and you and I started this under less than stellar circumstances. I get that we still have a lot to work through, Katie.”

God, she loved him.

“But know this,” he continued, his eyes boring into her, “I just don’t work without you. When you were out of my life, it was hell. I was broken; my life is just shit when you’re not around. I wasn’t with anyone else when we were apart. I just couldn’t. They were all a ‘poor man’s Kate.’” He paused for a moment and ran a finger across her lips; she felt a spark in her belly. Electric and hot.

Mac’s voice dropped, low and husky. “Even when Carolyn and I stopped working and I moved to the city, I never felt the way I did when I was without you. I never want to feel that way again, Katie. I know that my past is a lot to deal with, but know this: I will never, ever stray from you. You satisfy me in ways that no other woman ever has, both mentally and physically.”

She shifted in her seat; she really wanted to climb him. Slip off her robe, unbuckle his pants, and…

“I love you, Katie,” he said, interrupting her wicked thoughts. “There will be no one else for me but you, and if I have to spend the rest of my life proving that to you, I will.” Mac kissed her deeply and passionately. He held her face and slid his hands under the collar of her robe.

Her mind screamed with desire.

Suddenly, Mac pulled back, his blue eyes dark with desire. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Okay.” Kate could hardly speak, she wanted him so desperately.

“I need you to do something for me, Katie.”

Kate began tugging on his belt. “What?” Her eyes were clouded over with desire.

“I’m going to propose to you soon, and when I do, I want a big, fat yes. So between now and then, I want you to practice saying ‘yes.’ Can you do that for me?”
She smiled; her fingers tugged his belt loose. “Yes, yes.”

Mac devoured her mouth. “Say it again.”

“Yes.”

Is this the end or just the beginning?

Keep turning the page for the first three chapters of Book Three in The Publicist series

Thank you for reading!

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed this special edition of
The Publicist, Book One
and
Shelf Life: The Publicist Book Two
. Thank you so much for grabbing this copy! When the book first came out I got so many letters from fans thanking me. Some had an opinion about Mac and Kate, while others rooted for Nick. As an author, I love feedback. So, tell me what you liked, what you loved, even what you hated. I’d love to hear from you. You can write me at
[email protected]
and visit me on the web at
www.thepublicistnovel.com
.

After
Shelf Life, The Publicist Book Two
came out, I also started heard from a lot of readers who wanted to know what happened with Mac and Kate. Did Nick ever get his happy ending? Well, stay tuned because the third and final book in this series:
Out of Print: The Publicist Book Three
will be out in September 2014. If you’d like to be added to our review list, email me at:
[email protected]
.

Finally, I need to ask a favor. If you’re so inclined I’d love a review of
The Publicist Book One
and
Book Two Special Edition
. Loved it, hated it - I’d just enjoy your feedback. As you may have gleaned from my books, reviews can be tough to come by these days. You, the reader, have the power now to make or break a book. If you have the time, here’s a link to the book on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IDWEJ40
.

I have to tell you, I really love these characters. And I’m thrilled so many readers wrote me asking: “What’s next for Mac, Kate, and Nick?” Well, stay tuned because the saga of publishing drama isn’t quite over.

Thank you so much for reading
The Publicist
and for spending time with me.

In gratitude,

Christina George

The Publicist
Book Three

1

“Damn it!” Kate said louder than she’d planned. The guy on the treadmill next to her looked over. “Work,” she shrugged as she smiled at him. He turned back to his TV, seemingly annoyed. Kate could have sworn she saw some slight eye rolling. He wasn’t the only one. Couldn’t a girl get one hour alone in the gym without someone deciding they needed her right this minute? Her brother puts up with this shit because he’s a doctor; she’s just a publicist. Well, now a publisher, and with that new title came a huge amount of added responsibility, certainly as far as everyone else was concerned.

Her phone continued to buzz like it was alerting her to a four-alarm fire. She slowed the treadmill speed and grabbed it. There were twenty text messages, all from her newly-hired publicist Annabelle. Mac kept insisting she not spread herself too thin. To his credit, Kate knew she couldn’t do it all on her own, so she finally gave in and started interviewing candidates. Annabelle had been at Random House for five years and had (according to her résumé) taken on some of her own titles independently. Meaning that she managed the publicity and marketing cycle on a book from start to finish, handling things like advanced review copies, pre-launch media and anything related to the launch and ongoing promotion of the book. Kate knew all too well how much work that involved. Though things were a bit different at Kate’s company, Lavigne House. Annabelle was warned, however, that this wasn’t just an office job. A good publicist went on-site; a good publicist wasn’t overloaded with seventy-five new titles a season. Kate needed more help, or fewer titles. For the time being, she decided on the latter, but she knew that wouldn’t always be the case. Often publishers made all of their money on one blockbuster. For Lavigne House that was Allan Lavigne’s last book:
After the Fall,
which had done exceedingly well, even beyond their expectations. The movie had earned two Oscars. The paperback had hit the bestseller list and was still in the top ten, a year after its initial release. But that success would not last much longer. Lavigne House needed another bestseller, and soon.

Kate cycled through the text messages from Annabelle. It started with a cheery
“I’ve arrived, everything is great!”
It was her first in-person event for Lavigne House and she had assured Kate that she would be fine on her own. Still, Kate decided she would go down to the store after the signing started. You know, just to be sure. As she cycled through the messages, they became more and more distressing. The event was going to be big, or so Kate hoped. They had signed a book by Laurie and Adele, two gals who had been friends forever and then decided to turn their baking skills into profits. They became the biggest cookie company in the US and even through having newborns, raising kids, a divorce, and the death of a parent, they kept baking and inventing new recipes. Their cookies were synonymous with some of the best baked goods in the country. But their baking talents didn’t stop with cookies. Last year they were asked to bake a wedding cake for a well-known American Idol alum, and then they were invited to attend the wedding. Shortly after that, Lavigne House signed them for their memoir,
Sugar and Spice
, which is what they jokingly called each other. The pre-orders for the book had been brisk, which is always a good thing. Not as brisk as
After the Fall,
but still good. The media had also been prominent with stints on
Good Morning America
(leading a fun baking class with the hosts),
The View
(cookies for the entire audience) and many, many radio shows. Today was their signing at the Fifth Avenue Barnes & Noble. The Fifth Avenue store was a flagship store for Barnes & Noble making this a very big deal, and Kate had put a lot of faith in Annabelle.
Perhaps too much
, she thought, as she clicked through her messages. When she got to the last one, she jumped off the treadmill and raced to the showers. It read:

“Authors screaming. Please help.”