Part 37 (2/2)

”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.