Chapter 13
Thirteen
Kate didn’t want to go to Ashton’s office.
She went out of her way to ensure their paths rarely crossed, and even now that she was going to marry Reid, she couldn’t imagine Ashton would be happy to see her.
If anything, the opposite was probably true.
After more than a week away, all she wanted was to go home.
But that wasn’t possible with the media storming the gates.
“What’s wrong, darlin’?” Reid asked as he drove the car they’d rented at the airport.
“Nothing.” How could she tell him that seeing his son always made her nervous and brought back that awful day in the parking lot and the ugly accusations they’d hurled at each other? They’d barely exchanged a single word since then, despite their frequent business dealings.
When Kate thought of seeing him again, this time as his father’s fiancée, her stomach began to actively ache.
“I wish you’d talk to me,” Reid said as he drove through Nashville traffic on the way to Green Hills.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“If you say so.”
“I’m mad that we can’t go home. I really want to see Thunder.”
“I was thinking about that. Is there another way onto your property other than the main gate?”
Kate’s eyes lit up when she tuned into his thought process. “Yes, but it’s through my neighbor’s place and only accessible on foot or horseback.”
“Could your groom meet us with horses?”
“Yes!” Thrilled with the plan, she leaned over to kiss him. “You’re always thinking.”
“I don’t like to see you unhappy.”
“I’ve got nothing in the world to be unhappy about, so don’t worry.” Well, other than her father’s disapproval of her upcoming marriage, but she refused to think about that today. There’d be plenty of time to think about that later when she didn’t also have to face Ashton.
Reid pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Ashton’s sleek silver Jaguar and a red pickup truck.
She remembered the Saab Ashton had bought right out of law school and how proud he’d been of that car.
He’d taken her on her first tour of Nashville, had brought her to Mabel’s, introduced her to his friends, and she’d thanked him by having an affair with his father.
Well, that was a pleasant trip down memory lane, she thought as Reid took her hand to lead her inside. Her footsteps felt wooden and heavy as she stepped into Ashton’s office for the first time. All her meetings with him had taken place at the Long Road Records offices.
Ashton’s assistant, Debi, greeted Reid warmly, but her eyes bugged when he introduced Kate as his fiancée.
Debi jumped up and tripped over her desk chair in her haste to shake hands with Kate, who reached out to catch the younger woman before she fell.
“Wow, that was embarrassing,” Debi said.
Laughing, Kate released her hold and shook hands with Debi. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m such a huge fan. Maybe even your biggest fan.”
“That’s nice of you to say. Thank you.”
“Do you think…” Debi shook her head and gestured to the stairs. “Ashton is waiting for you in his office.”
“Could I sign something for you before we go up?”
Again, Debi’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “You’d do that?” She hustled around her desk, banging her leg—hard—on the corner but never missed a beat as she handed Kate a notepad.
“How about a pen?” Kate asked, amused.
“God, I’m a mess,” Debi drawled. “I see Buddy Longstreet all the time and never act like this much of a dork around him.”
“I’m much more famous than Buddy,” Kate deadpanned, making Debi and Reid laugh.
She wanted to thank Debi for taking her mind off the meeting with Ashton.
The butterflies in her stomach had calmed while they talked to Debi.
Kate wrote, “To Debi, it was a thrill to meet you. Thanks for listening to my music! All the best, Kate Harrington.” She handed the pad back to Debi.
“Thank you so much. I’m going to frame this. Heck, I’ll make copies for home, work, my car and anywhere else I can hang it up. Wait till my friends hear that I met you. They’ll be so jealous.”
“Debi!” Ashton called down the stairs. “Quit playing fan girl and send them up.”
Debi’s face turned bright red. “Right this way.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Kate whispered. “I never do.”
Debi giggled and stepped aside so they could head up the stairs.
“That was nice of you, darlin’,” Reid said when they were out of Debi’s earshot. “You made her year.”
“She and people like her made my career,” Kate said with a shrug. “Where would I be without them?”
“It’s fun to watch you with your fans. I’ve never gotten to see that before.”
Kate hadn’t thought about what it might be like for him to experience her fans for the first time with Bertha’s family and now with Debi.
His hand on the small of her back fortified her as they stepped into Ashton’s office.
Jill rushed over to hug Kate, who held on to her sister for dear life. She’d been fine until she saw her sister, and then the roller coaster of emotions she’d experienced over the last week had tears flooding her eyes as Jill’s familiar fragrance filled her senses.
“Good to see you,” Kate said, blinking back tears.
“You, too.” Jill drew back to study her. “You look good.”
“So do you.”
“Vacation agrees with us,” Jill said. “Scandal, on the other hand…”
“I know, believe me. This is Reid. Reid, my sister Jill.”
Jill shook his hand. “Nice to finally meet you after all this time.”
“Likewise. Thank you for taking such good care of Kate when I wasn’t around to do it.”
“Oh,” Jill said, seeming surprised—and charmed. “It was certainly my pleasure.”
“Sorry about the mess at home,” Kate said.
“Buddy was just suggesting we send some of his security guys over there to move them away from the gate,” Jill said.
Kate sent her mentor and friend a grateful smile.
Buddy got up and came over to give her a hug. “Every time you come within five feet of this guy, you get yourself in trouble.” Buddy released her to hug Reid.
“That’s why we figured we ought to get married,” Reid said.
Kate watched as he sought out his son across the room.
Ashton was standing, watching them warily.
Reid went over to hug his son.
Ashton returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm, which was a relief to Kate.
“So what’re we going to do about this fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into?” Buddy asked as he returned to his post behind Ashton’s desk.
“Are you a guest in your own office these days, son?” Reid asked Ashton.
“It appears that way,” Ashton said dryly.
Buddy sent them one of his famous shit-eating grins.
Reid and Kate settled into chairs that Ashton got for them. She appreciated that Reid sat right next to her and reached for her hand the minute they were settled.
All eyes landed on her.
“I’ve made some decisions in the last few days,” Kate said haltingly. She glanced at Jill. “I should probably talk to you privately before I tell everyone else.”
“It’s fine,” Jill said. “Your plans affect all of us, so it would save us some time if you told us at the same time.”
Grateful for her sister’s clear, unemotional thinking, Kate steeled herself to say the words, to step away from the career that had defined her life. Perhaps for good.
Reid squeezed her hand and smiled at her, filling her with strength and determination. For him, for them, she was willing to do whatever it took to ensure they had a somewhat normal life. With that in mind, she met the golden gaze of Buddy Longstreet and said, “I’m done.”
Buddy sat up a little straighter, but his feet remained planted on Ashton’s desk. “With?”
“The music. The business. The career.”
“Wait a minute,” Jill said.
Ashton crossed his arms and shook his head, seeming disgusted and annoyed at the same time. Kate expected nothing less than both from him.
“Hear her out,” Reid said, his gaze never leaving Kate as she struggled to find the words.
She tried to stay focused on her goal of a real, authentic life.
“I’ve given this career everything I’ve had to give for a very long time.
I’ve sacrificed any semblance of normal life, and you have, too, Jill.
I don’t enjoy it anymore, and I haven’t in a very long time.
” She paused and looked at Reid. “I did it because I didn’t have anything better to do.
Now I have other things I want to do. I want a home and a family and the simple things most people take for granted.
I want out of the whirlwind, off the treadmill, off the stage. ”
Buddy stared at her as if she were speaking a language he simply couldn’t understand.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” she said, looking again at Buddy. “You’ve done so much for me. You’ve made everything possible. But this is the right move for me now. I really believe that.”
A pervasive silence hung over the room.
“Please,” Kate finally said, glancing between Buddy and Jill. “Say something, will you?”
“You’re the boss,” Jill said flatly. “Whatever you want is what I want.”
“I think you’re a goddamned fool,” Buddy said in a tone Kate had never heard from him before.
“Buddy…” Reid’s voice held a note of warning.
“This isn’t personal, Reid, so don’t get your knickers in a twist.”
Kate could tell that Reid was dying to respond to that, but he held his tongue.
“This is business,” Buddy said, addressing Kate now. “Big business. It’s the kind of business all the young ingénues and wannabes would give their right titties for. Hell, I remember a time—not all that long ago—when you’d give your right titty for it.”
“Just for the record,” Kate said, “I was never that desperate.”
Ashton snorted with what might’ve been a laugh.
Buddy slammed his fist on the desk, making them all jump. “It’s not funny! I’ve busted my ass making you into a star. It’s what you told me you wanted. I gave you everything, and I’ll be goddamned if I’m going to let you walk away at the peak of your career all because you want to get laid.”
“Buddy!” Reid said. “You will not talk to her that way!”