Unwritten Read online

  An image of herself dancing with Josh flashed through her head, and she shook it away. A part of her felt missing without him, and she hated it. She still smarted from his comment during their dinner at Bella Luna about not being able to bring her home for “meet the parents.” She’d never met the parents of a man she’d dated. Nor had she wanted to. But Josh had given her a glimpse at the kind of relationship where people did meet parents, make commitments, and live happily ever after. Just enough to make her yearn…

  Which was ridiculous. She’d be wise to go back to what she did best: dating actors who paraded her in front of the paparazzi, then jetted off to the next movie set with no hard feelings. Strolls through Central Park with a strong, handsome college professor were definitely off the menu.

  Shaking away the memories, she turned toward the stairs leading to the beach. She spotted her cell phone on the glass table by the pool, forgotten after her swim, and padded over to retrieve it. Absentmindedly, she slid her thumb across the screen, checking for missed calls. The phone showed a new message. She clicked on the icon, and a picture filled her screen.

  A sandy beach with gray, stormy waves and two very masculine, very familiar feet propped in the sand. The accompanying text read, Roughing it on Cape Cod.

  Her heart slammed into her ribs.

  Quit changing the rules, Josh Randall.

  She dropped the phone back onto the table, zipped up her jacket, and headed down the stairs. She lived on a private stretch of beach where the only people she was likely to bump into were neighbors. After a month of New York’s noise and crowds, she reveled in the ability to walk alone. Her toes sank into the cool sand, and a breeze whipped hair across her face. She sucked in a breath of the briny air and tasted salt on her tongue.

  “Kate!” She heard Marcy Detalvo calling her name and turned with a friendly wave. Marcy motioned to her from her balcony, and Kate climbed the stairs to say hello. “I heard you were in town. How are you?”

  Kate smiled. “Glad to be home.”

  Marcy lived three houses down from Kate, and they had become friendly over the years. Marcy and her husband were both sitcom stars. In fact, Kate had done her first acting gig in a guest spot on Marcy’s show. She was as good a friend as Kate could hope for here in Hollywood.

  “I’ve been dying to talk to you.” Marcy’s green eyes sparkled as she whisked a strand of glossy brown hair behind her ear. “Tell me all about your mystery man.”

  Kate fought the rush of emotion that filled her as Josh returned front and center in her mind. “Oh, well, it was pretty great, actually. Refreshing to date someone outside the business.”

  “And how did he rate next to Jordan Hall?”

  Kate thought of the dark-haired playboy who’d been the inspiration behind “Unfaithful.” No comparison. “Josh wins, hands down.”

  Marcy grinned. “Josh, huh?”

  She nodded. “He’s a college professor. We had a couple of really great weeks together.”

  “And the sex?” Marcy asked.

  “Off the charts.” Kate felt her cheeks heat.

  “Ugh, sometimes you make me wish I were still single. I love Greg, you know that, but sometimes I miss that first kiss, newly dating hot passionate sex…”

  “That’s why I have my rules. No strings, no commitments, lots of first dates. Life is simpler this way.”

  “Yeah, yeah, you and your rules. Well, I’ll live vicariously through your love life, but I need to know someone’s going to be there with me every night, through thick and through thin.”

  “To each her own.” Kate pushed her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

  Marcy leveled her gaze on the horizon. “You love the single life now, but one of these days, you’ll meet the one you can’t live without. You’ll see.”

  Kate brushed off her words, and yet, several hours later, found herself sitting on the beach, phone in hand. She watched the sun settle on the horizon, streaking the sky and ocean with vivid purples and pinks. She raised her phone and snapped a photo. Her hot-pink toenails were a nice match with the sunset.

  And she cursed under her breath as she hit Send.

  * * *

  Kate hummed as she pushed through the double doors of the studio. Halfway through an eight-hour day of rehearsals, adrenaline coursed through her body and lightened her step.

  Mariana, her flamenco instructor, stood before the mirror, one leg on the ballet barre. She nodded with a smile. “Katherine.”

  “Hi, Mariana.” Kate dropped her gym bag in the corner. She changed her ballet slippers for a pair of silver Louboutin heels, adding a little sparkle to her black leotard and hot pants. Today, they’d be getting down and dirty with the choreography for “Hold Me Close.”

  “Let’s start with a refresher on your arms,” Mariana said as Kate joined her at the barre. “You’re still dropping your elbows.”

  An hour later, Kate spun as “Hold Me Close” blasted from the speakers. Her fingers arched above her head while her hips swayed to the beat.

  “Looser, Katherine. Feel the music here,” Mariana pressed a hand against her chest, “and let it move you here.” She placed her hands on Kate’s hips.

  Kate tripped over her feet and landed in a heap on the floor. Sweat slicked her hair to her scalp, and her chest heaved. “This is harder than it looks.”

  “I never promised you easy.” Mariana extended a hand and hauled Kate to her feet. “Keep those elbows up.”

  Kate drew her back straight, pushed her elbows out, and began again. Mariana drilled her for another hour, and Kate gave it everything she had. This was a dance of seduction, a powerful, emotional piece that would leave a lasting impression on her audience, or so she hoped.

  And one person in particular.

  She was fooling herself to pretend she wasn’t hoping Josh would come, that he’d see her dance and know she’d created this for him. Since that afternoon by the pool, they’d fallen into a routine, sending photos back and forth across the country. It didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t. And when the tour got under way, for her own sake, it had to stop.

  With a thump, she hit the floor again. Her elbow cracked against the wood.

  No more distractions.

  When Mariana had finished with her, she tiptoed down the hall and peered in at the dancers. They moved in unison, tapping and twirling as “I Wish” played over the sound system. Several of them spotted her in the doorway.

  She smiled and waved. They whooped, showing off their most ridiculous dance moves for her. She blew them a kiss and continued down the hall. After a shower and change of clothes, she headed out for a meeting with Harry. She pulled up outside the offices just past four o’clock. It felt good to drive again, another freedom she missed when she was in New York. There was nothing like roaring up the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down and the wind ripping through her hair, something she planned to do on the way home.

  She exchanged greetings with the staff before making her way to Harry’s office. She was so pumped from today’s rehearsal, she wanted to start singing and dancing right there, but one look at Harry’s face took the spring out of her step.

  Harry smiled, and lines creased his face. He was one of the few people whose judgment she trusted completely, and right now, he looked worried. That was reason enough for her stomach to tighten in anticipation. “I saw reels for your Entertainment Now segment this afternoon,” he said.

  Yesterday, film crews from the popular entertainment show had filmed behind-the-scenes footage from rehearsals to drum up excitement for the tour. It should have the added bonus of generating some positive press at a time when she could sure as hell use it.

  By the skin of her teeth, she’d secured three Fans Voice Awards nominations. Voting began today to determine the winners, who would be announced during the award ceremony in January. She wanted that record-breaking fifth win so bad, she could taste it. She wanted that legacy award. She needed the love and support of her fans like she needed
air to breathe.

  “And?” She slid into the chair across from Harry’s desk.

  “It’s terrific. They’ve done a top-notch job putting the piece together.”

  “So what’s the bad news?”

  He sighed. “It’s your mother. She’s giving an interview tomorrow on the Hollywood Insider.”

  Her heart stilled in her chest. “An interview? But she promised…”

  “My guess is that she’s gotten bored now that you’ve left town, and she’s going after her own fifteen minutes of fame.”

  “Shit,” she whispered.

  “Her timing leaves something to be desired.”

  Obviously, this had the potential to overshadow any positive press generated by her Entertainment Now segment. Kate sat in stunned silence.

  “You should talk to her,” Harry said.

  “I’ll call her as soon as I get home.”

  “Good. She’s not doing you any favors by pulling crap like this.”

  Kate stared at her hands. “No.”

  “You should also know,” Harry said, “the DNA results for you and Lori Booth are in. It’s true. She’s your half sister.”

  “Okay.” Kate waited to feel something…anything at the news, but she didn’t. She felt oddly numb inside. How would Lori react? What would she want in return? How long before Lori joined Doreen on TV, cashing in on her own moment in the spotlight at Kate’s expense?

  * * *

  It was almost seven the following evening when Kate finally got home from rehearsals. Exhausted, she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed straight for the shower. She knew she shouldn’t watch Hollywood Insider, but it was like a train wreck she couldn’t look away from.

  And so, thirty minutes later, she sat in front of the TV, watching as her mother appeared on the screen. She looked thinner, paler, than she had when Kate last saw her. She sat in an oversized beige chair that nearly swallowed her whole.

  “Tell us about Katherine Hayes as a child. What was she like growing up?” Alyson Brown, the reporter for the Hollywood Insider, asked.

  “She was a sweet child,” Doreen said. “Always helping me around the house. It was just the two of us, you know. Her father left when she was a baby.”

  Kate released a breath. Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe her mom wasn’t going to hurt her with this interview.

  “It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she started acting out. Staying out late, drinking, smoking. Bringing different boys around the house. I blame myself for not doing a better job keeping her in line, but I did the best I could.”

  And then again, maybe not. Kate’s fingers clenched around her water bottle.

  “I’m sure it was hard for you as a single mother,” Alyson said with a sympathetic smile.

  “She was my world, the only family I had.” Two fat tears rolled down Doreen’s cheeks. “But as a teenager, she became vindictive. She seemed determined to hurt me.”

  “How so?” Alyson asked.

  “I’ve written it all down in my book, Raising America’s Sweetheart, which should be out early next year. Her fans will be shocked to learn the truth. It’s very different from the way she’s painted herself in the media.”

  A book? Oh, no. No no no…

  “It’s interesting you should say that, Doreen, because Katherine has always been considered a media darling. She’s known for her image as the girl next door.”

  “Let me tell you this, Alyson. I worked two jobs, sometimes three, to keep food on the table when she was growing up. She left home when she was seventeen to try her luck in Hollywood. She never called or wrote after she left. I had no idea if she was alive or dead. Do you know what that’s like for a mother? Nothing. For twelve years.”

  “That’s a long time. Was there bad blood between you when she left home?”

  “Yes, there was, but that’s behind us now. You see, I’ve recently learned that I have cancer.”

  Kate switched the TV off in shock. Somehow Doreen always managed to knock her down when she was least expecting it, and somehow it still hurt, even after all these years. She blinked back tears, feeling completely lost and so very alone. She wrapped her arms around her knees and squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a shaky breath.

  Her phone buzzed with a text message. She almost didn’t look because it was obviously from someone who’d just seen the show, and oh God, so many people must have seen…

  You okay? It was from Josh.

  A tear broke free, and she dashed it away. She clutched the phone, wishing he weren’t three thousand miles away, wishing he didn’t still have the power to make her heart roll over in her chest like a lovesick teenager’s.

  Damn him for being so damn good.

  Fine, she texted back.

  Her phone rang, and her heart lurched into her throat when Josh’s name showed on the screen. To hear his voice again…it was too much…

  “Liar,” he said when she connected the call. His voice was low and gruff, and it set every nerve in her body on fire.

  Her chest tightened painfully. “Josh…”

  “I know I shouldn’t have called. I just…I needed to hear your voice.”

  Her heart was beating so fast, she could see her blouse shake to its rhythm. “Me too.”

  “It’s total crap, Kate, what your mother just did.” He sounded so fierce and protective, and it was all just too much…

  “I know.” Her throat ached with the effort not to cry.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She wiped a tear from her cheek. “I, um, I have to go.”

  “Okay.”

  “Josh?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. Then she ended the call before she lost all control over her emotions. She walked outside onto the pool deck with Ben and Jerry at her heels, letting the night air whip over her skin.

  Her mom had just sold her out on national TV.

  Josh called.

  Doreen’s writing a book…

  And suddenly, her pain became fury. Incensed, she marched back inside and snatched up her phone. “How could you?” she said when Doreen answered.

  “Honestly, Kate, I was just trying to have a little fun.”

  “If you want to have fun, go see a Broadway show.” Her fingers clenched around the phone. “Don’t give interviews about me without my permission. We had an agreement.”

  “Well, it’s just…I was on prime-time TV! How could I turn that down?”

  How indeed? “What’s this about a book?”

  “It’s just an idea I’ve been working on. I need something to keep myself busy while you’re off on tour, you know?”

  “Don’t,” Kate said, her voice little more than a whisper. “Don’t do this, Mom.”

  “Well, honestly, what’s the big deal? These radiation treatments are awful. Who knows how much longer I have with this cancer? I think I’m entitled to have a little fun in the meantime.”

  And why should she care if she hurt her daughter in the process?

  “You’re perfectly entitled to have fun. Just don’t do it at my expense. I mean it, Mom.”

  Doreen’s interview resulted in a variety of meetings with Harry, Vero, and Jenn to run damage control, which Kate had no time for in her already packed schedule. The only highlight of her week was when Josh texted her a photo of himself, wet, scruffy, and looking way too sexy for her poor heart to handle, holding up his finisher’s medal from the Long Island Triathlon.

  With everything else going on, it was almost a week before Kate found the time—and worked up the nerve—to call Lori, but really, her new sister couldn’t possibly be any worse than her mother, could she? Kate dialed, half hoping it would go to voicemail and she could just leave a message.

  “Hello?” Lori answered.

  “Lori, hi, it’s Katherine Hayes.”

  There was dead silence on the other end of the line.

  “Oh,” Lori said finally. “Hi, Katherine.”

  �
��Kate. Please call me Kate.” Dammit, this was awkward.

  “Kate,” Lori repeated.

  “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

  “Sure.”

  “You got the test results?” Kate asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I’ve been so busy with tour rehearsals, and this seemed like a conversation for us to have in person, not through my manager.”

  “I agree,” Lori said, her tone guarded.

  Kate drew a deep breath. “I hope you didn’t think I was rude last month. I knew you were telling the truth when you showed me that photo. I just needed the test results to be sure.”

  “I get it. People probably try to take advantage of you all the time.”

  “It does kind of come with the territory, unfortunately,” Kate said. “So, I’m not good at this family stuff.”

  “Me either. It’s still kind of surreal that you’re my sister.”

  “It is.” And the conversation was getting awkward again, but there was something she had to know. “Do you have other siblings?”

  “No,” Lori said. “I’m an only child, or I thought I was.”

  “So our dad didn’t…”

  “He didn’t have any other kids, no,” Lori confirmed. “At least, none that he knew about.”

  Kate blew out a breath. That was a relief. One newfound sister was enough. “Well, I’m going to be in North Carolina next month on my tour. I thought maybe we could meet then and spend some time getting to know each other?”

  “Sure, that sounds great.” Lori sounded…happy, excited even. Was it possible she only wanted to get to know her sister? Or would she be on the entertainment shows soon too, raking Kate over the coals?

  14

  Kate scowled at the phone.

  “Don’t be such a stick-in-the-mud, Katie, of course you have time,” Vero said in her ear.

  “I really don’t.” And even if she did have time to attend the VIP-only club opening tonight, Ted Wilhelm would not be her date of choice.

  “Need I remind you that you could really use some positive press?”