Chapter 11
It was a nightmare. Katie was a bundle of nerves. She’d thrown up twice this morning at the hotel. Thankfully Jackson had been really helpful. He’d rubbed her back and brought her water. She’d wanted to just lock the door and stay in but he’d managed to calm her down and talk her into coming to the studio.
They wouldn’t let Jackson backstage because he didn’t have security clearance. She felt panicked at the thought of not having him around. When had he become her security blanket? she wondered.
They put her in makeup and fussed over her. Then she had to wait in a tiny little room until she was going to be called. Andrea wasn’t with her. Sure, the editor had tried to prep her for what the interview was going to be like during the drive over but Katie just couldn’t absorb it. She was going to be on the daytime show Ruby with famous talk show host Ruby. Ruby who had a magazine, furniture line and a clothes brand named after her.
She felt ready to hyperventilate. The kind assistant offered beverages but Katie knew she’d just end up spilling them all over herself so she declined. Katie concentrated on breathing and hoped that maybe they would just forget that she was back here. Perhaps they would run out of time with all the other guests and Katie wouldn’t have to go out.
All too soon, someone was calling her name then leading her to the stage. She remembered Andrea saying to give the audience a wave and then greet the host. Katie smiled, waved and blinked against the harsh lights. She looked for the host and avoided the chair that she almost ran into. Maybe she was getting better at this stuff. Katie shook Ruby’s hand and sat on the indicated spot on the sofa. She tried her best to ignore the audience and just focus on the host during the interview.
Jackson watched from the back of the audience, reflecting that Katie was becoming a natural at this.
“We need something exciting to happen,” Andrea sat next to him, checking her phone. “Something to get people talking about JD and the new book.”
“I thought just being on Ruby was supposed to do that,” Jackson said wryly.
“Yes, but it’s trending as one of her more boring shows,” Andrea frowned. “She threw up again this morning. She’s been throwing up before every show. She isn’t sick? I could work that angle.”
“She’s not sick,” he said shortly. “There is no angle to work.”
Andrea looked at him speculatively. “Are you her boyfriend?”
“No,” Jackson gave a clipped reply.
“Who’s the baby daddy then?” she asked shrewdly watching him.
“What?” he swiveled his head to look at his editor. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t, but thanks for confirming my suspicion,” Andrea smiled like a cat in cream. “Excuse me.”
Jackson watched as she got up and sidled past him to the aisle. He wondered what she was up to. Suddenly, he didn’t feel very good about his choice of editor. Jackson got up and tried to see where Andrea had gone to but she was lost in the crowd. A member of the security team came over, asking him to sit back down. Jackson asked if they had seen where Andrea Sholtz had gone but the man was unhelpful, requesting Jackson to sit again.
Gritting his teeth, Jackson sat. He had a bad feeling about all of this. The audience clapped and there was a commercial break during which makeup was reapplied. Ruby was given some sort of cue card from an assistant which she read and then gave back. Soon the interview resumed and Ruby leaned forward.
“JD, I’ve heard the most interesting rumor about you,” the talk show host gushed. “Is it true your expecting? Who is the baby daddy?”
Katie paled and blinked in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“I have it from a reliable source that you’ve been sick nearly every day of your book tour,” Ruby took one of Katie’s hands. “Does the father know?”
“No!” Katie tore her hand out of Ruby’s grasp. “I’m not pregnant! I get stage fright. Whoever gave you such an idea?”
“Your editor,” Ruby supplied. “Are you sure?”
“I think I would know,” Katie said cuttingly. “Where is Andrea? Why would she think such a thing?”
Jackson braced himself as Katie looked up into the audience and met his eyes. He was deeply relieved that she wasn’t pregnant or seeing anyone. He also knew she wasn’t stupid and would connect that he might have thought such a thing and mentioned it to Andrea.
“Jackson Davis!” Katie stood and crossed her arms. “Just because I bought a pregnancy kit doesn’t mean it was for me! It was for my friend Sylvie.”
How was he supposed to know? Jackson thought in his defense. He stood up and decided to ask the question loudly, “How was I supposed to know?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you could have just asked,” Katie retorted.
Someone raced over with a microphone and put it in Jackson’s face. He pushed it to the side. “How was I supposed to ask that? Hey Katie, are you seeing anyone, oh and are you carrying his baby? It’s not like you wanted to be anything more than friends anyways.”
“Who said that?” Katie looked at him in confusion.
