Page 122 of At the Heart of It
“So, Viv?—”
“They’re canceling the show.”
“What?”
Viv lifted her head, blinking. “That’s what you’re here to tell me, right?”
Kate shook her head, not sure if the news she’d come to deliver would be better or worse. “No. Um, not even close.”
“But after yesterday?—”
“No, Chase loved it. He saw parts of the footage last night, and Amy and I gave him a full report on the phone this morning.” Kate stopped there, not wanting to share too much. Not wanting to feel her gut churn at the memory of Chase’s delighted laughter.
“This is solid fucking gold right here,” he’d said. “The ratings are gonna go through the fucking roof with this epic blindside.”
Of course, that might all be in jeopardy if Jonah really did walk away. The lawyers had told her to stay out of it for now, insisting they had things under control. That they were making progress with Jonah and his attorney.
Kate had been more than happy to step away. To leave the tough stuff to someone else for a change.
Viv looked at her, uncertainty etched between her brows. “So what did you come here to tell me?”
Kate licked her lips and took a breath. “It’s about Jonah,” she said. “See, the thing is—” Kate cleared her throat, annoyed with herself for bumbling her words. “There’s more to my relationship with him than you realize.”
“Ah.” Realization dawned and Vivian gave a sage nod. “I understand.”
“You do?” Her stomach rippled with unease, but maybe this would be easier than she’d thought.
“It’s okay, Kate.” Viv smiled. “Believe me, you’re not the first.”
“What?”
“If I had a nickel for every woman who’s developed a little crush on my husband?—”
“No, that’s not it.” Kate dug her nails into her palms, thinking Viv had a point about just spitting things out. “I—we—” She took another deep breath and looked Viv in the eye. “I slept with him.”
Viv blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
Okay, so there was a more delicate way to say that.
But Kate pressed on. “It’s true. I didn’t mean for it to happen, and I never meant to hurt you, Vivienne.”
Viv pressed her lips together a moment, digesting the information. “In Ashland when you met before?”
Kate shook her head. “No. It was true what we told you at that first meeting. That whole thing was just a stupid coincidence. I mean, we kissed, but that was it.”
“You kissed in Ashland,” Viv said, her expression still uncertain. “But more happened after that?”
“Right,” Kate confirmed, wishing there were a way to just fast forward through this conversation. To not spell out every last humiliating detail. “But as we got to know each other, we started to grow closer.”
“I see.”
“But I swear to you I had no idea that you still had feelings for him when he and I slept together.” The first time, her conscience whispered.
“The first time,” Kate said aloud, and forced herself not to look away.
Viv stared at her. She didn’t speak for a very long time. Kate ordered herself to sit quietly, to give her a chance to process things.
“Holy fuck.”
