Free Star Crossed by Rhonda Laurel

ensembles that she’d never had the courage to wear in her everyday life. Her favorite was a flowing cranberry strapless gown. The hairdresser put her hair into a big bow at the top and clipped it with a shiny rhinestone hair barrette. She was not normally a lipstick wearer, but the makeup artist painted a deep red on her that surprisingly complemented her skin tone. She felt like a true princess.
    They had Billie in a darker contrasting androgynous outfit, with smoky makeup on and a fedora. The photographer showed them the shot, and it was amazing. Kate seemed to be in two places and in two contrasts at once. That was the shot they decided to use for the cover.
    The interviewer got straight to the point and informed her that the questions had been reworked after the scandal broke. She answered all the questions as honestly as she could, leaving out anything that would help someone piece together a timeline of when she and Chris began seeing each other. She took the high road and said even though it didn’t work out for her and Jack, she wished him the best. She said she still believed he and Chris could work together because of the dedication they both had to the project. She thought maybe that comment would take the sting out of Jack not being able to fire Chris. Being raised in a house full of men, she knew how fragile the male ego was.
    When asked why she and Chris moved in together so quickly, she simply said that love sometimes takes a person by surprise and they were in love and happy. She had to swallow hard after throwing that one out there. If Chris can go on television and gush about how happy he was, why couldn’t she? It was kind of fun talking about this great, exciting whirlwind relationship that she was pretending to have.
    She even went back on her own promise not to contact her family and called her mom. Abigail was delighted to hear from her daughter.
    “Hey, baby, how are you?”
    “In New York for the day. Want to have lunch?”
    “Sure, but why don’t you come home?”
    “I just want to see you and not get into a brouhaha with everyone else.”
    “All right.”
    “I’m sending a car for you. It should be there within the hour.”
    And just like that, her mom was sitting in front of her at a nice restaurant.
    “So, how long will you be staying at Billie’s?”
    “Uh…”
    “How about this? I want a nice lunch with my only daughter who lives in California who I haven’t seen in over six months. No guilt trips. No condemnation. I just want to know how your life is going. How’s work? How’s John? How’s the man juggling going on?”
    Kate exhaled and smiled. “Will be at Billie’s for the rest of the week. Don’t be mad at her, OK?”
    “Billie tells me things on a need-to-know basis. Apparently she didn’t feel I needed to know. I see and talk to her even less than I do you. That’s the way she prefers it. I wish it were different. But I am glad you two have one another.”
    “You know why she stays away.” Kate looked into her mother’s eyes.
    “I can’t change that I’m her mother’s twin sister. That was God’s design.” Abigail tightened her lips into a straight line and blinked her quickly watering eyes.
    Kate placed her hand on her mother’s. “But you can see why being around you is hard for her. Seeing you is like seeing a ghost. There will come a day when the two of you will get along happily and all will be as well as it can be.”
    “Can you really see that?”
    “Yes, I can see it.”
    Abigail smiled.
    “As for your questions. Work is fine. John is still seeing that bitchy model Siobhan. Waiting on Jack to sign the divorce papers. Simple split. We had no combined assets or property. He’s stalling and mad because Chris and I are involved.”
    “I’d be mad too. Jack is a handsome man. I thought so when you sent me his picture. But Chris is off the charts gorgeous.” She laughed.
    “Almost too gorgeous, right?”
    “Some people are proud of the way