Free The Price of Fame - KJ1 by Lynn Ames Page A

please come wit’ me, too, Ms. Pawka?”
    Jay smiled right back at her, though the expression never reached her eyes. “Why, of course, thank you for asking,” she said in her sweetest voice. Behind the woman’s back, she could see Kate’s smirk.
    Satisfied that her friend was being well cared for in the green room, Kate relaxed into the makeup chair. “Good morning,” she said to the man who smiled at her in the mirror.
    “Hey there, sweetie,” he enthused. “Oh, this is gonna be fun. Any last requests before I get started?”
    Kate couldn’t help but smile at the man’s upbeat attitude; she knew she looked like hell. The small cuts and abrasions on her left cheek were going to be hard to hide completely, and her normally vibrant eyes looked tired. “Sorry for the major reclamation project,” she said, “but you should see the other guy.”
    Her makeup stylist laughed delightedly. “Honey, it’s gonna be a pleasure working with that gorgeous face and hair, believe me. Last week I had to make up Phyllis Diller. Don’t even ask.”
    Half an hour later, Kate emerged from the chair and stopped the nearest official-looking person. “I need a phone,” she said.
    “There’s one in the green room.”
    “Okay, let me go change my clothes, and then could someone point me in the right direction?”
    “No problem. I’ll wait outside the dressing room for you.”
    Taking the garment bag with her, Kate disappeared behind the indicated door, emerging ten minutes later and following the waiting lackey to the green room where guests sat until it was time for them to be on the air.
    Swinging open the door, she spied Jay sitting on the opposite wall in a comfortable-looking leather armchair with her eyes closed and a cup of coffee close at hand. Padding into the room quietly, she gazed down at the adorable blonde head. A lock of hair had fallen into her eye, and Kate eased it off her face. “Jay,” she breathed. “Jay, honey, it’s time to get up.”
    Jay mumbled something unintelligible before realizing that she had nodded off. Her eyes snapped open and she stared open-mouthed. “Holy mother...” She couldn’t censor herself. Kate stood before her in a fabulous navy blue silk suit that had to have been custom made; it fit her like a glove, the skirt stopping at mid-thigh, showing off her incredible legs. Her pale blue blouse was open at the neck, revealing an expanse of lightly tanned skin and just a hint of cleavage; sheer navy pantyhose and matching navy pumps completed the outfit. Her hair was glossy and loose down her back and cascaded over her shoulders. Her jewelry 54

    The Price of Fame

    consisted of a two-carat diamond solitaire necklace and a pair of sapphire and diamond stud earrings.
    Gone was the exhausted-looking young woman in the faded jeans and t-shirt; in her place was this magnificently sophisticated, drop-dead-gorgeous model. Jay had to remind herself to breathe. Only the bandages that protruded from Kate’s sleeves gave any indication about the ordeal that she had been through in the previous twenty-four hours. “You look amazing,” the petite woman gushed sincerely.
    Kate gave her companion a brilliant smile revealing rows of perfect, white teeth. “Thanks, Jay, coming from you that means a lot.” And that was the truth. Oh, people told her how beautiful she was all the time, but it rolled right off her. With Jay, it was different; with her it mattered. “I just need to make a phone call and then it will be time to go, okay?”
    The writer nodded.
    “How’s the coffee, any good?”
    Jay nodded again.
    “Are you always this talkative in the morning?” Kate kidded.
    “I’m not really a morning person,” Jay confessed sheepishly.
    Moving over to the phone on the side table, the anchorwoman dialed a number from memory. “Hi, it’s Kate. What’s the latest?” She listened intently for a few minutes. “Okay, I’m going to give one of my contacts a call over at SPD and see if I