Interesting.
“This is the director you met for the first time last night?” She asked the question casually, but she was watching her friend like a hawk.
“That’s right.”
No doubt about it—the blush was deepening. Even Simone’s ears were turning red.
“I think I need to hear more about this director.”
Simone glanced at her sideways. “Why?”
“Because you’re blushing like a schoolgirl, that’s why.”
“I am not.”
“You absolutely are.”
“Just because you have a crush on a guy doesn’t mean that I—”
“Hey! I do not have a crush on a guy.”
Simone rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I was there at Rosalind’s when ‘Spike’ came in. Talk about blushing like a schoolgirl. And that reminds me—how was the game? Did the Sox win?”
“They were ahead until the bottom of the ninth, when the Yankees scored three runs.”
“And what about Ian?”
“What about him?”
“Did he score last night?”
It was Kate’s turn to roll her eyes. “Very funny. And no.”
Simone grinned. “Then what the hell is wrong with you? You need to hit that, girlfriend. Talk about a quality rebound.”
“May I remind you that this is the man who cancelled my show?”
“So let him make it up to you. And anyway, hasn’t he helped you out since then? If you ask me, you’re just hanging onto the whole ‘he cancelled my show’ thing to avoid dealing with the fact that you have the hots for him.”
Kate would have delivered a snappy comeback, but Simone was so unexpectedly on the mark that for a moment Kate was tongue-tied.
“I knew it,” Simone said smugly. “You want to drag him into your cave and have your way with him.”
Also on the mark.
“And about your show—weren’t you telling me just a few weeks ago that you were starting to feel a little stale? But you said it was hard to walk away from a fantastic production team and the fat paychecks. So maybe this was a blessing in disguise.”
Did Simone have a point? “Well . . . maybe. But I always meant to write my own ending, you know? I was going to walk away from the show when I was ready. I don’t like it when other people write my endings for me.”
“The way Chris did?”
She winced. “That’s different. I wasn’t planning to walk away from Chris.”
“Maybe you should have.”
Kate stared at her. “What are you talking about?”
Simone hesitated. “It wasn’t my place to say so, but . . . I was never sure that Chris was the right guy for you. I mean, I know the two of you got along great. You made a good team in a lot of ways. But you never seemed really passionate about each other.”
Kate looked away. “I don’t know if I’m the passionate type. In my writing, yes. But I don’t think I’m cut out for it in real life. I mean, look at that night at the club. I went out looking for excitement, and nothing happened. And upon sober reflection, I think that was for the best.”
“Whoa. You don’t think Ian qualifies as exciting?”
“Nothing’s going to happen with Ian.”
“It could if you wanted it to.”
Kate shook her head. “I couldn’t handle a guy like that. You know the women at the network have the lowdown on every bachelor there, right?”
“Sure.”
“Ian never goes out with anyone he works with, which is a point in his favor—but the word on the street is that he’s hooked up with a wide selection of Manhattan women. And he’s never with any of them for more than a few weeks. This is not a guy who does relationships.”
“So don’t have a relationship with him. Have the rebound fling of a lifetime.”
“I don’t think I’m cut out for a fling.”
“I thought you wanted to shake up your life a little.”
“Well, I’ve reconsidered. I wouldn’t know what to do with a man like Ian. Why do you think I was with Chris? He was sweet and gentle and—”
“A cheating bastard.”
“Okay, yes, the cheating thing took me by surprise. But even though I might fantasize about Ian—”
“I knew it!”
“There’s a big difference between fantasy and reality. I think I’m better off sticking to the slow lane when it comes to romance. I know it didn’t work out with Chris, but I still think a man like him would be more my speed.”
Simone opened her mouth, but Kate held up a hand. “That’s enough about my love life. You’re the one who called me, remember? Tell me about this director. What’s his name?”