Kate nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I’m really glad you had someone to support you,” she said.
“Me, too,” I said. “And now this place is like a home to me. Mac, the bartender, he’s a great guy.” I gestured to the man who had served Kate beer. “Looks out for me like a brother.”
“That’s really nice.”
Impulsively, I asked her: “What d’ya think about coming out with me to see the sights? No tourist traps, I promise. Just real Manchester.”
Kate smiled. Then she bit the inside of her lip, which made me want to lean in and kiss her. “I’d really love that,” she finally said. “Thank you.”
Mac walked over towards us, carrying two plates heaped with brisket. His eyebrows were furrowed with concern. “Jay, I got somethin’ you might want to read,” he said. After he set the plates down in front of me and Kate with a flourish, he pulled a rolled-up paper out of his back pocket. “Looks like the harpy’s at it, again,” he muttered as he pointed to a headline.
“Shit,” I muttered when I saw Hannah’s name under the salacious headline. “What is it this time?”
Mac gave me a dark look. “She’s dragged someone else into it now,” he said sourly, shooting a meaningful glance at Kate. “You better get that ex under control, Jay.”
Kate looked up from her plate. “What’s going on?”
I sighed. “Just more stupid gossip,” I said. “Hang on.”
But as I scanned the paper, my heart dropped. Oh, shit. This is bad. This is really, really bad.
Chapter Eight
Kate
I frowned as Jay grabbed the paper and read it. His eyebrows shot up and he let out a stream of angry exclamations before slamming the paper down with such force that the silverware on the bar rattled.
“Jay, what’s wrong?”
He looked at me. “Kate, I am so sorry,” he said. “I promise, we’ll get all of this straightened out.”
I frowned. “What the hell is going on?”
Jay cleared his throat and pushed the paper towards me. Confused, I grabbed it. There was a headline about him seducing some drunken Americans, and I rolled my eyes and kept reading. Did he really think that a little gossip was going to bother me? But when I saw the picture, my jaw dropped. It was a grainy black-and-white shot of Jay carrying Lizzy, passed out in his arms, and my stomach iced over as I read the accompanying text:
‘Jay Walsh, footballer extraordinaire, has bit off more than he can chew with this one! It seems American sisters Kate and Elizabeth Romero had to jump across the pond to uncover this saucy British stud. Word has it that Elizabeth Romero, who’s studying at university here in Manchester, had a wee bit too much to drink last night! If you recognize her sister’s name, you’re not alone: Keeping Current With Kate is one of the top American women’s talk shows right now. Kate has a reputation for being an advocate for women’s rights, particularly on the topic of date rape, so over here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re having a hard time imagining just how much luck she’s going to have with that cause now. Would it really be a responsible move for Kate to let her little sister keep boozing it up with one of the country’s biggest playboys? Not exactly role-model material now, is she? Weigh in online: we’re curious to see what our readers think!’
I groaned and covered my face with my hands. “This is terrible,” I said. “I have to call my producer. I’ll be right back.”
Jay and Mac watched me leave the table with twin worried expressions on their faces. I felt panic rising in my throat but I didn’t want to give away just how afraid I actually felt. Something like this could potentially ruin my career, and if my reputation was damaged, I knew the showrunners wouldn’t want me to continue. I’d take another break, followed by a hiatus, followed by unemployment.
Calm down, Kate, I ordered myself. You don’t know just how bad this is yet. Maybe it’s nothing.
Noting the time difference, I called my head producer. It was early afternoon back in the States, and I hoped I’d be catching him in a good mood.
“Hi, Kate,” Rod said as he answered my call. His tone was both annoyed and expectant. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, as you know, I’m on vacation in Manchester,” I said quickly. “And my younger sister, Lizzy, is studying here. She got a little too drunk the other night and we had to take her to the hospital. She got a ride with—“
“Kate, can you please just get to the point?” Rod snapped. I blinked. He didn’t speak to me this way, even when he was really mad. Frowning, I wondered what had happened since I’d left.