Wet(28)
“But the terms have changed,” she hurried out.
“The terms? I don’t understand.”
“It was something you said.”
“Jesus, Katy. What the hell is going on?”
“You told me there was something to be said for down-home cooking. And you were right.” She waved her hand around. “The network loved my idea of setting up a kitchen here in Whispering Cove and preparing some of the Seafarer’s famous East coast meals.”
An invisible band tightened around Trent’s heart as reality dawned. He smiled. “So you’re telling me…”
“Yes, Trent, I’m telling you that I’m staying. This is where I belong. It’s where I’ve always belonged.” She pressed her palm to the side of his face. “Thank you for giving me the freedom to discover that. Thank you for never giving up on me. And thank you for helping me find my way back home, to you.”
Tension eased from his shoulders. “Katy, really, do you mean it?” he asked, needing to hear her say it again.
“Yeah, I mean it. I’m home to stay. I wanted to talk to you. To tell you in person. But Adam said you tore out of town and—” She stopped talking, lowered her head, and whispered under her breath, “I thought the worst.”
“I had to go into Colton County.”
“Colton County? Why?”
“That’s where my savings and trust account is.”
Confusion came over her face. “Why did you have to go there?”
“I had an errand to run.”
Katy visibly relaxed. “And here I thought…”
“You thought I’d run out on you?” When she gave a remorseful nod, he pulled her in tight and said, “I told you, I’d never run out on you, Katy, and I meant it.”
“But after the news…”
“What about it?”
“I thought you believed them, that I’d been using you, and that I was leaving.”
He smiled. “Not for a second. Okay, maybe for a second when you started to apologize.”
“Granddaddy told me they tipped you off days ago. He said he’d overheard them.”
Trent’s heart pounded in his chest as he brushed the moisture away from her eyes. “It’s true, Katy. The other night some guy told me you were using me to increase viewership, then I remembered what you said at the restaurant, something about your viewership slipping.”
“You never said anything.”
“Why would I?”
“Didn’t you think…?”
“No, I didn’t think.”
She shook her head. “God, you have so much faith in me.”
“That’s because I believe in you, Katy. I believe in the strength of our love and know you’d never use me or do anything to purposely hurt me.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. “When I left before—”
“You had to do what you had to do, Katy. I of all people know that. All that matters now is that you’ve finally found your way home.” When she got quiet, he went on to say, “I was sorry to hear about the decreasing viewership. I can just imagine how horrible that made you feel. Is that why you didn’t want to talk about it?”
She nodded.
“I want us to share everything, okay? The good and the bad.”
“I want that too.”
He let loose a slow breath. “Even though ratings were down, you and I both know you weren’t happy in Chicago.”
Her eyes widened, like something just occurred to her. “Is that why you’ve been so distracted? Because I didn’t want to talk about it?”
“No. I didn’t want to press and knew you’d talk about it when you were ready.”
“Then why?”
Before she could probe, his mouth took possession of hers and as he kissed her long and hard. In that instant it occurred to him that he’d never felt closer to her in his entire life.
“God, girl, you make me crazy,” he murmured, easing the tension around them. “But I can’t tell you how happy I am that you get to do what you love, and you get to do it here.”
“There is one little problem though,” she whispered into his mouth when he inched back.
His heart stilled, his glance taking in her nervous expression. “What?”
“The network agreed to my contract changes only if you’ll do guest spots. Lots of them. The public loves you, and I know you like privacy, but I’m still trying to find a way to work around it.”
Trent laughed with relief. “I don’t care, Katy. As long as you’re here, I’ll put up with the damn cameras.”
“You’d…you’d do that for me?” she choked out.