Page 23 of My Salvation
CHAPTER 10
KATE
On Friday, I’m having lunch with Sarah when Lowell comes striding into the break room.
“I need your help,” he snaps. We both raise our eyebrows at him. Grimacing, he looks at us, sighs impatiently, and starts over. “Hello, ladies. Sorry for barging in like this, but I was wondering if I could talk to you both about your plans for Saturday. I’m scheduled to hold a signing event at a bookstore in Bozeman, and both my PA and agent cannot make it. While the bookstore can supply someone to help with the books and set-up, they cannot be with me one hundred percent of the time. I usually have one or two of my own people to help keep things flowing smoothly. Would you be available on Saturday to help me out? I know this isn’t your problem, but neither Lev nor Shaw can assist this weekend, and I don’t have anyone else to ask.”
Sarah shakes her head no. “Sorry, I can’t make it, Lowell. It’s my Granny’s seventy-fifth birthday this weekend, and we’re throwing her an enormous party. I can ask around, if you like?”
“I understand.” he says, then pushes his glasses up on his nose and looks at me. “Kate?”
Tilting my head, I study him for a second. I see small signs of his irritation and impatience at this interruption to his orderly life. His hair is sticking up as if his hands were running through it repeatedly, his leg constantly twitches as if he’s barely holding himself back from pacing, and his voice is even more clipped than usual.
“I’d be happy to help, Lowell.” I’m not sure if this is a good idea or bad idea, but spending time with Lowell outside of the clinic may help give me some insight into what I find so intriguing about him.
“Really?” he asks, sounding surprised. His body calms, and he stares at me for a second. “Thank you. I’ll text you the details. I can’t thank you enough for stepping in to help me.” He abruptly turns around and heads out the door.
Sarah looks at me and laughs. “So kind of you to help Lowell,” she says, with a wink.
Shaking my head at her, I laugh. “We’ll see.”
***
LOOKING THROUGH MYcloset, I dress business casual for Lowell’s event. Pulling out black pants, a dark grey blazer, and a green silk button down blouse, I get dressed. My hair is already pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and my makeup is minimal. Slipping diamond studs into my ears, a quick spritz of perfume, and I’m almost ready to go. I hear Lowell knocking on the door as I grab both my black heels and short black boots.
Opening the door, I smile as I see he and I almost match. Except his shirt is white, not green. “Hello, Lowell. I’m almost ready. Do you think my boots will be OK for the event, or do I need to wear something a little dressier?” I hold up both pairs of shoes.
“Hello, Kate. You look beautiful, and boots will be fine.”
I murmur a thank you for his compliment and pull on my boots, smooth down my tapered pants, and grab my coat and purse. Lowell punches in the code to alarm the apartment, and we head out.
He opens the door of a very nice black luxury SUV. It’s gorgeous. And seems a bit unlike Lowell.
“Gorgeous vehicle. Is this new to the market?” I get into the passenger seat. The seat wraps around my body like a cockpit, while the dash displays an array of dazzling knobs and screens. My hands caress the leather as I sniff a bit. “It smells brand new. Have you had it long? How does it drive?”
“I just bought it about a month ago. It was a present for myself after I finished my last series,” he replies. “It drives like a dream. The handling and control are top-notch. Are you a car enthusiast?”
“I wouldn’t say enthusiast, but I like to drive nice cars. After seeing this vehicle, I think I want to trade in mine.” I laugh, but I’m only half-joking.
“I’ll come by sometime, and you can drive it to see if you like how it handles,” he offers.
“Deal. Now, let’s talk about this event. What do you need me to do today?”
“If you look in the side pocket of your door, you’ll see a large envelope. My PA felt the contents would be the most useful for you. It contains a schedule for the event, the primary contacts for the bookstore, and a checklist for set-up so you can make sure they didn’t forget anything like extra markers, pics of how the signage should look, and a few other things.” He motions to the packet in the door.
Picking it up, I pull everything out of the envelope and look through it. It all seems straightforward. Pulling the name tag out of the bag, I grab a marker and write KATE MICHAELS on it, then attach it to my blazer. I pick up the pictures and put those in my pocket so I can easily access them when we get to the event. Everything else, I drop back into the envelope for now.
“You have a great PA,” I tell him, admiring the sheer organization of the information. “Everything is laid out and ready for me to jump into the set-up.”
“Lisa’s a very organized person,” he muses. “I’ll be sure to let her know you appreciate her preparation.”
It’s quiet as I take the time to study the information. Twenty minutes later, we pull up to a large bookstore, and I grab the envelope and my purse and follow him into the store. We’re about a half-hour early, so we have plenty of time to check everything out and correct any potential issues. Pulling out the contacts, I ask for Cheryl and Dale, and the clerk points us to the back of the store. Walking to the back, we see a sizeable area with a podium and table cordoned off for the event. The lady looks up as we arrive and, recognizing Lowell, comes right over.
“Hello, you must be Lowell. Welcome to Carl’s Book Nook. I’m Cheryl, and that is Dale over there, finishing up the books,” she says, welcoming us.
“Hello, Cheryl. It’s nice to meet you. This is Kate Michaels. She’ll be assisting me today, as my PA, Lisa, is out,” he explains as he introduces me. Leaving me with her, he walks around, checking out the set-up.
“Hello, Cheryl. I’ve got his PA’s checklist and other items, so we should be able to quickly wrap things up. I would like to chat a bit about the signage, as there seems to be a piece missing.” I point to the signage as I pull out the pictures from my pocket.
