CELEBRITY STATUS (The Kate Huntington mystery series #4) by Kassandra Lamb Read Free Book Online Page A

involved Rob with Cherise Martin and her crazy stalker.”
                “I just asked him to try for a restraining order,” Skip said. “Are you telling me I’m not supposed to refer clients to my friend anymore, when they need a lawyer?”
                “Not this client, no.”
                “Why not?”
                Kate looked at him, gritting her teeth. Then she realized how unfair she was being. Her anger melted away, replaced by the underlying fear that had been fueling it.
                “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on you,” she said. “I just have a really bad feeling about this whole thing. And now Rob’s involved in the case. My God, Skip, I can’t imagine losing either one of you, but if something happened to both of you...” She dropped her eyes to her lap.
                Skip gathered her up in a hug and rested his chin on the top of her head. “That’s not gonna happen, darlin’. You’re not going to lose either of us.”
                “You can’t say that, Skip.” Kate pulled back in his arms. “I know you’re careful and good at taking care of yourself, but anything can happen.” She dropped her eyes again, swallowing hard. “Nobody ever imagined what would happen to Eddie, least of all him,” she continued in a soft voice.
                Skip pulled her against him again, trying to figure out how to comfort her. But there are no guarantees in life and one of them was going to die from something someday. His prayer was that they would go together, like Mac’s parents had, when their car was struck by a drowsy truck driver on I-95.
                He put a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so he could look into her eyes. They were the washed-out gray they became when she was worried or stressed.
                “Please believe me, Kate. I will never put anything above my safety. I plan to see my kids graduate from college, get married, and have children of their own. You’re not gonna get shuck of me til we’re old and gray, darlin’.”
    * * *
                The session with Cherise on the following Monday went much better than the previous two had. The young woman’s appearance, as usual, was meticulous, but no amount of make-up could hide the dark circles and strained look.
                Kate decided to try again to get more of a history out of her client. The woman was now frightened enough she was letting down her guard. Soon Kate had her talking about her parents.
                “Daddy was a big handsome devil,” Cherise said, a touch of the south creeping into her voice. “He was so full of life. The farm was really just a hobby. He was a real estate tycoon, based in Atlanta, but he traveled all over the country, making deals. Mama used to say he had the Midas touch.”
                “You talk about them in the past tense,” Kate observed in a soft voice.
                “Mama’s been gone now for over a decade.”
                After a pause, Kate asked, “And your father?”
                “He’s still alive, but I don’t see him much.”
                Another pause. “Is he retired?”
                “Oh, no. He’ll die with his boots on. He’s still flyin’ all over, doin’ his wheelin’ and dealin’.”
                After a bit more gentle probing, the story finally came out. Life was only idyllic on the surface on that farm in Georgia. Cherise’s father was a womanizer, and a heavy drinker.
                “Mama was a typical Southern belle, soft and gentle,” Cherise said.
                Kate refrained from commenting that a lot of the Southern belles she had known had a core of steel under the soft veneer.
                “She did what she’d been raised to do. She ignored Daddy’s