Night and Day (Stevens Book 11)

Chapter 2

Katherine set her phone on her lap and leaned her head against the back of her car seat as she watched the high-rises of New York fly by her window. She was on her way to the theater for a benefit concert. She had attended them many times but had never been part of one before.

It was a well-known Stevens family event, which meant the likelihood that she would see Alistair Stevens was strong. She hadn't seen him in over a year. Katherine couldn't suppress the little shiver that chased up her spine as she remembered their last meeting.

Their meetings were always intense and short. Whether it was a few nights in New York, London, or Paris, their nights together were always chance meetings and never planned. They ran in similar circles, so they met a few times every year. And every time they met, Katherine was determined to be strong and walk away, but it was an impossibility once she was near him.

Alistair was the only man who could make her melt with a look, and she was still confused about why he always chose her over so many other beautiful women. Their first meeting had been at a family birthday party eight years earlier. Katherine had seen him enter the party and had lost her heart then and there, but she had never lost her head.

At the time, she had just started her career, and she wasn't ready to settle into a relationship that might make her dependent on any man. Her mother had always been dependent on her father, and in making herself dependent, she had made all her daughters dependent. It had been a difficult road to escape, and Katherine didn't want to go back.

The phone in Katherine's lap vibrated again, and she looked at the message.

She would have to put her career on hold and go home. Her mother was sick, and her father asked her to come and nurse her. Katherine knew it was a ploy to force her back into the fold, but it was her mother. Her mother had done everything for her, protected her, and helped her escape when the time came. She couldn't abandon her now.

Katherine also knew her time at the top of runway modeling was almost over. At thirty-three, her career had lasted longer than most, and there was a strong chance that she would get to revive her television hosting gig in London after her leave of absence, but it wasn't guaranteed. She was no fool, and she realized that she was easily replaceable.

Her look was unique but not beautiful. In fact, she had believed that she was odd looking until Alistair's cousin, Beth, had told her she could model. It had offered her the escape she needed, and she had been independent for the last nine years.

The car stopped in front of the theater side entrance, and Katherine took a deep breath while waiting for the driver to come around and open her door. She reached for her dress and cosmetic case, then threw her long legs out of the car as she rose gracefully to her height of six feet.

She thanked the driver and ignored the flashbulbs as she entered the theater's busy backstage corridors while her phone vibrated in her pocket again. Ignoring it, she slowly walked down the long hall looking for the dressing room door that would have her name on it.

When Katherine found it, she took a steadying breath. She was sharing with Mave and Cassandra Stevens. Talk about leaping from the fire and into the frying pan. Cassandra was Alistair's aunt, and Mave was his cousin and Beth's fraternal twin.

The Stevenses were always kind to her, and if any of them suspected what was between her and Alistair, none of them showed it, not even her good friend, Beth.

Taking a moment to collect her thoughts and compartmentalize her personal issues, she put on her professional persona and opened the door with a genuine smile.

"Ladies," she greeted in her soft, pleasant voice.

"Katherine!" Beth greeted as she stood from the couch in the room to hug her. "I haven't seen you in over a year!"