Excerpt: 'The Wrong Man' by Kate White
Kate White joins us to share an excerpt from her new romantic suspense, The Wrong Man (out now!).
About the book (courtesy of Harper Paperbacks):
She wanted to be more daring, but one small risk is about to cost her everything—maybe even her life.
Bold and adventurous in her work as owner of one of Manhattan's boutique interior design firms, Kit Finn couldn't be tamer in her personal life. While on vacation in the Florida Keys, Kit resolves to do something risky for once. When she literally bumps into a charming stranger at her hotel, she decides to make good on her promise and act on her attraction.
But back in New York, when Kit arrives at his luxury apartment ready to pick up where they left off in the Keys, she doesn't recognize the man standing on the other side of the door.
Was this a cruel joke or part of something truly sinister? Kit soon realizes that she's been thrown into a treacherous plot, which is both deeper and deadlier than she could have ever imagined. Now the only way to protect herself, her business, and the people she loves is to find out the true identity of the man who has turned her life upside down.
Kate sets the scene for us ...
Kate: When I write my mystery and suspense novels, I generally come up with the plot first and then think hard about what my opening chapter is going to be. Like any author, I want to make those first pages as compelling as possible so that readers will open the book and just keep going — hopefully into the wee hours of the morning.
But the process happened a bit differently with my newest book, The Wrong Man. It was time for me to come up with an idea for my 10th book, and I was playing around with a few thoughts in my head. All of a sudden I found myself thinking: What if a woman has a fling with a man she meets on vacation and they decide to pick up where they left off once they return to New York City. But then something totally shocking happens (read the excerpt to find out what!).
The book almost wrote itself after that, and it's my favorite first chapter ever. I also have to admit I love the ending, too!
EXCERPT
The car service was right on time, and as the driver headed toward the highway, Kit finally leaned back and replayed the night with Matt Healy. It had been exquisite, it made her blush even to think about it. She had no regrets about her decision to spend the night with a stranger. Just regret over the fact that she'd never set eyes on him again.
Halfway to Miami, as endless palm trees whipped by outside the car, her cell phone rang.
The screen flashed the name of the hotel, and she wondered if there'd been confusion over her bill.
"Good morning," a man said when she answered. For a moment she couldn't place the deep voice.
"Did you get off on time?" he asked. And then she realized: it was Matt Healy.
"Yes, thanks," she said, taken aback. "I'm in the car now."
"Look, Kit, I know I pleaded no entanglements last night. But I have to see you again, in New York."
She took a breath.
"I'd like that, too," she said.
"I'll be there on Thursday. Why don't I cook you dinner? I'm not exactly Bobby Flay, but you won't leave starving."
She wouldn't care if he fixed her a fried eel sandwich. "Perfect."
"See you Thursday then," he said after giving her his address. "7:30."
The next few days rushed by. Kit spent a good chunk of her time on site at a Greenwich Village apartment she was decorating, checking on the paint job the contractors were doing in the study. It ended up perfect, a gorgeous, gleaming shade of aubergine. When the clients, the Griggs, saw the final results on Thursday they were agog. Kit felt both thrilled and relieved. The wife, Layla, had turned out to be a fussbudget, and Kit had been micromanaging the project even more intensely than normal. But she knew there was another reason for her good mood. Her dinner with Matt Healy was just hours away. She felt herself craving both his company and his touch.
She chose a pale gray jersey dress for the night, one that was loose fitting, but clung in the right places.
She treated herself to a cab uptown so she wouldn't feel frazzled. The building turned out to be a high-rise luxury, not far from Lincoln Center. She gave Matt's name to the concierge and he nodded, lifting the intercom phone out of its cradle. "Is he expecting you?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. She felt a rush of nervous excitement. Before the concierge could buzz the apartment, a woman interrupted, asking about a package delivery.
"18C," the concierge told Kit, confirming what she already knew. "I'll tell him you're on the way up." Then he redirected his attention back to the other woman. Kit rode the elevator to eighteen, feeling her pulse rate accelerate. "Easy, girl," she told herself. "You don't want to be foaming at the mouth when you arrive." After finding the right apartment, she pressed the buzzer. The door began to swing open and she smiled expectantly.
But the man standing on the other side of the threshold wasn't Matt. Kit's eyes darted toward the number on the door. Yes, this was C. Had she heard the letter incorrectly?
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm looking for Matt Healy. I must have the wrong apartment."
"Well, I'm Matt Healy," the man said. "Who are you?"
Find out more about Kate and her books at katewhite.com.