His Climb to Power Page 11

  Paperwork that she could have done here.

  There was something in her eyes the last time we were together. Something that made my heart break, but I couldn’t fix it if she didn’t tell me what was wrong. Was it the Lila thing? I explained that to her and swore that the woman was nothing more than a pretty face for the camera. Was it the secret relationship? That had been her idea.

  All I could do was tell her how much I loved her and hope against hope that it would be enough.

  16 Blythe

  “Thanks, Elizabeth. You have no idea how good that makes me feel,” I said as I looked across the living room and gave Rachel a thumbs up sign. I needed a day to focus on work and not think about Jack or Riley, and I knew my friend was dying to dish about Carl. The only way we could make that work was with a work-from-home day.

  Perched on the couch, we’d actually already gotten through most of our to-do list, and it wasn’t even noon. Part of that was thanks to the work Riley had been doing. Thanks to my new social media accounts and the segment that the news had run on the Arts Center, the donations were steady again, and a few people who’d pulled their donations called to apologize for how they’d reacted. Susan and Elizabeth and their agencies were still on board.

  I had an organization system for volunteers and their schedules. We’d put out an employment post for a part-time manager at the sports center and another one for the arts center. Everything was going well.

  Hanging up on Elizabeth, I grabbed the clipboard between us and checked off the conference meeting with the government representatives.

  “Time to break for lunch. You want to go out or order in?” I asked as I moved the computer off my lap and stretched.

  “Out,” she said decisively. “Oceanfront. I’m feeling good, and I want the sun on my face and wind in my hair.”

  Carl was going to be pissed if he found out that I went out without him, but Rachel was right. We both deserved a change of scenery after working so hard. Grabbing my sweater and purse, we headed out and drove to a small sandwich shop right by the pier. Sitting out at one of the cafe tables in front of the shops, I drank my iced coffee and relaxed.

  “I think Riley is getting suspicious about Carl. Not that I’m not enjoying being able to call the giant sweetie and watching him blush, I don’t understand why you didn’t just tell him that you needed extra security to keep the press away,” she said as she bit into her sandwich.

  “It makes sense now,” I admitted. “But I panicked when he asked. What makes you think he’s getting suspicious?”

  “When he was asking me about ways to entice you on a date, he started asking questions about when Carl and I first started dating, and I don’t think he was buying my story. Of course, I said that our first date was at a five-star restaurant in which he draped me in diamonds and then rented out the penthouse at a hotel and bathed the room in rose petals, but I wanted to set the bar high for you.”

  She prattled on, and I just stared at her. “Back up,” I said sharply. “You didn’t tell him that asking me out would be a horrible idea? What is wrong with you?”

  “Why would I tell him that? You’re clearly attracted to him, and he’s clearly attracted to you. Blythe, you’re single. I like Jack, but you can’t put your life on hold for him forever. Are you really going to turn down a great guy in hopes that Jack gets his act together?”

  “It’s more complicated than that,” I grumbled as I sat my drink down and looked around. Suddenly, the sunny and open patio lunch didn’t seem like such a good idea. Who knew who could be listening?

  “Complicated? Complicated like he’s clearly not waiting for you? I’ve seen pictures with him and the busty blonde amazon. Gossip is circulating that there’s going to be a wedding soon.”

  My chest squeezed in pain. “It’s not what you think. And Jack aside, maybe I’m not ready to jump into another relationship. Riley is a great guy, and there might be some chemistry, but I love Jack. How am I supposed to go on a date with someone else if I’m in love?”

  “Sometimes it takes a man to get over a man,” Rachel pointed out, taking a sip of her drink.

  Enough was enough.

  Emotion burned my sinuses, but I refused to cry. I swallowed hard. “Maybe I don’t want to get over Jack. Did you ever think about that? You keep pushing me to move on, but maybe I don’t want to move on!”

  “And that’s a problem,” Rachel said softly.

  Furious, I stood and grabbed my purse. Wrapping up the sandwich in its paper, I stuffed it in my bag and slung it over my shoulder. “I think you should work from the office for the rest of the afternoon. I’m going to grab a share ride back.”

  Her jaw fell. “Are you serious? You’re mad at me?”

  “Damn right, I’m mad at you! You keep pushing me on Riley, and you haven’t once asked how I felt about it. You have no idea how I feel right now, and you aren’t listening to me. So, I think it’s better if we just focus on work and leave all the personal crap out of it.”

  Before she could object further, I left. Needing to clear my head, I took a walk along the beach and eventually made my way to the pier. No matter what time of the year it was, the beaches of Miami were always crowded. Between vacationers wanted to get away from the cold in the Northern climates and business conferences that were hosted on a daily basis, Miami was always full of tourists.

  Kids who would have been in school ran rampant on the pier with nothing but screams of joy and laughter. Fishermen had poles set up on the edge while they sat in their chair with their coolers of beer and their intentions to not catch any fish but just to escape for the day. Seagulls cried out and swooped down looking for scraps of food, and vendors pushed their merchandise.

  There were so many distractions, but I had a one-track mind. When I’d promised Jack that I stay by his side, I had no idea that there would be anyone else who could pull me away from him, and in the end, I didn’t think it was even Riley I was attracted to. It was just what he represented, which was the relationship I most wanted with Jack.

  It wasn’t fair to either one of them. I needed to be clear with Riley that I wasn’t interested in him that way.

  Guiltily, I turned back to the cafe. I should not have lashed out at Rachel that way. She only wanted to see me happy, and if I could just tell her the truth about what was going on, she’d understand a little more.

  And then she might very well also be in danger.

  I hated this. I felt like I was going out of my mind.

  Suddenly, someone bumped into me. Realizing that I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, I looked up prepared to apologize. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t be standing…”

  My voice died in my throat as the gorgeous Lila Turner smiled at me. “I just walked right into you, didn’t I? I am so sorry. I was reading a text and not looking at all at where I was going. You know how some men can just make the world stand still sometimes? Unfortunately, the world doesn’t stand still, and I just walked right into you.”

  Oh god. My heart plummeted as I just stared wordlessly at her.

  She narrowed her eyes and smoothed a hand down her gorgeous pink sun-dress as she put her phone in her purse. “Oh, I know you. You’re Blythe Hemsey, aren’t you? In charge of Humane Miami?”

  And I looked like crap. In a pair of faded jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt, I looked more like the teenagers lounging on the rails than a successful businesswoman. “Yes, that’s right. And you’re Lila Turner. Jack’s told me about you.”

  I shouldn’t have said that because it implied that Jack and I still had a relationship, but I felt the need to mark my territory.

  “Has he now?” Her gaze turned curious as she studied me. “Then I suppose you know that we’ve been seeing each other. I guess even if he hadn’t told you, you would have seen that. It’s been all over the news.”

  Flinching a little at that, I tried to hold my ground. She was just doing her job, and I didn’t need to worry about anything. She had no reason fo
r knowing that I knew the truth. “Yes, he has.”

  “I see. Well, I did hope to meet you because I think you’re doing great things for the city, and I admire that, but I had hoped that it would be under less awkward circumstances. I didn’t realize that you and Jack were still friends. That’s so nice. You should know that he didn’t seek me out. We’d just had a business arrangement, and it sort of bloomed. I don’t know where it’s going, but I’m glad it’s not hurting anyone. He’s always so cautious about that. Anyway, if you’ll excuse me. I’m just here to sneak a smoothie. It was nice meeting you.”

  “You too.” I managed to stay completely composed as we turned and walked our separate ways. Ordering a share ride, I met the driver at the corner of the street, pulling up my emails and focusing on that until I could get home.

  It felt like the woman was telling the truth, and now I was confused. Was she saying that it had bloomed into something more because that’s the role that she was portraying? Or was she saying that she and Jack were just pretending, but it was really blooming into something more?

  She seemed like a wonderful woman. Beautiful. Classy. Smart. Connected. Confident. The kind of woman who should be on a congressman’s arm. The kind of woman I feared I could never be. I couldn’t blame him for being attracted to her, and I sure as hell couldn’t blame her for falling for him.

  After all, I was head over heels in love with the man. How could I be mad that someone else was?

  “It’s nothing,” I whispered to myself. “She’s just playing a role. Jack is yours. He belongs to you.”

  “Miss, did you say something?” the driver asked as he looked into the rearview mirror.

  I cleared my throat and tried to smile. “I’m just talking to myself.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” he chuckled. “Not to pry, but you look like you’re having a bad day.”

  “I sort of am. Fight with my best friend.”

  “Oh, that is a shame. Well, the beauty about that is that best friends always fight, and they always forgive because they love us. By this time tomorrow, I’m sure everything will be all right,” he said cheerfully.

  “Thanks. I hope so.”

  I stared out the window and tried to figure out just how everything was going to be okay.

  17 Jack

  Hale’s voice was tense over my office phone. I’d spent most of the morning combing through my recent acquaintances, trying to figure out if one of them was going to turn on me. Donna was so sure that, at any minute, someone would approach me and demand that I drop my campaign against cleaning up the Florida coastline and seducing me with something that I wouldn’t be able to turn down. I wouldn’t let her up to my condo anymore because I was tired of seeing her tears, and now I was avoiding her phone calls.

  It shocked me when she’d called my father instead. Now, they wanted to agree on something?

  “I haven’t made a decision yet,” I said grimly.

  “The hell you haven’t,” Hale barked. “I happen to know that you’re working a deadline that you promised Blythe. Are you really telling me that you aren’t going to give up everything to fix things with her?”

  I quietly seethed. He wasn’t wrong, but it hadn’t come to that. “I swore to everyone that I wasn’t going to let this change me, and this campaign is me. It was my goal when I entered the office, and I’m not going to drop it. Why does no one trust me?”

  “Maybe because the last time I saw a picture of you, it looked like you hadn’t slept in months. Goddammit, Jack, if someone had been strong enough to resist them, we’d know about it. We’d know about them. They’re willing to kill to keep their agenda. You need to stop this.”

  “No one has threatened me. No one has even approached me!” I shouted before I grunted and tightened my grip on the phone. My door was closed, and no one could hear me, but that didn’t make it okay that I was losing my cool.

  “You need a plan for when they do.”

  It was no use arguing. He was just as freaked out as my mother. Maybe that should have been a warning to me, but I just brushed it off. “We’ll talk about this later. I want to go home and try and relax for one night.”

  “Jack…”

  “Goodnight, Hale. We’ll talk later.”

  I didn’t feel bad hanging up on my father, but I couldn’t take it anymore. No one was trusting me, and I was starting to feel more and more alone.

  Thankfully, Blythe was waiting for me when I got home that night. As usual, my heart jolted at seeing her, but I frowned. It was early for her to be sneaking into my condo. Normally, she didn’t do it until after dark. “Blythe, what time did you get here? What if someone had seen you?”

  “Like your new girlfriend?” she said in a strange voice.

  Dropping my briefcase on the chair, I stripped off my jacket. “What are you talking about?” My headache was growing more intense, and I dropped down to the couch next to her and reached for her. To my surprise, she pulled away and averted her eyes. “Blythe?”

  “I’m worried, Jack.” Sliding away from me, she stood and started to pace. “I’m worried that you’re going to turn into the person that you’re pretending to be, and I’m going to lose you.”

  Not this. Not from her. I couldn’t take it from her, and the last thing I wanted to do right now was fight. “That’s not going to happen,” I snapped. “And I’m tired of people saying that it is.”

  “How can you be sure?” she whispered, and tears filled her eyes. My chest immediately started to ache at the sight of her unhappiness, and I sat up straight and gave her my full attention. Staring at the floor, she took a deep breath. “I ran into that woman who’s supposed to be stirring up PR gossip for you or whatever you want to call it. Lila. She acted like you two were actually starting something. She looked at me with pity.”

  Instantly, my mind flashed to the new man in her life, and I wanted to ask her how it felt to be jealous, but I knew that it was hardly the same. She was working with a man that she happened to be attracted to. I was being photographed with a gorgeous woman while the headlines were speculating when we were going to get married.

  “Blythe, I love you,” I said softly. “I don’t know what Lila said or what she’s thinking, but I swear that it’s nothing but an act for me, and it’s only in front of the camera. When we text, it’s purely business because she works for the PR manager. You have to trust me.”

  “It’s not that, Jack. I don’t think that you would cheat on me. I’m just worried that you’re going to cross a line that you can’t come back from. This woman might actually think that there’s something blooming between the two of you, and why shouldn’t she? You’re attractive and charming, and you’re supposed to be single.”

  “Is that you questioning me or you questioning yourself?”

  Stopping short, she closed her eyes and looked like she might crumple to the floor. Fuck. Wishing that I could take that back, I jumped up from the couch and folded her into my arms. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just frustrated.”

  Maybe this was turning me into someone that I didn’t recognize. Someone who would take his girlfriend’s valid fears and turn them against her. “Come here.” Kissing the top of her head, I walked her into the bedroom and eased her onto the bed.

  “Jack, I’m not exactly in the mood,” she muttered.

  Chuckling, I sat next to her and pulled up her leg to pull her shoes off. “That’s not what I want. Give me the other leg.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “I want to hold you, baby. You’re hurting, and I hate that.”

  “We’re always arguing when we’re together. I don’t know how to break the cycle. I don’t want to fight.”

  “No more fighting.” I pulled her down next to me and fit her against my body. I loved how she automatically curled against me and nuzzled into my neck. “I’ll get rid of Lila. I promise. I should never have asked you to deal with that.”

  “It’s not ju
st her. It’s everything. I have to read the papers and see articles about the things that you’re doing, and I know that it’s all part of the plan, but I’m so scared, Jack. There are so many avenues that we didn’t think about. What happens if you lose your career over this? What happens if you lose the support of your voters? What happens if you lose your life?”

  Holding her clothes, I wished that I could chase all of her fears away. “I’m being careful, Blythe. I swear. You are not going to lose me. Thinking of you is the only thing that gets me through my day.”

  Pushing herself up to her elbows, she ran her fingers through my hair. “Maybe you should stop.”

  “If I stop, they win, and I’ll always be wondering if you’re safe.”

  “It’s not my safety I’m worried about.” Covering her mouth with mine, she kissed me long and sweetly. Feeling her desperation to love me, I held her tightly and let her tongue play with mine. When she broke free, she rested her hand on my chest. “Jack. I love you. I feel like I need to say that every five seconds in case I don’t get a chance to say it again.”

  “I love to hear it, but you’ve got to let these fears go. If I go too far, I know that you can bring me back.”

  “We could quit and run away. Rachel could run Humane Miami, and she’d do a great job. You could quit politics and go back to being a lawyer. We could go up north and see some snow. Hide out in a cabin in the mountains.”

  “Use our naked bodies to keep each other warm?” I asked as I arched my eyebrows.

  “Exactly!”

  With a grunt, I rolled over on top of her and kissed her again. “Want to start practicing?”

  I could tell from the pain in her eyes that she wasn’t kidding about her plan to just leave Florida. It had some merit. God knew that I wanted to be free to be with her, but I’d worked so hard to be where I am now. If I give it up now, would I ever be truly happy?

  “Kiss me, Jack,” she whispered. “Kiss me and make love to me instead of telling me that you can’t quit. Please.”