When they were alone, Mark looked at him. 'Anything else happen with the reporter?'
Alex wasn't surprised Mark already knew. 'You mean did I really hit him? Yes.'
'There's nothing in the paper yet, but I got a call. You're in deep shit on this.'
Alex had been expecting a bad reaction. Even so, he felt a tightening in his gut. If he was convicted, he was screwed. Not that he would change anything about that moment. The bastard had deserved it.
Mark stood and glared at him. 'What were you thinking?'
'I wasn't. Someone had used Bailey. I was defending my sister.'
'You think Bailey appreciates what you did? Do you think she understood what was happening? You could get disbarred for this.'
'I'll handle it.'
'As long as no one pisses you off, right?' Mark paced the length of the conference room. 'Dammit, Alex, you're going to ruin your career. Don't you care about that?'
Alex stood. 'I know there will be consequences. I said I'll deal with it and I will.'
'You have to learn to walk away.'
The words shouldn't have surprised him. Mark was nothing if not a consummate politician. 'I don't walk away where my family is concerned.'
'Then I hope you're ready to give up the law, because it's about done with you.'
Dani walked into the restaurant and wasn't surprised to find a crowd. The parking lot had been overflowing with cars. What she didn't expect was to be attacked by several reporters with flashing cameras and tiny, digital tape recorders.
'Have you met with your father today?'
'How long have you known you're related to Senator Canfield?'
'Did your mother's husband know about her affair?'
Dani drew in a deep breath, then held up both hands. 'If you'll be quiet for a moment, I have a statement I'd like to make.'
They were instantly silent.
She cleared her throat. 'This is a privately owned restaurant. It is not public property or in the public domain. You are more than welcome to order a very expensive dinner, complete with cocktails and dessert, and tip really well, or you can leave.' She looked at her watch. 'You have thirty seconds to decide. Then I'm calling the cops and having you arrested for loitering.'
A couple of the reporters headed out. One moved toward her.
'You can't do this,' he said. 'You're a story.'
She dug her cell phone out of her purse and flipped it open. 'Twenty. Nineteen. Eighteen.'
The man swore and left. Seconds later, the foyer of the restaurant was empty. Dani breathed in a sigh of relief, then headed for the tiny office she shared with Bernie. Her boss met her in the hallway.
'Impressive,' he said. 'I didn't know what to do with them. We've never had reporters here.'
Dani shook her head. 'I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to be a problem for you.'
'Hey, maybe they'll mention us in the paper. That could be good for business.'
He was taking this far better than she could have hoped. Still, he couldn't be happy about reporters lurking around the restaurant.
She went to work. Business was good. Dani made several rounds, checking on guests and making sure there were no reporters getting in anyone's way. A little after nine, she saw a single man seated at a corner table.
She recognized him immediately and felt her entire body go on sex-alert. Hormones hummed something that sounded a lot like 'Take me. Take me now.'
She walked to the wine cellar and pulled out a favorite bottle, then returned to the table. Alex rose when she pulled out a chair.
'Unless you were expecting someone else,' she said.
He smiled. 'No. Just you.'
Simple words that shouldn't have meant anything. But there was something about the way he said them that made her go weak at the knees. Good thing she was already sitting down.
'Are you eating or just visiting?' she asked.
'I'm hungry.'
'The ravioli on special is excellent. I'd highly recommend it.'
'Then that's what I want.'
Was it her or had his voice gotten lower and sexier? It was all she could do to keep from fanning herself.
'How are you holding up?' he asked.
'I'm still taking it all in. The press was here earlier.'
'Your boss told me. He said you handled them perfectly.'
'I appreciate the praise, but I'm not taking credit. I told them to buy dinner or get out.'
'What's wrong with that?'
'Nothing. It worked.'
'Would you really have called the police?*' he asked.
'In a heartbeat.'
Dani ordered for them and asked the server to let her know if anything needed her attention. He poured the wine, then left.
Dani took a sip from her glass. 'I'm making a mess everywhere I go. Should I quit my job?'
'No.'
'But they'll be back. Until something more interesting comes along, they're going to mess with my life.'
'If you quit, they win. You're not a quitter.'
There was something in the way he made the statement. 'You know this how?'
He shrugged. 'I've heard.'
'What, exactly?'
Alex looked uncomfortable, which she hadn't expected.
'When you first showed up, I had you investigated,' he said.
He waited for the burst of anger, but there was only resignation. 'A thrilling by-product of being part of the Canfield family?'
'You claimed to be the senator's daughter. What else was I supposed to do?'
She wanted to say he could have believed her, but that was too naive. After what she'd been through today, she understood the need for caution.
'So what did you learn about me?'
'The basics. Date of birth, where you went to school, how much you have in the bank. That sort of thing.'
She sipped her wine. 'None of that says I'm not a quitter.'
He hesitated for a second, then said, 'I know about your first marriage. To Hugh. I know he was injured and you stood by him. You did whatever was necessary to get him up and functioning. You could have walked away, but you didn't. Even knowing he was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, you married him.'
A polite way of saying even though they would never have a normal sex life, she'd married him. 'I loved him,' she said. 'More fool me.'
'Because you got a divorce? It happens.”
It had happened to him, too, she thought. 'Apparently your research isn't as thorough as you thought. Hugh left me about a year ago. He claimed I hadn't grown enough as a person in our marriage. I can't tell you how much that pissed me off. If I hadn't grown, it had been because I was busting my ass, taking care of him. Pushing him, as you said. But it turned out to be a bunch of lies. He was having an affair. Maybe several. That's why he wanted out of the marriage.'
Alex's expression didn't change. 'Then he's a fool.'
