Really? In five months there hadn't been anyone else?
A thrill swept through her before she reminded herself that just because he hadn't brought anyone
'How'd you find this place?' she asked.
'I got lucky. My agent brought me to see it the day it went on the market. There was a bidding war and I won.'
That's right. He was a Canfield. His financial resources weren't limited to his impressive lawyer salary.
He grabbed her hand and led her through the entry way into a large, open great room. There were walls of glass, with French doors leading to a covered patio about the size of her rental. To the right was a massive kitchen, to the left a big television and lots of electronic equipment-the kind designed to make a man very happy.
The room was decorated in earth tones, subdued but welcoming.
'Impressive,' she said. 'Did you do this all yourself?'
He chuckled as he set the wine on the granite counter. 'You can't believe that. My mom helped, as did Julie. She's the next oldest in the family. She's a sophomore at UW, living on campus. She's studying psychology, but has a great eye for this kind of stuff.'
'Which you don't?'
'I'm a guy.'
He was, and an excellent representation of the entire gender.
She set her purse on a stool in front of the counter that separated the open kitchen from the living area in the great room. While he took care of the wine, she sniffed delicately.
'I'm not smelling any food,' she teased. 'Should I be worried that I'll starve?'
'It's here, in the refrigerator. All it requires is a little heating. Are you hungry or can you wait a little?'
She looked into his dark eyes. Food wasn't a problem. The thing she didn't want to wait for was him.
Danger, she told herself. Big, burly, sexy danger. Hadn't she learned her lesson? Was she one of those sad women destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again when it came to men?
'I can wait,' she told him. The longer, the better.
He handed her a glass of wine, then led her out onto the patio. The floor was some kind of stone… maybe slate. On one side was a steer-size grill, a built-in sink and under-the-counter refrigerator.
'You could throw a great party out here,' she murmured as he turned on a propane heater and gestured to a wicker sofa lined in soft-looking cushions.
'That's the plan. When I get the time.'
'Famous last words. You have to make the time. I know from personal experience.'
He settled next to her, angling toward her. 'Do you?”
'Not as much as I should. My excuse is that I'm in a new job and trying to learn as quickly as possible. Of course your excuse is that you're part of a national campaign. I guess you'd win that contest.'
'It's crazy' he admitted. 'Today I sat in on a meeting of lawyers all discussing how to handle the problem of me being charged with assaulting that damned reporter. I've never been the subject of a meeting before.'
'I'm guessing you didn't like it.'
He looked at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. 'Not my style. The thing is, I don't want to be involved. But I am involved. If this screws up the campaign…'
She shook her head. 'Sorry. I already have that guilt sewn up. You're going to have to find something else to feel bad about.'
'You have nothing to do with the campaign.'
'Oh, please. I'm being tracked. So far the American people are delighted to know about me. What happens when that changes? What if I say or do something I shouldn't? I'm really not the right person for the job. I have a past.'
He smiled. 'Not much of one. I know. I had you investigated.'
'How comforting. So nothing about my life is a mystery to you?'
'I know broad strokes. Not details.'
That was something. 'Would you be impressed if I told you some of the details are really juicy?'
'I'm already impressed.'
Oh my. 'Good to know,' she murmured, then sipped her wine.
He set his glass on the low table in front of them. 'Dani, you need to know that as the campaign moves forward and you become a public figure, you may hear from people in your past.'
She was so stunned to hear the words 'public figure' associated with herself that she nearly missed the second half of the sentence.
'Like who?'
'I don't know,' he said. 'Maybe Hugh.'
'You mean because he'll want something?'
'He might want you back. Being married to the daughter of a president is a big deal.'
She immediately flashed to Fiona, then pushed the image away. 'Hugh isn’t that stupid,' she said. 'He knows it's totally over. I won't forgive the cheating and I don't want to go back. I've mourned the marriage, listed my regrets and moved on.'
'Just be aware that it could happen.'
She thought about the other men so recently in her life. Gary would never bother her but Ryan? He was stupid enough to try.
'What are you thinking?' Alex asked.
'About who else might suddenly show up.'
'Are you going to name names?'
His voice was low and teasing. Sexy. He made her want to spill state secrets, or make them up if she didn't have any on her own.
'After Hugh, I got involved with a guy at The Waterfront. It's one of the family restaurants.'
'I've eaten there. Good place.'
'Thanks. We hired a new general manager. Ryan. He was funny and charming and really good-looking.'
'Jerk.'
She laughed. 'Actually, he was. He said and did all the right things. I decided he could be my rebound guy.'
'Was he?”
'That and more. Just when I thought he might be someone I could really care about, his wife and toddler showed up. Literally. She came in looking for him and had the kid with her.'
'Ouch.'
Alex stared at her and she met his gaze directly. She had nothing to hide. She might still be dealing with a few regrets for being such an idiot, but there weren't any secrets.
'The thing that got me the most, more than the lies and betrayal, was what he said. He told me he was sorry I had to find out that way. It was stunning. How did he want me to find out? The point was he was upset I had the information, but not the least bit remorseful that he'd been a cheating weasel dog.”
'Some guys are like that.'
'Did you ever cheat?”
'No.'
His gaze was steady, his voice calm. She believed him.
'I didn't think so.' She set her wineglass next to his. 'So my Ryan relationship was dumb on my part.'
'Why? How could you know?'
'I could have asked more questions. He was playing me. Shouldn't I have sensed that?'
'You don't play people, why would you expect others to play you?'
'You're right. I just felt so stupid. I vowed to never get involved with a guy again.'
'But you did anyway?'
'Oh, yeah. His name was Gary. He's a quiet, unassuming, sweet sort of guy who made me feel safe.'
'Did I mention he's a jerk, too?'
