actual words having been said. Thank God. Because her fears were knocking loudly and she was having one hell of a time ignoring them.
She showered and dressed for breakfast, choosing a casual peasant skirt, T-shirt and loosely draped belt before heading downstairs. She didn’t know who she’d find in the dining room where staff set the long table each morning. She was hoping to run into Riley’s mother, Anne, whom she’d truly enjoyed spending time with. She prayed she’d miss Lizzie, who, as was the tendency of teenagers, may have slept in.
Instead she discovered Senator Nash sitting at the head of the table, drinking coffee and reading the morning newspaper. Food had been set up buffet style on the credenza, and Sophie chose to indulge for a change, picking scrambled eggs and hash browns along with a large glass of orange juice before joining Riley’s father at the table.
She eased into a seat beside him and set her plate in front of her.
“Good morning,” he said, folding the paper and placing it aside.
Sophie smiled. “Good morning to you, too.”
“Looks like we’re the early birds.”
She nodded. “Force of habit, I guess.”
“I never set an alarm clock. I’m up at five forty-two every morning.”
Seeing a kindred spirit, she couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s six forty-six for me.”
In the comfortable silence that followed, she ate her breakfast while he rose and served himself. Seconds, he informed her, hoping his wife didn’t catch him overindulging.
He appeared warm and friendly and Sophie couldn’t help but be drawn to the man, since she could relate to him on many levels, including his need to control the world around him, she thought wryly.
“So tell me about your PR agency,” he said when they’d moved on to just sipping their coffee.
She enjoyed talking about her job, which inevitably entailed discussing her family, and she dove into the subject. “My uncle started a sports agency called The Hot Zone years ago, way before my sisters and I came to live with him.”
“I’m sorry about your parents,” he said somberly. “Riley’s told me your history.”
“Thank you,” she murmured.
She was used to the comment. It was the revelation that Riley had informed the senator about her family that surprised Sophie. Had Riley passed on the information in preparation for her visit here-or for other, more personal reasons? Did he want his stepfather to know about Sophie as a person Riley cared for? she wondered.
She shivered and paused for a large sip of her hot coffee.
Senator Nash nodded, encouraging her to continue when she was ready.
“Anyway, after Annabelle-the oldest sister-graduated from business school, she suggested the idea of starting up a PR firm as a subsidiary of the sports agency. Uncle Yank loved the notion. He saw it as a way of continuing to care for his athletes once their playing days came to an end.”
“In what way?” he asked.
Sophie sensed true interest, not forced conversation, so she indulged in a longer explanation. “If a client signs with both Uncle Yank as his agent and The Hot Zone PR firm, we can negotiate not only big-money endorsements while an athlete is in their prime, but also lay the groundwork in preparation for the future. Whether they’re injured a year into a big-money contract and need a source of income, or whether they play out a successful career, we can help them plan for both.”
“Very interesting,” he said, nodding.
Sophie blushed. “I’m sorry. I tend to get carried away when I start talking about something I’m interested in.”
“No need to apologize. Riley has said he finds your knowledge on all subjects fascinating and I tend to agree.”
She glanced into her now-empty cup. No way would she explain the need that drove her to overlearn about everything. Her control issues were too personal.
“So do you have anything to do with the agency side of the business or are you exclusively involved in PR?” he asked.
“I do PR for the most part, but we have a weekly meeting of partners only, so everyone’s up to speed on the key clients and issues. That way nobody’s ever left high and dry in an emergency,” she said, proud of the system they’d made work over the years.
He leaned back in his chair and nodded approvingly. “Although I’m in politics, I do consider myself business savvy and I think that’s a smart way to run things. So you’re close with Spencer Atkins?”
Sophie suspected Riley’s stepfather had been gradually leading to this moment. By questioning her about her business, he’d been able to work his way around to Spencer without being obvious. Well, without being too obvious. She was definitely onto him.
She glanced down, uncomfortable with the subject of Riley’s real father, while buying herself time to think.
“Riley told me he’s trusted you with the information,” the senator said. Reaching out, he patted Sophie’s hand. “If my son trusts you, so do I. I’m sure you realize how sensitive this is. Mississippi isn’t known as part of the Bible Belt for no reason.”
Now Sophie really was uncomfortable. “Senator-”
“Please call me Harlan.”
Either he was as honest and good as Riley believed or he was the ultimate politician. She wanted to believe the former and operated under the assumption that she could trust his word. “Harlan, Spencer’s been like a part of my family for as long as I can remember.”
“So you knew about his…” He loosened his tie and cleared his throat.
“Sexual orientation?” She shook her head. “No, I didn’t. No one in my family knew. But he’s entitled to his privacy,” she said defensively.
“No one agrees more than I do. It’s a shame the way someone chose to repeat what they’d discovered. Whoever it was probably made a huge amount of cash by revealing the truth.”
Sophie frowned. “As much as I know that’s the way of the world, it makes me sick.”
“I know. Now my biggest concern is keeping the news quiet.”
She toyed with the napkin in her lap. Finally she glanced up, deciding to jump into the conversation all the way. “I understand how sensitive a subject gay rights is, but why would your constituents hold Spencer’s affiliation against you? You aren’t even related by blood!” Sophie hated how bigoted individuals could affect so many innocent people’s lives.
The senator rose and paced the floor. “I married the man’s wife when she was pregnant with his child. I raised the man’s son. The implication will be that I condone his lifestyle.”
“That’s ridiculous. Doing something noble doesn’t mean you condoned anything, or even knew the truth about Spencer.” She stilled, recalling Riley’s suspicion about that very thing. “Or did you know the truth?” she asked softly.
He shook his head. “Neither did Anne. All she knew was that her husband no longer wanted to be married. We met soon after and I fell hard. She was wise enough to trust that we could make a lasting union-Anne, her unborn son and myself.”
Sophie exhaled long and hard. She knew how much Riley feared his parents had been lying to him all along. Though she was saddened at how alone Spencer must have been, she was definitely relieved that Riley’s family hadn’t been hiding the truth.
“The fact remains, Mississippi has had a law banning gay marriage since 1997, and in 2004 the voters passed a Constitutional Amendment declaring marriage as being between one man and one woman. It passed by eight-six percent,” he said solemnly. “In my mind that leaves no room for close family ties that make my future decisions suspect.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter what I think or feel, that’s the way of things.”
Sophie had no intention of delving into the senator’s true views on gay marriage, even assuming he’d tell her the truth. Nor did she plan on asking him if he’d ever taken into consideration Riley’s right to get to know his birth father.
She suspected the senator wouldn’t like her opinion and opted to remain silent. “I can promise you the truth won’t leak from me. I’m loyal to those I care about.” That much she could say with ease.
