“I know, Blake, I trust you.”
“Well, Dan thinks we need to make it official, like with a secret handshake or something. Just so we’re both on the same page.”
Harry laughed and offered his hand, and it lightened the mood.
“I know you, Harry, and even with all that has happened between us, I still think you are the best candidate for the job. I don’t have to put on a show when it comes to my faith in your ability to be a wonderful senator.”
He stopped and looked into my eyes. We had reached an understanding. I could see I would always have a relationship with him. Maybe not a marriage, but at least an understanding.
“You mean you’re not worried Gomer Pyle out there is gonna beat me?”
I laughed. Harry walked over to a fold-up chair where he had his satchel and took out his speech. “So, we’re good?” I wasn’t really asking, just affirming.
“Yes, we’re fine. I’m sorry about the other night. I just, well, I was just tired and didn’t see it coming so soon.” He started flipping pages, his attention drifting off as he started silently mouthing some of the harder sections of the speech.
Clearly he had turned the page and was only thinking of his audience. He had a way of doing that, turning emotions on and off like a faucet.
I peeked around the stage and saw a huge crowd gathering. It was ten minutes to speech time and the place was like a circus. Dan and the interns were hurriedly swapping cold water bottles for the fans, with Bullhorn just passing more out again.
Then, without warning or goodbyes, Bullhorn’s truck drove off, and as it rolled away, I saw Sonny standing under the trees where the truck had been. My heart skipped and I almost stepped from behind the stage, but caught myself.
What was Sonny doing at the rally? This was patrolman detail, not investigator territory. Still, whatever Sonny said to Bullhorn got him to leave, and awkward as it might be if Harry noticed him here, he’d be thankful for his intervention.
Dan came backstage to make sure we were ready.
“Okay, you two, look, we’ve got this thing with Bullhorn covered. We managed to get rid of most of the fans, and the cops seem to have convinced him to disappear for now.” He smiled his winning smile at us. “Okay, y’all ready to do this? Let’s go.” Dan didn’t wait for an answer. He turned and led the way.
I was nervous. Not because of the crowd or the acting job I was about to do, but because Sonny was out there and I knew he was taking a chance on seeing me.
Dan went onstage first to do the introductions. I stood silently next to Harry. He looked at me and offered his arm and smiled gently. I wrapped my arm under his.
“Showtime,” he said.
I smiled back, suddenly realizing we got along much better as fake husband and wife. Maybe this would work out, after all.
19
“I give you your next senator from the great state of Alabama, Harry Heart and his wife, Blake O’Hara Heart.”
Dan moved aside and the crowd erupted into applause as Harry led the way onstage, his left arm extended in a permanent wave, and me, still locked in the crook of his right arm. He stepped to the podium. I dropped off and stepped back a little. My part was just to play the role of supportive wife, and believe me, that was even more than I wanted.
I looked directly across the tops of all the heads, and there, standing in the back, leaning on a tree, was my knight in shining armor. I locked eyes with Sonny and he smiled. I wondered what he had said to Bullhorn to make him leave.
Harry was talking and the crowd was cheering intermittently, but I didn’t hear a word. He sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher from the cartoon. Wa wa wa...wa wa wa.
I kept my gaze locked on Sonny and never heard a word of Harry’s speech. The conversation with Kitty was playing in my head, Be careful in public. Then the talk with Dan, No one else needs to know. My head was swimming in the heat.
Suddenly, Harry gestured toward me, inviting me to the podium. Surely, he wasn’t going to ask me to speak?
“Now I’d love to introduce my wife and greatest supporter, Blake O’Hara Heart.” Harry stepped away from the mic and gave me a little shove toward it.
“Don’t be shy, honey,” Harry said.
Shy? Me? Come on. I was once the debate champion. Had he forgotten that about me?
I smiled and stepped in front of him.
He leaned over and whispered in my ear, under the guise of giving me a kiss. “Do you have any idea what I just said, or were you in Never Never Land with your cop over there?”
“Honey, I heard every word,” I lied. “I’ve got this.” I stepped up to the mic. “Thank y’all so much for coming out here on this blistering hot day.” The crowd was smiling and applauding, and I thought, I kinda like this. Something about being at the podium in front of an audience felt pretty good to me, so I continued.
“I just want to say, you have the best man for the job right here on stage with me.” I gestured back to Harry. “Your heart knows it, too. Dig down deep and ask yourself, who do I want speaking for me and representing my family in Washington, D.C.? Listen well. You’ll hear the answer, then do what it says, and Follow Your Heart to Washington!”
The crowd cheered and I stepped back. Harry draped his arm around my back, then leaned in and kissed my cheek, for real this time. We both had earned our Tony Awards with these performances. I looked over to the tree where Sonny was. He was still standing there, looking good enough to eat. Everything seemed to be going as smoothly as we could have hoped for when, out of the far corner of my eye, I spotted Dan The Man with Dallas, and they were kissing! Never in all my worrying about this day had I thought to be concerned about Dan and Dallas. I was completely stunned.
“Harry, look!” I whispered urgently. “That’s Dan...kissing Dallas! What in hell is that all about?”
“Oh, that... Well, she’s been really after him lately.” Harry kept smiling and waving as we walked back across the metal grandstand, never once breaking the calm, confident soon-to-be senator character.
“What?” I was dumbfounded. “You knew about this and it’s okay with you?”
“Sure, why not? They’re both adults.” Harry was being surprisingly nonchalant. I, however, nearly lost my fried green tomatoes from lunch right then and there. But we were still onstage waving. Puking would not be attractive.
“Harry, she is after something. I have always liked Dan just fine, but...well, he looks like James Carville on a bad day. And Dallas looks like...you know, kinda like Jessica Simpson in a beauty pageant. Her standards are pretty high when it comes to appearances. There’s no way she’d go for Dan. Something’s up with this.”
“It’s fine, Blake. She’s not as shallow as you think. And Dan seems to really like her. And, if you think about it, it helps the campaign. This definitely puts her on our side.”
Well, that was typical. He always found a way to make everything about him and his campaign. I wondered if Dan had the same plan in mind, or if there was something real going on between him and Dallas. We gave a final wave to the crowd and began the descent toward the side and back of the stage, straight into Dan and Dallas, midembrace. I was about to tell them to get a room, when Dallas came up for air.
“Well, hey, Blake, how are you doing?” She was smug as ever.
“Not as well as you seem to be. I see you’re making the rounds on the Heart campaign,” I said, referring to the time a couple of months ago when I caught her in a similar embrace with my husband. “Should I alert that cute little intern over there that he’s next?”
“Oh, Blake, that’s all water under the bridge now that I found Dan.” She turned back to him and draped her arms all over him like a serpent.
“Dallas, you are a piece of work. I have afternoon appointments, so, Harry, take care. Dan, well, my list of advice f
or you is far too long for this moment. I’ll have to send you a memo. Bye, y’all.”
I turned and left before I said anything worse that could end up in print. It was all just too nauseating. These men were so stupid not to see she was playing a game, and her games were not known for being fun or harmless. As she rounded up her crew and sent them on their way, I was reminded more and more of the Wicked Witch of the West dispersing her flying monkeys.
Well, this was one Dorothy who had no intention of surrendering without a fight. Besides, I wanted to find Sonny. I grabbed my bag from the intern who was watching our area under the stage and fumbled for my cell. I had to call Vivi this minute. This time I had the headline, and Dallas was the lead story.
20
I dialed Vivi the second I grabbed my phone. Voice mail.
“Hey, little mommy, you will never in a million years guess what is headlining this performance I just gave at the rally. Call me ASAP. Can’t wait to hear what the baby doc had to say. Love you.” I dropped the phone back down in my purse and walked back to my car. I looked up as I approached the lot near the park, and there he was. My port in the storm.
Sonny was leaning on my car with his hands in his pockets and his legs crossed at the ankles. He was adorable. I wanted to run to him and kiss him but I knew better. We couldn’t even hug.
“Hey, baby. You were brilliant,” he said as I approached the car.
“Hey, baby, yourself. I saw you standing under the trees and practically missed Harry’s entire speech,” I said. “But I have huge news that will blow your mind.”
“Oh, really? I like to think about you blowing my mind.” He grinned and cocked his eyebrow.
“Oh, don’t tempt me like that,” I said, imagining the same thing. “Now, listen. You won’t believe this in a million years.” I reached around him to the door and opened it, his shirt touching my face as I leaned in and threw my purse across to the passenger side and turned back around. The scent of his cologne sent another tingle through me.
I smiled up at him and he looked down at me, ready for the conquest. Being careful was just agony. But I knew there was no seeing him tonight. I had too much work to do, and at some point, I knew I had to heed Kitty’s advice.
“You’ll never guess who Dan Donohugh is seeing.”
“Dan The Man, Harry’s campaign manager?” Sonny asked.
“The one and only,” I said.
“Who?”
I paused for dramatic effect, and then said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Dallas.”
“As in, Dallas Dubois? You cannot be serious.”
“I know. I nearly passed out when I saw them making out under the stage. Harry said he knew about it, though! Thinks it’s good for business, even. Such a Harry response,” I said.
“Well, he does have a point,” Sonny said.
“How do you figure?”
“Well, if Dan is doing Dallas, they have control of her. And therefore they have a TV station in their pocket. It’s sleazy, but it works. And it actually works for Dallas, too. This way, she gets all the leads on the campaign, breaks all the stories first, and her career could skyrocket as a result.”
“If anyone ever thinks they have control over Dallas, they’re kidding themselves... Dan does Dallas, huh? Sounds like a porn film to me,” I added with a giggle. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. Those people are all cut from the same cloth. But I mean, Dallas and Dan? I thought she had better taste.”
“What? You think Dan is unattractive? Aww, c’mon, Blake.” Sonny laughed.
“Well, him, too,” I continued. “I mean Dallas is a bit...” Sonny seemed to have stopped listening and was looking at me seriously. One step closer and there would be no daylight between us.
“What? I mean, I guess if you like that centerfold look...” Sonny was smiling and was moving so close that it was dangerous. I backed up and cleared my throat for emphasis. “I need to get to Vivi’s. She may have some big news today. She’s been at the baby doc all afternoon.”
“How ’bout you swing by my office for a quick...uh, meeting. Park in the back. If we go in different cars, no one will know.” Sonny was looking like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. He was offering to put me in danger, but with the promise that I would enjoy it. Unfortunately, it was an offer I had to refuse.
Just then, my cell rang. It was Wanda Jo.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Can you swing back by here? The Aarons are here and they need to see you. I told them you were at the rally and they said they’d wait. Been here half an hour.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” I hung up.
“Doesn’t sound like you’ll be in my office in ten minutes,” Sonny said, disappointed.
“Maybe later this week. We have to at least try to be careful. So hang on to your horses, cowboy.” He winked and walked away with that familiar swagger. He couldn’t even kiss my cheek goodbye.
When I arrived at my office, the Aarons were in the waiting room.
“Thanks so much for seeing us without an appointment, Mrs. Heart,” Wynona said, taking a seat in my office.
“What’s up? Did y’all find something else?” I asked as I put my things on the credenza and sat down at my desk.
“Yes, actually. We found out something today and we wanted you to hear it right away,” Wayne said. “We were talking to a friend of Walter’s this morning after we spoke to you, and he said he knew a little about that Tamlyn girl he just married.”
“Great. Anything will help. What did he say?”
“He said he met Tamlyn just a few weeks ago and for sure it was a whirlwind romance. We thought it might be important to know where Walter met her. This friend said it was in a bar up in Birmingham. He said she was a singer.”
The coincidences kept mounting. “Did you get the name of the bar? Did he remember that?” I asked.
“He said he wasn’t sure of the name but that it was some kind of strip club. Apparently, she didn’t strip, though, she just sang a little.”
“When was he up there last? Did he mention anyone else from the bar that might be of some help to us?” I was jotting down notes as they spoke.
“He said Walter was up there a good bit and he got buddy-buddy with the manager. Walter never said anything about the place to us, but I guess he was a regular there. At least for a few months.” Wynona took a tissue out of her purse. “I am so embarrassed.”
“These were Walter’s actions, Ms. Aaron. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Ms. Heart, I feel so bad that we don’t have any more to tell you about our own brother. But he did things like this and we just had no idea.”
“It’s okay, Ms. Aaron. This is good information. Y’all have anything else?”
“Apparently this girl is beautiful and seemed to have her own money, too. It made Walter feel relaxed around her, knowing she wasn’t a gold digger. That was everything his friend told us.” Wayne Aaron looked at me full of anticipation, hoping I could string something together from all of this.
“I’m so sorry we just jumped in on your busy day again. We just want this solved so we can go back to our lives,” Wynona said.
“Well, thank y’all for being persistent. It’s no problem, especially if it helps to move things forward.” I got up and showed them out. “I’m certain the police will want to talk to this friend of Walter’s. We’ll let you know.”
They both seemed to feel genuinely upset that they weren’t closer to Walter when he was alive. I could tell they wanted to do right by him in death, but I was also sure, since Walter had gotten the entire inheritance from their uncle, that they were hoping to get at least a little something back on this settlement. I had put in a call to the insurance office to see if a check for the death benefits had been issued to Tamlyn. I was
still waiting for word back.
The good news was that the Aarons had given me the perfect excuse to go see Sonny with all of this information. Sonny needed to know about this new witness, so it was my responsibility to fill him in.
Okay, maybe I was bending the rules a tiny bit. I promised myself I would only run in for a second. But I was pretty sure myself wasn’t listening.
21
I was at the police station before I knew it. It was after five o’clock, so I thought I would sit in the car till I was sure I could sneak in without being seen. I sent Sonny a text. Coast clear?
Yes, clear and waiting, he answered back. I got out, taking my purse, so if anyone wanted to peek in my windows they wouldn’t see my bag. I wasn’t thinking that someone could actually see me walking in. This is proof that hormones actually do make a person crazy. I knew this meeting was anything but careful, but the state of my mind that day was questionable to say the least. I slipped inside the back door and walked down the hallway, sliding into Sonny’s office door sideways, shutting it behind me.
“C’mere, gorgeous.” He was sitting on the front of his desk, leaning back on it with his long legs crossed. “I knew you couldn’t resist,” he said in his lowest voice.
I immediately leaned into him, pressing my body against his. He kissed my forehead, and when I looked up into his eyes, he pressed his lips to mine.
“I need to tell you the news,” I said, as his lips slid down my neck.
“What could be a headline right now?” He kept kissing me.
“The Aarons, remember? They were at my office a few minutes ago.”
He slid his mouth down my jaw and rolled his tongue around my neck. I was delirious. He pulled me from around my waist as he walked backward, falling into his desk chair, me straddling him. His suit coat, hanging from the back of the chair, hit the floor as we moved.
“Sonny, I can’t concentrate like this,” I managed as I kissed him back.
“Tell me, I’m listening,” he said, but he kept tasting me.
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