Rumor Has It

by Cheris Hodges

  “Robert,” Liza began, “people need to connect with you. They’re connecting with Jackson.”

  At the sound of his opponent’s name, Robert huffed. “He doesn’t know a thing about politics and I’m getting sick and tired of you comparing me to him.”

  “Guys,” Chante said. “Let’s not do this. If Robert wants to leave the past in the past, then that’s fine. Let’s focus on who you are now.”

  Liza rolled her eyes and took a sip of her wine. Then a lightbulb went off in her head. Why wouldn’t they focus on the person Robert is? People were just as attracted to confidence as they were to heroes.

  “Robert, you’re right,” Liza said with a smile. “You should show people who you really are. Successful, in love, ready to seve.”

  He gave Liza a high five. “Now you’re getting it.”

  “Guys,” Chante said. “Can we table politics and talk about my engagement?”

  Robert leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Of course, babe.”

  “That’s my cue to give you two some alone time,” Liza said as she drained her wineglass. “I have to go check Google alerts anyway.”

  “Why don’t you take a break,” Chante said. “You don’t have to be the twenty-four-hour woman.”

  “She needs a man,” Robert said, then poked his tongue out at Liza.

  “Whatever, Bob! I’m doing just fine without one.” She winked at him and Chante. “Besides, all the good ones are taken.” Liza waved to her friends as she headed for the exit.

  After leaving the restaurant, Liza headed for Amelie’s, her unofficial satellite office. She loved the nighttime crowd at the bakery and she loved the silence. Taking a seat across from the community bulletin board, she was about to pull out her iPad when a sign caught her eye. The Jackson Franklin campaign was seeking volunteers. Setting her tablet on the table, Liza crossed over to the board and grabbed the flyer. Reading over it, she shook her head. “Stealing Obama’s thunder much?” she mumbled as she read the words “yes, we can.”

  Though she didn’t want to admit it, the flyer would appeal to the people who hung out at Amelie’s. Jackson seemed to know his audience, leading her to wonder who was on his team. There was no way this soldier was doing this alone. She tucked the flyer in her pocket and returned to her work. She needed to talk to Nic about this man because Jackson Franklin was more of a threat than they’d initially thought. Liza pulled the flyer from her pocket and studied it intently—more accurately, stared at Jackson’s handsome face.

  Jackson knew a salted caramel brownie at ten P.M. was a bad idea. Still, he had a sweet tooth and he’d been doing interviews all day in Raleigh and Fay-etteville. He had to admit that being back at Fort Bragg was more than a campaign stop. It was like being home again. Seeing his former platoon members and their advancements and everything made him happy, but he was sad that he’d lost his chance to continue to serve his country. That’s why he had to make sure the warriors who returned home didn’t have to battle for help. North Carolina of all states should’ve been on the front line to take care of the soldiers.

  Jackson rubbed his forehead and sighed as the line slowly moved forward. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Liza looking over one of his flyers. Suddenly, his need for the brownie didn’t seem that strong. He stepped out of line and crossed over to Liza.

  “Can I count on you to volunteer?” he asked. Her head snapped up and he heard her gasp.

  “I-I . . . Hello, Mr. Franklin.”

  “Liza, right?”

  She nodded and extended her hand. “Why don’t you drop out?”

  “That’s a wonderful greeting,” he said, his lips curving into a smirk.

  “Mr. Franklin,” she said, tilting her head to the side, “Robert Montgomer y is an awesome man. He will represent this district and even get some of the things you’re campaigning for passed.”

  “Funny,” Jackson said as he dropped her hand. “I haven’t heard much substance come from Mr. Montgomer y’s campaign.”

  “Maybe you haven’t been listening, or you can only hear the words coming from your camp.”

  The way she poked her lips out and rolled her eyes should’ve been a turnoff, but there was no way to deny the tightening between his legs would become a full-grown erection if he kept looking at her full lips.

  “Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?” he asked, all the while wondering what in the hell he was thinking. He knew that she was in Montgomer y’s camp. But, damn, she was fine as frog’s hair.

  “No, thank you. I have some work to do and I’m more of a tea person.”

  “Last I heard, they serve tea here as well,” Jackson said.

  “Do you think I’m supposed to allow you to buy me tea and then I’ll spill secrets about Robert and give you the upper hand? I don’t think so.”

  “I don’t want to talk about politics. I just offered to buy a pretty lady tea,” he said, then nodded at her. “Have a good night, Liza.”

  As he walked away, he didn’t hear her sigh. Jackson grabbed his place in line and decided that he would have the brownie after all.

  Liza hadn’t realized that she was weak at the knees until she started walking toward her table and stumbled over nothing, then eased into her seat. What was it about that man that caused her to lose her mind? From hearing his voice to seeing his face, he made her weak.

  “He’s the enemy,” she warned herself. A tea person? Ha! Liza inhaled coffee, probably needed an IV drip of java. And she turned down free coffee?

  Sighing, she tried to return to her work. But she kept stealing glances at Jackson, who stood in line ordering a pastry or something. She wondered what his sweet weakness was. Was he a brownie guy or an éclair dude? Why do I care? she questioned as she tore her eyes away from his backside. Maybe after the election she and Jackson could be friends. Maybe.

  As she watched him walk out the door with his small box in his hand, the thoughts that danced in her head were far from friendly. They were downright lustful. “Go get some coffee,” she mumbled as she gathered her things and headed for the register. Slipping her earbuds in her ears and listening to the latest podcast from Demetria Lucas, she wasn’t paying attention when Jackson walked back into the bakery and right into her path. Crashing into his hard chest, Liza thought she was going to fall, but his big, hot hands broke her fall. He pressed her against him. And she wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against hers.

  “Where’s the fire?” he asked.

  “You can let me go,” she said, though her body just wanted his touch a little longer, and when he let her go, she shivered.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m good.” Liza smiled. “Thanks for being a gentleman.”

  “That’s who I am,” he replied, returning her smile. Jackson and Liza walked to the long line and stood there in an uncomfortable silence. “Want a salted caramel brownie?” he asked, breaking the tension.

  “Sure,” she replied. “But, I would’ve taken you for an éclair guy.”

  He smiled again and Liza’s heart started beating overtime. How had she not noticed that cleft in his chin? And those eyes. Hypnotic.

  “I have to avoid this place. I don’t have the metabolism of a twenty-year-old anymore.” He rubbed his flat stomach, which Liza was sure hid a six pack of abs. “But after the day I had, I need some sweetness.”

  Why did he lick his lips when he said that? Why did her body tingle at the thought of him sampling her wetness and telling her how sweet it was? Stop it.

  “Campaigning is hard,” Liza said, and then her eyes traveled down Jackson’s body. She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. “And it only gets harder. Maybe you should quit.”

  “Ha. That was funny,” Jackson said. “I see why you’re such a strong member of Montgomery’s team.”

  “And how would you know that?”

  He raised his right eyebrow as if to say, You’re not the only one who’s researching the competition. “Anyway,” Jackson said
as the line inched forward, “why don’t we talk about something other than politics and campaigns?”

  “I have work to do,” she said. “No time to talk.”

  “If you say so, but isn’t it kind of late to be working?”

  She shrugged as she eyed the sweets in the glass so that she wouldn’t look at Jackson. “Social media never sleeps. I’m more than a part of Robert’s team. I run my own business as well.” She met his gaze. “But, you knew that already, didn’t you?”

  “I know what’s on paper, but I’ll admit it, one day—after the election—I’d like to get to know you.”

  Chapter 8

  Jackson appreciated Liza’s lips. The fullness of them, the curve of them, the way they spread when she smiled. But it was that tongue that he wanted to get further acquainted with. It must have been her nervous habit to lick her top lip. She did it more times than he could count. And every time she did it, he got a jolt in his groin. If she did it again, he was going to have to walk away to hide his burgeoning erection.

  “Anyway,” she said, taking the focus off his desire, “we could get to know each other a lot sooner if you’d just drop out of the race.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said. “And we’re not going to talk about this.”

  “You know I had to try it.” She winked and licked her lip again.

  “No one can accuse you of not being persistent.” She smiled at him and he just prayed his erection didn’t press against his zipper so that she could see his state of arousal.

  Finally, they made it to the counter and Jackson ordered two brownies and two cups of coffee. He’d expected Liza to say something, since she’d claimed to be a tea drinker. She didn’t. Instead she took her cup and filled it with the dark roast the café offered.

  “Tea, huh?” he quipped.

  “Oh, hush. It’s late and I need a jolt. This is a job for coffee.”

  If only he could tell her what he needed. He needed her in his arms, her lips pressed against his and . . . sugar. He needed sugar for his coffee. Anything other than sharing a brownie and a cup of java with Liza would be nothing but trouble. He hadn’t had a hint of scandal around his campaign and he wasn’t going to let his libido get him in a bind right now.

  “Do you want to grab a seat in the atrium?” he asked, thinking that sitting with her in a crowd would ease his lustful thoughts.

  “My stuff is in the dining room. You can join me there,” she said.

  He nodded and held his hand out for Liza to lead the way. They crossed over to her table—which was in a secluded area of the bakery—and sat down. A few moments passed before either of them said anything.

  “These brownies are amazing,” Liza said after swallowing her first bite.

  “They’re famous for a reason.” As much as he knew he should’ve focused on his brownie, he couldn’t take his eyes off her lips as she munched on her treat.

  “I’m going to pay for this in the gym tomorrow.” She took another nibble of the brownie.

  Jackson imagined her in a spandex number doing yoga. That sent his body into overdrive. “Do you ever relax?” he asked, then took a sip of coffee. He was the one who needed to relax, his hormones in particular.

  “I did that in college. But after working too hard for someone else, I can’t cheat myself now.”

  “What did you do before you started your business?” he asked.

  “Corporate communications for a nasty bank.”

  “Wow, corporate America, huh? I can see why that didn’t last for you.”

  She nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “Worst three years of my life.”

  “And running your own business is fun?”

  “Demanding, exciting, and a little scary. But at the end of the day, it’s worth it.” Jackson could hear the passion in her voice and was turned on by the sparkle in her eyes. His thoughts quickly turned to seeing her waking up in the morning, hair tousled and her lips swollen from his kisses. He sipped his coffee, forcing himself to look away.

  “How did you get into politics?” she asked him, looking over her cup at him.

  “Thought we weren’t going to talk politics, sex, or religion?”

  Did sex just drop from his lips? Liza thought as she lost herself in his emerald eyes. Sure. They didn’t have to talk about sex, but that was all she’d been thinking about since they sat down and she crossed her legs to ebb the throbbing between her thighs. Why did she want to lean across the table and lick the corner of his mouth? What in the hell was wrong with her?

  “You’re right. We’re not supposed to talk about those things. I guess I’ll hear more about your story during the debate.”

  Jackson shook his head. “Liza, you can power down.”

  “What?”

  “It’s just coffee and brownies, okay?”

  Liza smiled. “I don’t have an ‘off’ button, sorry,” she said.

  “Is there a ‘pause’ button, at least?” Jackson returned her smile.

  “Nope.” Liza picked up her cup and took a big sip of her coffee. “You never know when you have to be on, so I just don’t turn off. That way, I won’t be surprised.”

  “You are a woman in need of a vacation,” Jackson said, then downed his coffee.

  Heat flushed her cheeks as she thought about what she really needed. His lips on hers, his hands between her thighs and . . .

  “Liza?”

  Blinking, she smiled. “What?”

  “I think you should switch to decaf.”

  “Whatever. If I could have a few more hours in the day, maybe I would.”

  Jackson laughed. “When you invent that time machine, I want in on it.”

  Liza felt herself relax, and as much as she hated to admit it, she liked Jackson. Why couldn’t he be running for city council or some other seat? She couldn’t get too comfortable. “I’d better get going,” she said.

  “I was going to head out myself. Allow me to escort you to your car.”

  Everything in her should have said no. She should’ve pulled her independent card and told Jackson that she could walk herself to her car alone. Instead, she nodded and allowed him to usher her through the late-night crowd of pastry lovers.

  “This was nice,” she said, though she regretted it as soon as the words left her lips.

  “It was,” he replied with a smile, happy to hear that his efforts to talk to her weren’t in vain. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

  “Sure, as soon as Robert wins the election.”

  “Or, after my victory party.” He winked at her and Liza’s knees clanked together. What was this man doing to her and why was she allowing it to happen? Because you’re nuts and horny! Horrible combination , she thought. “You’re draped in confidence,” she said. “I’ll send you flowers and cupcakes when you lose.”

  “And when I win, you’ll throw in some champagne and a kiss?”

  Liza covered her shock with a laugh. “You are too much.”

  “Or just enough. It simply depends on how you look at things. Miss Liza, it was nice meeting up with you tonight.”

  “I actually enjoyed your company as well,” she said with a saucy smile. “Too bad we’re not on the same team.”

  Jackson shrugged. “After the election, I’d love to take you out to dinner.”

  Say no, get in your car, and go home! “We’ll have to see,” she said. It might not have been a no per se, but she didn’t say yes and that made her proud. Jackson tipped his imaginary hat to her and watched as she climbed into her car. When she started the engine, he sighed. Why was forbidden fruit so tempting?

  Chapter 9

  Liza slowly drove out of the parking lot, glancing at Jackson in her rearview mirror. The way that man filled out his suit was downright sinful. Of all the men in Charlotte she could be attracted to, it had to be him. The man she needed Robert to beat in a few weeks. The man she had been looking for dirt on for the campaign but found nothing. Hell, he wasn’t even inappropriate with her
tonight. And, man, she wouldn’t even have been upset about it. Jackson Franklin was too fine for words, too sexy for synonyms. And a gentleman to boot. Who knew this kind of man was still around?

  Then, why is he still single? Liza turned on her “Robert for Senate” brainwaves and wondered if she should dig deeper around Jackson’s past and find out if he had a secret baby mama, scorned ex, or anything that would knock the luster off his shining star. Though she’d made up her mind that she was going to put Jackson through a LexisNexis search when she arrived home, the thought of his smile and sparkling eyes made her put the campaigning off until tomorrow. Tonight, she was going to dream of the gentleman she shared coffee and brownies with. Liza nearly floated in the house on thoughts of Jackson.

  Across town, Jackson studied polls and yawned. Slapping paperwork on the table, he rubbed his tired eyes. He wasn’t going to be one of those people consumed with what others thought about him, but he was happy that things seemed to be going his way. In the latest North Carolina state political poll, more than 75 percent of registered Democrats were likely to vote for him rather than Montgomery.

  “Great,” he muttered, then yawned again. He reached for his iPad and started to Google Montgomery, remembering that Teresa said he should always know what his opponent was doing. When a photograph of Robert and Liza popped up on the screen, he immediately regretted not going to sleep. That woman was beautiful. Standing beside Robert, she had a huge smile on her face, and in the back of his mind, Jackson wondered if there was more to their relationship than business. He skimmed through the article about Robert’s campaign stop at the homeless shelter. He couldn’t be mad; at least he was addressing a serious problem in the community. A small tidbit near the end of the article caught his eye: Montgomery had asked his girlfriend to marry him at the stop. So, Liza and this guy had finally made it official. His thoughts turned bitter as he flipped to the second page of the article. When he saw the name of Montgomery’s fiancée, a smile spread across his lips. It wasn’t Liza.

  “I’m going to bed,” he groaned as he powered down his tablet. Then he headed for his bedroom with Liza’s smile emblazed on his brain. Sure, he should’ve been focusing on the election. But that woman had smiled her way into his thoughts. This was going to be trouble.