Ty shook his head. “It looks familiar,” he muttered. “But honestly, I have no idea.”
He was lying, she could tell. His eyes were drawn to the jewelry as if it was calling out to him.
“Oh look,” Courtney purred. “It’s my two favorite people.”
Courtney gave Ty a chaste kiss on the cheek before turning to Juliette and taking in the dress.
“Wow,” she said unenthusiastically. “That dress is really something.”
“It was a gift,” Juliette said and Ty’s brow line darkened. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t been the one to send her the dress and the unsigned note. But who else could it have been? Courtney?
Courtney gave her one last look before dismissing her completely. Instead, she leaned into Ty’s chest and whispered something in his ear. “Daddy says it’s time,” was all Juliette caught. What could that possibly mean?
Ty nodded and let Courtney drag him over to her father, who was in deep conversation with the small orchestra.
The song they were playing faded to silence as Governor Anderson stepped on stage and took the mic. Courtney and Tyler followed him.
“Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I’d like to thank you all for joining us this evening.” The governor paused at a soft round of applause. “This night is incredibly special to me. Not only do we have the opportunity to support the expansion efforts of an incredible charity that is near and dear to my family’s heart, but because I also have the opportunity to leak a bit of personal information with you tonight. Many of you know that I have been a very vocal supporter of Senator Chase and his re-election campaign.”
Anderson extended a long arm in Tyler’s direction and another handful of applause broke out.
“The Senator, like many of us, has officially been initiated into D.C. politics. Yesterday he became the subject of some very disturbing rumors. Rumors that I know wholeheartedly to be untrue. Many of us in this room have been the victim of libelous slander, false accusations, and half-truths thrown about by the media. So don’t take it personally, son. You have a calling to serve the greater good of this nation. God will not abandon you on your journey.” He smiled at Tyler and Ty nodded in response. Courtney reached out and took his hand in hers and gave it a tight squeeze. Standing on the stage, the three of them looked a bit like a campaign postcard. The almighty governor and his real-life Barbie and Ken.
Ty was practically glowing as he smiled back at Courtney and they shared a knowing look. Then he glanced out into the crowd, all smiles and dimples. His mask only lifted for a millisecond when his blue eyes met hers.
Juliette couldn’t look away, her eyes were locked on his as she listened to the governor ramble on.
“So tonight I am proud to give my five hundred closest friends an Anderson exclusive. Because I am not only celebrating Tyler Chase the candidate, but I am also celebrating a new son-in-law. Tyler, I am so thrilled to have such a fine young man and brilliant political mind joining my family and taking my daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Chapter 19: Whatever it Takes
The world stopped spinning.
At least that was what it felt like when Governor Anderson dropped his bombshell announcement. The clapping and cheering was muted beneath the racing of her own heart. Governor Anderson pulled Tyler into a tight embrace. Tyler gave the man a genuine hug before spinning around and pulling Courtney into an overly dramatic embrace. Tyler dipped his fiancée low and kissed her deep on the lips before standing again.
Juliette watched the two of them, laughing and grinning as if everything in the world was perfect, and wanted to throw up. Maybe it was perfect. Courtney was happy. Or at least she certainly seemed that way. And making it official meant that Tyler might actually have abandoned his pursuit of her. So what if her heart ached and her stomach clenched at the thought of the two of them married? This was what she wanted, for Ty to let go and move on.
But you never considered marriage.
That had been a stupid oversight on her part and now she was going to have to live with her mistake. But she couldn’t be happy tonight. Tonight she was going to be sick.
Juliette melted into the crowd, inching her way to the nearest exit. She would not pass out in front of five hundred D.C. elites. Nor would she throw up in this magnificent gown. She would be miserable and self-pitying in her own apartment behind closed doors, like every other decent person in this city.
Juliette marched through the entrance and down the steps, her eyes focused only on the coat check.
Crap. She didn’t have the ticket. Covington did.
“Leaving so soon?” he said, and she turned to find Covington standing in the alcove nearby. Talk about someone who had an unnerving way of showing up whenever you thought his name.
“I’m not feeling well. I think it was the champagne,” Juliette lied.
Covington nodded and reached into the suit pocket. He pulled out the white ticket stub and handed it to her.
“I have to admit. I had my doubts. But it looks like you’re managing all right with your assignment?” His voice rose as if asking a question instead of making a statement.
Juliette muttered, “Yes,” before handing the attendant the ticket for their coats.
Covington took a step closer and placed a single finger on the bottom of her chin. He tilted her head upward so that she had nowhere to look but his eyes, which were a stormy gray.
“You have a tendency to step into the shadows, hiding yourself away when you get nervous or scared. A good grifter knows that confidence is everything. Never let anyone make you feel as if you don’t belong. And even if you do feel that way, never, ever, show it.”
She nodded again and he frowned. “Yes, sir.” she said with more authority. “I hear what you’re saying.”
“Good.” Covington grabbed their coats from the attendant and placed them on the counter. Then, as if she couldn’t master the art of dressing herself, he held out her wool and fur coat and she slipped her arms inside. He turned her to face him full on. As he fastened the drawstring tight around her waist she saw Tyler. The senator was standing at the peak of the stairs, watching them. There was something puzzling about his expression. It wasn’t concern, but something darker. Anger or jealousy, perhaps?
Well, good. Now he knows what it feels like.
Covington surprised her by putting on his own coat and nudging her gently to the door.
“You’re leaving too?”
“But of course. I wouldn’t imagine sending a young attractive woman like yourself out into the city alone. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t at least see you to your door?”
“That’s very kind, but not necessary.”
Covington held open the door and for a split second she thought she saw his gaze drift off behind them. It lasted only for an instant and then his attention centered entirely on Juliette. She declined the escort—up until the black limo pulled up to the curb and the driver stepped out to assist them. Suddenly she didn’t see the harm in accepting a ride from her employer. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?
You could end up dead and buried at the bottom of some construction site.
Right. Well, plenty could happen if she trusted the likes of Dean Covington, but she was desperate to get away from the happy couple. And Covington, like some magical fairy godfather, offered the perfect getaway car.
Chapter 20: House Call
Covington was nothing but polite as they drove to her apartment. They talked of the weather, of D.C. politics, and her favorite classes at Georgetown. He was impressed with her GPA and the fact that she was now semi-fluent in French and Russian. “We’ll have to get you over to Paris so that you can fine-tune your skills.”
She lit up at the thought. Up until now she had been convinced that she blew her chance to get in with Covington. If she failed, there was no way he was going to give her a second shot. But Covington seemed pleased as punch with the recent developments.
The driver s
lowed as they turned onto her street. Covington pushed a button on the intercom. “Third townhouse to your left, Zeke.”
Juliette frowned. “How do you know where I live?”
“I make it my business to know everything about my employees. It’s a good rule to live by. Perhaps you should give it a try.”
The limo came to a stop and Zeke jumped out to open her door. Covington gave her a swift wave goodbye before disappearing behind the tintned glass window. Even with the distance she could feel Covington’s gaze examining her every move. His presence made her hands jittery and she nearly dropped her keys as she worked to open the outer door. Once inside she rushed past the mailboxes and straight to the stairs. She was in desperate need of time to think.
Juliette stepped into the steaming tub of water and the mass of bubbles swished around her ankles. She winced as she lowered herself into the claw-foot tub. At first the water seemed to scorch her skin. After a few moments her body embraced the warmth like a big, fluffy blanket. She sank farther into the bubbles and let her headrest over the edge of the tub.
Juliette had one single objective for the evening: forget everything that had happened during the last forty-eight hours. That had proven a difficult thing to do. After arriving at her apartment she immediately stripped from the dress, washed off her makeup, and donned a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. She ordered takeout and sat on the couch, ready to resume her night of trashy TV. But after thirty minutes she found she couldn’t sit still. Her mind wouldn’t focus on what was happening on TV.
She opened a bottle of wine, hoping that would force her to relax, but she drank the first glass in less than three minutes and found herself pouring another one in five.
Finally she settled on taking a long, hot bath. She turned off the light, lit a few lavender-scented candles along the sink, and filled the tub with her favorite bubble bath. Her iPod was nestled in the corner, playing her favorite Coldplay tunes. Sure, she was still carrying around her bottle of wine, but she hadn’t yet resorted to drinking straight from the bottle, so she considered this an improvement.
And for the moment it appeared to be working. She felt the tension ease out of her as she closed her eyes and shut out the world. The music was like her mood, gray and melancholy, and it made her feel welcomed. Perhaps misery really did love company?
Juliette woke up with a start. The water was ice-cold, the bubbles were long gone, and her phone was vibrating instead of ringing. She pulled herself out of the tub and wrapped a towel beneath her arms. She patted her hands frantically against the cotton before answering the phone. When she swiped the screen, she saw Tyler Chase’s name.
So not what she wanted to see.
She hit ignore and switched the phone to airplane mode. And just like that, the outside world was completely cut off.
Juliette grabbed the half empty bottle of wine and headed to her bedroom. She toweled off, slipped into her third pair of yoga sweats for the day and another long-sleeved t-shirt. She stared at herself in the mirror. It was a far cry from the girl she had seen earlier this evening. The one who looked like she donned the cover of Vogue or Esquire for Men. Now she was just plain old Juliette Morgan.
There’s nothing wrong with that, a voice told her, and she was inclined to agree. She climbed into bed, grabbed the book on her nightstand, and settled in for the night.
Juliette jerked awake for the second time that evening. Only this time it was the pounding on her apartment door that woke her.
She glanced at the alarm clock, which read 2:23. “You have got to be kidding me.” She had only been asleep for an hour.
Juliette tried to ignore the knocking but her curiosity got the better of her. If she had been a betting woman she would have put money on one Mr. Tyler Chase, though there was also a slim chance it might be Courtney. Juliette wasn’t in a hurry to see either one of them. The door rattled again as someone resumed the knocking.
She pulled herself out of the bed and plodded to the front door.
“I’m coming,” she snapped at what had to be the sixth set of pounding. Don’t these people know I have neighbors?
She stood on her tiptoes so that she could peek through the peephole. It wasn’t Ty or Courtney. It was Winston. The friend slash assistant slash campaign advisor.
He pounded again and she jerked backward. Holy hell. This was ridiculous.
Juliette undid the locks and yanked the door open before pulling him inside and closing it again.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Huh?” He looked completely perplexed.
“It’s two-thirty in the morning. I have neighbors, you know.”
“Oh, yeah. They’re not home. Well, Gina and Mike aren’t anyway. And the old couple can’t hear a thing without their hearing aids. Dead to the world, they are.”
“That doesn’t make it okay to pound on people’s doors in the middle of the night.” Juliette crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
“Riiiight…” he said. “I’m sorry?”
The fact that he said it like a question was an obvious sign that he wasn’t sorry at all. Clearly he didn’t understand what he had done wrong.
“What are you doing here?”
His face suddenly lit up again as he remembered his reason for banging on her door.
“I came to get you.”
“To get me? For what?”
“There’s something you need to see.” Winston grabbed her arm and pulled her to the door.
“Hold on.” She stumbled after him. He turned at her resistance.
“What is it?”
“I’m not even dressed and I haven’t agreed to go anywhere with you. I don’t even know you.”
“You know Ty.”
She waited for him to continue because certainly that wasn’t reason enough to leave the comforts of her own living room.
“Just trust me. There’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye. You have a right to know the truth. If you come with me, you’ll get just that.”
“The truth about what?”
“About Ty.”
Juliette began to back away. “No. I don’t want to know anything more about Ty. In fact, I want nothing to do with him.”
Winston’s phone rang and he snapped it open. “Hello?”
Juliette took advantage of the distraction to move farther into the living room. She didn’t want to go anywhere with Winston. He could tell her whatever it was she needed to know right there.
Winston turned away from her. His voice dipped lower. Who was he talking to and why was he trying to keep it a secret? Juliette tried to listen in on his conversation. But the voice on the other end was muffled and Winston was only offering vague answers to the conversation.
“Winston?” she called and he jerked around at the sound of her voice. “Who is it?”
“Nothing,” he mouthed and into the phone he said, “I have to go.” He snapped the phone shut and turned to the door.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah. I’ve got something to take care of. You know how politics is. No rest for the weary when you’re on the campaign trail.”
He pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway, shutting it behind him before she even had a chance to say goodbye.
Chapter 21: The Fallout
Juliette spent the morning coming up with creative ways that she could bail on her lunch date with Courtney. She wasn’t ready to face Ty’s new fiancée. It was cruel and unusual punishment, really. And yet, she couldn’t afford to let on that the engagement bothered her.
Not that it made her feel any better about her current situation. So she finally gave in and resorted to the age old excuse of, “I’m sick.” That darn twenty-four hour flu bug was a real bitch. Thankfully, when she called Courtney to cancel she got her voicemail. The girl hadn’t called back yet—another small miracle.
Then Juliette resorted to her godmother’s tried-and-true cure for heartache: baking. She lined
up a row of art deco canisters on the counter: Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Then she pulled out her roommate’s bulky stand mixer. Margaret never minded when she borrowed her things. Especially if the end result was sinfully delicious eats.
She made cupcakes first. Two dozen chocolate and white with butter cream frosting and sprinkles. Then she started on the brownies. She didn’t know what she’d do with all these goodies. Perhaps hold a bake sale so she could make rent after Covington fired her. And he had just commented on how good she was doing. But she wasn’t doing well at all. She couldn’t stand to be in the same room as Courtney.
There was a knock at her door. Juliette froze, batter covered spatula in midair. Was that Courtney? Had she come to check on her? What was she going to say?
Juliette carefully balanced the spoon on the edge of the batter bowl and wiped her flour covered hands on the faded apron. She really needed to move to an apartment with better security. Maybe a street-level intercom that required uninvited guests to be buzzed into the building.
Juliette didn’t bother looking through the peephole. It had not once prevented her from opening the door and coming face to face with her mysterious visitors. Plus she didn’t want to get flour all over the back of the door. So she used the clean edge of her apron to turn the knob.
“Can I come in?” Tyler asked and her heart fell through her stomach. Her eyes drifted down the hallway for other onlookers. Sure, she lived in a converted townhouse with few neighbors, but it didn’t mean someone wouldn’t spot the senator. All she needed was another story about their alleged affair.
It’s only alleged because they haven’t proven it yet.
Right.
Juliette stepped aside and Ty crossed the threshold. He took the door from her and closed it gently behind him.
“Look,” Juliette started. “If this is about last night, I already told Winston I’m not interested.”
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