“I didn’t mean it. You know she’ll flip if you tell her.” Tom began laps around an invisible track in the center of the room. “You have to keep getting closer to her. Let her think you’re in love. She’s the only way you can get to her dad.”
“No, there has to be another way. Besides, we can probably get enough votes on the Senate side.” Kip took another sip of coffee as Tom wore a path in the carpet.
“It’s not just the Senate votes. The contract has to go to Wentworth Global. You know what they can do for your career.”
“Or yours?” Kip scratched his head, his brows furrowed. “Why the hell did you promise Amelia they’d get the contract? Once it passes the House and Senate, the contract will go out for bid. It shouldn’t be our concern at that point. The Appropriations Committee should decide who gets the bid. The only thing I wanted was to be sure local people get hired for the project.”
“And they will with Wentworth. It’s all set. Don’t rock the boat now just because that hot little girl has gotten under your skin.”
“The way Amelia’s gotten under yours?” Kip dropped back to the couch and ran both hands through his hair. “This is so messed up.”
Tom leaned down, bringing himself to Kip’s eye level. “Listen, bro, you can’t tell Annie the truth. Just get in good with her dad and float the idea of Wentworth past him.”
“I’m going to tell her. I can’t keep up this lie any longer.”
“Would you just listen to me for once?” Tom’s shout reverberated off the walls. “It’s crucial Wentworth gets the bid. Don’t fuck this up.” Tom picked up a photo of Maryland’s winning football team and shoved it in Kip’s face. “Remember this? We were a team, remember? We need to work together and stick to the original game plan. That’s how you win. That’s how we’ve always won.”
“This isn’t a football game. These are people’s lives, Tom. We can’t—”
But before Kip could finish, Tom heaved the photo to the floor, splintering the glass in a crystalline spider web.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell’s the matter with you this morning,” Kip said, straining to control the volume, “but I’m going to hit the treadmill and take a shower. I’ll be back before nine.” Kip brushed past a furious, shaking Tom and walked out of the office.
Three miles later, Kip hung his towel on the hook outside the shower stall and angled his sweat soaked body under the steaming hot water. He stood with his face to the spray, letting the hot water scald his skin. The whole time he had been running, he kept replaying the scene with Tom. He’d dragged both of them deeper into this mess than Kip liked. “It’s my name on that bill, not his. What’s Amelia promised him?” The mumbled words bounced off the tiled walls. He thought of Annie’s comment that Tom seemed to be in charge. If he was honest with himself, he’d always let Tom be in control. It was an old habit from their football days; one it seemed neither one of them was in much of a rush to break.
Six months ago, Tom had presented Kip with the idea of the pipeline. He’d introduced Kip to some very powerful people who wanted to expand the project, and Tom thought it would be Kip’s ticket to political stardom if he got it run through his district. Tom told him if he could get this deal to go through, Kip’s future in the party was secure. All those nights they’d dreamed about climbing the political ladder over cold beers was finally within reach with this bill. Tom would be Kip’s wingman all the way to the White House. But the memory of the small gifts and benefits they’d received along the way, as well as the promise of future funding from private donors, created a burning in Kip’s gut. He suspected the Wentworths had offered more than what Tom was sharing. Suspicion and guilt tingled up his spine and he couldn’t help but think about one of the last conversations he’d had with his dad before he died.
It had been a cloudless Saturday in June and they were sitting out on the pier in front of the cabin, dropping crabbing cages into the murky water. Kip was a rookie congressman, only in office six months. Although his dad had campaigned for him and volunteered as much as he could, they’d never really had a conversation about his new career.
His dad had pulled up a cage, dumped a cluster of crabs into a plastic bucket, then dropped it back to the riverbed. He kept his head down and appeared to be concentrating on the crabbing when he broke the silence by saying, “You know, Kip, I’ve never told you how proud I am of you.” He cleared his throat and then continued, still looking down into the water. “You’ve grown into a good man and I’m real impressed with your success.”
Kip’s father, though occasionally affectionate with his boys, had never been one to verbalize his feelings. When Kip made the all-state high school football team three years in a row, all he’d gotten was a silent pat on the back. When he was an All-American at Maryland, he got a simple, “Congratulations.” He had always felt his parents were proud of him, but it caught him off guard when his father expressed his pride in such uncertain terms.
“You’ve been elected to follow the wishes of the people in this area—represent their needs. Being an elected official can bring a lot of temptations that can pull you away from your honorable intentions. You need to keep your eyes open and listen to your gut. If something doesn’t sit well with you, you should steer clear. You understand what I’m saying, son?”
Kip smiled at his dad and laid his hand across his shoulder. “I understand. I went into this for the right reasons, Dad. Don’t worry.”
“I never had a doubt. Just remember to always keep your integrity intact. Be honest, be fair, and treat people the way you’d like to be treated. At the end of the day, that’s all that’s really important.”
“I’ll remember,” Kip had said.
And he did.
As the water slapped against his cheeks he could feel tears stinging his eyes. What would his father think if he knew what Kip was involved with? He’d never felt so low in his life. He could no longer trust Tom, he’d lied to the sweetest girl he’d ever met, and he had the feeling he was being dragged down a dark, shadowy alley. He had to find a way out.
The moment Kip and Tom came out of the Speaker of the House’s office, the congressman rushed back to his office and slammed the door behind him. He’d had a hard time concentrating on their discussion; his mind was focused on Annie and what he would say to her. What he did remember from the meeting was the speaker’s praise for Kip’s loyalty to the party and how the passing of this pipeline bill would benefit him. No matter, he still felt he needed to be honest with Annie and hoped he could spin it in a way that wouldn’t hurt her. She picked up on the third ring.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hey…I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to call. I’ve had a crazy twenty-four hours.” Kip’s opening line was met with dead silence. He counted to ten and then continued. “Yeah, um, I went from one meeting to the other yesterday, did some fundraising calls in the evening, and ended up sleeping on the couch in my office. Didn’t even make it home.”
“Okay,” Annie said, short, quiet, undecipherable.
Kip wasn’t making progress this way. He dropped his voice just above a whisper, his voice gravelly with emotion, “Listen, I’m sorry. I should have sent you a text at the very least. I have no viable excuse.”
“Try one.”
“Okay.” Kip cleared his throat while pinching the bridge of his nose. “The truth is, I feel bad about what happened yesterday morning.” He heard a puff of air through the phone and could just picture Annie rolling her eyes in disbelief. “Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing—you were amazing—but you deserve more than just a romp on my couch.” This time he heard an intake of breath and feared she would hang up. “Wait, that came out wrong. What I mean is that you’re a beautiful, smart, classy woman and what I should have done is waited until the right time and the right place. You deserved better. But obviously I couldn’t resist you and wasn’t thinking with my head.”
“Well, Porter, that’s the most believable thing you�
��ve said so far.”
Kip released a chuckle and flopped into his chair, his legs giving way beneath him. “So, am I forgiven?”
Several seconds went by before Annie said, “This time.”
“Whew…you had me scared for a minute.”
“Good.”
“Where are you right now? At the campaign office?”
“No, I’m working from home today. Pam can handle headquarters while I go over the poll results from here.”
“You didn’t waste any time.”
“You gave me the go ahead.”
“I did. You’re right.” Kip scratched the back of his head, dreading Tom’s reaction. Well, he’d just have to get over the fact that Kip was taking back control of his career.
“Could I come over? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Sure. Have you had lunch?”
“Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I ate.”“Okay, then, you can join me—I was just about to eat.”
“Be there in twenty.”
Kip was greeted at the door by a smiling Annie wearing a Kiss the Cook apron, her hair drawn up in a pony tail and a spicy-cinnamon smell in the air.
“May I?” He tapped her apron with his index finger and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers before she could answer. “Mmm…you taste good.”
“Sugar,” Annie mumbled against his lips.
“I love it when you call me that.” They laughed together as Annie led him to an expertly set table with a white cloth draping to the floor, pale grey placemats with matching napkins bunched into rings, and a small flower arrangement in the center.
“Have a seat. Everything’s ready.” Annie flitted to the kitchen and removed two plates from the refrigerator, placing each on the table. “Would you like something other than water?”
“No…this is fine.” Kip stared wide-eyed at the elaborate arrangement and the silver-rimmed china topped with chicken salad on a bed of lettuce, fresh sliced tomatoes and mozzarella, and two deviled eggs. He shook away his confusion and then looked at Annie, who had begun eating.
“When did you do all this?”
“Oh, I made the chicken salad and deviled eggs yesterday, and I made the caprese salad after you called.”
“But the table—”
“Oh, that’s nothing.” Kip watched as Annie stacked a piece of tomato on the cheese and gingerly popped them in her mouth. This woman was too good to be true. He had already recognized her decorating talents, but she could cook, too.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked.
“Sorry…I’m just amazed, I guess.”
“It’s a stress reliever.” Her face flushed and she looked away. “Cooking, that is.”
“Seems like a great stress reliever. I didn’t know you could cook along with all your other talents.”
Annie quickly covered her mouth with her napkin, laughing with her mouth full. She swallowed with a visible gulp and said, “Which talents are those, Porter?”
“I’m serious. You’re smart, creative, have great decorating taste, can throw a great party, and you cook.”
“You haven’t tasted it yet.”
Kip shook away his amazement and plunged his fork into the chicken salad. One bite and he thought he would moan out loud. It was delicious—beyond delicious. “This is so good—really.” He picked up Annie’s hand, giving it a quick kiss, before she dragged it away and tucked it in her lap. They resumed eating in silence, and but he couldn’t keep his eyes off the amazing woman across from him. He’d do anything not to hurt her, but feared he’d do just that when he remembered the reason he’d come to see her.
“I need to talk to you about something,” Kip said.
“Okay, let me clear the plates and get dessert out of the oven.”
“You made dessert? Ms. Merriman, you constantly surprise me.”
“Oh.” Annie came up short, briefly stopping her trek to the kitchen. “It’s nothing fancy. Just a quick peach cobbler. I bought the peaches from a farm stand on my way back from the campaign office last week. They’re amazing.” She slid thick oven mitts onto her hands and reached in for the bubbling dessert. “That’s where the tomatoes came from. Weren’t they good? I love farm fresh produce, don’t you?”
Kip noticed Annie working at warp speed, talking non-stop, scooping cobbler into bowls and covering them with a long spray of whipped cream. It looked as though her hands were shaking and he suddenly had a case of déjà vu. He’d seen this nervous, chattering behavior from her before, but couldn’t understand what was causing it this time.
She floated into the room, carrying a bowl in each hand, and walked over to the couch. “How about we have dessert over here.”
Kip joined her and watched as she tugged the skirt of her sleeveless dress and flipped her ponytail behind her back. He took a small bite before setting the bowl on the coffee table.
“Delicious. Thank you.” Kip cleared his throat and rubbed his palms together. With a deep breath, he turned and looked pointedly at Annie. “What I wanted to talk to you about w—”
“Wait, could I go first? There’s something I need to tell you.” Annie’s bowl clattered on the coffee table, making him jump. She gave Kip a sheepish grin and folded her hands in her lap, keeping her gaze focused on it. “There’s something you need to know about me. I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
“How so?”
“I don’t like keeping secrets.” A flush of guilt burned in Kip’s gut. Had she figured out their scheme?
Annie popped to her feet and retrieved the newspaper from a basket near the door. When she returned to the sofa, she handed the paper to Kip and tapped on the headline story: Local Accounting Exec Indicted on Corruption Charges. “See that?”
Kip skimmed over the story, confusion rolling through his mind. He turned to Annie, his brow furrowed, and shrugged.
“That man who was indicted, John Wolfe? I used to work for him.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t know if Tom ever told you, but I met him in a bar right after I quit my job.”
“Actually, he did tell me that, which was what I—”
“That day, John Wolfe had offered me a promotion to head a new governmental auditing department. The firm was bidding on a government contract and I thought it seemed underhanded.”
“Annie, it’s okay because—”
“The reason I thought it was underhanded is because my father sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee.” Annie took the newspaper from Kip and dropped it on the floor beside her. She grabbed both of his hands in hers and looked at him with watery eyes. “My last name is not Merriman. It’s Cooper. I lied to you and Tom and I feel terrible about it.”
“It’s okay…I know—”
“You see, all my life I’ve had to deal with being George Cooper’s daughter: the special treatment, the manipulation, even the humiliation from his sordid behavior. You would think it would be a good thing, but it isn’t. People expect things from me, special favors because of my dad. I’ve stopped counting how many times I just wanted to be someone other than his daughter. My whole life my father has essentially ignored me and my siblings and embarrassed the whole family with his antics, but he continuously interferes behind the scenes. I guess he thinks…” Annie fingered a long curl behind her ear and released a heavy sigh. “Never mind what he thinks. The day I met Tom—and believe me, he met me at a really low point in my life—I decided to use my middle name as my last name. I didn’t want him or anyone else to know who I was. I’m so sorry.”
Kip could see that Annie was on the verge of tears, her eyes welling up. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. He held her to his chest until she released a cleansing breath and sat back. “Over the phone you said I deserved better than what happened in your office. And you deserve better from me. That’s why I’m coming clean. By disguising my real name, I thought I could prove to you and myself that I could do a good job without any
prior expectations. I would be crushed if I thought I was hired just because I was Senator Cooper’s daughter. Do you understand?”
A heavy, sickening feeling caved in on Kip and he realized there was no way he could tell Annie the truth. Her thick dark lashes were wet with unshed tears and her pleading expression was nearly his undoing. Only he and Tom knew the truth and he was sure they could keep it from Annie. There was no point in sharing their prior knowledge with her now. Kip placed his hands on her face and tenderly kissed her quivering lips.
“Of course I understand. I get it.”
“You do? I mean, if it’s easier you can still call me Annie Merriman—around the staff I mean.”
“That makes sense.”
“Or you decide…whatever you call me is okay by me.”
“That’s fine. We’ll stick to Merriman in the office. You’re doing an incredible job and it doesn’t matter what your real name is.”
Annie threw herself against Kip, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. “Thank you for understanding. No more lies between us.”
Kip swallowed the lump in his throat and locked his lips against hers, hoping she didn’t recognize the guilt on his face. At some point he’d have to tell her the truth, but couldn’t bring himself to do it now. He never wanted to see tears in her eyes again. Maybe luck would be on his side and he’d never have to confess.
“What time do you have to be back?” she asked, her lips still pressed to his.
“Not until three.”
“Mmm.” Annie resumed their luscious kiss and the removal of his tie. “That should be enough time for you to redeem yourself.”
“We better not,” he said, his eyes dark and hooded.
“But I have a nice soft bed,” she replied with a song in her voice.
“But I don’t have any condoms.”
Annie undid another button while grazing her lips from his cheek to his ear. “But I do.”
Kip tipped back, his brows arched and lips pursed.
She dropped her hands from his buttons. “Oh, come on, cowboy…surely you know this isn’t my first rodeo?”
Whatever You Call Me Page 14
