Tempting

by Susan Mallery

  "I love you, too."

  "I can't believe you've forgiven me."

  "I'm an amazing guy. You're lucky to have me in your life."

  She smiled, then started to laugh. "I guess I am." She stepped back. "I was making coffee. Want some?"

  "Sure." He settled on one of the stools. "I need to talk to you about a couple of things."

  "I didn't think you were here for my cooking."

  "You make a mean cinnamon roll."

  "If only. I do a fabulous job opening the package and putting the prepared rolls onto a pan. Later, I'm almost artistic with the little container of icing."

  "Still, I like them."

  “That's why I make them."

  She would always go out of her way to do something special for each of her children. She was honest to a fault, never searching for the spotlight. She pushed everyone else ahead of herself. Family was her world. A family he was about to rip apart.

  "I'm resigning from the campaign," he said.

  Her breath caught. "Alex, no."

  "I have to. I'm not the right person to help him."

  "But it means so much to have you involved."

  He knew he was offering her an impossible choice-siding with the father or the son. Ultimately she would pick Mark because he was her husband, but it would devastate her to choose.

  "I haven't made this decision lightly," he told her. "He's important to me, too. I want to do the right thing, but I can't ignore the feeling in my gut I'm not political. I don't like it and I don't do it well."

  She folded her arms across her chest and looked at him. "I know," she whispered. "I know you were only there because he asked you. Because he wanted it to be a family affair."

  "I'll still campaign, if it comes to that. I'll show my support in other ways."

  "He's going to be disappointed."

  "He'll get over it." Alex had a feeling Mark's biggest concern would be how it looked to the voters, which probably wasn't fair.

  “This can't have been easy for you," she said, showing the understanding that always came so natural to her. "You would have seen staying as your duty."

  He shrugged. "This way is better. Ultimately for both of us, although I'm not sure he'll see it that way."

  She nodded. "He'll understand with time. When are you telling him?"

  "The end of the week."

  Even as he said the words, he felt guilty, as if he was doing the wrong thing. Everything he'd been taught, everything he owed Mark and Katherine, told him he should stay. Just suck it up and deal. But he couldn't. She'd also taught him to be his own person.

  "I'm sorry," he told her. "It's just one more thing, after the hell you dealt with yesterday."

  She wrinkled her nose. "Not me. Dani and Bailey are the ones who really suffered. I'm so glad no one was seriously injured. If those boys had hurt either one of them…"

  There was a fierceness in her voice, an anger and a strength. He liked that she was protective of both of them. "They would have had to answer to us."

  She flipped on the coffeemaker, then leaned against the counter. "Are those boys going to be charged?"

  "They're going to be convicted. I'll make sure of it. How's Bailey?”

  Katherine relaxed. "Mostly empowered. She seems very clear that the boys were bad and what they were doing was wrong. Dani protecting her made her feel special and her being able to save Dani makes her feel tough and capable."

  "Good."

  "I know she's your favorite."

  He shifted on the stool. "I love all my brothers and sisters equally."

  "Oh, please. You have a soft spot for Bailey. You always have."

  "Maybe."

  "I'm glad. Dani really cares about her, too. Dani's very special. I like her."

  There was something in the way she said the words, as if testing the waters.

  "She hasn't been easy for you," he said. "Not because of anything she's done but because of who she is."

  "Agreed."

  "Is it okay?"

  Katherine stared at the coffeemaker. "Okay is such a weasel word. What does it really mean? Do I like what's happened? Do I enjoy people talking, speculating? Of course not. Do I blame Dani? Not when I'm myself. Do I wish she'd never shown up?" She looked at him. "Never."

  "I love her."

  He hadn't meant to say the words. He'd barely recognized the truth of it himself. But last night, after he'd left her in the hospital, he'd realized how much he would have been destroyed if she'd been critically hurt. He hadn't been looking, but he'd found her all the same.

  "I sort of figured that out," his mother said with a smile.

  "How?"

  "There's something about your eyes when you talk about her. A light. I don't know. It's subtle, but I saw it."

  Hated it, he thought. She had hated it, then accepted it and now she would embrace it. Because of who she was.

  "It's serious," he told her.

  "I figured that, too."

  "I want to marry her."

  He waited for her to react-to collapse or fall into tears. He thought she might get angry or beg him to change his mind.

  Instead she poured them each a cup of coffee, handed him his, then said, "Let me be clear. This time I expect grandchildren. Lots of them."

  She smiled.

  He might have known, he thought as he put his arm around her. She always took the high road. No matter what.

  "Damn, you're good," he said.

  "I know. I' m a constant surprise. It's part of my charm."

  Katherine closed her eyes and knew that finding a way to welcome Dani as Alex's wife would be easier today than it would have been yesterday. Dani had more than proved herself and was exactly who Katherine would have wanted for her son.

  She refused to think about the gossip or potential scandal. That would happen and she would deal with it because she was good at dealing.

  "When are you going to propose?" she asked.

  "Tomorrow night I'll plan a romantic dinner. I'm picking her up at the hospital this morning. She probably still hurts from what those bastards did to her, so I'm giving her time."

  She sighed. "I raised you right. You're a good man, Alex. She's lucky to have you."

  "That's what I'm going to tell her."

  "I'll want details. I'm seeing her tomorrow at the charity luncheon. It will be hard to keep quiet. But I will."

  He stared into her eyes. 'Thank you. For everything."

  All she'd ever done was love him, the way she loved all her children. She'd made mistakes, but she kept trying to do the right thing. Just as her mother had taught her.

  Alex marrying Dani would bind the two families together. Make them both stronger.

  "Don't think that's enough to get you out of the whole grandchildren thing," she said with a laugh. "I mean it. I'm tired of waiting."

  He chuckled. "Not to worry. I'll get right on that."

  ***

  The charity luncheon in support of breast cancer was held in a downtown hotel. Dani hovered in a bathroom stall and knew that eventually she was going to have to leave the tiny space and go face the room. And she would. Just as soon as she was sure she wasn't going to throw up.

  Her stomach kept flipping and spinning and trying to escape. Her chest was tight and her legs trembled. She was past nervous. She was in that fight-or-flight state. Even with the black eye, she was more than willing to fight anyone rather than speak in public.

  "I'm fine," she whispered to herself as she tried to breathe. "I'll get through this. It's only six minutes. Five if I talk fast. I can do it for five minutes."

  She didn't actually convince herself, but maybe if she kept up the cheerful talk, she would start to feel better. The speech was fine. It was charming and heartfelt. The Canfield speech writers had even given her a funny new opening that mentioned her black eye. Mostly because all the concealer in the world couldn't hide the bruise.

  She clenched her hands together and sucked in another breath, then
heard several women walk into the bathroom.

  Dani told herself it was time to leave, so she wasn't hogging a stall for no good reason, when she heard their conversation.

  "Oh my God! I can't believe Katherine went through with this," one of the women said. "I can't decide if she's a saint or just an idiot."

  "She looks tired," another said. "I'm sure it's the stress. Mark's child. Can you believe it? She's actually going to be seen in public with her. I wouldn't do it."

  "Your husband isn't running for president. A woman will put up with a lot to get that kind of life. She sure has. People are talking about her everywhere. It has to be killing her."

  The speaker sounded as if she was thrilled at the thought of Katherine's pain.

  "Do you suppose she told him she couldn't have children before or after they got married?" another woman asked.

  "I don't know," the first one said. "Either way, he's got to be disappointed. That group she's put together. There's something wrong with all of them. It's horrible. Not that we can say that, of course. We all have to pretend she's just so wonderful."

  Dani's temper exploded. She stepped out of the stall and faced the three well-dressed women.

  "Pretending isn't required," she told them. "Katherine is an extraordinary woman. Something none of you can relate to, I'm sure."

  They stared at her. Dani calmly walked over to the sink, washed her hands, dried them and left. She was still shaking when she entered the main ballroom.

  Damn those women and their petty comments. Dani didn't know who they were, but she hoped Katherine didn't consider any of them close friends. They were like snakes in couture. The only bright side was one of them had obviously had an unfortunate eye lift.

  She looked around for Katherine, but instead found herself cornered by two reporters.

  "Just a minute of your time," the woman said. "Please."

  Dani tried to inch away. "This is a private event. Unless you bought a ticket, you have to leave."

  They both held up tickets. Dani stifled a groan.

  "Did you stage the attack yesterday to help your father's campaign?" the man asked.

  "Is it true you and Alex Canfield aren't seeing each other because of the falling poll numbers? Did you give up love for the campaign?"

  Dani pushed her way past them and headed for the front of the room. She found Katherine speaking with the event coordinator.

  "Standing room only," Katherine told her as they stepped into a quiet corner. "We've sold out, thanks to you."

  "You mean thanks to the fact that everyone is hoping for juicy gossip to tell their friends," Dani said bitterly.

  Katherine's gaze sharpened. "What happened?"

  There was no way Dani was going to mention what she'd overheard in the bathroom. "Some members of the press bought tickets and they tried to talk to me. Honestly, I don't know how you stand this, being in the public eye. I hate it. I'm not good at it and it's not how I want to live my life."

  "There are compensations," the other woman told her.

  Dani was tempted to ask what they were. It wasn't about money and power. Katherine came from a wealthy family. She was a private person; she couldn't actually like being so exposed all the time, could she?

  Then Dani remembered watching Katherine with Mark and had her answer. The compensation was that Katherine got to be with the man she loved and make him happy. This was all about Mark.

  Thinking about her father brought her back to where she'd been the previous night at the hospital. Where she'd realized that her father's dreams could impact history and that she was in danger of destroying that. Just by showing up, she'd shoved the campaign off course.

  "Dani?" Katherine asked. "What's wrong?"

  "I've screwed everything up," Dani said, trying to stay calm despite the feelings welling inside of her. "Those boys would never have attacked Bailey if it hadn't been for me. They recognized me. That's how it all started."

  "That's their fault, not yours."

  Logic. It wasn't helping. "Bailey could have been seriously hurt. They were going to rape her, Katherine. It would have been because they recognized me. Sure, I wouldn't have committed the crime, but how could I have lived with myself afterward?"

  "Nothing happened. You're both safe."

  "For how long?" Dani asked. "Who's next? Who else will I ruin in some way? What about you? Don't you hate what I represent? Don't you hate people talking?"

  "People will always talk," Katherine told her. "We can't stop that."

  "You always say the right thing."

  "Not always. Very recently I said the wrong thing."

  Dani dismissed the reference to their conversation about Fiona with a flick of her hand. "That's not important. I mean about the big stuff. You'll deal with me because you have to. You'll smile and pretend it's okay when every time you look at me, I'll break your heart."

  Katherine smiled. "Okay, you're being a little dramatic here. You're not breaking my heart."

  "They hurt you with what they say, what they speculate about. It can't be easy."

  "Dani, stop it. You're taking way too much credit."

  "I don't think so. I need to go."

  "You're giving a speech in five minutes."

  That almost made her smile. "After. Later. I'm leaving Seattle."

  Katherine stared at her. "You're not running away."

  "It solves everyone's problems."

  "Shouldn't we be the ones to decide if we want your help in solving the problem?"

  "None of you are going to ask me to leave. You wouldn't." Mark might, she amended, but what was the point in saying that?

  Leaving was the only thing that made sense, Dani thought. With her out of the way, life could return to normal. She would go somewhere big. L.A., or maybe New York. There were thousands of restaurants there. She could easily find a job.

  "You're not by nature a quitter," Katherine said quietly. "Why now?"

  "It helps the most number of people."

  "What about helping yourself? What about what you want?"

  "That doesn't matter."

  "What about Alex?"

  Dani didn't have an answer for that. "He'll understand."

  Something shifted in Katherine's eyes. "I don't think he'll understand at all."

  ***

  Dani didn't want to face anyone, deal with the fights and arguments that were sure to follow her telling them her plans. She just wanted to be gone.

  Except for Alex, she thought wistfully. She wanted to be with him, in his arms, talking and touching and being together. She wanted so much with him, from him. She wanted to give him everything she was.

  She checked her watch and saw he was due to come by in a few minutes. They were supposed to go out to dinner-somewhere nice, he'd promised.

  She would like that, she thought wistfully. A quiet dinner with the man she loved. Spending the night with him. But to what end? Wouldn't being with him now make it harder to leave later?

  She sank onto the bed in the room she'd been using at Gloria's house. She didn't want to go- not deep down inside. She wanted to stay because this was her world. This was where she belonged.

  But at what price? How could she be happy with herself if that happiness came at the price of destroying all those around her?

  She stood and walked into the bathroom. She'd washed off the makeup she'd carefully applied for the luncheon. The dark bruise under her eye was in sharp contrast to her pale skin. She looked lost and beat-up-which fit exactly how she felt.

  She hated this. Hated feeling torn. Hated the sense of there being no good solution to her problem. Hated being controlled by circumstances and other people.

  All she'd wanted was to find out where she belonged, to find her family. She'd found them, all right, and because of that, everything was a mess. It was time to start fixing that.

  She went downstairs to wait for Alex. She didn't want to think about telling him she was leaving. It was all too sad. So instead she walked t
hrough the empty rooms, marveling at the fact that Gloria wasn't here-she was out. With friends. Friends she'd made at the local senior center.

  The image of her grandmother scrapbooking with other old ladies made her smile, yet it was happening. Maybe not the scrapbooking, but the hanging out and meeting people. It had been Lori's Idea and Gloria had listened.

  Dani walked into the living room and stared out at the view of the city. Lori had been good for her grandmother and for Reid. She'd brought the family together. Elissa had healed Walker's heart and given him something to live for. Cal had always been in love with Penny, he'd just been too stubborn to recognize it for what it was.

  The doorbell rang. Dani hurried to let in Alex. As he stepped across the threshold, she took in the sight of him. The strong shoulders, the shape of his jaw, that mouth that could always reduce her to a sexual puddle.

  She loved him. After more evil frogs than any woman deserved, she'd found a prince. A prince she was going to be leaving.

  "Hi," he said, then bent down and kissed her on the mouth.

  She leaned into him, kissing him back, letting her body say what she wouldn't let herself speak. That she loved him. That she would always love him and no matter how far away she had to go, she would never forget him.

  "Hi, yourself," she whispered as he straightened.

  "I picked a very special place for dinner," he told her. "Soft lights. Very romantic. You probably want to brace yourself. You know how being with me makes you weak in the knees."

  She smiled because he was funny and charming and always knew the right thing to say.

  "It's a curse," she said. "You handle it with grace."

  "I know. I use my power for good." He cupped her face and lightly touched the bruise under her eye. "Seeing that makes me want to go beat the shit out of those three boys."

  "But you won't."

  He hesitated just long enough to let her know that doing the right thing wasn't his first choice. "I won't," he agreed. He glanced at his watch. "You about ready?"

  She took his hand and led him into the living room. When they were settled on the large sofa facing the window, she turned toward him.

  "I'm not really hungry," she said. "I thought we could skip dinner. There are a couple of things I need to-"