Page 48 of The Senator

I chuckled. “I’m sure it’ll be fair. You know all about me, so you probably know how much I made on the Hill. Vanessa and I will be divorcing and selling the house, so my expenses will decrease. She’s relocating to New York for a job in Manhattan, and it will be an amicable split, so no headlines, I hope.” I owed it to Sean to be up front about the changes in my life. If he was willing to take a chance on me, then we had to develop trust.

“And, what of young Nash?” Sean asked.

In for a penny—in for a pound. “We’re together, but discreetly for now. Once the divorce is final, then we’ll make it public. Will our relationship prohibit him from working for your party planner?” I was unsure of Nash’s plans, but I prayed they included me.

“I think we can do better than that for him. Let me make some calls, but don’t say anything yet. I assume he’s done with Caroline Bering-Turner, now that she’s run off?” Sean asked.

I chuckled. “Yes, he told me he’s done with it, and I’m more than happy. Happy holidays, Sean. I’ll see you on the fourth.” I shook his hand and turned to leave.

I walked out of the office and down the stairs where Byron stood at his desk with a mirror, checking his face. I stopped and smiled. “You look perfect. Have a great lunch.”

I winked and grabbed my topcoat before heading out onto the street. Ah, Washington, DC would be nowhere without its scandals. Some were more shocking than others, but everyone had a secret. Some just kept them better than others.

CHAPTER 21

NASH

I was in the kitchen on December 22, leafing through one of many unopened recipe books I found on a shelf in the large, white oak cupboard near the table. Vani and Spence admitted they’d always catered in their Christmas dinners, but I suggested we should tackle it together. We did take the precautionary step of ordering a brown-sugar glazed ham, but the sides? I was convinced we could make them ourselves, or I thought it might be fun to try, at least.

I heard the garage door rattling, so I rushed to the laundry room to open the door. A navy pickup slowly eased into the open third parking spot instead of the sleek Mercedes Vani drove every day. The large, black SUV was still parked in the first space of the three-car garage, but when I saw the young man behind the wheel of the truck, it reminded me that Jay and his boyfriend were expected from school for the Christmas break.

I knew Vani and Spencer were meeting with their attorney that morning to draw up the paperwork for their upcoming divorce. I hadn’t thought to ask Spencer what Jay knew about us, so I was momentarily paralyzed at what to say to the young man that wouldn’t undermine his relationship with either of his parents.

I closed the door to give Jay and his boyfriend privacy and went back to the cookbook, continuing to peruse possible side dishes. When the two young guys walked into the kitchen, both laughing at something one of them had said, they froze when they saw me at the island. “Jay, welcome home. Cole, how are you?” Why did I make it sound as though we knew each other?

I saw understanding on Jay’s face before he ushered Cole forward. “Nash, this is my boyfriend, Cole Glennon. Babe, this is Nash, my parents, uh…”

“I sort of run the house for the Senator and Mrs. Brady.” Of late, it wasn’t a lie. It was exactly what I’d been doing.

“Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Nash.” Cole extended his hand like a perfect gentleman, and I happily shook it.

“Just Nash. How’s your leg?” He was in a walking cast, which was a vast improvement from just after the accident.

“I get the damn thing off after the first of the year. It itches like crazy, ya know?” Cole didn’t seem at all uncomfortable with my explanation for why I was in the kitchen while Vani and Spencer weren’t at home.

“I can only imagine. Jay, your bedroom is ready for you guys. Your mom’s been working on redecorating it all week.” I was trying to figure out what the hell else to say to the young guy.

Jay smirked, making my gut churn. “So, do you live in? Where do you sleep?”

I could tell the kid knew more than he was willing to give up, but I didn’t know what, or how much. Thankfully, the garage door opened again, and I was saved. “There’re your folks.”

Jay started laughing and turned to Cole. “Mom and Dad had an appointment with their lawyer this morning. Nash is their third, I guess?”

“What? No! Oh, no! That’s not it at all.” The door opened and Vani came inside, squealing at seeing Jay and his boyfriend. Spence was behind her with a big grin on his face as he hugged his son after Vani.

I went to the stairwell and grabbed the boys’ luggage, taking it upstairs to Jay’s room, after which, I went to the master and pulled out my duffel. It was best for me to go to Tennessee to spend my Christmas with The Volunteers, so the Brady family had time to sort out everything that was happening in their lives.

I’d almost finished packing, ready to call a rental company to see if I was too late to get a car for Christmas, when there was a knock on the bedroom door. It opened without a word from me, and Spencer walked in with Jay behind him. “Where are you going?” Spence eyed my clothes in the duffel and frowned.

“I, uh, I thought it was better if I left the family to celebrate the holiday. You should get to know Cole, Senator, and it’s better if there isn’t a stranger here while you do it. I’ve been invited to Tennessee to spend the holidays with my friends, and I think that’s best.”

Spencer turned to Jay and tilted his head. “Jeez! I’m sorry. I was just giving you shit, Nash. Dad already told me everything about you guys, and I wanted to see what you’d say about it. You’re pretty quick on your feet with that house manager bullshit.”

I chuckled at seeing Spencer’s eyes roll at his son’s comment, but I liked the kid. “You’re a shit disturber, and I respect that in a guy. I still think it’s best if I go to Tennessee to see my friends, so the four of you can spend time together, what with the changes on the horizon. I’ll be back the day after Christmas, and we can get to know each other then, okay?”

“Thanks, Nash. I know this is a big change for all of us, but even after Mom and Dad split, we’re still gonna be a family. I look forward to getting to know you, too.” Jay let himself out the door, leaving me with a very pissed off man studying my every move.

“This is news to me that you’d rather go to Tennessee than spend Christmas with us.” Spencer sat on the bed and rummaged in my duffel, scanning the things I’d packed.

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