Page 58 of The Senator

“I’m not sneaking. I didn’t want to track dirt through the house. I’m going to the diner on Georgetown Pike to get a cup of coffee and figure things out. I’m sorry if I ruined your Christmas.”

Spencer went to the closet by the front door and slid on a pair of boots, tucking his pajama pants inside before he pulled on a sweatshirt and a thick coat. “Let’s go. I want pumpkin pie.”

So much for my quiet getaway.

The Friday after Christmas, Spencer had a breakfast meeting with Sean Fitzpatrick at the same Georgetown hotel where Sean held his birthday party last fall. “Sean wants to talk to you, too, so come with me. He was going to call you later, but we can handle everything with one breakfast.”

I was busy folding towels. Jay and Cole had gone to meet Cole’s family to spend New Year’s with them on a ski trip to the Pocono Mountains, and Vanessa was busy packing things she wanted to take with her to New York. Spence had ordered boxes to pack up the rest of it, and we were supposed to go apartment hunting over the weekend.

My idea of going to Atlanta had flown the coop when Spencer sat down at the diner and ordered a whole pumpkin pie for us to split. We ate it out of the pie tin and laughed like loons.

“Why would Sean want to talk to me? I know nothing about the lobbying business.” Man, that was no joke. I’d overheard Spence on a phone call with him the day after Christmas, and they were talking about some press conference Sean was planning to hold on January third. I wasn’t sure what it would be about, but I wondered if Spence did.

“I’m not sure, sweetheart. I told him when he called that I could bring you along with me, and he agreed. He mentioned something about a business proposition he had for you.”

Spence was wearing jeans and a sweater, so I went upstairs and showered. I pulled on black jeans, a tan sweater that had been a Christmas gift from Denver, and my black boots. I dried my hair and put finishing spray on it, and I walked down the hall to find Vanessa in the den looking through the bookshelves.

“Do I look okay? I’m going with Spencer to meet Sean Fitzpatrick for breakfast.”

Vanessa turned to me and smiled widely. “You look handsome. I think that sweater is perfect. So did Spence say why Sean wants to see you?”

“A business proposition, but that’s all. I’m nervous. I’m not sure what skills I have that—” I froze. There was no way Spencer would be okay if Sean was planning to pimp me out, was there?

“No, no. Don’t even think about it.” Vanessa touched my shoulder. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, I can tell you Spencer won’t go along with it for any amount of money. He’ll lose his mind if Sean even hints at asking you to do anything of the sort.”

I took a deep breath, hoping she was right. “I hope so. Anyway, you’ll be here when we get back, right?”

Vani giggled. “Yes, I will. The truck isn’t coming until the thirtieth, so calm down. You’re as bad as Spencer.”

I hugged her and left the den, heading to the kitchen where Spencer was rinsing our mugs to put in the dishwasher. “I’m ready.”

When Spencer turned around, his eyes scanned my body, making me self-conscious. He walked closer and put his forearms on my shoulders. “You, my love, look fantastic.”

He leaned closer and kissed my lips. I wrapped my arms around his waist, feeling his strong body next to mine. How could I ever think of leaving him? I must have been out of my head.

Before the kiss could turn into something I didn’t have the power to stop, Spence ended it with a soft nip of his teeth on my bottom lip. “Come on. I’m anxious to find out what Sean was so excited about.”

Yeah, I was anxious about that myself, though I doubted it was the same thing Spencer was thinking. My stomach tied itself in knots at warp speed.

We headed into DC, Spencer holding my hand as he drove. The radio played a smooth jazz station that filled the silence as my mind raced. After we crossed the Key Bridge into Georgetown, we hit a red light, so Spencer stopped.

“I have a question. What if Sean wants to pimp me out? Use me to get dirt on some of your former colleagues or people in the elite Washington set?” The words came out fast, and Spence did a double take.

When the light turned green, he turned right onto M Street and pulled into the curb lane, turning on the emergency flashers. There were angry horns and a few middle fingers, but Spencer didn’t see them because he was staring at me.

“What are you talking about? Sean pimp—there’s no fucking way I’d let him even hint at something of the sort.”

Spencer turned in his seat to face me. “I love you. We’re going to make a life together, and I would never stand for Sean to ask something like that from you. If I catch a whiff that he’s thinking along those lines in any way, we’ll leave. We’ll figure out our next steps, but we’re doing it together. You feel the same, right?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I still think?—”

Spencer put his finger over my lips. “It’s a yes or no question, Nash. You feel the same way, right?”

I kissed his finger before pushing it away from my lips. “Yes, Spence, I feel the same way. I love you and want to make a life with you, but I think you’d still be better without me.”

He chuckled. “I can assure you, I wouldn’t.”

Spencer checked the rearview mirror and the side mirror before pulling into traffic, seemingly satisfied that we’d put the argument to rest.

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