Page 51 of Pursuit of Happiness

“Stevie Palmer works as a public defender in the District ofColumbia, but apparently, she’s been tagging along with the senator on thecampaign trail. We’ve assembled a panel of experts to talk about how this news,that the formerly single senator has a new girlfriend, might affect herelection bid. With me this morning are…”

He kept talking, but all Meredith heard was a dull roar.

Dixon grasped her arm and whispered, “Are you okay? You’re whiteas a sheet.”

This was horrible. Where was Stevie?Please, God, don’t let her walk out into that hordeof hungry journalists.Stevie’s voice telling her about the gossipcolumnists reporting about her after the wedding echoed in Meredith’s head.She’d written that off as idle nuisance, but that was also before she’d beenrunning for president. Judging by the size of the press presence outside herapartment building right now, this was another level entirely. She edged awayfrom the crowd around the television. “I need to make a phone call.”

Serno chose that moment to emerge from his inner office. “We’vegot the votes. Everyone get to the floor pronto. I want this wrapped up in thenext hour.”

Meredith felt her phone in her jacket pocket. She could talk onthe run. She shot out of Serno’s office and dialed as she walked, but the callwent directly to voice mail. Damn. She hoped no reporters had managed to getStevie’s cell phone number, or she’d be smothered with calls. Meredith slowedher pace while she composed a text, but there simply wasn’t time to say all shewanted to say, and caution told her to be careful what she put in writing nowthat her dating life was splattered all over the network news. She settled on afew simple words and hoped they would Band-Aid the wound until she could seeStevie in person.Iheard. I want to see you. It’s going to be okay.

She pressed send before she could rethink the words that weren’tcompletely impersonal, but weren’t nearly as personal as she wanted them to be.

Chapter Seventeen

Stevie walked off the plane, and Erica led her to thewaiting car where she held the door open. Stevie glanced inside at the totalstranger behind the wheel and looked back at Erica. “You’re not driving?” Shefelt foolish. After everything Erica had done for her today, for her to assumeErica was going to chauffeur her around all day was selfish, but she wasgenuinely apprehensive about being carted around by a stranger. Silly, really,when she considered how many times in her life she’d stepped into a taxi.But you weren’t being pursued bypaparazzi at the time.“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just…”

Erica smiled. “I’m sorry too, but I need to get to the Capitoland be ready when Senator Mitchell’s done there. I don’t even know if she’saware of what’s going on, but I don’t want to leave her in someone else’s handsif there’s a crowd waiting for her. I’d take you along, but…”

“I get it. If I’m in the car, it’s just more fuel for the fire.”

Erica pointed at the guy in the driver’s seat. “This is George.He works for Rook Daniels—I believe you met Rook at Addison and Julia’swedding. You can trust him to be discreet.”

Stevie decided she was being ridiculous. “I’ll be fine. I won’tleave my house until I hear from Meredith.”

“About that.”

Stevie held her breath while Erica drummed her fingers on thedoor. “Yes?”

“I’ve arranged for you to check into a hotel. Your house issurrounded.”

“What?”

“Just until the furor dies down. George will handle all thedetails and get you whatever you need, but trust me, it’s best this way.”

Stevie wanted to protest. Her home was her safe place and she’dbeen looking forward to being tucked away in its comforts since she snuck outof Meredith’s building. Other than the maid’s uniform that she’d changed out ofon the plane, and the sexy underwear she’d packed for her visit to Meredith’sthe night before, she didn’t have any clothes. But she knew Erica was right. Ifher house was indeed surrounded, she wouldn’t get any rest there anyway, and Meredithcertainly wouldn’t be able to come over. A hotel rendezvous was much morelikely under the current circumstances.

An hour later, she was tucked away in a suite at the Hay Adams.She had no idea who was paying for the room since George had made all thearrangements from the car and warned her not to use her own credit cards to payfor any charges. Whoever was paying, it wasn’t cheap. The prices on the minibarwere off the charts, but raiding it was her only chance for any kind of lunch.She stripped off her clothes, wrapped up in a fluffy robe, and grabbed a tin ofcashews and an Amstel Light. Hunkered down in bed, she channel surfed her wayto a B movie about a serial killer hijacking a plane, taking small comfort inwatching someone’s life being more difficult than her own.

The more she watched the movie, the more normal she felt. In thescheme of things, nothing had really happened to her. Sure, her privacy hadbeen violated, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. If she was going to date Meredith,she would have to get used to some level of exposure of her private life. Shejust thought she’d have more time to prepare for the onslaught of attention,and she hadn’t expected an explosion of it so soon after she and Meredith hadbeen intimate for the first time.

That’s what she should be dwelling on—their night together, notthe craziness that followed. She reached a hand underneath her robe, not at allsurprised to find she was wet just thinking about Meredith touching her. Everydetail of their night together came flooding back, and she prayed Meredithwould be able to finish up at the Capitol and find a way to sneak over here assoon as possible.

* * *

Meredith walked through the tunnels from the Capitol Building toher office. She vowed to spend no more than fifteen minutes there, wrapping upanything necessary, and then she’d find Stevie. She burst through the doors,and her secretary Kate sprang from her chair.

“Have you seen the news?” She pointed at the TV on the wall. “Thecable channels have spent all morning on this.”

Meredith kept walking. “News? That’s not news they’re airing.It’s gossip. Where’s Jen?”

“She’s in your office making some phone calls.” Kate handed her asheet of paper. “Here’s a list of everyone who’s called for you this morning,not including reporters. I listed them in order of who I figured you’d careabout.”

Meredith glanced at the list, noting Erica’s name listed firstwith three stars next to it. She’d call her first. She walked into her privateoffice and shut the door behind her, but instead of finding solitude, she sawJen sitting at her desk, talking on the phone. Jen held up a hand before sayingto whoever was on the line, “I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you back with moredetails in just a bit. Thanks.” She hung up. “How did the vote go?”

Meredith suppressed a frustrated scream. “The vote? I don’t careabout the vote. Have you seen the news? The press is all over Stevie. Have youheard from her? What’s going on?” She paced as she talked, but no amount ofphysical exertion quelled the mounting anxiety she felt.

“Hey, calm down. Everything’s okay.”

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