Page 4 of Her Senator's Second Chance

As she handed the glass back to him, Mrs. Wheaton ambled up, half out of breath. “Well, I was wondering when you two were going to bump into each other. Did you know she’s running this place now? That girl sure has made a name for herself in this town. She’s got ambition!”

Adam nervously tapped the glass with his fingertips. Natasha could see a flush of red spreading across his face. “Yep, we bumped into each other all right.”

“I remember when I changed both of your diapers. Shoo wee.” She pinched her nose and waved her hand in front of her face. “I don’t know which one of you stunk the most. I was the best babysitter in town back in those days. And now look where you are.”

Natasha cringed. Adam’s face turned from red to green at the mention of those diapers. He set his fork down.

“I’m so proud of you two.” She grinned like she was the one who had raised them, revealing a full set of yellowing, crooked teeth. Natasha had learned years ago to stand back when Mrs. Wheaton talked, because not only did she have to dodge droplets of saliva, but her breath left something to be desired. “Senator Larson, how long are you in town for?”

His face down, obviously trying to avoid being rude from the stench of her breath, he answered, “I’m heading out first thing in the morning.”

“What a crying shame! I was going to invite the two of you over for breakfast. Walter just slaughtered our prized hog last week, and I have fresh bacon. Are you sure you can’t squeeze in an extra hour for me?”

The idea of eating breakfast with Adam horrified her. She wanted to get away from him as quickly as she could. She didn’t like the way her body reacted when she was in close proximity to him.

“I’m afraid I can’t,” Adam said. “I have a tight schedule, I’m sure you understand with the campaign and all.”

Natasha felt a wave of relief wash over her. At least Adam seemed to have some sense about keeping the past in the past.

“I always thought the two of you were going to get married. Whatever happened anyway?”

Adam could speak to a room of a thousand plus people and debate the toughest competitors, but Natasha noticed he was at a loss for words when posed with this question.

“Mrs. Wheaton,” Natasha said, grabbing a generous portion of the older woman’s arm. “Have you tried the lemon-poppyseed muffins? They’re my secret recipe.”

“Why no, I haven’t. I’m not one to turn down a muffin. Where are they?”

“They’re right over there at that table,” Natasha said, pointing to the table across the lawn.

“Oh goody!” She clapped her hands together, and they looked like two wrinkled-up flags waving in the wind. She waddled in the direction of the muffins like an excited toddler ready for snack time.

Natasha looks back at Adam

Natasha carried the last of the linens from the tables spaced across the perfectly manicured lawn behind the mansion. She’d sent the rest of her staff home for the night. She just needed to drop the tablecloths off in the laundry room, and then she’d head upstairs to her personal quarters to retire for the night. She desperately needed to put her feet up. There was a pint of Ben and Jerry’s calling to her from her freezer.

Adam’s dinner had been a raging success. The townspeople adored him and would be talking about the event for months.

She had to admit that he looked ravishing in his suit. And he was an even better public speaker than he’d been when he was the student body president in high school. And he’d been fabulous back then. He’d inspired kids wherever he went.

She walked to the back veranda and turned around to survey the property. It wasn’t cheap to keep up the place, and it had been Natasha’s dream to fix it up ever since she’d had her senior prom here. She couldn’t explain it to herself. It was like she was somehow holding onto the past. Maybe that was stupid. But she’d run away from Adam. Maybe this was her way of holding onto the last beautiful memory they’d had together.

That night had been magical. Lights strewn above the grassy dance floor, and fireflies blinking all around them as they’d danced. Everything had been perfect. Too perfect. And when Adam told her he was in love with her, she knew it couldn’t last. Nothing that great lasted. She’d learned that when she was twelve, when her dad died of cancer. So she ran away.

None of that mattered now. She’d made her decision years ago, and Adam was getting married to another woman. She hoped he’d be happy, but she couldn’t deny that it still hurt. She didn’t understand it, but an ache had formed in her chest when she’d seen an announcement of his upcoming nuptials in the town paper. She should have moved on by now, but for some reason the pain was still there. Maybe it was this place. It was a constant reminder of that magical night and the future she might have had with Adam. She’d spent a lot of years alone since then. There weren’t exactly a lot of dating options in Maple Creek. Most of the men were married, or single by choice.

Natasha entered the home through the back door and locked it up behind her. She dropped off the armload of linens in the laundry room, and her phone rang from where she’d left it on the kitchen counter.

“Natasha?” The voice on the other line was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“Yes?”

“This is Jenny Larson, Adam’s sister. He forgot his cell phone in the room we were using for him. Are you still there? We’d like to stop by to grab it.”

Jenny’s casual tone caught Natasha off guard after acting in such a professional manner toward each other all day. There was something comforting about it. Like Jenny remembered how they all used to be.

“Well, I actually live here,” Natasha said, relaxing into the conversation, “so I won’t be going anywhere for the rest of the night. I was planning to head to bed soon. What time do you think you’ll be by?”

“Within the next five minutes. We’re at our parents’ home just around the corner.”

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