CHAPTER THIRTY #2
I could. I knew I could. I didn’t want anyone but Nadine. Yes, I’d experienced insta-lust with her. But it was more. The thought of being with anyone other than her left me… cold.
“Where’d you go? What are you thinking?” Melda asked.
I was trying to clear my mind. I had to re-direct it to the shocking news about Jasper Hill. “Sorry. I just… wow. That’s a lot to take in. Has it hit the media yet?”
She nodded. “Someone ran out on the set of West Bay Today to give Jacie Jankins the news. She reported on it extensively for the rest of the broadcast. That’s all she and the other hosts talked about, apparently.
She got in trouble with the network for giving details of what happened at such an early hour. ”
I scoffed. “The network will send her a huge bouquet once they see their ratings.”
“Probably,” Melda agreed.
“What does this mean for me?” I was getting excited. I could take Nadine out in public. We could actually date…
“Nothing should change,” she cautioned, bursting my bubble. “If anything, you need to be even more squeaky clean until after the inaugural ball in February. Then, if you want to bring your actual girlfriend out, you can.”
“My actual girlfriend…” I looked at her sharply. “How did you know about Nadine?”
She smiled. “I know everything, Reynolds. You should be aware of that by now.”
“I should be,” I agreed.
“You need to look like the anti-Jasper. You need to be steady and responsible. Then any of your detractors will come onboard for you quickly, mark my words.”
I was uneasy. That felt a lot like lying to the public. I knew I’d been doing that all along, but after what Jasper had done, it felt even worse to continue to do so.
“I think I should come clean,” I said, and watched as the blood drained from Melda’s face.
“No. No way,” she said, standing up. “If you do that, then the public loses trust in Hill and you. If that happens…” she paused and put her hands on her hips. “Well. Old Man Dinardo or the lady who sells crystals and potions on the square could win. Is that what you want for West Bay?”
No. It was not. I really thought the two of them ran for mayor each year to drum up publicity for their respective businesses. I didn’t believe either of them really wanted to be mayor. Still, Melda had a point. If one of them actually won, West Bay would be up shit creek without a paddle.
Damn. I had wanted to date Nadine. In public. Then I could really test my theory that I had actual feelings for her.
I hoped she did for me, too.
It looked like I’d have to wait a bit longer to find out.
***
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Nico said, sipping his drink and adjusting the tie on his tux. He winked at a pretty woman as she walked by.
We were at a charity benefit at Salazar Nights.
“Not even a little bit.” We were talking about the Jasper Hill scandal. Everyone was.
Enzo Salazar walked over with a Whitney-look-alike on his arm. “Why don’t you go spend some time with your friends?” he asked, patting her on the arm as she nodded and walked off.
Nico gave him a look. “Why do you even bring dates?”
Enzo shrugged.
Nico started to say something else, but a hostess came over and whispered something in his ear. He frowned, nodded, and then said, “Excuse me, gentleman. We seem to have a shortage of whiskey at one of the bars.”
He hurried off to take care of the problem.
Enzo watched him go, then turned to me. “Congratulations. It seems silly that we even need to have an election now. Like a waste of money.” He sipped a drink and stared at someone over my shoulder.
I turned to look, but there were so many couples on the dance floor I couldn’t make out who it was. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying. It’s the political process, though. Even if I was running unopposed, we would have to have an election. It’s the way it works.”
Enzo took a sip of his whiskey then leaned in closer so only I could hear him. “I told you that you would win.”
A prickle of something ran down my spine. It wasn’t quite fear—more like foreboding. But whatever he was about to say, I knew it would not be easy to hear. “What do you mean?”
Enzo grinned and tipped his glass to someone. I turned to see that it was his father, Carlos Salazar, who was leaning against the railing on the second floor of the club. He sipped a drink and talked to his wife while he stared down at us, a smile on his face.
I swallowed hard. “Do you want to fill me in?”
“I did nothing illegal, Reynolds, so you can get that look off your face. Jasper Hill is a douche of epic proportions. I’ve known for a while now, ever since he started looking like a viable candidate.
I had him checked out and found plenty of nasty secrets in his closet.
He’s been fucking those twins for at least a year right under his best friend’s nose.
And that’s not even close to everything I found. ”
“And you sat on it?”
He smirked at me. “Of course. He didn’t do anything illegal.
Just reprehensible. I wanted it to come out at just the right time, so I waited until it would hurt him the worst. Funny how one of the twins just happened to receive an anonymous text telling her to take a closer look at her so-called boyfriend. ”
My heart sank. Enzo would only have one reason for doing this. He wanted something from me. Or his dad did. “What do you want?”
He patted me on the back. “What makes you think I want something?”
I wasn’t that na?ve. I stared at him until his grin widened into a smile.
Most people thought Nico was the scariest Salazar besides Carlos.
Not me. I’d always been friends with Enzo, but I still thought his quiet intensity and behind-the-scenes calculations were far more terrifying.
“Tell me why you did this. What do you want out of it?”
“Nothing specific. Let’s just say that it always pays to have friends in high places.” His bright blue eyes locked on mine. “Nico’s coming back. You need to laugh or something, Reynolds. You look upset.”
Nico came back over and motioned for the bartender to get him a refill. He rubbed his hands together. “That’s handled. Now, can we get back to the dumpster fire that is Jasper Hill’s life? What was he thinking?” Nico asked.
I swallowed a large amount of whiskey to steady my nerves. I had to act normally. “I have no idea. I feel bad for his wife and kids. They seemed nice. Plus no one deserves that,” I said.
“And it’s so public. She’s going to need to move out of West Bay and take the kids with her,” Nico predicted. He frowned as he looked at me. “You okay? You look pale.”
“Fine. Just…” I trailed off, unable to think of an excuse.
“And think about Hill’s parents,” Enzo said, filling the brief silence.
I winced. “Awful. They’ve been such upstanding citizens in the community for so long. This had to rip their hearts out.”
Nico made a face. “What a tool. I mean, I’m far away from being above reproach, but what he did reeks of sleaziness.”
The three of us stood near the bar, drinking our glasses of whiskey, wearing our tuxedos, and staring at the groups of people standing around talking about the exact same scandal we were.
My heart rate slowly returned to normal.
I’d always wondered if the Salazars would ever try to use our friendship to get favors from the mayor’s office.
I locked eyes with Enzo. A slow smile spread across his face, and the look in his eyes gave me chills.
I had my answer. I didn’t know what, and I didn’t know when… but the Salazars would expect to be repaid for this.
“They should change the name of this function to the Spill the Tea Ball,” Nico cracked. Enzo laughed, but I had to force myself to chuckle.
“Or maybe the Hot Goss Gala,” I added, making Nico laugh harder. Enzo gave me an approving nod.
“I don’t even like West Bay Today or Jacie Jankins, but I’ll be glued to my TV tomorrow,” Enzo said.
Nico shook his head. “I thought they already covered it today.”
“Oh, come on. You know they’ll cover it again. They’ll probably talk about it for days.” Enzo said. “The News at Noon had to cut her off abruptly to start their show. She was still talking about it when they started.”
“Seriously?” Nico looked intrigued.
Enzo nodded. “Yep. She was in the middle of a sentence, and they just turned her camera off. It was… awesome.”
I stared at him. “For someone who doesn’t like West Bay Today, it sounds like you have a deep understanding of the show…”
He cut me off with a wave of his hand. “I watch the News at Noon every day at my desk while I eat my lunch. I often see her ‘breaking news’ segment.” He started laughing. “But today? Oh my God. I almost spit my sandwich out when she started talking. Who knew Jasper Hill had it in him?”
“He did seem kind of nerdy,” I agreed, trying not to stare at Enzo. He was way too good at appearing unaffected. Maybe he should have gone into acting.
Or maybe he didn’t have a conscience. The thought unnerved me, and I had to force my mind back onto the conversation.
“You never know,” Nico said. “I guess anyone can be a piece of scum.”
“So,” Enzo abruptly changed the subject, “are you going to bring Nadine out in public now that Jasper Hill’s chance of becoming mayor has vanished?”
I told him what Melda had talked to me about. “I’d like to. But I think Melda’s right. I have to keep my image squeaky clean until after the inauguration and ball. Then maybe I can part ways with Whitney and be seen with Nadine.”
Enzo shook his head. “I think you’re making a mistake. A woman like that won’t stay hidden forever. Plus, she’s got quite the fan base at Salazar Enterprises.”
I frowned. “What the fuck does that mean?”
He looked at me over the rim of his glass as he took a sip. “She started working part-time in our real estate division a while back. You know that right?”
I nodded, my eyes narrowing as I took in the smile on his handsome face.
“Let me tell you, there are plenty of men who are more than willing to date her publicly. They’re just biding their time.”
“Are you one of them?” I asked it more aggressively than I meant to.
Enzo locked eyes with me. “If I didn’t have my eye on someone else, I would absolutely ask her out. I like her. She’s different. And she’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.”
Well, fuck. Now I was worried about his intentions for more than one reason.
I thought the only Salazar I had to worry about with Nadine was Leo.
And that was enough. “Give me another,” I demanded of the bartender.
I had wanted to stick to a two drink limit, so I didn’t say or do anything stupid, but screw that.
I stewed in my anger and frustration while I drank. Nico ignored me once Enzo dropped the bombshell about him having his eye on someone. The two of them were talking up a storm while I stood off to the side of the bar and brooded.
Whitney came and found me so that we could dance. We both rehashed the Jasper Hill scandal. At least it gave us something fresh to talk about. She was more obsessed with my political career than I was.
“So, you’ll win mayor,” she said as we slow danced to some orchestral version of a popular song. “What’s next? When are you going to declare for governor?”
“I’m not going to,” I told her, surprising even myself. I had been going back and forth in my mind for a long time about it, and it seemed my decision had finally become clear.
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh. But I thought…”
“What?”
“I guess I thought I’d be with you through the next four years and then we’d be setting our sights on the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta. It’s on West Paces Ferry. I love the houses on that road. They’re so stately, so elegant,” she said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
I frowned. Even though I’d told her I would not marry her, she seemed to have not gotten the message.
“No. I love West Bay. I don’t want to leave.
Plus, I think I’m needed here. I’m excited to see how the new anti-crime initiatives turn out.
We’ve really got to focus on keeping the downtown area safe.
We want those tourist and local dollars to continue being spent there, and… ”
“Lord. Okay, Reynolds. I don’t need your four-year plan or anything.”
I nodded, and we sank into silence. She looked beautiful in a sparkly lavender gown, her platinum hair up in some sort of lady bun.
But she wasn’t accessible or very interesting.
We didn’t have very much to say to each other, really.
If it wasn’t about the campaign or my future in politics, she didn’t engage in the conversation.
I spent the rest of the evening in a bad mood even though I should be happy considering my chances at being re-elected just turned from probable to a slam dunk.
But I was miserable.
Later, after a full evening with Whitney on my arm, all I wanted to do was ask Byron to drop me off at Nadine’s condo. But the press was everywhere. It seemed like every way I turned my head, there was a camera in my face. I’d thought the news about Jasper Hill would make them disinterested in me.
It seemed to have had the opposite effect.
So, Byron took Whitney and me to her townhouse instead.
We kissed for the benefit of the media hanging around outside her house.
Once we were inside, we barely spoke. I told her goodnight, planted a chaste kiss on her cheek, then showered.
I got ready for bed as quickly as I could and collapsed onto the uncomfortable mattress in her guest bedroom.
I dreamed of Nadine.