Page 98 of Strictly Business
“Good girl.”
Good girl.
His words make me nauseous. He isn’t supposed to say that. He doesn’t say that. Everything about it feels…wrong, but I force myself to lift the corner of my mouth in response. “The car will be here in five minutes.”
When he’s gone, I finally take a deep breath and let my shoulders fall. The metal locket is warm against my fingers from being trapped beneath the neckline of the dress, but its touch brings me some comfort. At least there’s one piece of me left.
Your tell is showing.
Finn’s voice echoes in my mind, and I can almost feel the ghost of his lips on my skin. I drop my hand from the necklace like it will burn me if I touch it any longer. Finn would have been happy to let me go to CityCenter and pick out a dress. He would have let me wear something in my closet if I wanted to. There wouldn’t be a script to follow, nothing to make sure I was reminded of my place. And he definitely wouldn’t have hidden the fact he was running for Congress. It would have been a discussion, not a statement.
David is running for Congress. Hannah’s words had caused quite a stir. I waited until everyone had retired to their rooms to confront David about it. He promised he had intended to tell me before the beginning of the year, but he didn’t want to ruin our holiday season. He knew it would upset me since it meant he would be busier than ever. He was wrong, though; it made me more relieved than upset — which is what bothers me most. The next morning his mother was ecstatic when she could finally talk about it, and trust me, she talked about it.
Finn wouldn’t have kept that a secret. He would have told me, he would have—
What am I saying? Of course, he would have kept it from me. Finn is exactly like David. They both have secrets to keep and only feel the need to share them when it’s convenient.
David calls up the stairs that the car is here. I shake my head, hoping it can remove any thought of the brown-eyed man who still visits me in my dreams. “Proud and supportive wife,” I murmur snatching my purse from the bed.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, better the devil you know than the one you don’t.
Walking into the party earlier, I was more than a little relieved to find out I wasn’t the most underdressed person this time. My dress is similar to the ones worn by most of the other women, excluding Marsha Barnes, who is dressed in a red ball gown making her easy to spot in the crowd. After dinner, Senator Barnes and Marsha invited their guests to dance and mingle in the ballroom steps away from the dining hall where two long tables hosted the feast. Since then, David has been schmoozing the room while I stand to the side like some kind of mute — nothing more than his arm candy. Listening to these conversations, I realize I have nothing in common with these people. They didn’t even like the dinner and I thought it was amazing, the food anyway. The conversation was dull. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how nice everyone pretended to be at the table compared to last year. Still, I’ve felt more like one of those valet girls who walks wrestlers down to the ring, not someone meant to mingle in a room of politicians. David would do better with someone like Finn on his arm. At least he was raised for this kind of thing.
Marsha works the room with such grace; it reminds me of Nina and my heart aches at the thought. I miss her. I miss my brother. I miss my family. I miss the craziness that being around them brings. I should call Nina, it would be good to catch up with her. But, she will want to know how things are going. I can’t tell her the truth.
“Oh David, I’m so glad you made it!” Marsha greets him and pulls him in for a hug. Her bright blue eyes light up when they land on me. “Oh my goodness, Michaela! We haven’t seen much of you. Where have you been hiding?” She pulls me into an awkward hug pressing a kiss to my cheek.
“I’ve been—”
“She’s been finalizing some things in New York,” David interrupts. He offers me a tight smile before turning back to Marsha. “She moved down to Washington before Thanksgiving.”
“Goodness, that’s wonderful! You’ll be able to join the campaign trail.”
“Can’t wait,” I say with as much enthusiasm as I can muster.
“Don’t worry, this life…it gets easier,” Marsha assures me. “Just follow whatever talking points Cindy gives you. She’s a godsend. Helped me so much the first time Andrew ran for office.” Her attention quickly diverts to someone on the other side of the room, and she excuses herself. If everyone pretended to be as pleasant as Marsha, then I could totally do this.
David tugs me in the direction of a group of people standing near one of the oversized Christmas trees. Dressed in silver decor The only person I recognize is Jonah. He looks me up and down before meeting my gaze with a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. It makes my skin crawl. “Good to see you, Mrs. Reed,” Jonah says with a small smirk. He gives me another quick once-over. When I don’t respond, David nudges me.
“Nice to see you,” I say with my best customer service voice. Jonah asks me something else, but I don’t hear him because my attention is on the server trays flooding the ballroom. Each one holds miniature plates with a dessert on them. Two small biscuits with a white fluff in the middle and topped with fresh strawberries and sauce…Strawberry Shortcake. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Michaela,” David says stepping in front of me.
“Huh?”
“You blatantly ignored Jonah. He asked you a question.”
“Oh, Jonah. I’m so sorry.” I try to ignore the desserts floating past me and keep my gaze on him, but when a server saddles up next to me, I excuse myself without waiting for permission. I hustle towards the doors to escape this shortcake-infested room.
“There she is,” Jonah exclaims when I return ten minutes later. “Everything okay, Michaela? You looked like you’d seen a ghost.”
Felt like it, too. What are the chances the Barneses would choose the exact dessert matching the nickname given to me by the man I’m supposed to be forgetting? Apparently, very high.
“I apologize for my abrupt departure; I was just a little overwhelmed.”
“Too much wine,” David jokes, earning a laugh from the group.
“Overwhelmed? Didn’t you use to work with…what’s her name?” Jonah asks. “Oh, Villa. I’ve heard she’s tough.”