Page 4 of Caught By the Chief of Staff

The two of them stare at each other for long moments, and I watch them openly. Romance, real romance, is so rare that you want to savor every piece of it, even if it’s not yours to have. And then, the spell is broken by my ex-husband shouting the house down for the doorway.

I had a job styling my friend and powerful attorney to the fancy people of New York, Grace Sanders. Often, Grace would call me when she had a formal function and needed an extra hand making sure she looked absolutely perfect. For over a year now, I have been dressing Grace, and somewhere along the way, she became one of my closest friends—or as close as anyone can get to me. It’s not that I don’t trust her; it’s that I have to protect my daughter. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep Rachel safe and happy.

I haven’t laid eyes on him in ten years, and even as his face is twisted in confused rage, he’s still the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Is this some kind of a joke?” he roars as our eyes lock in the mirror.

“What?” Grace asks as I see she looks to Jake, who looks just as confused as she does. We never met when they were both in the service, so he shouldn’t recognize me, but who knows how much those two have shared in the last decade. But it’s when she looks at my face and sees it frozen in fear that the puzzle pieces all start to click into place. “Oh no.”

Oh yes.

Unfortunately, Rachel chooses that moment to slide into the room on two wheels, totally unaware that one could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Oh fuck. I thought I could protect my baby girl from this for the rest of my life. Sure, she asks questions, but I’ve been able to evade them so far. I don’t need to protect her from him but from the life he leads.

“Hey, Mom!” she calls out happily. She has big headphones over her ears that she asked for this past Christmas and probably can’t hear anything. “Can I have a new game on my phone?”

I just stand there stunned. I don’t know what to do. Do I pretend like nothing is wrong? Do I grab my daughter, who so obviously has her father’s eyes, and run like hell? Do I hide her behind me? Throw my body on top of hers like we’re awaiting a nuclear blast? I don’t know what to do! What is the protocol here?

“Mom?” Rick parrots. I can see the wheels ticking behind his eyes. Oh fuck, this is not good. This is so not good.

“I can explain,” I say, my voice quiet. “But not now.”

“Mom?” Rachel asks suddenly, realizing the room is not a friendly one.

“It’s okay, honey,” I reply, hoping she doesn’t make any sudden movements, but I also don’t want to trigger a fear of her own father, a man she’s never met before and shouldn’t be afraid of.

“You have got to be shitting me,” he bites out. “How could you? Is this some kind of a sick joke?”

“No,” I reply adamantly. God, the last thing I want is for him to think I did all this on purpose. I had no idea when I met Grace that she would end up dating his best friend. But then again, why should he believe me? “No, you know me. I would never do that.”

“I don’t think I know you at all,” Rick snaps before turning on his heels. “This is fucking bullshit.”

And then he’s gone.

“That was….” Jake trails off as we all think the same thing.

“My husband,” I admit before turning to Grace. “I think we should be going. I’m so sorry, Grace.”

“Don’t worry,” she tells me. “We’ll talk later. It’ll be okay.”

“I don’t know about that,” I say before chewing on my thumbnail. It’s a nervous habit I’ve never been able to break.

“Why don’t you go to dinner and a movie on me?” Jake says. “I think you’ll both feel better after some fun.”

I feel my face go soft. God, he’s just a nice guy. Even after knowing I fucked over his friend in the worst way, he wants to do something nice for me and my kid. “That’s very kind of you, but I don’t know.”

“It’s nothing,” he says. “Joe will take you.”

Jake made a decision, and Rachel and I pack up the last of my kit before the cute secret service agent from before carries it back down the stairs for me with a sweet smile on his face.

“Well, shall we?” he prompts as he holds out his hand to Grace before leading her to their car. He’s so attentive with her that it makes my heart ache. I’m so glad she has this, but at the same time, I’m a little sad I had it and it slipped through my fingers. But I got the best gift out of the whole thing. I got Rachel.

And just like that, Rachel and I are off to dinner and a movie in a senator’s town car, all while my brain is whirring a mile a minute, wondering if he’s going to ruin my life like I ruined his.

Or worse, what if my demons come home to roost once and for all?

• • •

A ruthless pounding startles me awake.