Her Secret Service Agent. Stephanie Doyle
get a couple of hours in, it was usually between four and seven. Somehow, knowing dawn was approaching made it easier to sleep.
“I know, but don’t be upset.” Vivian looked at the time again and considered how long she’d been out. “I had four solid hours. That’s a lot for me. What’s up? How are the China negotiations?”
“They would be going a lot better if everyone in the room simply listened to me.”
Vivian smiled as she sat up. “There’s a surprise. Alan Bennett thinks he knows what’s best for everyone.”
“I can’t help it if it’s true. But I didn’t call for that. I want an update on the letter situation. I’m not happy they assigned Mather to review your case. He is incompetent. I’ve been thinking we should approach this from a different angle. Have someone privately look into the matter.”
Vivian almost chuckled. Great minds did think alike. Although she doubted her father would have approved her choice for bodyguard/investigator. All Vivian had to do was mention Joe’s name and her father would immediately look like he needed to hit something.
Another reason why letting Joe go was probably a smart idea. She couldn’t imagine her father would ever accept him as part of her life. Any part.
“I’ve considered that, too, Daddy. I’ll start researching investigators tomorrow. See if I can find someone I’m comfortable with.”
Because that had been the plan, right? Certainly not to go groveling back to Joe. She had her pride, and he’d insulted her. That was way more important than her peace of mind. And her father didn’t like him, and...
And when he’d asked where her bed was, she’d imagined something happening between them, and that was more dangerous to her peace of mind than her stalker.
“Okay. I want a list of names next time I call. I’ll have them properly vetted. In the meantime, I’m going to talk to the director of the service and see if I can’t get him to assign someone more qualified than Mather to investigate.”
Mather was how her father referred to Carl after the kidnapping. Carl hadn’t shouldered anywhere close to the blame Joe had, but her father’s opinion of the man had lowered significantly. Despite trying to explain to her father for years that Carl had nothing to do with her kidnapping, she’d never been able to convince him.
Vivian sometimes wondered who had it worse. Joe for losing his job, or Carl for keeping his but forever being known in the agency to his superiors as That Carl. At least Joe had gone on to have something for himself, with no one to answer to.
She wondered if her father would even mention that Carl had seen Joe today. Had questioned him in a formal capacity as a person of interest. Doubtful, since he probably knew it would upset her and he wouldn’t want to have that fight. Not over Joe. Not again, when they hadn’t had it in so many years.
“I’ll get some names and figure out what to do from here,” she said. “You worry about saving the world and making it a better place for mankind.”
“I can multitask. I’ll be back in a few days for Christmas. Speaking of which, there is an event at the end of this week I would like you to attend with me. A fund-raiser for underprivileged children in DC. The president will be in attendance and he’s asked me to come.”
Vivian was about to agree.
“Jefferson will be there, as well,” her father added before she could reply.
Right. Jefferson Caldwell, junior congressman from northern Virginia’s district ten. He was handsome, he was charming, but most important he was single and looking for a politically suitable wife.
Despite her scandal, Vivian fit the bill of a suitable political wife with the appropriate political pedigree. She’d met Jefferson on a handful of occasions, all arranged by her father. He’d seemed nice and considerate, but she hadn’t felt any spark. Nothing like what she’d felt upon seeing Joe again. The instant attraction. The need to touch any part of him so she was connected to him. The desire to hear him speak, the comfort of having him listen.
There had been a few other men in her life in the last ten years. Nice men. Kind men, other than Nicholas.
One she had liked very much, but as soon as he’d started to hint at marriage she’d called it off, knowing instinctively that wasn’t what she wanted from him. Companionship, yes. Commitment, no.
Adolescent crush. Hero worship. Fantasy-based infatuation.
Or love.
It didn’t matter what anyone called it, Vivian could only speak to how it felt. Maybe now that she’d seen him again, had said what she’d wanted to say to him, it would start to fade.
Their relationship ten years ago had ended with an abrupt separation. Because of that, she’d never been able to move beyond those feelings. There had been no resolution to them. Now there was. She’d said she was sorry. He’d said she ruined his life.
Then he’d hurt her. Intentionally. Spitefully.
Now they were over for good. Which meant she had to consider what she wanted her future to be. She wanted love, a husband, children.
None of that was going to happen with Joe Hunt.
“It will be lovely to see him again,” Vivian said after a beat. Maybe it would be. For the first time she might be able to look at a man and not compare him with Joe. Accept him at face value for who he was.
“Excellent. Then it’s a plan. I love you, sweetie.”
“Love you, too, Daddy.”
“Try to get some more sleep—that’s an order.”
Vivian smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Although even as she disconnected the call she knew it wasn’t going to happen. Her brain was fully awake and she actually felt refreshed. As if her sleep had been deep and steady where usually she tossed and turned and slept in short bursts.
Leaving her bedroom, she headed into the kitchen to scrounge for some food. A plan of hot chocolate and a late-night movie was already starting to form. Vivian stopped, though, when she saw the blinking light on her home phone.
Few people called her on her home phone, as her friends and employees all had her cell.
The automated voice told her she had two new messages. Wow, she thought. She’d been so out of it she hadn’t even heard it ring the second time. Actual sound sleep.
“Vivian, this is Jefferson. I had hoped to catch you at home.”
See, she told herself, he sounds perfectly normal. A deep voice with a hint of a Southern accent. There was no reason not to find this man attractive. Except when he’d asked for her phone number, she had purposely given him only her house number, not the cell she always had with her. There was always a sense of distance. Susan used to call these behaviors her barriers. Vivian had always been inclined to build them around herself. The kidnapping had only made that worse.
“I would like to extend you an invitation to a Christmas fund-raising event. I’m sure your father will be there, too, but...well, I would like you to come as my date. The three of us, of course, can sit together.”
“Of course we can sit together. Otherwise you lose the chance at a photo-op,” she muttered, then immediately winced. She was supposed to be keeping an open mind. It was just that she couldn’t help but feel as if Jefferson’s interest in her had more to do with her name than her.
It had been the way he’d casually brought up the scandal when they had first met. How she had been a victim. Vulnerable after having survived such a horrific event. Nicholas Rossi had been the villain and should have been treated by the country as such.
The American people must realize that now in hindsight. That was what Jefferson had said.
As if the American people cared at all about a ten-year-old affair, no matter whom