CHAPTER NINE
Riley
The next morning, Nick insisted on dropping me off at the train station despite my reassurances that I would be fine taking a cab. We put on our game faces before stepping outside and I tried to ignore the cameras that were shoved in our faces. Nick carried my bag in one hand and held my hand in the other as he led us to his car. Once we were safely inside, he smiled at me. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“It certainly could’ve been worse.”
We drew a lot of intrigued looks when Nick retrieved my bag at Union Station. He even offered to walk me inside, but I firmly turned him down. His presence would cause more issues than I was in the mood to deal with so early in the day. After a relatively chaste kiss, I was on my own. I noticed several people staring at me as I made my way to my train, but I pretended not to see them. I certainly didn’t want to encourage conversation with anyone. Thankfully, the train wasn’t super crowded, so I was able to have a seat to myself.
After just about three hours, I was standing in Penn Station, a place that is always super crowded. I had booked a hotel room in midtown and I checked in there before heading off to my meeting. It was a long meeting, led by one of our largest benefactors. Cash Decker was a wealthy old man. He had made his money in oil many years ago and was now looking for charitable ways to spend it before he died. He was so invested in saving his soul that he had compiled a board of trustees to help spend the money. Now I was forced to sit in front of them for many hours, answering questions about Children First and laying out the vision of our cause.
During one of Cash’s longer bathroom breaks, one of the board members approached me with a smile on his face.
“Charley Tanner?” His smile grew at the look of confusion on my face. He somehow looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure out why. “You’re Nick’s Charley, right?”
“You know Nick?”
“I’m Jeff. Jeff Harper.” He held out his hand for me to shake. “I went to college with Nick.”
“Oh. Wow.” I took a closer look at Jeff and realized that I had seen him at the wedding on Saturday. We hadn’t been formerly introduced. “It’s nice to meet you, Jeff.”
“I meant to introduce myself at the wedding, but I couldn’t find you guys when I looked for you at the reception.” He reached for the pitcher of water and filled his glass.
I reached for the coffee. “So you and Nick are still close?”
“Absolutely. We still meet up every week for a beer.” Jeff grimaced just a bit. “We drifted apart while he was dating that Heidi girl, but things are back to normal now.”
“She wasn’t a fan of you?” I teased.
Jeff laughed. “No, she wasn’t. But then she wasn’t a fan of any of Nick’s friends. Or of fun in general.”
“I know the type.”
“Well, I’m just glad Nick seems to have found himself a normal girlfriend for once.” Jeff coughed uncomfortably. “That was supposed to be a compliment.”
“I took it as one.” I smiled reassuringly.
“Just don’t let this Heidi business scare you away,” he suggested.
“Heidi business?”
He waved a hand like he was swatting at a fly. “The Heidi baby thing.”
“Baby thing?” My voice was weak and hoarse.
“She says it’s Nick’s baby, but Heidi lies about everything. I wouldn’t believe her until a paternity test comes back positive, you know what I’m saying?” Jeff finished his sentence before he realized I had no idea what he was talking about. “Oh shit. You don’t know.”
“Back to work!” Cash clapped his hands and everyone scampered back to their seats. Jeff shot me an apologetic look and backed away.
I stayed in my seat for ten minutes, but every minute was torture. When I finally excused myself to use the restroom, I had to force myself not to run from the room. I had my phone out and the browser open before the door had even shut behind me.
A search for “Senator Moore baby” returned ten pages of results. I started with the first one and was given all the information I needed. Nick’s former fiancé was alleging that she was three months pregnant with his child. Senator Moore had yet to comment. My phone rang just as I reached the end of the article. It was Nick. I pushed the ignore button and marched back into the meeting.
Nick called six more times while I listened to Cash’s worries about tax write-offs. As soon as the meeting was over, I excused myself, claiming that I had to hurry to another meeting. Instead, I hurried to the nearest bar and ordered a scotch neat.
The television above the bar was tuned to one of the news channels and I looked up just in time to see Nick’s face plastered on the screen. The caption beneath his picture proclaimed, “Senator Baby Daddy?” The scroll running along the bottom filled me in on the necessary details– rumors started circulating last week that the senator’s former fiancé was carrying his child. Heidi’s spokesman confirmed the rumor on Sunday.
This time when my phone rang, I answered it after the first ring. “Are you kidding me, Nick?”
“Charley, let me explain.” Nick spoke in a rush.
“Sunday? This shit was confirmed on Sunday and you didn’t want to mention it to me?” I was speaking loud enough that nearby patrons began to stare.
Nick said, “Charley, I’m sorry. I should’ve said something.”
“Yes, you should have.”
“We had such a great time these last few days and I didn’t want to ruin it.”
“Oh, you didn’t want to ruin all the sex we were having by telling me that your girlfriend is pregnant?” This turned several more heads.
“Ex-girlfriend, Charley.”
“Yeah, because that’s the only important part of that sentence.” I pushed my empty glass toward the barkeep and he dutifully refilled it.
“Look, I’m sorry. I screwed up.” Nick sounded pretty pitiful.
“I’m not in the mood to deal with this right now, Nick. I didn’t sign up for this,” I said.
“I know.” Nick sighed.
I took a healthy drink and said, “I’m not built to be a political mistress, Nick. I don’t want to be part of a ridiculous political scandal.”
“It’s not as bad as it seems right now, Charley.”
“I’ve got to go, Nick.”
I had a charity event to attend later in the evening, but nothing on my agenda prior to that, so I kept my seat warm. After two more drinks, I started to feel guilty about drinking alone. Fortunately, I had a few friends in the city, so I sent out some texts until I got a hit. My old friend Brian was available for a quick drink. I met him the bar in my hotel and we got a quiet table near the back where we could talk freely.
“It’s been awhile, Charley. What’s the occasion?” Brian wasn’t one to make small talk. He preferred to cut through the bull shit.
“Bad day. Didn’t want to drink alone.”
“Considering you’re already drunk, I don’t think the drinking alone thing is really an issue for you,” Brian said with a laugh.
I toasted him with my glass. “Touché.”
“Why did you really reach out?”
“We’ve been friends for nearly ten years. Do I really need a reason to want to see you?”
“Yes.” Brian gave me a pointed look. “Is this about the senator?”
“How did you know?”
“I watch the news, babe. It’s not exactly a secret.”
I told Brian everything– about meeting Nick and agreeing to go to the wedding with him. About our inexplicable connection and how stupid I felt for falling for a man I barely knew. The mere fact that Nick had kept such an important secret was proof that I hadn’t really known him at all.
“You made a mistake, kid. It happens. Men are good at hiding the bits of their life they don’t want you to see.” Brian winked playfully. “Trust me, I would know.”
“Yeah, you would know.” I smiled at our private joke.
Brian glanced at his phone. “You gonna be okay?”
“Yes. If you need to go, please go. I’ll be fine.”
Brian was already slipping on his jacket. “I wouldn’t normally bail on you like this but I’ve got a hot date.”
“Of course you do. I’ll walk out with you.”
Brian offered his arm to steady me as we headed to the lobby.
“Have fun tonight,” I said, leaning in to hug him goodbye.
Brian smiled devilishly. “I’m sure I will.” His eyes widened slightly as he looked over my shoulder. “Maybe you will, too.”
He kissed me on the cheek and vanished before I even managed to turn around. When I did, my eyes landed directly on Nick.
“What are you doing here, Nick?” I snapped, mostly from surprise.
Nick looked to where Brian was exiting and then looked back at me. “I’m not sure.”
“I don’t have time for games, Nick. I have to be at the Rockford Fundraiser downtown in an hour and I still need to change.”
“I’m headed there, too,” he said quietly.
I looked at him closer and saw that his hair was disheveled and his eyes looked tired. For the first time, Nick looked broken to me. I felt my resolve crumble.
“Fine. You can come up to the room. We can talk while I get ready.”
My hotel room was essentially a bed with four walls around it which made for a less than ideal setting for the conversation we were about to have. We sat on opposite ends of the bed and I waited for Nick to speak.
When he did, it packed a punch. “It’s not mine, Charley.”
“What?” I had been expecting an apology, possibly some pleading. I had not been expecting a flat out denial.
“The baby isn’t mine.”
I swallowed hard. “You’re sure?”
“There isn’t a doubt in my mind.” Nick turned to me. “I haven’t been with Heidi in months, much more than three. It’s not biologically possible for the baby to be mine.”
“Why would she lie about that?”
“Heidi likes to be the victim. With the way our relationship ended, she became the villain instead and that pissed her off. She’s been searching for a way to throw the blame at me, and I guess she settled on this. Now I get to look like the deadbeat dad. The asshole that knocks up a woman and shirks all responsibility.”
“That could never be you, Nick.” I don’t know why I was so certain, but deep inside I knew that Nick was a good person, regardless of mistakes he might have made.
“I still screwed up, Charley. I should have said something as soon as I heard about the rumors. I was just hoping they would go away.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t believe you?” I knew that Nick was big on trust and it seemed like he didn’t trust me at all.
“I don’t know.” His head shook. “I think part of me just didn’t want to deal with it. Just when I thought the Heidi chapter in my life was done for good, she popped back up.”
“She’s part of your life whether you want to admit it or not, Nick. Of all people, I would know that you can’t run from your past.”
“I was happy,” he said abruptly. “With you, these past few days, I was happy. I haven’t been happy in so long that I’d almost forgot what it felt like.” Those tired eyes looked at me again. “It felt good, Charley. I didn’t want it to end.”
I looked away. “I really can’t do this right now. I need to get ready.”
Nick nodded and stood. “Sure. I’ll see you there?”
“You don’t have to go,” I said. “Wait for me and we can go together.”
It was a small condolence, but it was all I could offer right then. I needed to do some thinking about everything before I made up my mind about Nicholas Moore.
I took my dress into the bathroom and shimmied into it. It was red and tight– a formidable combination. A brush through my hair and a quick dusting of makeup had me ready to go in under ten minutes. The masochist in me had decided on heels to complete the ensemble and now I struggled into them, glad that most of my buzz had worn off.
“Beautiful,” Nick said softly when he saw me.
“You, too.”
He had smoothed down his hair and straightened his tie, but Nick would look beautiful under nearly any circumstance. The blue of his shirt was just the right shade and I couldn’t help but stare at him for a beat longer.
“We should go,” I said unconvincingly.
Nick had called ahead for a car, so we didn’t have to wait for a cab. Our journey would take about fifteen minutes usually, but the traffic was especially heavy tonight.
“Looks like we’re going to be fashionably late,” I said.
Nick glanced at me. “You’ll be the fashionable part.”
“Whatever, Armani,” I said, running a hand over his arm. The suit probably cost more than my monthly rent.
“Who was the guy?” Nick asked through a clenched jaw.
“Guy? What guy?”
Nick looked annoyed at my ignorance. “The guy you were with back at the hotel.”
“Brian?” I had completely forgotten that Nick had seen us together. “He’s just an old friend.”
“Friend?” Nick sounded doubtful. “Did you guys ever date?”
“Very, very briefly,” I admitted. A shadow passed over Nick’s face. “Don’t be jealous, Nick. Brian is gay.”
Nick’s face visibly relaxed. “But you dated him?”
“For about a month our freshman year of college. It was before Brian came out and before I honed my gaydar. We remained close friends once he came out.” Looking back, it seemed impossible that I hadn’t picked up on the signs from the very beginning.
Something else seemed to be bothering Nick, but he didn’t say anything until we had almost arrived at our location.
“Charley, you’re probably going to have to put up with a lot of crap tonight,” he said. “I suspect a lot of people will be trying to get a rise out of me and a reaction from you.”
“I can deal with it, Nick. I’ve been through worse.”
Nick helped me from the car and kept my hand gripped tightly in his. Several photographers snapped our picture as we entered the old church that had been turned into a reception hall. Some of them called out questions about Heidi and the baby, but we both ignored them.
We spent the next couple of hours doing a lot of smiling and hand shaking. Nick took care of most of the conversation which was more than fine with me. Asking after spouses and kids was not high on my list of fun activities, but Nick had plenty of practice with his political background. I almost expected him to start kissing babies.
“Nick! Charley!”
I smiled a real smile when I saw Nick’s friend Diana headed in our direction. She was holding two glasses of champagne, one of which she pressed into my hand. “So lovely to see you both.”
She turned to Nick and slapped his arm. “What the fuck, Nick?”
“I’m sorry?” Nick’s jaw dropped at her directness.
“Don’t play innocent with me, Nicholas.” Diana grabbed my arm. “I’m taking her.”
With that, she pulled me away, her heels snapping sharply as she led us to a nearly empty corner of the room.
“What’s going on, Diana?” I tried to sound annoyed, but I was secretly delighted to see her. She was someone I wouldn’t have to fake nice with.
“I need to talk to you about the baby drama.”
I held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t bother. Nick and I have already talked about it. I know he’s not the father.”
“No shit, he’s not the father.” Diana gulped down her champagne. “Heidi is a conniving bitch. She loves making Nick miserable. But that’s not why I pulled you away.”
“Then why?”
Diana tapped a long, red nail against her empty glass. “Everyone knows Heidi isn’t even pregnant. My girlfriend Sophie saw her out drinking martinis a week ago.”
“Okay, so that’s good, right?” I was thoroughly confused.
“Not good.” Diana leaned in close. “I’m still acquaintances with some of Heidi’s friends and she’s supposedly going public soon with more dirt. She’s going to claim that she’s no longer pregnant because Nick paid her to have an abortion.”
“What?” I nearly dropped my champagne. “That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, well, Heidi’s crazy. But she claims to have some proof. Not of the abortion, but checks that Nick wrote her.” Diana looked worried for the first time since our conversation began. “I know the story isn’t true, Charley. But Nick is a good guy and if Heidi had asked him for financial help, he would’ve done it, even after what she did to him. It kills me that some kind gesture by him could be used against him.”
“We have to warn him. He needs to know what’s about to happen.” I looked around the crowd to see if I could spot Nick.
“You need to tell him. It will be easier to hear coming from you.” Diana grabbed my arm and squeezed until it hurt. “Nick’s the best guy I’ve ever known, Charley. We can’t let this bitch bring him down.”
I fixed her with a determined stare. “Agreed.”