In Her Sights (20 page)

“I’m good. Very good.” She squeezed him one last time and
stepped to the side with this arm still across her shoulders. He smelled the
same as the day she met him. She didn’t know if it was aftershave or cologne,
but the scent was always there. The most comforting, easy smell in the world.
She didn’t see him near often enough.

“Any more trouble at the house?”

“None. My new system is up and running.”

“Good.” The wrinkles on him crinkled at the corners of his
eyes and mouth as he smiled and he rubbed soothing circles on her upper back. “I
was going to call you for a visit. I came in a little early for the mayor’s
thing this week. You’re going?”

“Yes. She’s already spoken to me about her grandson.”

“What do you think of him?”

She hoped that breath of air she took sounded more
thoughtful and less frustrated. “I’m still on the fence. I’d hoped to get your
thoughts.”

He nodded. “Good man. I like him so far and everything he
supports. He wants the nuclear plant to go to South Mississippi instead of
here.”

“I saw that in the papers, but I wasn’t sure I understood
all the details on it.”

“They’ll need to pull water from the Trina River to operate.
The company says it’s big enough, but there won’t be much left of the river
after they’re through.”

And while the safety of the wildlife was a concern, most people
would be up in arms over the effects to hunting, fishing, and boating. “Thanks.
I don’t have a lot of time right now, but I’m glad to have your opinion.”

Uncle Sammy shook his head. “I see that look in your eye.”

She smiled. “He just seems to be involved in a lot and I don’t
see much focus there. I’ll have to speak with him before making my decision.”

“I understand. Don’t let him rush you. Plenty of time until
Election Day.” He rubbed her arms. “Join us for dinner? A few old friends of
mine are here.”

“Can’t. I have a date.”

“You. Dating?”

She couldn’t stop the grin and shook her head. “Just because
I’m not getting married doesn’t mean I can’t play the field.” She winked at
him.

His mouth hung open. “Your mother would be ashamed.”

She smiled and threw out the easy line she’d repeated so
many times to him before. “My mother is the reason I don’t want to get married.”

“Your mother loved being married.” He turned defensive, his
eyebrows furrowed deep.

Mother might have loved being married at some point, but Lexie
wasn’t aware of it. Lexie had been young, but she’d heard the rumors that her
mom stuck around for her dad’s money. Why her dad let her stay, Lexie couldn’t
say. It sure as hell wasn’t so he could see his daughter more often.

Lexie shook her head and forced a chuckle. “Yeah, right.”

He looked over her shoulder. “I suppose your date is a blond
man?”

“Yep.” She accepted another of his deep hugs and that warmed
her better than a cup of hot chocolate. “I’ll see you soon.”

As she approached Adam, she took one last breath of nice
air. She could get through this evening and perhaps even have a good time. Then
she was by his side again and a headache started throbbing at her temples. They
followed the host to a table and Lexie eased in a chair. “Sorry, I tried to
hurry, but I only see him occasionally.”

Adam moved across the table. Clayton would have sat next to
her. She pushed the thought away and tried to force the man out of her mind.
There was no sense comparing the two.

Adam’s brow was pulled together. “You mentioned him yesterday
and said he was your uncle?”

While she was genuinely glad to see him, it was excellent
timing for Uncle Sammy. She wanted to enforce her image to Adam, and this
couldn’t have been a better opportunity. “Not officially. He’s a family friend I
grew up knowing. Do you have any of those?”

He shook his head. “All my uncles are blood related.”

“I have a few like that, but none treat me as a second
daughter like my unofficial ones do.” The blood ones probably couldn’t even say
for sure if she was male or female for all the times she’d seen them.

Adam studied her. “You’re not close to your extended family?”

She tried not to laugh. Last time she was in contact with her
family, other than Kyle, was at her parents’ funeral. Dad’s side never took an
interest when he married what his parents considered trash. Mother forgot she
had a family when she snubbed them to meet her in-laws’ approval. Needless to say,
Lexie wasn’t a favorite relative of either side, and none of them had spoken to
her at the funeral.

“We talk.” Time to flip this conversation off her private
life, and thankfully, the waitress arrived and took their order. “What’s it like
working for Chief Carter? You’re new to the area, is that right?”

His eyes widened a bit and he inhaled deeply. “I transferred
here about seven months ago. It’s challenging, but I enjoy it.”

“I hear he can be difficult.”

“He just presses for perfection. I find it hard to believe
you’ve tangled with his difficult side before.”

She smiled. “I haven’t. I’ve just heard rumors. Jenny—ah,
Mayor Porter—has mentioned a couple things to me here and there.”

He leaned back in his chair with a grin while looking at the
table. “Ms. Porter is a very kind woman.”

Plates of Gina’s steaming pasta were placed on their table. The
creamy Alfredo was everything she remembered and so much more. The noodles had
the yeast taste of homemade bread, coated in parmesan, and a milky cheese
flavor.

And good thing for the food, because it kept her from
yawning. There was only so much of playing up her benefits for his career
before she was dying of complete boredom and tired of talking about herself.

Adam pulled out his buzzing phone. “Excuse me for a moment.”

“Go ahead.” She finished up the last of her plate and when
the waitress came around and offered dessert, Lexie turned it down. No need to
extend this.

Adam dropped in his chair, his brows lowered, and he leaned
toward her. “You’re not going to be upset if I cut this short without dessert
are you?”

“Duty calls?”

He nodded. “Duty calls. I was supposed to be off tonight,
but something came up.”

“It happens.” Thankfully.

Chapter Nineteen

With instructions from Julia, Clayton walked through the halls
and turned into the sun room along the East wall. It was yellow with fresh pink
flowers on the table. Lexie sat by a window, light draping in around her. Her
hair was up in a ponytail. She wore a thin pink robe loosely belted and, from
his angle, he could see a t-shirt underneath. If it was like any other outfit
he’d caught her in while comfortable at her home, there would be a pair of
cotton shorts, too, and those pink lamb house slippers.

Dressed like any other normal woman. He had never really
considered her home life, but from the outside, it was easy to imagine
expensive silk pajamas. Feathers. And of course little, high-heeled shoes. A
ton of people would surround her, doing her nails and brushing her hair. It hadn’t
been anything like that. More often than not, the t-shirts she wore were those
free ones given out at political events, or 5k races, and things like that.
Never had he caught someone around just grooming her. Other than her employees
and Gen, she didn’t have anyone around at all.

Interesting that at the heart of her, she seemed more of a
loner than the social butterfly he saw moving through thick crowds at the parties
he secured. “Breakfast alone?”

“I was wondering how long you were going to just stand
there.” She never looked up from the newspaper. “And at breakfast, I have to
read the paper.”

“Have to?” He shook his head and moved into the room. Since
he’d been watching her, he knew for a fact she hadn’t glanced up at all. He
didn’t know how she could do that.

“I was caught at the park one time and was questioned about
an article. It didn’t look good when I couldn’t respond because I had no idea
what the reporter was talking about.”

Right. That whole image idea she had to maintain. Or not an
image, but more like a whole other life. Or maybe this picture of her at home
was the act, and that woman in the papers was the real her. Trying to sort out
her personas kept his head spinning. He didn’t know how she managed it. “Dinner
last night go as you planned?”

She put the paper down and sat back in her chair. “Just
okay. Hopefully after a few days, Adam will realize I’m a benefit to his career
and will back off.”

“There’s more to you than just who you know.” So much more.
The way she talked about knowing her role for everything was really starting to
grate on his skin.

She frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

He shook his head. That shouldn’t have come out. Hell, they
barely knew one another. “Never mind.”

“You’ve already started it.” She folded her hands over the
newspaper and sat up straight. “Finish it.”

“I shouldn’t have started it.” Wasn’t this his biggest
problem? He couldn’t figure her out, yet he was about to tell her where she was
wrong about her own life. Good play, there.

“I thought we agreed to cut through the bullshit and you
weren’t going to treat me like a client? You don’t put me on a pedestal. It’s
what I like about you Clayton.”

His brow lifted. “You like it when I get aggravated with
you?”

“I wouldn’t call it aggravated, just that you say what you
think.” She shrugged. “People don’t argue with me. Most won’t even tell me if
they have a better idea even if I ask for it. I rarely have someone tell me to
my face that they don’t like my opinion. People want stuff from me and want to
make me happy. You treat me like a normal person, and you don’t suck up to me
all the time. Do you know how hard that is to find? Don’t make me change my
opinion of you.”

In a way, he had been doing that. Not intentionally. Under
the circumstances they met and the interactions they’ve had, he had argued with
her some.
Challenged her
sounded more appropriate. She was just so damn
bullheaded at times.

He leaned on the table. “You always talk about yourself like
you’re a vehicle of what you can and can’t do for others. It’s this whole image
thing you have to maintain. I was just saying, there’s more to you than that.”

She studied him. “It really bothers you that I know my
place.”

He sat back in his chair and flipped his wrist up. That
right there. He so far hadn’t really wanted to admit that because it wasn’t his
place to care, but it did bother him. It bothered the hell out of him that she
looked trapped by this image. “Your life seems more like a system of well-oiled
gears than a life.” He leaned forward on the table again. “Haven’t you ever
just wanted to do something you’re not supposed to?”

She leaned toward him. “When I do things I’m not supposed
to, people get hurt.” The corner of her mouth tipped up. “But the rest of me
isn’t what’s most important to Adam.”

When this started, he hadn’t meant just Adam. She played a
role there, but she always seemed to be playing a role. Could be playing him
right now for all he knew. “Adam would be an idiot to be shortsighted.”

She lifted a shoulder. “Not really his fault if all I feed
him is my public image.”

His breath deepened. “Completely his fault for not seeing
beyond who you’re friends with.” His gaze dropped to her mouth, then back up.
Not where he should be looking. “Your power and advantage isn’t with your
friends. It’s you.”

“Without the friends and alliances I’ve made, I would be
nothing but the rich girl in the big house.” She leaned a little closer. Her
eyes were wide. The smoky gray-blue color searched his face.

“It probably started that way, but I can promise you that’s
not the way it is now.” As always, she was so much more. Leaning this close to
her, he could smell a soft scent coming from her. Maybe in her hair. He focused
on the conversation instead of bringing the long strands to his face. But he
wanted to bring her closer. Not just to smell her hair either. A lump formed in
his throat. “Take you out of the picture, and there’s just a bunch of
politicians. Put you back in the picture, and there’s a bunch of politicians
who have a friend loved by the masses.”

“You’re a dangerous man, Clayton Addison.” She stretched her
arm out and nearly touched his hand.

He swallowed, but the thickness in his throat remained. “Why?”

“You’re too observant, and you don’t let me talk circles
around you.” Her voice was lowered to a whisper. Her finger lifted, and she
caressed the top of his knuckles. “You’re going to uncover all my secrets, and
then I’ll be forced to kill you.”

His hand itched with the need to flip over and grasp her
fingers. “Your secrets will be safe with me.”

She glanced away and sat back in her chair, adjusting the
robe to cross in front of her with a clearing of her throat. “Why didn’t Alex
tell me you were here?”

“I didn’t see him.” He moved back in his chair, too, getting
a comfortable distance between them. “Julia opened the door for me before I
even knocked on it and told me you were in here. I think she likes me.”

A low laugh came with Lexie’s smile. “That she does.”

He needed to focus on the business between them and the
reason he was there. Not that he needed her for this, but, well, he wouldn’t
mind the company for the drive. And all right, fine. He still liked her. “How
about lunch today? Another one of Arnold’s cohorts lives a couple hours away. I
thought we might drop in on him. Interested?”

“Sure. Think we’ll learn much more from this guy?”

Clayton shrugged. “Maybe. He had the dagger for a week.”

“Then maybe he can tell us something new. Have you been able
to confirm how Arnold arranged to have the piece stolen?”