9781631054631ChoiceAffairsSalisbury (20 page)

I finished off my
drink, debating if I should go for yet another. “Has the world gone mad, Jacob?
Or is it the fact that I decided to go into politics that brought out the
absolu
te worst in people?” I walked back over to the
whiskey decanter. I raised an empty glass in Jacob’s direction. “I think you’ve
earned more than one of these.” I poured us both a good helping and handed one
to him.

“Thank you. To answer
your question, I do
think you going into politics
has
brought out the rats. Everyone assumed
you wouldn’t pay as much attention to Choice Enterprises now.”

“Guess I fooled them.”

“Yes, thank God. Once
we get these situations contained, I think it’ll be pretty smooth sailing.”

“You’ve forgotten one
situation, my friend.”

“Oh, which one’s
that?”

“Caitlyn’s
mother, Susan.”

A groan escaped him.
He shook his head, smiling. “How did I overlook her?”

“That’s what I’m
wondering. You’re not getting soft on me, are you?”

“That’ll be the
day.”

I watched as he took a
sip off his whiskey. I did the same, looking out at the skyline. “Tell me,
Jacob. Whatever happened to family loyalty?
Because it sure as hell doesn’t mean a great deal in either
my family or Caitlyn’s.
Seems everyone is out f
or
themselves, no matter what the cost. No matter
who
they hurt along the way.”

“Well, when you figure it out, senator,
be sure to share it with me.
Because
I haven’t a clue.”

Chapter
Eleven

There were a ton of
things Izzie and I wanted to do in the
limited time
she had in Washington. This trip was about taking her around to get a feel for
the city. I’d thought she was seriously interested in moving to the area. I had
to do a double take when she told me that wasn’t the case.

We were sitting in a
corn
er of the living room enjoying our coffee. I had
a legal pad with all things I thought Izzie would be interested in seeing on
it.

“Caiti,” she began.
“Look, there’s something I need to come right out and say before we go any
further.” She put her cup down
on the table next to
her.

“Well, what is it? And
stop looking so damn serious.”

“I’ve accepted a job
in Houston.”

“What?” I shook my
head in disbelief. “I thought we were going to use this weekend to plan out
your move here. What happened?”

“What happened
was I was offered a job in the NICU at the trauma center in
Houston. It’s management, and the money is incredible. I can’t afford to turn
it down, Caiti.”

“So, that’s it. You’re
moving on, going off to Houston? I thought you were interested in coming here,
you know, be closer? Now, you’ll just be further away.”

“Caitlyn, your life is
with Apolo now. That’s your future. My future is, well, it’s still in progress.
Let’s use this weekend together to shop, drink wine, and be silly. Just like
old times.” She loo
ked around the room as though she
was searching for someone. “Only this time, we’ve got body guards.”

“You’re sure about
this, Izzie? You’re one hundred percent sure this is what you want to do?”

“Yes. I’ve researched
the place. I’ve been there. It’s like
the opportunity
of a lifetime. I can’t pass it up.”

I sat back, put my mug
down, and stared into the face of my best friend. Our lives had been changing
for months. I had met and married one of the richest men around then moved to
Washington so he could pu
rsue one of his dreams. “If
you’re sure this is what you want, then go for it. When are you supposed to
move?”

“The
end of the month.
I’ve gotten the apartment taken care of. No worries
there.”

“I’m not worried. I
know you. You’re too meticulous to do othe
rwise.”

“Then, why is it I get
the feeling you’re holding back. Like you’re happy for me, but you’re not? What
gives?”

“Nothing.
It’s nothing,” I replied, attempting to
keep my emotions at bay. “Life’s just full of
unpleasant surprises, that’s
all.”

There
was an uncomfortable silence between us for the first time
that I can remember.

“I’ll just be a phone
call, text, or email away, Caiti. What’s going on with you? This isn’t like
you.”

“Nothing,
Izzie.
Can we just drop the ‘what’s eating at you, Caitlyn’ crap? Let’s get dressed,
and get out of here. I’d like to have some fun with my friend before I find
myself trapped in the fishbowl of a Washington politician, okay?”

“And exactly what is
this fishbowl?
”

“One
where you have no friends.
Not real ones,
anyway.”

“Caitlyn…”

“Drop it, Izzie. I
have enough drama in my life so far. I know this is the direction you’ve
been wanting
to go. And yes, if I were you, I’d grab
it and go.”

“But?”

“Nothing, I just need
t
o get used to being the lone ranger. Eventually,
things will calm down, and I’ll get settled in. No need to worry. You need to
focus on this move, and your new life.”

“I didn’t realize you
were so unhappy, girlfriend.”

“I’m not unhappy,” I
snapped. “Can we
just drop it?” I took the legal pad
and tore off the sheets where I’d made notes about apartments and various
hospitals in the area. I tore them up into tiny pieces, placing them on the
coffee table in front of me.

“Why’d you do that?”
Izzie inquired,
shaking her head.

“Obviously, we don’t
need to look at apartments or hospitals here. We need to go act like a couple
of tourists and see the sights.”

“Do you have anything
written down on that pad of yours that’s interesting?”

“Just
the usual.
Thought I’d
leave it open for what you might want to
go see.”

“Would going to see
Apolo’s office be out of the question? I’d love to go there and the capital
building. The Smithsonian would also be fun.” She giggled.

“I’m sure we can go to
Senator Choice’s office. The
senator and I are quite
close, you know. As far as the Smithsonian—you do know it can take days to see?
But we could hit Apolo’s office and the capital building today. While we’re at
his office, I can see if Renee can’t find out if there’s anything specia
l going on over at the Smithsonian.”

“See, we’re going to
have fun after all.”

“Bitch,” I replied,
laughing. “You’ve always been good at turning things around for the better.”

“Well, come on, the
day’s a-wasting. Let’s get dressed so we can enjoy it.”

“Yes
, lets.” We hugged.

While I knew she
needed to make this move, I was certainly going to miss her. More than even I
would think possible. It was going to leave me alone as far as people I could
just pick up the phone and call. But I certainly wasn’t going t
o be selfish about it, either. Izzie’d worked hard to get
here all on her own, and I wasn’t about to stand in the way.

“Oh, come with me. I
have to show you my obscene closet and bathroom first. Remind me when we get
back to give you a tour of the place. W
e sort of got
sidetracked last night.”

* * * *

Izzie and I stood
waiting in the lobby for our driver slash security to pull up at the curb. I’d
called Jacob while we were getting ready and gave him a time and where we’d
most likely be going. Knowing Izzi
e and Bo had eyes
for each other, I casually mentioned this to Jacob.

“I made mention to
Jacob how nice it would be if he’d send Bo as our shadow for the day,” I said
to Izzie as we both peered out the glass windows.

“Well, I guess we’ll
see just how
pumped up he is since our last
encounter.”

“Come on, Iz, you mean
to tell me the two of you haven’t stayed in contact?” I eyed the black Bentley
as it pulled alongside the curb. I headed out the door, not waiting for Bo to
come escort us.

“That’s for a lad
y to keep to herself, ma’am.” She giggled, immediately
giving herself away.

I did a double take
and glanced over at Izzie as a very
muscular,
crew cut man emerged from the Bentley.
“Hold on, Iz. That’s not Bo, and I don’t recognize him. Hold back a second
while I call Jacob.”

I hit Jacob’s number
on my speed dial and waited for him to pick up.

“What can I do for
you, Mrs. Choice?”

“Um, the car just
pulled up, and I don’t recognize the driver. I was expecting Bo.”

“Is he built like a
tank with a crew cut?”

“
Yes, he is. Wearing shades and looking like he could spit
bullets if you asked him to.”

“That’s Marcus.”

“So, it’s safe to go
with him?”

“Yes,
ma’am.
I’d stake my life on Marcus, if I had to.”

“What happened to Bo?
I specifically asked you to send him.”

“U
h, Bo is on an out-of-town assignment, ma’am.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.
Atlanta. I don’t know what’s going on, but you and my husband need to stop
acting like this is an action movie or something.”

“I can assure you,
we’re not even close to doing that. Is the
re anything
else I can help you with?”

“No!” I hissed. I was
getting pissed off at all this secrecy. “But thank you.” I hung up, sure that
my husband would be getting an earful later.

“Well?” Izzie asked,
as Marcus approached us.

“He’s fine. Seems Bo
is on
some sort of assignment. Sorry.”

“Well, he’s not so
bad. If you can overlook the fact that he looks like he’s itching to beat the
crap out of someone.” Izzie giggled as we settled into the back seat. “Sort of
reminds you of a Rambo movie, doesn’t he?”

“No
w that you mention it.”
I chuckled.

As the Bentley made
its way through the clogged Washington streets, I pointed out various buildings
and points of interest to Izzie. I tried to lighten my mood, but I was still
reeling in shock from Izzie’s announcement.

Pulling up in front of
the building that housed Apolo’s senate office, I shook off any feelings of
anxiety I might be harboring. This was our weekend, our girls weekend.
For the most part.

“Wow,” I heard Izzie
exclaim as we exited the car. “I would have t
hought
his office would be in one of those old buildings. This one’s fairly new.”

“Yes, well, Apolo’s a
new senator, and you know how the game is played, Iz. He’s starting out at the
bottom of the food chain, so to speak.”

“And we both know
Apolo does not
like being at the bottom.”

“Oh, I don’t know
about that,” I quipped. “I seem to recall when he’s quite enjoyed it.”

Izzie, getting my
meaning, burst out laughing. Glancing at her, I noted she was fifty shades of
red. I’d managed to embarrass the unflappabl
e, tough
Isabelle. “Is that all the two of you do when you’re alone?”

“No,
not always.
But as often as we can,” I replied.
“Back
to the building.
This one’s probably nicer, anyway. More modern and the
offices are pretty big. All his staff can work out of here.
At least right now.”
Marcus was standing next to the car. I
turned to face him. “We’re going up to my husband’s offices. Are you coming
with
us, or do I need to let you know when we’re
leaving?” Gosh, I shouldn’t be a smart ass, but I was entitled.

“I’ll be right here,
ma’am.”

“Right
then.
We shouldn’t be too long. I doubt the senator is there, and I don’t want to
keep the staff from their jobs.”

We walked up to the
front door. There was a definite chill in the air.
Time to haul out the winter stuff.
We signed in and put on our visitors
bad
ges. Catching the elevator, we stood in the
crowded compartment until we reached the third floor.

Renee greeted us as we
walked inside. “Izzie, it’s so good to see you.
Out sightseeing, you two?”

“Yes,” I replied. “I
thought Izzie would like to see where A
polo’s nerve
center is now before we went and did the regular tourist thing.”

“Regular
tourist thing.”
I heard his voice boom as he stepped through his private office door. “I’ve
never known you to do anything that’s regular, darling.”

I heard Izzie snicke
r, as though she thought she’d picked up on some hidden
mode of communication between Apolo and me. “Well, we thought we’d start here.
Then, the capital building for today.”