More Than Rivals (5 page)

Jordan winced and shook his head. “I don’t think I’d call him
a player
. Allen didn’t make it sound like he was whoring around. In fact, Allen said Bengston is discreet. He just always has a date on his arm for big functions. They’re all very respectable women though. No one who would raise any eyebrows”

“So who is this Beverly woman?” Her mouth twitched in anxiety. She wanted the information, but didn’t relish actually hearing it.

“She’s a lawyer. She and Bengston used to work at the same firm together, and they’ve dated on-again-off-again for a few years now. She’s from an old San Francisco Italian family. Allen said most people expect them to get married.”

Lily assessed the facts and after a second concluded without any emotion. “They sound like the perfect San Francisco couple.”

“Yeah.” Jordan nodded. “I asked Allen what the deal was. Why weren’t they married? The gossip is that Bengston is so driven by his political career that he’s put marriage on hold until he’s more settled. That’s why he and Beverly are kind of casual, but Beverly is biding her time. She’ll wait for him.”

“Typical,” she muttered. The word had a dual meaning. Jack’s behavior sounded typical of a successful, older bachelor with a stellar career. He would be flighty about his love life because love might get in the way of his next step. But she also thought of herself as typical—a stupid, typical girl who’d succumbed to a handsome smile and kind words. Most likely, it worked for Jack all the time.
 

She took a sip of her drink and raised the glass to the bartender, asking for another. She needed to stiffen her spine. “So are they on or off right now?”

“Allen didn’t know. Said the last time he saw Bengston out was a couple of months ago at a big society wedding, but he was with another woman. Beverly has been out with friends.”

“Huh.” The information didn’t tell her much. So after a sip of her fresh drink, she asked the tough question, “So, do you think he’s playing me? Like you said this morning—he’s trying to make nice so I go soft on him during the campaign.”

“Maybe.” He sighed.
 

“But…but what about when we first met? When he didn’t know who I was? When he didn’t have a reason to talk to me?”

“I agree that puts things in a different light. That’s why I said
maybe
he’s playing you.” He threw up his hands. “Or maybe not.”

She was quiet as she searched for answers, but she only arrived at another question. “And what happens now?”

“Damn, Lily. He’s really gotten under your skin.” He shook his head. “How come? You’ve had plenty of men come on to you.”

“I don’t know,” she whined. “It just feels different. He makes me laugh, and he at least seems honest with me.”

“Well, whether or not he’s honest is what we don’t know now.”

She shifted in her seat and said, “So let’s play this out—”

“You know, you are such a capable, strong woman who is completely rational, but right now you are acting like such a girl!”

“Whatever,” she grumbled. “Will you just bear with me? I want to think about what he might be doing.”
 

“Okay…”
 

“So what happens the next time I see him? I say if he doesn’t flirt with me again, he was probably honest with me when he first met me, but he’s thought about it and he’s more interested in winning this election. That fits with how you’ve described him based on Allen’s assessment.”

“Yes, that makes sense to me.”

“Right, and conversely, if I see him again, and
instead
, he continues to flirt with me, he’s probably up to no good.”

“I guess.”

“You’re not being very helpful, you know,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Hey. I’m the one who got you the deets on his love life. I think I’m being very helpful.”

“Oh, all right.”

“I don’t know how this works out, but I do know it’s not a good idea to be wrapped up in him,” he said sadly. He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Do me a favor for yourself and your campaign. Go out with one of those hot doctors. Get your mind off of Bengston. If you don’t care about him, it doesn’t matter how he reacts.”

She nodded silently as she absorbed his astute advice. “Okay, but I need a need a guy to ask me out,” she said with a chuckle.
 

“That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“We’ll see.”

He snickered. “I’m just bummed the one guy who makes you smile could be a total douchebag.”
 

“Nice thought.” She shook her head at her untenable predicament. “Let’s talk about something else.”

***

The following Saturday morning, Jack slammed the trunk and smiled at the shining sun. It was one of those few warm mornings in San Francisco where fog was nowhere to be found, and he looked forward to a beautiful drive north to Sonoma. As he opened the car door, his phone rang. He checked the name—
Beverly
. He shook his head, and his good mood slipped away.
 

“Hey, Bev.” He slid into his seat and pushed it back for what he knew was a necessary conversation. “I’m really, really sorry I didn’t call you back. This has just been a hell of a week.”

After he spoke, he realized it actually wasn’t the case. While the week had been hectic, it wasn’t as if he never found time to return her call. Instead, he’d forgotten altogether she’d ever contacted him. That was rare for him; he remembered everything.
 

She grumbled, “I knew you were going to say something like that. This primary is annoying.”

“Why?” He chuckled. “You encouraged me to run.”

“Oh, I like the idea of you being in Congress—just not the time and work it takes to get elected.”

“You can’t have one without the other.”

“Yes, but you’re never here anymore.”

“I can’t help that. This is a big district. There’s a lot of ground to cover.”

“I know. I’m just complaining.” She sighed. “So how are you? It’s been a while since we talked.”

“I’m good.” Running his hand through his hair, he summed up his current life. “Busy. The campaign’s going well, but I’ve still got to show up for work in Sacramento. It’s hard being in office and running for another seat at the same time.”

“Well, it’s harder to run for office when you’re out of office.” She laughed. “Just ask my dad.”

Jack raised his eyebrows at the mention of her father’s failed congressional race fifteen years before. It reminded him that Beverly understood politics. She knew how an election could sap a person’s energies. He wondered why she was complaining to him.

“You’re right,” he said as he looked out the window, still in thought.

“Anything else going on?”
 

It sounded like an open-ended question, but Jack knew it actually was pointed. She wanted to know if he was seeing anyone. “Nope. Nothing going on,” he said without hesitation. “What about you? How have you been?”

“Me? Oh, not much. I’ve still got that case going on in Los Gatos, so I spend a lot of time down there. I started playing tennis again. I suppose that’s new.” Her voice became sing-song. “Otherwise, you know. Same old. Same old.”

“Are you still seeing Jeff?” Unlike Beverly, Jack was direct. He believed their on-again-off-again relationship required complete transparency or they’d have no future either as friends or lovers.

“Occasionally,” she said without conviction. Her voice strengthened. “I’d rather see you. I miss you.”

He paused a second, knowing in his heart he couldn’t say the same. He had missed seeing her, but it wasn’t a constant. He found a more accurate reply. “I’ve missed you, too. It would be great to catch up. Let me check my calendar and see what I can find.”

“Good. I’d like that. And we already have one date on the books. The state convention dinner.”

He could hear the smile in her voice, and he nodded. It was true; she was always at his side for big Democratic Party events. “That’s coming up next month, isn’t it?” he said to confirm.

“Yes, it is.”

“Of course, I’d like to have you as my date.” He thought a nicety was in order. “You’ll look great, as always, and you’ll make the whole thing bearable.”
 

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Her voice smoothed out with more than a hint of want. “Now, when you say something like that, it gives me ideas. Maybe I should just show up on your doorstep late tonight. Then you’d have time to see me.”

Jack’s eyes widened, and he searched for the right response. “Well … uh … that would be nice, but it can’t happen.”

“Oh, why not?” she asked playfully.
 

Good question
, he thought. The feeling of dread in his gut seemed out of place. Why wouldn’t he want to have sex with Bev? The sex was always great. Unable to rationalize his instincts, he repeated the same lines he had in the past. “Bev, you deserve more than I can give you right now.”

“Oh, you always say that,” she said with frustration.

“I know I’ve said it before, but it’s true. I’m no good for you right now. I need to concentrate on this race, and if something were to happen between us, it would just complicate things, and I really can’t deal with a personal life in the middle of an election.”

She groaned. “I hate this election. Don’t get me wrong. I want you in Congress, but this race sucks.” She paused and added, “And it’s only gotten tougher now that woman got in.”

Jack’s mouth dropped open. The mention of Lily threw him off-kilter. The sunny day hadn’t been the only thing which had made him smile—he knew he’d get to see Lily later. All week long, the occasional reminder of Lily popped in his mind, and he’d feel a little zap of excitement.
 

“Well, don’t you think, so?” asked Beverly impatiently. “It’s changed everything, right?”

“Yes, it has.” His answer was monotone because it was all he could muster. Somehow Beverly talking about Lily made him uncomfortable.
 

“What’s she like? I only met her that one time. She seemed nice enough, but kind of … I don’t know … plain, boring.” Her voice was adamant, but she questioned him. “Am I right?”

“Uh, no.” Jack pressed his hand hard against the steering wheel. While he wasn’t sure why he felt so strange, he knew talking with Beverly about another woman was always a bad idea. If anything was there, Beverly could sniff it out. He straightened in his seat, and he kept his response short. “Ursula Robles is a great candidate. Listen I—”

“Do you think she’s pretty?”

He grabbed the steering wheel as he felt the conversation careen out of control. “Bev, I need to go. I’m due in Santa Rosa in less than an hour. I’m sitting in my car right now because you called just as I was about to start driving.”

“Oh, okay.” She groaned. “Will you check your calendar to see if we can get together soon?”

Grimacing, he shook his head at his dilemma. He didn’t want to see her, but if he said “no,” the conversation wouldn’t end. He was short. “Sure. I’ll try.”

Later that morning, Lily slipped through the heavy double doors of the Unitarian church’s sanctuary, which held a crowd of candidates and constituents. She’d already made one lap around the room, glad-handing as many people as she could. At that moment, she needed to return to being a mom. She had to remind her father to drop-off Luke so she could take him to his soccer game.

After she finished her phone call, she scanned her emails to see if anything had come up on an otherwise quiet Saturday. Just as she was about to turn off the phone, she heard a male voice say, “They say we’re going to start in fifteen minutes. They’re having problems with the sound.”

She looked up to see Jack walking toward her, most likely returning from the restroom. “Thanks,” she said and returned her attention to her phone. So far that day she’d avoided him, only giving him a smile and nod when he entered the room. Since her conversation with Jordan, she decided less communication with the handsome candidate was better.
 

As she studied an email she’d already read once, she waited for the sound of the sanctuary door to open and close, signaling his departure. No sound occurred, and instead she sensed movement to her right before seeing a pair of men’s black oxfords under dark suit pants. She raised her head again and gave him an uneasy smile. “Hi. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” He returned the smile and gestured toward the sanctuary. “Well, actually that’s not true. Something is going on.”

“Yeah.”
 
She nodded. “There’s a reason why we’re here.”

“I just came over to say ‘hi.’ How have you been?” he asked, crossing his arms as if he was settling into a conversation.

“Good. Busy. And you?”

“Really busy. You know this yourself. Holding down one elected office while running for another is crazy. I have no time to myself.”

“It
is
crazy.” Just as she always did, she held back her next thought when a single person without kids complained about having no time:
 
Now imagine also being a parent.
It was self-serving and petty comment, and she knew it was ultimately rooted in pure jealousy of someone else’s freer schedule.

“And this district…” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just a lot of area to cover. I’m not I’m going to be able to visit every part of it.”

As he spoke, her eyes searched the hallway, looking for a way out of the conversation. Distracted, she spoke aloud a private thought. “But that’s never bothered you before.”
 

He laughed incredulously. “What do you mean by that?”

“Sorry. It’s a joke. Nothing really.” She looked at her watch. “We should be getting back.”

“Wait. We have time. Why did you say that?”

With a chuckle, she smoothed out her gaffe. “Nothing I haven’t said before to you and your staff.”

“Is this your beef about me ignoring you?”

“Yes.”

“So when have you been speaking to my staff?”

“When? Are you kidding me?”

“No. I’m not joking.” His expression was fully honest. “What did you have to speak to my staff about this week?”

Placing a hand on her hip, she gasped and smiled. “I have to talk to your staff all the damn time. You represent my county in the State Senate, remember?”