More Than Rivals (9 page)

“I know, I know…” She shook her head at what had to look like a silly situation. “Remember that meeting in Marin? He tracked me down there.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go to that without a staffer.”
 

For the next few minutes, she relayed both her conversation with Jack that day in Marin and the details about her run with him the night before and the planned one for later in the week. Jordan nodded and asked questions, but made no commentary until she’d finished. She summed up her story by downplaying it. “So that’s it. Really it’s not a big deal.”

Jordan took a deep breath and then exhaled as he said, “Girl…”

“What?”

“You’re playing with fire.”

“Why? It’s not a big deal. As he said, he plays tennis with Charles Kingsley.”

“But he doesn’t want to have sex with Charles Kingsley, and Charles Kingsley doesn’t want to have sex with him.”

“Who said I wanted to sleep with the guy?”

“I did—because I want to sleep with the guy.”

“You want to sleep with everyone.”

“Everyone who looks like
him
.” Jordan stared her down. “Lily, please. Admit what you’re feeling here. I don’t know what
he’s
doing, but you should be honest about what you’re doing.”

Lily tapped on the table and frowned, not wanting to be called out on the facts. Eventually, she sighed. “I’m being delusional, aren’t I?”

“If you think you can continue to see Jack and not fall for him, I’d say, ‘Yes. You’re being delusional.’”

“Well, what’s the worst thing that happens? I develop a huge crush on my opponent? It’s not like I’m going to act on it.”

Jordan’s brow furrowed. “You’re not?”

“No! Are you crazy? Besides he has a girlfriend or whatever she is.”

“I’m just going to repeat what I said earlier. You’re playing with fire.” He stared her down. “Do you want to win this primary?”

“Yes.”
That
she was still certain of.
 

“Well, don’t let this little crush of yours screw it up. Keep it light with him.”

“That’s my goal.”

Jordan’s cheeky grin came back again as he said, “And then, the day after the election—regardless of who wins—you can shag him senseless and tell me all about it.”

***

On Friday afternoon, Jack waited at their agreed upon meeting place at the corner of Maple and Clay Streets in San Francisco. He passed the time by stretching his legs, occasionally looking up to see if Lily were on her way. When he spotted her walking toward him in her running gear, he smiled, thinking she looked just as good as the last time.

“Hey,” he said. “I thought I’d get to see you in your uniform.”

“Uniform?” she asked with a smile.

“Your nurse uniform.”

 
“When was the last time you were in a hospital? It’s not like nurses wear little white dresses anymore. We wear scrubs.”

“That’s unfortunate.” He chuckled.
 

“Fortunate for me. Scrubs don’t really go with the naughty nurse fantasy. It’s nice to know a guy isn’t checking me out when I give him a catheter.”
 

When Jack cringed at the word, Lily laughed. “I see you’ve had one before.”

“No. I haven’t. Thank God, but a buddy of mine had one. It sounded horrible.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“I hope I never find out.”

She smiled and nodded in the direction of the Presidio. “How about we get started? I need to get on the road before traffic gets too bad. I’ve got an event tonight.”

“Sounds good.” He pointed north. “This way.”

As the two ran through the streets, they caught up on each other’s lives since they last met. When they entered the Presidio, Lily looked up at the canopy of eucalyptus, cypress, and pine trees. “It smells wonderful.”

“It’s even better after a rain.”

“I can imagine. This place is so special … so quiet.”

“I remember growing up when it was a military base. Believe me. The vibe was totally different.”

“Oh I’m sure, but still …” She surveyed the former fort, now national park. “What an amazing place to be stationed. You could be stationed at some fort in the middle of nowhere.”

“Or worse—sent off to Vietnam.”

“Exactly. But instead, you’re at the Presidio in San Francisco.”

“Where do you want to go in here? By the bridge? Down by the Main Post?”

“Wherever. I haven’t been on a run here in years.”

“Let’s go down to the bluffs.” The location was a calculated, selfish choice on his part. The land met the Pacific Ocean, with the Golden Gate Bridge towering nearby and the Marin Headlands off in the distance. No one could find themselves at that scenic point and simply turn around and leave. The view needed to be savored.
 

When they arrived at the top of the bluffs, he still gave her the choice of whether they linger. He nodded down to the beach with its crashing surf. “Do you want to go down and take a look? Or do you want to keep going? I don’t want to make you late.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her eyes bright. “I’d love to check it out.”

They made their way down the many wooden steps and found a dry boulder to sit on while the waves battered the shoreline. The beach was empty, except for the occasional stray tourist. Sitting on the rock, they spotted surfers off in the distance trying to catch waves under the shadow of the Golden Gate.

“Do you surf?” Lily asked.

“Not really. I mean. I can. I have. But it’s hard to develop a passion for it when the water is so cold. What about you?”

“I can surf, but the water is warmer in San Diego. Even with a heavy wetsuit, I’d die up here.” She rubbed her bare arms. “Speaking of which.”

“You’re cold?” he asked.

“A little, but that’s why I brought this,” she said, tugging on the light jacket tied around her waist. She undid the knot and put it on. “You never know what kind of weather you’ll get in the city.”

“No you don’t.”

As he said the words, the vibration of a phone could be heard from her jacket pocket.

“Sorry,” she said unzipping the pocket. “I hope you don’t mind if I check this. I told someone to text me with the address of an event tonight. I’ll know how soon I need to leave if I know the address.”

“Go right ahead,” he said, curious as hell about who might be contacting her and what the event was about.

After she pulled out her phone and swiped at the screen, he was even more intrigued. She sped past a photo of a man who looked to be around their age. Jack brazenly looked over her shoulder and saw it was the only photo on display on her phone.

 
She read her text and said, “Oh, good. I have some time. The reception isn’t too far away. I can get home, take a shower, and be on time.”

There were too many questions going through Jack’s mind. What was the reception for? Who was she going with? And more immediately, was she going with the guy on the phone? As she shut down her phone, he caught a glimpse of the man’s photo again. Impulsively, he pointed to the phone. “Was that a picture of your boyfriend?”

“Um. No,” she said, clearly startled by his question.

“Sorry. Just wondering.”
 

He tried not to smile, but he was happy with her answer. He waited for her to say it was her brother or cousin, but instead she shrugged. “It’s my husband.”

Jack felt like an idiot—an idiot who had been punched in the gut. “I’m so sorry. That was really rude of me to ask. I—”

“No, it wasn’t,” she said, her voice pleading. “Don’t worry. I’m not upset.” She looked down at her darkened phone. “It sounds silly, but I sort of forget I have that picture of David on there. I mean I see it a hundred times a day, but I don’t look at it. It’s sort of like I have it hanging on a wall.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself. I was being nosy.”

“Really, you weren’t.” She looked out onto the Pacific. “It’s so strange. I don’t know what to call him sometimes. I say he’s my husband, but obviously, he’s not. He’s dead, and I’m unmarried. Yet calling him my ‘former husband’ just seems wrong. It makes it sound like we got divorced, and we didn’t. ”

“I can see how that’s confusing,” he said in an uncertain voice.
 

“Yeah, it’s like I’m in limbo.”

“Limbo? Why do you say that? You have to be seeing someone.”

She gave a dismissive look and shook her head. “No. I don’t date much. I think I told you that when we first met.”

“You also didn’t tell me a lot of things that night, remember?”

“Well I was completely open on that one.” She laughed. “I guess it’s a little by choice that I don’t get out much, but there’s also just reality. All those quirky things about me that make me a more interesting candidate are usually deal-killers with men. If one thing doesn’t turn them off, all of it combined will.”

“What do you mean?” He looked at her from head to toe. “I can’t imagine anything about you being a deal-killer.”

“Well, thanks, but that’s not how most men see it. As Jordan says, I have more baggage than a skycap at the airport.”

“Baggage?” He laughed. “How so?”

“For starters, I’m a widow, so that scares off a lot of guys right there. But if that isn’t enough, the fact that I have a little kid usually puts a damper on things.” She raised her finger and added, “Oh, and there’s the issue of my parents living with me. That’s a winner.”
 

She shook her head. “And then to top it off, I’m a county supervisor running for Congress. This is not a way to get a man, but I’m telling you, if a man was in my shoes, he’d be crawling with women.” Her voice became dramatic. “A rising politician who is a young widower with a seven year old son.”

Jack nodded. The gentlemanly and polite thing to do would be to say none of those things would matter to most men, but he liked her too much to lie. He tried to crack a joke first. “I agree there’s a double standard, but I think even for a man the living with the parents thing would still be a problem.”

“Well, yeah…”

“I was joking.” His voice softened. “Listen, I wish I could say that you’re wrong, but when you put it in those terms, I can see some guys running, but come on … you wouldn’t want to be with them anyway.”

“I know … I know. That’s what I tell myself when I get lonely.”

“But I’ll tell you … those are some stupid guys. You shouldn’t ever be lonely.”

“Thanks,” she said in a small voice.
 
She glanced at her phone again, put it in her pocket, and then turned to him. Her voice became hesitant. “So what about you? Tell me about your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“You don’t?” Her mouth twisted as if she didn’t believe him. “Guys like you always have girlfriends. Maybe it’s a matter of semantics.”
 

A pang struck Jack, as he immediately felt that he’d lied about Bev. She may not have technically been his girlfriend, but they had a long history and she willingly assumed that role whenever he needed it.
 
He took a breath and corrected himself. “Well … she’s not really a girlfriend. Bev and I have been on and off for a while.”

Lily cocked her head and asked, “Do you love her?”

Jack gulped. That was a question his mother and grandmother asked him. He didn’t expect to hear it from Lily. Regardless, there was no good answer, so he went with his standard reply. “Um. Sure, but I’m not ready for anything serious, and she shouldn’t wait.”

She nodded—which was a better reaction than the ones he received from his family. They’d lost patience with him.
 

Holding up her hand, she smiled. “Sorry. I’m the one who’s nosy. It’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s a reasonable question.” He chuckled. “One that I’ve been asked and that I ask myself.”

“So what are you waiting for?”

“I don’t know.” He picked up a small rock and flung it into the surf. “Life. My career. It’s hard to be in a relationship when you’re running for office.”

“But you’re still dating her?”

He glanced at Lily, and their eyes locked. She might’ve said “dating,” but she meant “fucking.” He scratched his head at the awkwardness of it all and told the truth. “We see each other occasionally.”

When Lily looked away, he knew she was passing judgment on him, and when she checked her watch and said, “It’s getting late. We should start heading back,” he was sure something had changed with her.

“Let’s go then,” he said. The conversation was ending awkwardly, but it was still less awkward than continuing it.
 
He hopped off the rock and held out his hand for her as she opted for a more careful climb down. While he guided her to the ground, he asked, “So what’s this reception you’re going to tonight?”

“A friend of one of my donors is having a party.”

“Ah, so it’s work?”

“Of course it’s work.” She laughed. “What did you think it was? A date?
 
Didn’t we just have this conversation?”

“I guess we did,” he said feeling a little foolish.

She started up the stairs at a quick clip. “What are
you
doing tonight?”

He followed behind her and looked up to see a tempting view of her ass as it bounced up the stairs. “Dinner at my parents.” On a whim, he added, “Want to come?”

She turned and gave him a small smile. “I’m sure they’re lovely people, but I’ve got plans.”

“I know they’d like to meet you.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” She continued trotting up the steps. “Maybe at the convention dinner in a few weeks, but I don’t know.”

Dread struck Jack, but he kept his voice level. “Oh yeah, are you coming to that?”

“I’d like to. It’s such a big event, but I’m scheduled at the hospital. Switching shifts is hard on a Saturday night.”
 

“It’s not that big of a deal if you miss the dinner.” He closed his eyes, happy that she couldn’t see him as he lied. The state Democratic Party convention dinner was a big deal for any politician, especially if you were running for Congress. But if he had plans to attend the dinner with Bev, he didn’t want Lily there.
 

When they got back to the corner of Clay and Maple, Lily pointed in the direction of the hospital. “My car is in the hospital garage, so I need to keep going.” Then she extended her hand to him, and her tone became formal, though she smiled. “Another great run. Thank you.”