“What will do you without her strawberry cloud when Congress is back in session?” Wade asked after swallowing a large bite of steak.
At that, Xander frowned at his rib eye. “I don’t know,” he said, turning to look back at Rose with all signs of humor gone from his face. “We still need to talk about that. There are a lot of unknowns right now.”
“Why don’t you sweep her off her feet and take her far away from this dull little town?” Tori asked.
“We’ve hardly b—” Rose started to argue away the importance of their relationship, but she was interrupted by Xander.
“I’ve given it some serious thought, if she’s interested.” He turned toward her. “Rose, would you ever consider moving to D.C.?”
“Move to D.C.?” she parroted back to him. Was he asking her to move in with him? With his brother and future sister-in-law as witnesses? Rose certainly couldn’t afford to live there on her own. “What would I do there?”
“Whatever you like. You’re an award-winning baker. You could try working at one of the nearby bakeries. There’s some great ones. You could even open your own.”
Open her own bakery? How could he know what she’d dreamed of doing when she couldn’t even voice it aloud to another living soul? He knew her better than she believed. She’d fantasized about opening a bakery, but it required up-front cash that she’d tried, and failed, to save. Every time she’d get a good amount put away, disaster would strike and she’d need new tires or X-rays.
“Yeah. There’s some nice bakeries around,” he continued, “but nothing like what I’ve tasted of yours. I think you and Joey would really love D.C. The museums are great and the food is fantastic. No offense, but Daisy’s has got nothing on the places around town. Everything from Ethiopian food to Korean barbecue within a few blocks’ walk. There are some great private schools in the area, too. We could get tickets to the Washington Nationals games. I think Joey would...”
Xander continued talking, but Rose’s disappointment made it hard for her to follow along. She forced a smile on her face and nodded appropriately as he chatted on. She should’ve known better than to make that mental leap. Really, they’d reunited less than two weeks ago and had had a couple great nights together. That wasn’t grounds for anything other than maybe a call for another date. Moving in together so soon? That was a fantasy. He might want her to move to D.C., but it was more about seeing his son than anything else. She was a means to an end.
“I think you lost her at Korean barbecue,” Tori said, catching Rose’s attention. “I said sweep her off her feet and you’re rattling off neighborhood details like a real estate agent.”
Rose laughed it off and shrugged away her concern. “I’m not a very adventurous eater. It sounds nice, but maybe we could start with a long weekend visit before we start packing my things.”
“Now that you mention it,” Xander said, “I do have to go back to D.C. this weekend. The Fostering Families Center is having their annual fund-raising event. It’s a very swanky black-tie party. I’m also doing my first signing there to cross-promote the book and the charity. You should come with me.”
“Be serious,” she said with a nervous laugh. Even if she could take the time off work, and she couldn’t, she’d stand out like a sore thumb at a black-tie gala. Her nicest dress had cost her fifty dollars at a department store in Hartford. It probably wouldn’t suit the event any more than her awkward shuffle around the dance floor and desperate clinging to Xander.
“I am being serious. I want you to come with me.”
“I have to work.”
“I don’t know, Rose,” Wade said. “You know when he wants to, he can be very persuasive. He’ll turn that charming politician shtick on your boss and you’ll be on a plane to D.C. before you know it.”
She appreciated that Wade would think Xander wanted her in D.C. that badly, but she was tougher to convince. If Wade had known the truth, he’d have realized Xander wanted Joey closer. She had no reason to believe that their sexual holiday was something serious. Taking her to D.C. for a romantic weekend was just a way to grease the wheels and convince her she’d enjoy living there.
“That sounds nice and all, but it’s a pointless effort. Once you get back to work, you’re going to forget all about little old me,” she said. “There’s a country to be managed, and frankly, you all need to focus on that instead of me. It’s not going so well.”