“Looks like you two are way behind in the running,” Trent said.
Jake put his glass down on a side table. “I don’t know, Trent. They’ve both introduced their girlfriends to the family. They might not be as far behind Scott in the race to the altar as you think.”
Trent seemed to consider Jake’s words, and Brett waited to hear what words of wisdom he’d spit out next. Trent didn’t keep him waiting long.
“Excellent point, Jake. I believe you’re right. With all these weddings coming up, maybe I should buy another tuxedo in case they plan back-to-back ceremonies.” Trent looked over at Alec, his youngest brother and the only single man in the room. “Maybe you can get in on this too. We can have one large wedding and save everyone a lot of time.”
“Allison would never go for it. And for now I’m happy being single,” Alec said. “I’ll leave the serious relationship stuff to you old guys.”
Brett had been happy single too. Over the past couple weeks though, he’d realized what he’d been missing by being alone. And he had no plans to give up what he’d found.
Chapter Ten
“I wish they’d find something else to talk about,” Eden said.
Jen looked away from her computer screen and at her coworker. Before Jen’s promotion and move to her own office, she’d sat in the cubicle next to Eden’s. Back then it’d been common for them to chat during the day. Despite Jen’s move to a real office with four walls and a door, they still visited with each other. At the moment, Eden stood at Jen’s open door, a paper coffee cup from Ambrosia in her hand.
“Who would stop talking about what?” She’d been working on the same project all day, and a short conversation with Eden would be a nice break for both her brain and eyes.
Her coworker walked inside and sat down at one of the chairs near the desk. “The silly special election in Massachusetts. No matter what news site I check, there’s a story about it. I don’t live in Massachusetts and don’t care who wins. There must be something else important the reporters can find to write about.”
Jen might not live in Massachusetts, but she had strong feelings about the upcoming vote. On one hand, she wanted Brett to win. She knew how important it was to him. At the same time, she knew a win would also mean he’d relocate to DC for at least part of the year. She didn’t know how such a move might affect them. They hadn’t discussed it, but if he won, he might end their new relationship. Even if he didn’t, distance could put a strain on even time-tested relationships. With theirs being so new, the stress might be too much. When she considered that, she hoped Brett lost to Ted Smith in the primary. Unfortunately, those thoughts always kicked her guilt into action, making her feel like the worst girlfriend alive.
“And it’s not just on the news and all over the internet. Last night I saw commercials for all the candidates multiple times while I was watching television. Seriously, if you have to show so many, put them on Massachusetts stations,” Eden said.
She’d stopped watching regular television a long time ago because of all the commercials. Now she either set her DVR to record her favorite shows, allowing her to fast-forward through the commercials, or she watched shows on demand. Perhaps her friend should consider doing the same thing.
“New England’s a small area. People often watch stations from other states. I’m not surprised they’re all playing the same commercials,” Jen said.
Eden pushed her eyeglasses on top of her head. “The media is only doing it because a Sherbrooke is running. If anyone else were going against Ted Smith, the coverage would be much less. And if after the primary it ends up being Ted Smith against, say, Gina Hammond, they’ll hardly report anything anymore.”
Jen didn’t completely agree with her friend’s assessment. This particular election was perhaps more important than most since it could change the balance of power in the Senate. So while Brett’s involvement might be increasing the coverage slightly, there was a lot at stake. Even if he didn’t win the primary, the media would stay focused on the election until the end.
“A
t least it won’t last too much longer. The primary is on November 7 and then the election will be December 19.” Both dates were etched into her mind.
“Yeah, but then it’ll all be replaced with stuff about the presidential primary and that election. I guess I better get used to it. Maybe some new big Hollywood scandal will break and distract the media from the election for a bit, giving us all break from politics.”
“Do what I do. Record your favorite shows, then you can watch them when you want and skip over the commercials,” Jen said.
“Sometimes I do, but often I hate waiting. And my boyfriend and I never record a football or baseball game. It’s too easy to overhear people talking about it before we get a chance to watch it. Last night during the baseball game, every single break featured a political ad. Most were for either Ted Smith or Vince Reed, but even the third-party candidates got some air time.”
The phone on Jen’s desk rang, temporarily halting their conversation. The extension number displayed on the screen indicated the call was from the office receptionist and not an outside line. “Hello,” she said. She didn’t have any scheduled meetings for this afternoon and her clients usually called her line directly rather than go through Willow.
“Jennifer, you have a visitor here to see you,” Willow, the receptionist, said.
Clients came to see her when they had appointments, but no one else. If her sister or mom did come to the city, they always met somewhere. They never unexpectedly showed up at the office. Actually, Jen didn’t think either had ever stepped foot in the building. If one of them was there now, something terrible must have occurred. Jen ran her tongue over her bottom lip before she asked her next question. “Who is it?”
“Brett Sherbrooke.”
Jen picked up on the excitement and the curiosity in the receptionist’s voice.
“I don’t see his name on your schedule. Should I show him to your office?” Willow asked.
They hadn’t seen each other as much as she would’ve liked since his cousin’s engagement party, but they’d talked on the phone on the days they couldn’t get together. During those conversations, he always shared his upcoming schedule. She knew today he’d had an event in Seekonk. When they talked yesterday, he hadn’t mentioned stopping in to see her afterward. “Uh, sure, Willow. That’s fine. Thank you.”
“Is something wrong?” Eden asked when Jen put down the phone receiver.