Carl demanded answers, and Brett gave him the condensed version. When they got to Carl’s office, he’d give him everything. “See you soon.”
He didn’t wait for a response before cutting the connection and calling Dad. His father answered faster than Carl had.
“Dad, I’m meeting Carl in about ninety minutes. Can you come?”
And what did he plan to do, she wondered as she watched him make another phone call? After greeting his dad, he stood and walked away as he spoke. She followed him with her eyes. His facial expressions let her know he didn’t like whatever his father was saying.
Brett raked a hand through his hair. “Enough. I’ll see you soon.” His voice reached her from across the room.
He shoved the device back into his pocket and looked toward the ceiling before rejoining her.
“More bad news?” she asked.
“Difference of opinion. It’s not the first time Dad and I don’t agree. I guarantee it won’t be the last.”
“You’re meeting Carl and your dad tonight?”
“It can’t wait.”
He didn’t seem in any rush to share his plan. If his plan included saying goodbye, she wished he’d get it over with and leave. “It’s getting late, and you have a bit of a drive.” She stood. “I’ll make you a coffee for the road so you don’t fall asleep.”
“I know you’ve got work tomorrow, but I’d like you to come to my meeting with Carl tonight.”
His words kept her from walking away.
Brett’s request made sense. He wanted h
er to share the story she’d told him and answer any questions Carl or his dad might have. “After seeing the media gathered outside the office today, I told my boss I’d be working from home tomorrow.” She’d hoped by Monday the media would lose interest in her again. Of course that had been before she saw the headlines tonight.
“Good. As soon as you pack a bag, we can drive into Boston together. After the meeting, we can either stay at a hotel in the city or drive back to my house. By then the media probably hanging around my place will have given up for the night at least.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea? If you really think I have to go, give me the address, and I’ll meet you there. After it’s over, I can drive home.”
She didn’t want to face Brett’s dad, but she’d suffer through the meeting if it would help him. Staying at Brett’s house or in a hotel with him was something else. If he planned to put distance between them, having her stay at his home wasn’t the way to go about it.
He stood and advanced on her. “Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?” he asked, but didn’t give her a chance to answer. “And yeah, I need you there tonight. You might not be the one running for office, but we need to face this problem together.”
“Together?” It didn’t sound like he planned to walk away, but she didn’t want to read too much into his statement either.
Brett put his hands on her waist and pulled her a little closer. “Isn’t it what couples do? They work together? I don’t have a lot of experience with relationships, but my parents always work as a unit.”
Her parents did as well. “Yes, but I thought you’d find it easier to cut ties with me. You could go on record saying you didn’t know about my past, which is the truth, and move on. If you did, the voters might not hold all this against you in November.”
“Is that what you want?” He sounded concerned. “I know your involvement with me has turned into a major headache for you. Given time, things will die down.”
She could say yes and possibly help save both his reputation and his chance of winning. A better person would do just that and ask him to leave. She wasn’t a better person. “No, of course not. But I—” Jen wasn’t sure what she planned to say, and Brett didn’t give her a chance anyway.
“Good. Because if I had to choose between a seat in the Senate and you, I’d pick you every time.”
Her mouth opened but no words came out. His admission had robbed her of any intelligent thoughts. Before any came to her, he continued. “I love you.”
Jen snapped her mouth shut, both stunned and elated by his words. “You… I….” She’d known he cared about her, but hadn’t expected his feelings ran as deep as hers yet.
“This is the point when you tell me you love me too,” Brett said before she could gather her thoughts enough to answer him.
Tonight the guy was a little too sure of himself. “Oh, really? You know what they say about assuming things, Buster.”
“We’re back to Buster again, are we? I still need to come up with a good nickname for you. I’ll work on it.” He didn’t seem fazed by her comment. “And yeah, you love me. If you didn’t, you would’ve kicked my ass to the curb the second the media started circling around. You’re not the attention-seeking type.”