Eliza’s ears had pricked up.“I’m listening.”
“Everyone at the party, at least all the members of congress, were working with Senator McClean on a joint committee that was investigating congressional malfeasance.”
“So they were basically the congressional equivalent of Internal Affairs.”
“Precisely.”O’Toole hadn’t been able to disguise her intrigue. Her partner had called her a dog with a bone, and it seemed, thanks to Eliza’s father, she had picked up a scent.
“The question now becomes,”Eliza had said,“who were they investigating?”
“And I’m looking into it as we speak. Can you recall any conversations you had about any government employees whoweren’tat the party?”
“I mean, that’s pretty muchallthat was talked about. I don’t know if you’ve spent much time around politicians, Agent O’Toole, but they’re the world’s biggest gossips.”
“Anything specific spring to mind?”O’Toole had prompted and Eliza had cast her mind back to the party and the small talk she and Charlie had exchanged with others before he’d dragged her toward the back of the patio so he could propose.
“A lot of people asked about my father. There was the usual chatter about the president and her husband.”The First Gentleman was a bit of a glory hound and was always appearing on the late shows and giving Washingtonplentyof material to buzz about.“The usual chitchat about whichever recent congressional scandal was making headlines.”
“Include all of it in your statement,”O’Toole had instructed.
“Will do,”Eliza had assured her.
“No detail is too small,”the agent had emphasized.“No impression is too inconsequential. Once I’ve read it, I’ll call you if I have further questions. In the meantime, stay inside the compound.”
After Eliza had gotten off the phone, she’d done inventory on the ammunition shed and had put in an order for more 5.56x45 mm NATO rounds. She’d answered the same question about Charlie a dozen times over, and her answer had always been the same.No, she had not accepted his proposal.Finally, she’d sat down to go through her cookbooks and pick out recipes for the next week.
Then she had started baking. And baking. Andbaking.
So far she’d used her pain to whip up two pans of banana bread—now that she knew Fisher loved it, she was determined to keep some on hand—two dozen red velvet cupcakes with homemade cream cheese frosting, one lemon tart, and she was on her second loaf of sourdough bread.
The sun had dipped below the buildings to the west. And it was way past time for everyone who no longer lived onsite to head home. But she found the kitchen full of the people she’d grown to know and love.
Boss and Becky sat at the center island taking turns feeding each other cupcakes like they were newlyweds instead of being old hats at the game. Boss looked like a giant next to his tiny wife. But Eliza had learned it was Becky who was therealbig cheese. Her scowling, scarred behemoth of a husband was firmly wrapped around her pinky finger just like he was wrapped around the pinkie fingers of their two pigtailed girls who were currently upstairs playing pool with three of their honorary uncles: Graham, Britt, and Hewitt.
Michelle sat on the counter beside the sink with Snake standing between her spread knees. She filled him in on her day and when Eliza turned her ear that way, she caught a snippet of their conversation.
“I swear this practice was out in the middle of nowhere,” Michelle said with exasperation. She was a pharmaceutical rep and spent her days visiting doctors’ offices and talking about the latest wonder drugs to hit the market. “I got lost three times despite the help of my GPS. And then the universe decided I needed an additional challenge and gave me a flat tire.”
“I’m sorry, babe.” Snake slid his hands up his wife’s linen-clad thighs and squeezed once he reached the bend in her hips. Eliza quickly turned back to her task because the gesture looked blatantly sexual. And right on cue, Snake added, “I’ll make it all better once I get you home.”
She didn’t need to glance back to know Snake had swept Michelle’s hair over her shoulder and leaned forward to kiss the woman’s neck. Anytime she heard that note of innuendo in his voice—which was often—that’s exactly what he did.
Ozzie and Samantha sat at the little bistro table in the corner play-arguing, which was one of their favorite pastimes. Eliza wasn’t sure where the conversation had started, but she tuned-in in time to hear Samantha tell her husband, “Of course I know that. I’m not an idiot.”
The look on Ozzie’s face said he was prone to argue. But the way Samantha lifted a warning finger let him know that if he opened his mouth, she was liable to scratch his eyes out.
Ozzie simply leaned across the table, grabbed one of Samantha’s riotous curls and let it spiral through his fingers. “Have I told you yet today just how adorable you are?” he asked with a wry grin.
Samantha told him where he could shove his charm using descriptive words that left no room for misunderstanding. But there was no heat in her voice while therewasa definite twinkle in her eye.
As Eliza watched, Ozzie leaned forward to plant a long, lingering kiss on Samantha’s lips. By the time he let the pretty investigative reporter up for air, Samantha looked breathless and dazed.
“Fine,” she sighed. “You win.”
“Yes!” Ozzie shot a fist in the air with enough force to have his mad-scientist hair bouncing. “Victory is its own reward!” He lowered his voice and lifted a seductive eyebrow. “Butyou, love of my life, will be the one to reap the benefits of my triumph once we get the baby to sleep tonight.”
Eliza felt surrounded by love and affection. She usually drank it up. But this evening it only reminded her thatherlove would never feed her cupcakes or brush her hair back over her shoulder or tease her terribly before kissing her until her knees gave out.
Some of what she was feeling must have revealed itself in her expression because Becky reached across the large island with its soapstone countertop to pat her hand. “Hey, girl. I know intrusive thoughts when I see them. You okay?”
