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She offered me a half smile before moving toward the staircase, making her way down.
That smile froze and fell when the senator moved into the room.
He didn’t see her until he saw me looking up at her.
His head turned, making her foot freeze before meeting the next step, everything about her seeming to shrink immediately. Her shoulders slumped and curled forward, her head lowered. She even looked shorter.
“Bertram,” she said, sounding like she was called to the principal’s office and was waiting to hear her punishment.
“Jennifer. This is… unbecoming,” he informed her, voice more condescending than I had ever heard one before. And my life had been dealing with rich people. So that was saying something.
Never in my life had it been as hard to hold off from hauling off and hitting someone as it was as I stood there, watching her gaze skitter around – a rabbit encountering a wolf.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I…” she shook her head, trying to find the right words. “I didn’t know we had company.” She winced a bit as an afterthought. We. There was no more we.
“You are… not yourself,” he allowed, and it seemed to be his way of softening even if he was still as rough as rock chipped from a mountain. “It is understandable. But you need to conduct yourself as though there is always company. I suspect that by tomorrow, you will be inundated by well-wishers coming to pay respects. You will need to be dressed appropriately.”
“Of course,” she said, nodding almost manically. “I understand. I had no idea what hour it was,” she added, looking like her lower lip was actually trembling.
The bastard.
Like she wasn’t going through enough. He was going to allow her life to become a three-ring circus.
“I have also informed you new security detail that he will need to be dressing appropriately.” It was the first time since seeing him that she stiffened, chin lifting a little, spine straightening. She felt indignation. But not for herself. For me. “I am assuming he will be here during appropriate hours.”
Appropriate hours.
Like there might be suspicion about her fucking her protection detail days after her husband was killed.
Christ.
He was always thinking of the media spin.
Everything in his – and her – life came down to the likelihood of his reelection.
I don’t know why I stepped in, why I didn’t allow her to handle the situation. It wasn’t my place.
“Actually, Senator, with this level of violence and with the perpetrator still on the streets, we have advised Mrs. Ericsson that live-in detail would be necessary.” Live-in? What the fuck? “She has agreed. And signed the contract.”
His gaze on me, he missed the wide eyes Jenny had for a split second before she schooled her features.
“I thought it would be wise,” she agreed. “If he wanted to come back to… finish things or simply steal from the house, knowing I was all alone here…”
“Of course. Yes. We don’t need any more scan… we wouldn’t want anything more to happen to you.”
Anymore scandal.
That was what he was going to say.
“I have to go. I am asking that you stay in until the media calms down. I think it would be better that you do not get in front of a camera.”
With that, and nothing more, not even asking if she was okay, he was gone.
I moved to lock the door behind him as Jenny sank down on the step. Turning back, aware of the ears the house had, I moved close enough that we could talk in hushed tones.
“Are you alright?”
“He doesn’t want me in front of a camera because he still sees me as some poor white trash with crappy subpar public education. Like I might get up there and say something stupid.”
“Hey, don’t let his opinion of you become your opinion of yourself. All he can think about is what may or may not look good for his political future. In a little bit of time, you won’t even be a blip on his radar anymore. You won’t technically be related to him. You can move on, start over, go somewhere else. You’d never have to see him again. Let alone be lectured by him.”
“Don’t tease me,” she said, and her lips twitched slightly. “So you’re live-in now?” she asked. And I couldn’t tell if it was wishful thinking or genuinely there, but I could have sworn she sounded hopeful.
“I guess I will be needing that guest room after all. I’m sorry I overstepped. I just got the impression that it was him trying to find another way to control you. I think you’ve had enough of that.”
“You have no idea,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I should go get presentable.”
“No. Fuck him. For today, fuck him. Do what you want to do.”
“I… I don’t know what I want to do,” she admitted, snorting a bit.
