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“Thanks. I forgot you’re from Raleigh. Your parents live here?”
“No, they moved to D. C. when I graduated. They didn’t want me to go to D. C. public schools, but my mom always wanted to work on the Hill. So as soon as I went to college, they packed up and left too. ”
The waitress seated them in a maroon booth at the back of the restaurant and then left. Liz opened the menu and skimmed the choices. “Do you get to see them much? It’s like a five-hour drive to D. C. , right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m too busy to go home much right now, but it’s all right. I get to see them around the holidays, and I’m flying back for the summer. Where do your parents live?”
“Tampa. I’m in the same boat. I’m too busy and it’s too far to drive. ”
“At least you have the beach. ” He looked up at her over the plastic menu.
“That’s true. Guaranteed tan on vacations. If I went home more, I probably wouldn’t be so pale. ”
“You’re not pale. Do you see this?” he asked. He pulled down the open neck of his button-down. She didn’t know why, but the way he exposed the bare skin under his shirt to her made her flush.
She cleared her throat and averted her eyes. “Well, I guess I have that going for me, at least. ”
“Liz, you have everything going for you. Aren’t you a Morehead scholar?”
“Yeah, but that’s just academics. Book smarts,” she said. “You have the whole paper, and everyone loves you. ”
“You could have the paper. ”
“You think so?”
“I’ve seen your work. It’s really good. Plus, you’re driven. ”
“Thanks,” she said. It was what she wanted and what she had worked for. She appreciated that he saw that in her.
“I wouldn’t have put you in a reporter position if I didn’t think you were fully capable of moving forward. ”
“Well, you sure know how to motivate someone,” Liz said, her face heating under the spotlight. She would love to be editor, but she knew that she had some work to do over the next year to prove that to everyone else.
Hayden made everyone want to work for him. When he was overseeing a project people worked twice as hard than if anyone else had initiated it. He had such a presence that he could seamlessly take over a whole room. Once people got to know him and witnessed his unfailing dedication to projects, they only loved and admired him more.
Liz certainly had fallen for that amazing presence. Plus, he was attractive. His medium brown hair was always shaggy and overgrown, curling at the ends and around his ears. It constantly covered his hazel eyes, which changed colors depending on his mood or attire. He had a runner’s build and could be seen crisscrossing campus in his track shoes. Best of all, he always had a smile on his face. It was such a relief to walk into the office after a grueling day and be greeted by such a happy demeanor.
They ordered when the waitress returned. Hayden claimed the restaurant had some of the best spaghetti he’d ever had in North Carolina. Liz wasn’t sure that was saying much, but ordered it anyway. She trusted his judgment. He had chosen her for this position, after all.
“So, do you think Maxwell will win the primary?” Hayden asked, taking a sip of his water.
“Definitely,” she said without a doubt or second thought.
“You’re so sure,” he said. “What makes you think that? He’s a young, first-term State Senator with no experience. ”
“He has his dad’s name and career to run off of, and that’s clean. People know it. I wouldn’t count him out. ” Plus, he was attractive, really attractive, and that always helped.
“No, you’re right. I was just curious,” he said, smiling into his menu.
“What?” Her eyes narrowed.
“You were kind of staring at him when he walked onstage,” he said. “Did you not know he was that young?”
“Stop teasing me, Lane. ”
“Hey, I don’t blame you! He’s a good-looking guy,” he said with a devilish smirk as she glared at him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. Hayden had pretty much hit it on the head.
