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She hugs my waist. “We’ll need to celebrate our dual triumphs.”
I grit my teeth when she presses on the most bruised area of my ribs. “Don’t have anything to celebrate.”
Her head tips back. She’s finally noticed that something is wrong. “What happened?”
“I lost.”
She’s shocked.
She should be.
I don’t lose.
And I have no excuse.
It’s true that I faced a seasoned pro tonight but it’s more true that lately my head just hasn’t been focused on the ring like it should be.
“Micah.” She molds her body to mine and hugs me more carefully. “I’m sorry. I should have been there.”
“Not a big deal. How long do you have to stick around here?”
I dislike the flash of guilt that skates over her face when she peers up at me.
“My father will be making a speech, then there’s the after party. And I know he wants to hit the ground running as far as getting his administration ready. There’s a lot of planning ahead.”
“I’m sure he’s got people on the payroll to help him with that.”
There’s that flash of guilt again.
“He’s entrusted me with the assignment of picking his transition team.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck that means.”
She purses her lips. “This is a huge job, Micah. And an unbelievably stressful one. But he can do a lot of good with the right team around him.”
“Tess, are you now planning to work for your father until the end of time?”
“His health has suffered due to the campaign. I can’t just bail on him.”
“So you’re going to fall on your sword so that he can play king.”
She huffs out an irritated sigh and backs away from me. “That’s unnecessarily melodramatic.”
She didn’t answer my question about whether she actually wants to keep working for her father. Fine, I’ll ask a different question. “Are you still coming to Vegas with me?”
She pauses for a breath, fidgets, stalling. Very unlike her.
“I would love to go with you. You know that.”
“Nice to hear. But not the kind of confirmation I was looking for.”
Her attention is drawn to the action on the largest screen where people are surging like rats to get close to a stage with a podium set up.
“Look, I’ll come visit you there whenever I can. And it’s only for two months, right?”
I can’t stand the way her voice sounds.
Mournful. Tired.
