“It depends. I’m not always front-page news, so I get more privacy when I’m not. But I do run into a lot of people who want to talk to me. It’s part of the job,” he confirmed.

The waitress returned with their wine, and they ordered dinner. It was a tapas place and so they got a variety of items to share. The food was spectacular and the conversation was light. They knew so much about each other from when they had last been together, but it was a new experience dating without any of the red tape. Plus, so much time had passed since the last time they had been together that even though it seemed like they could pick up where they left off, there was much to talk about to return to that level of personal intimacy.

They ordered dessert and sat around talking about the most romantic things they had ever done.

Brady paid and then wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked toward the exit. “Stargazing in an open field?” he asked.

“Have you ever done it?”

“I’ve looked at the stars, but come on—Paris by candlelight, strolling an untouched beach at dusk, breakfast on a foggy morning in the mountains,” he suggested.

“Those do sound very romantic,” she conceded, smiling up at him. “I still like stargazing in an open field. I mean you’re so in touch with the world. Just you and the person you’re with in the quiet, in touch with your soul. It’s indescribable.”

They broke apart as Brady’s Lexus showed up at the valet station. Just as they moved toward the car, a small woman appeared from around the corner. “Excuse me, Congressman Maxwell, do you have a minute?”

Brady turned and smiled at her. Liz noticed that the woman had a rather nice-looking camera around her neck, and without a second thought she looked for the recorder she found bulging the woman’s pocket. Reporter.

“How can I help you?” Brady asked amicably.

“Could you comment on the state of your affair with Ms. Liz Dougherty?” she asked.

Liz’s instinct was to snub the woman, tell her no comment, and walk away. But Brady just held his campaign mask in place. “Ms. Dougherty is my girlfriend,” he said simply. “No affair. As you can tell we’re out for dinner together before I return to D.C.”

“Do you have any comment for the people who are saying that your relationship with Ms. Dougherty is a campaign ploy for more attention?”

Liz gritted her teeth even through her smile. She wanted to tell this woman where to shove it with her personal questions. The other part of her tried to tell her that she would have done the exact same thing if she were reporting on this case, but damn, it was hard when it was her own life.

“I can assure you that Ms. Dougherty is far from a campaign ploy.”

“Ms. Dougherty, do you have any comment on the state of your relationship with Congressman Maxwell? It must be overwhelming dating such a high-ranking official after just ending your previous relationship,” she said, staring Liz down.

Liz shot Brady a questioning look. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say in this situation. No comment seemed best, but Brady was answering her. Maybe as long as she followed his lead and mimicked the way he handled the press it would be okay. He nodded softly and she took that to mean go ahead.

“The Congressman and I are very happy together. We’re pleased to be able to share our relationship with the public,” Liz said, holding her head high. It was strange to speak to a reporter the way people had always spoken to her.

The woman opened her mouth to ask something else, but Brady held up his hand. “We’re running on a bit of a tight schedule for tonight. We really appreciate your questions, but we must be going.”

“Just one photo?” the woman insisted.

Well, normally reporters just snapped photos whenever they could, so her actually asking for a picture was a real treat. He placed his hand back around her waist and they smiled for the camera. A flash went off once, twice, three times. The woman thanked them even though it was clear she wanted to ask more questions.

Liz sank into the passenger seat of Brady’s Lexus and sighed. “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” she said after a moment.

“Baby, you’re a natural.” He found her hand again and squeezed it.

“It’s easier when you’re there.”

“It’ll get easier with time. Reporters, as I’m sure you’re shocked to hear, are always going to be around.”

“I know,” she whispered. And she did. She knew how the job worked. She just had to get used to it from the other side.

Chapter 7

AVOIDING

Brady flew out of Raleigh late that night and he had a car drive Liz back to her house. She was relieved to see that reporters weren’t waiting for her. She had let Victoria know earlier that she would be with Brady, and Victoria had responded that she was staying with Duke Fan in Durham. It did Liz some good to be alone. For now, her main priority needed to be catching back up in her schoolwork.

Already she was two days down this week. She couldn’t risk endangering her scholarship in her last semester. Now that she didn’t have the newspaper she would have plenty of time to make up the work. Thinking about the paper like that sent a pang through her chest.

In fact, without the newspaper, Liz found that she had a surprising amount of time to herself. She spent the next two weeks playing catch-up. Reporters still showed up on campus, but their numbers soon dwindled.

Brady had given her his weekends, but like her, he was playing catch-up with his responsibilities in D.C. She completely understood that he needed to make everything right and show his continued dedication to his career. This couldn’t be a hiccup in the campaign.

Come Monday morning, she was feeling more put together and considerably caught up with her work. She had been avoiding talking to Professor Mires about what had happened since the news had spread. She wasn’t sure if she would find disappointment on her mentor’s face, and she preferred to see nothing at all.

Victoria had Duke Fan drop them off on campus right before their first class. It was still strange not to have to come in early or stay after for the paper, but Liz was trying to adjust. Victoria had tried to get her to go party with her this past weekend, but Liz had decided against it. While she had reporters still tailing her she thought it would be better to show herself as studious rather than a party animal. And anyway, she didn’t really feel up to celebrating.