Her eyes found Brady across the room. He and Chelsea’s postures were incredibly comfortable. She was leaning forward as she spoke animatedly about what Liz could only assume was the environmental policy. Brady had his leg crossed at his ankle and the man managed to make it look damn sexy in a tux. Brady shook his head at whatever she had been saying and splayed his hands out in front of him. She could see him stiffen, as if he were trying to get her to see his point and she was resisting.

There was something about Chelsea that Liz couldn’t put her finger on. Despite the physical differences between the women, Liz thought that Chelsea was a lot like Heather: always working, headstrong, and ambitious. Chelsea might be short, thin, and have a sort of reserved elegance in her features, but she still seemed just as hard and calculated as Heather.

Liz shook her head and turned her attention back to the conversation at hand. The women were discussing charity work, which she had always had an interest in.

“What charity are you heading for the upcoming season?” Barbara asked Liz.

Everyone turned expectant eyes toward her.

Charity. What charity she was heading. She had been to enough events to know that many of the women in attendance didn’t work and instead just helped plan fund-raising parties for charity. A few of them would even take a position on a board. Liz hadn’t been in the political arena long enough to have investigated anything like that. She already had a range of charitable organizations that she agreed with, but she had never had time or funding while she had been in school to do much about it. Now that she had the means it only made sense to help however she could.

“A children’s literacy and education charity,” Liz said quickly.

It was a politician’s truth. She was absolutely interested and invested in education policy. She just hadn’t taken that a step further, but she would talk to Brady about it later and they would figure something out. It complemented the work that he had been doing in Congress anyway.

“That’s lovely,” one woman said with a smile.

Liz was about to reply when she felt someone brush her elbow. “Mind if I interrupt?” Brady asked smoothly.

Her eyes glanced up into his and then over to the table he had been sitting at with Chelsea. The woman was gone.

“Of course.”

“You owe me a dance.” Brady took her hand in his and nodded at the women. “You’ll have to excuse us.”

They preened and relented as Brady escorted Liz out onto the dance floor. He could charm anyone, even people who were immune to the charisma within the political arena.

“That was a quick meeting,” she said once she was in his arms again.

“Chelsea has some very different ideas about how to get me to agree to her position than what I can accommodate,” he told her.

“What does that mean exactly?”

“She likes to make demands and her company likes to throw money, but I’m not a man to be bought. You were the one who thought I was in it for the money, and apparently she also believes that.”

Liz sighed. She had inferred that from one meeting with Brady, but knowing him now she knew it wasn’t the truth. Brady actually believed wholeheartedly in everything he worked on. “Well, do you not agree with her position?”

He seemed to ponder this as he twirled her around the ballroom dance floor. “I agree with her underlying policies, but not with her methods. Also, I don’t think that what EMi is asking for is feasible in Congress. It’s hard enough getting education policy reform in the climate right now. It’s all well and good that we’re at a bipartisan event, but the world works in partisan ideologies that frequently clash. She wants something more extreme than I can promise would go through.”

“So, do you think it’s better not to introduce anything at all?” Liz asked. She could gauge his feeling on the matter, but she wanted to know exactly where his head was.

“I could introduce an anti-fracking bill knowing it would fail, but it does feel unethical. If she’s going to fund my campaign, then I want her to know why she’s doing it.”

Liz leaned into Brady as they danced. Here was the man she had accused of entering politics for profit, talking about turning aside money for ethical reasons.

“You know, you’re really nothing like I thought you were when we first met. I’m so glad I got to know the man underneath the mask.”

“And I’m glad I finally found someone worth sharing it with,” he whispered.

Chapter 22

FOURTH OF JULY

Liz and Brady’s town car rolled up to the Fourth of July festivities three weeks later. Brady’s family, Clay’s girlfriend, Andrea, as well the rest of Brady’s team were in the cars following behind them. The park where the event was held was filled with families excited about the fireworks later on that evening. Kids wearing red, white, and blue outfits were chasing one another, grills were set up around the perimeter, and all around people were enjoying the outdoors after the parade that had gone through the park earlier.

When Liz had been at this event two years ago, Calleigh Hollingsworth had actually given her a press pass so Liz could be backstage for questions. She had just come to see Brady’s speech, the very speech that had won her vote. She fingered the locket around her neck that had the number four in it and smiled at the memories.

As soon as they reached their destination, people crowded in on all sides. Liz looked over at Brady with her eyes wide. “What’s going on?”

“They’re just here to see us. We had a crowd the past two years too,” he said, drawing her closer for a kiss.

The driver came around and opened the door for them. Liz stepped outside, but people didn’t part for them. They just crowded in more. She froze, unsure how to proceed. Brady stepped out behind her and urged her forward, but people weren’t moving. They weren’t getting out of their way. She knew that reporters hassled people and followed them. She had been exposed to that herself, but she had never felt more claustrophobic than that moment.

Just then a large man dressed in all black appeared through the crowd. “Sorry, Congressman Maxwell. This way,” he said and then started walking them toward the stage.

Liz steeled herself and then followed the man through the crowd of reporters. Flashes were going off on all sides and Liz smiled as she walked. Then she heard someone call out over the crowd.