by Peak, Renna
“The reason I’m telling you now, the only reason I’m even mentioning it, is because I’ve had some threats. Someone trying to blackmail me.”
I thought I might black out as my vision tunneled. My stomach dropped to my feet and I had to hold the arms of the chair to keep myself upright. I think my knuckles turned white from how hard I was gripping the chair. It had to be Brandon. Who else would it be? Wasn’t that what he did—blackmail people? My heart didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t have.
“Jenna, I’ve always been very discrete, but there are always people who see things. Maids, drivers, guards…” He gulped again. “It’s not the one night indiscretions that I’m being blackmailed over, though there have been plenty of them over the years.” He finally looked over at me and tried to catch my gaze. “Jenna, there was one woman in particular.”
I couldn’t look up from the floor, my eyes rooted to the spot where the carpet met the hardwood. It felt like I was in a tunnel and my head spun with the possibility of being betrayed by the man I had let myself fall in love with. How could Brandon have done this? And why had he needed to involve me? It wasn’t as though I knew anything about my dad’s affairs. I’d heard all the rumors, been teased about him in school. But I wasn’t his confidant. I didn’t know what he did outside of our house when I was growing up. Those things weren’t something that the child of a senator would know. My head felt like it was going to pop off my neck, not because of my father’s confession, but because of who I knew was blackmailing him.
“Jenna, this woman. I need you to know.”
I shook my head, finally lifting it to meet his gaze. “I don’t need to know any of this.” I didn’t want to know, either.
He nodded. “You do. People will ask you. And Jenna, this is important…”
I shook my head again. “What?”
“I’m fairly sure the person blackmailing me is not Krystal’s brother. We thought it might have been at first, but Krystal assures me that it’s not him. Not this time.”
My voice dropped to a whisper and my gaze went back down to the floor. “You’re sure?” It would be the best news I’d ever heard.
He nodded. “I’m sure. We thought at first it might have been, but we were wrong. It’s not him.”
I dropped my head into my hands and ran my fingers through my hair before sitting up to face my father. Thank God it wasn’t him. None of the rest of it even mattered. My dad could have slept with a million women and I wouldn’t have cared. I just didn’t want the person making him pay for it to be Brandon.
“I had a long affair with a woman. One woman in particular. I was in love with her, Jenna. It doesn’t make it okay, I know, but I want you to know that I loved her. My marriage to your mother was one of mutual convenience. Marrying into the Hennessey family was a political slam dunk. It still is.” He tilted his head to look into my eyes. “But I’m not going to do that to you again. I don’t want you to suffer the same fate that I did.” He shook his head. “Look, I’m not saying I don’t care about your mother. I’m just saying that I—of all people—should have known better than to try to put you into the same situation.” He leaned back, tenting his fingers again. “You’re just so much younger than I was. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time…”
My brow furrowed into my eyes. I tilted my head, questioning him without words.
“I just mean, I’m sorry for trying to get you to do something like that for my political benefit. When I married your mother, I did it with my eyes open, and it was for my own benefit. What I asked you to do, marry Will Howard, that was for me, too. And if you’re going to marry someone for political gain, it should be for your benefit, not for mine. Does that make sense?”
I shook my head. “Why don’t I marry someone I love and not marry anyone for political gain? Or just not get married at all?” I leaned back into my chair, looking at him, surprised at how easily I was standing up for myself. I lifted my shoulders into a shrug. “Is love even a legitimate reason to be with someone anymore?”
“Of course it is, Jenna. And if I could have married… her, the woman I was in love with, I would have. If things had been different, I would have. I regret some of the choices I’ve made, but I don’t regret falling in love with her.” He paused for a moment, his eyes clouded with memories. “And I did think about giving everything up for her. I would have, if things hadn’t happened the way they did.”
I let out a long sigh and shook my head. “I don’t need to know anything else about this. I don’t.”
He nodded. “I just want you to be prepared. There will be questions. There will be a lot of questions.”
I pursed my lips. “Fine. Are they going to ask me if I knew her?” I looked back over at him. “Did I know her?”
The color drained from his face and he pulled his tie away from his neck, twisting his head from side to side. “No. She died when you were a baby.”
I could see there was something he wasn’t telling me. But if the woman died when I was a baby, what difference did it make? “Then there’s really nothing I can tell anyone, is there?” I shrugged, picking up my coffee cup and taking another sip of the now lukewarm liquid.
He shook his head, his eyes turned down to the floor again. There was definitely still something there, something he couldn’t say. “We’re going to control the story as much as we can. Krystal is the master of this type of thing, getting in front of the news cycle.”
I nodded again and took another sip of the coffee, setting the cup back down on the side table. “What is it you want me to do?”
His lips pulled into a smile. “You just need to say ‘no comment’ when the press starts asking. We’re going to end the campaign in Iowa early. I think we’ve made enough of a splash there, made a dent in the polls. Things will go fine when we come back in four years. Getting in front of this story, getting it out in the way we want it to be told is my best shot at being elected in the next election. In six years, not in two.”
I chewed my lower lip before lifting my eyes to meet his. “Krystal mentioned that a few days ago. That you weren’t really campaigning for this election. I guess I understand why now.” My gaze dropped to the floor. “I don’t really want to be a part of this, dad.” My stomach turned at the thought of having to defend my father’s actions. Of having to choose his side over my mother’s.
He nodded. “I know. You don’t have to be. Your mother has agreed to be by my side when I do the interview in a few weeks. She’s not too happy about it, either. It’s…” He paused, seeming to look for the right words. “It’s difficult for her to face. She’s spent years standing by my side. It’s a difficult thing to ask your wife to do for you, whether it’s a marriage of convenience or not.” His lips turned down into a frown and he pulled his coffee cup up to them before thinking better of drinking the cold liquid. He set the cup back down.
I nodded, relieved that I wouldn’t have to be sitting on his other side, showing I supported him. I did, but I didn’t want to be on television telling people that. This whole thing was surreal.
“Now, there’s one more thing. And I promise this is the last thing for today.” He looked back in my direction, a fake smile planted on his lips.
I lifted my gaze to meet his again. “I don’t know if I can handle anything else.”
“This is a fun one. There’s a gala tonight. One of your mother’s charity things. I happen to be in need of a date.”
My gaze narrowed. “Why isn’t she going?”
He bit his bottom lip, darting his eyes back to a spot across the room. “She’s not exactly… thrilled. With me, not at the moment.” He forced a weak smile before looking at me again. “This event will have a lot of potential donors, important people. A lot of important people for you to meet, too.”
I ran my hands through my hair and leaned back into my chair. “I suppose I need a ball gown for this little shindig?”
He pursed his lips, nodding. “That woul
d be the appropriate attire, I suppose.”
I rubbed at my temples. It wasn’t like I had any other plans for the evening, but the thought of being in a room filled with people was already giving me a headache. “My clothes are in Iowa.”
He nodded again. “I’ll have someone send them back here. In the meantime, I suppose you’ll need to go shopping.”
7
I texted Mel and asked if she could meet me at a department store on her lunch break to help me pick out a dress for that night. I waited outside the store for her.
She came up behind me. I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt her throw her arms around my shoulders. “Are we okay?”
I turned around to return her embrace. “Of course.”
She pulled away. “Good. We should go in. It’s fucking hotter than hell out here.”
It was an unusually warm day, even for early July. Sweat had already started beading down my back, just from having stood outside for the few minutes I’d been waiting. We walked inside and went upstairs where the formal wear was located.
Mel turned to me, tilting her head to the side. “What are we looking for?”
I shrugged, my eyes searching the racks for the right dresses for the evening. “Formal dress. My dad wants me to go to some gala tonight with him.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. “Not the Gala? Seriously?”
I nodded, lifting my shoulders in a small shrug. I didn’t know what the big deal was. A gala was a gala, as far as I was concerned. I hated all of them. Getting all prissy and having to wear an uncomfortable dress had never really been my thing.
Her mouth dropped farther and she turned to a tall rack of dresses. “You know that every celebrity worth being a celebrity shows up at that thing, right? Like every celebrity.”
I shrugged again, giving my eyes a little heavenward roll. I’d met a lot of celebrities in my time. I still didn’t see what the big deal was.
She shook her head. “Fuck, I always forget that you already are a celebrity. Of course you don’t care.”
I let out a long sigh before turning to her. “Can you just help me pick out something that won’t embarrass me? Nothing too revealing…”
She pulled two dresses from the rack. “Bullshit. I want every guy at that place checking out your rack. Every guy.” She flagged down a sales person who rushed over when she saw what we were shopping for. Melissa motioned toward me with her head. “My friend is going to The Gala tonight. She needs something stunning. Think you can help us?”
The woman nodded. “Of course. Let’s take the two you’ve already chosen to the dressing room. I’ll bring some other choices for you and you can start trying things on.” She turned to me with a smile. “We’ve got a fabulous alterations department that can make any adjustments you might need before tonight.”
I lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. I just wanted to pick something out that wasn’t hideous. My plan was to just stick with my father for the night. I didn’t need anything more than what would be appropriate to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. “Something plain is fine. Nothing too fancy.”
Mel shook her head and looked at the saleswoman. “Just start bringing things in. I’ll help her decide.”
The woman nodded and headed for another part of the store.
Melissa and I walked into the dressing room where she handed me the dresses and had me start trying them on. I came out a few minutes later in a red thing that was way too low cut. I stood in front of the mirror.
Mel had taken a seat near the mirror. She looked me up and down. “The cut is wrong.” She looked into my eyes through the mirror. “And not because I can see cleavage, either. It just doesn’t fit right.” She motioned me back to the door of the dressing area. “Next.”
I didn’t even say anything. I went back in and put on the other dress. I came out wearing the next one a few minutes later. This one was almost the same cut, only a dark, almost midnight blue.
She stood up and came over to get a closer look. “It’s almost right. I love the color with your skin and hair. Just not quite it.”
The sales woman came in with another handful of dresses, handing them to me. I took the half dozen gowns back into the dressing room with me and put on the next one, returning to the mirror outside a few minutes later.
Mel stood up immediately when I walked out, her mouth gaping open. “Oh my God, Jenna.”
The sales woman stood there, eyes widened, her mouth also agape. She just nodded like a bobble head, not speaking a word.
I walked to the mirror and stood in front of it. The dress was strapless, a dark gray color, but not quite black. I thought it revealed a little bit of cleavage, but not enough to be horribly embarrassing. I smoothed the silky fabric down and let out a deep breath, turning from side to side. I met Mel’s gaze through the mirror. “You think?”
Melissa came over next to me, looking at me through the mirror a second later. “Oh my God, Jenna.”
“You already said that.” I turned to her, tilting my head to the side. “You really think so?”
She nodded her head. “Your eyes. My God. And the way it fits on you.” She shook her head and turned to the sales lady. “This really came off the rack?”
The woman nodded. “I’ve never seen anything like it, either.” She also made eye contact with me through the mirror. “It’s like it was made for you. It’s amazing.”
I looked at myself again in the mirror. I didn’t see whatever it was they were seeing, though the dress did fit well and I thought it was pretty. It hugged my body in the right places, but it was just a dress. I lifted my shoulders in a little shrug. “Fine. I’ll take it.”
Mel turned the price tag that was hanging from the zipper around. She took a step away from me, the color draining from her face. “Christ on a fucking cracker, Jenna. That thing costs more than I make in three months!”
I rolled my eyes a little and went back into the dressing room without responding to her. I changed quickly and handed the dress to the sales woman.
Melissa and I walked up to the register. I heard her muttering under her breath. “Remind me to be a trust fund baby when I grow up.”
I winced, turning to her, my eyes narrowed. “I’ve never, not even once, done anything to you to deserve that.”
She bit her inner cheek and I saw her wince as well. “You’re right, Jenna. I’m totally jealous right now. Seriously green with fucking envy.” Her mouth flattened into another wince. “I’m so sorry.” She turned her head away from me, pretending to look at something across the store.
I let out a huff of hair and finished paying for the dress. We waited while the sales woman went to get a garment bag to put the gown in.
Melissa turned back to me, her eyes clouded. “I’m really sorry, Jenna. I’ve been having a rough time. I spent the morning applying for every job on Craig’s List that I could find. After I got everyone’s coffee orders, of course.” She rolled her eyes, looking up at the ceiling as she spoke. “I’d die to be invited to that frickin’ party tonight.”
I nodded, my face softening. I wished I could do something to get her there. “I’d let you be my dad’s date. But under the circumstances…” I proceeded to tell her about the conversation my dad and I had had that morning.
Her jaw dropped to the floor, her eyes as wide as saucers. “You have to be kidding me.” She shook her head. “I mean, I’ve heard the rumors, but still.” She shook her head again. “What the hell is it with politicians?” She licked at her lips, her jaw tightening just a bit. “I only went to Georgetown because I thought D.C. would be so cool. I thought politics was the shit and I so wanted into that club.” She shook her head, more vehemently that time. “To think I could have avoided all this drama by just going to Berkeley or UCLA. Shit.” She rubbed at her temple.
“But then you wouldn’t have met me.” I grinned and jabbed her in the ribs with my elbow.
The sales lady returned with my bag and we went back dow
n stairs, walking toward the door.
“Yeah, if I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t be having so much fun right now.” She rolled her eyes and turned to me with a grin. “So what’s the next secret to be revealed? You think you have a love-child-sibling hiding somewhere?”
I rolled my eyes back at her. “Yeah. Probably in Zanzibar or something. I’m sure my father would have mentioned something like that.” At least I hoped he would have.
She opened the door for me. “Well, you never know. It might not even be in Zanzibar. Maybe it’s in Peru. Or in D.C.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. You watch too much TV.”
She shrugged again. “You have to admit, things have gotten pretty twisted up in your life. Fiancées returning from the dead and all that.”
“Not that twisted.” At least I hoped not.
8
My dad picked me up that night in his limo. My security guard, Cade, rode up front with the driver. My dad’s security was in the back with him, as usual. I didn’t understand why they all had to come with us, but I’d learned by now to not question it. I only hoped that the whole security-guard-going-with-me-everywhere thing would end when my father withdrew from the presidential race. At least for the time being, anyway.
Dad kissed me on the cheek after I got into the car. “You’re lovely, Jenna. Absolutely lovely. Love the dress.” He gave me the proud smile that only a father could give his daughter.
I couldn’t help the smile that came to my lips. It was nice to see him looking like that at me again, so proud, so happy. “Thanks, dad.” Mel had helped me get my hair into a loose up-do that even I had to admit looked pretty good. And she hadn’t stopped gushing over the dress, so there was that, too. My “hot mess” had turned into “hot-ness,” according to her.
“So about tonight…” He turned to meet my gaze, his look suddenly much more serious.