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  “No, not really. Ryan and I played the Governor’s Ball last year and I met him briefly. He’s gorgeous and I remember thinking that he looked more like the actors that were there than the other politicians. He seemed really nice, down to earth. I am sure you guys know who he is, he’s practically been on more tabloids than I have,” Karina explained animatedly.

  “Oh wait,” Sam said. “I know who you guys are talking about. He’s from California right?”

  Both Nikki and Karina nodded.

  Sam let out a little whistle, “He is so insanely hot.”

  Amanda, Lily, and Lauren all made comments along the same lines. Talking about articles they’d read or interviews they’d seen him in. Of course every single one of them commented about how incredibly good looking he was and how he was basically America’s most eligible bachelor.

  This conversation wasn’t helping Nikki feel any better. The fact that her friends and sister knew who Mike was, was a big part of what was making Nikki feel so…out of her depth.

  “Okay good so we’re up to speed on who he is,” Sam leaned forward rubbing her hands together excitedly, “now, what happened on the plane?”

  This was the part Nikki was really not looking forward to sharing.

  Nikki wasn’t even sure that she knew the right words to describe her behavior. Not coming up with anything more eloquent she went with, “I froze.”

  “What?” Karina, Amanda, and Sam all chorused at the same time.

  “He walked in and I could barely speak. I don’t know what came over me. I was working with a girl named Julie who rescued me by basically working the entire flight herself so I didn’t have to face him, talk to him, see him.”

  “Why didn’t you want to see him?” Amanda asked shaking her head in disbelief.

  This was why she hadn’t wanted to share, because she knew that she wouldn’t have the answers her friends wanted. “I’m not sure,” Nikki answered honestly.

  “So, you didn’t speak to him the entire flight?” Sam piped in.

  “No, about an hour into the flight he came into the galley and found me-”

  “What did he say?” Sam asked.

  “Not a lot. He brought up the same things that you did. He asked why I hadn’t left my number or woken him up.”

  “What did you say-” Sam interrupted again.

  “If you’d let the girl finish a thought, we might find out,” Karina teased her friend.

  “Sorry,” Sam shook her head as if she hadn’t even been aware that she’d been interrupting, “I didn’t mean to. Go ahead.”

  Nikki had to smile at Sam’s enthusiasm. Having friends that were genuinely interested in your life—not just to gossip about it but because they actually cared— was a huge blessing. She figured if there was anyone who could help her out with what she was going through it was these girls, so she might as well just lay it out there.

  “I didn’t say much. I didn’t know his last name or who he was before he got on that flight. I was already freaked out because although I have had a few one-night-stands, I knew that he was different. Then seeing him again and finding out that he was not only a senator but he was…you know…all the other stuff too. It’s just a lot to process and I was actually kind of rude.”

  Nikki expected to see surprised looks on her friends and sister’s faces but instead they just looked at her blankly.

  Oookay.

  “I was defensive when he was asking me for my information. I just kept asking ‘why’ not to be difficult even; I just really wanted to know why. I mean, come on, he can have any girl he wants,” That was the best way that Nikki knew how to explain what had happened.

  Karina tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eye. Then a small knowing smile appeared on her face and she said, “You think he has the upper hand.”

  “What?” Amanda and Sam both looked at Karina.

  “He threw you off your game. I know because Ryan did the same thing to me,” Karina explained as if she had it all figured out.

  “How did Ryan do the same thing to you? You were the famous one, he wasn’t,” Nikki said defensively.

  “That doesn’t matter. Fame, money, titles, none of that matters. You even admitted that you were freaked out before you knew about all of that. Nope, this guy is the first guy that’s even on the same playing field as you and you don’t know how to deal with it,” Karina said with far too much amusement in her voice for Nikki’s liking.

  Nikki looked around the room to see if any of her friends or her sister would come to her defense. Sam, Amanda, and Amy looked like they were contemplating what Karina had just said. Lily and Lauren looked like Karina had just given them an aha-Oprah moment.

  “How can you say that none of that matters, of course it matters.” Nikki would have thought if anyone would understand just how much it mattered it would be Karina.

  “I can say it because I’ve had it all and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that at the end of the day, when you are all alone, none of that stuff is real. Fame, money, celebrity, none of those things are really about the person.” Karina leaned in and looked earnestly into Nikki eyes, as if she really wanted her to understand what she was saying. “Those things don’t comfort you, they don’t challenge you to grow, they don’t keep you warm at night and stop the loneliness from overwhelming you. In fact, in my experience they magnify it. You feel so isolated, like no one actually sees you anymore. It’s all smoke and mirrors. None of that stuff is real.”

  Hadn’t Nikki just heard Mike tell her basically the same thing on the phone? Why wasn’t it making her feel any better?

  “Karina’s right,” Lauren said calmly, “not only about fame but also about the fact that you were freaked out before you knew who he was. I think that is possibly due to there being some truth to the saying that whoever cares the least has the most power and I think that you’ve always been safely on the lesser side of that equation. You never cared before, so you always held the most power. Now, it sounds like you care at least equally as much as Mike does and it’s making you feel like you don’t have a handle on the situation.”

  Nikki was quiet. The things her friends were saying made sense but that didn’t mean she had a clue how to handle any of it.

  “My advice,” Karina said as if reading her mind, “just buckle up, hold on tight and enjoy the ride.”

  All the girls nodded or voiced their agreement. Nikki was quiet and only half-listening as the subject turned to Lily and if she and Eric had made any progress on their wedding plans.

  Buckle up, hold on and enjoy the ride.

  Karina’s words were echoing in her head. Was that the right move to make? Could she do that? Nikki had kind of felt like she’d been on a roller coaster since she’d met Mike. And even though she didn’t know how long it would last or what turns, flips, or curlycues it would take, since she didn’t seem to be getting off she didn’t really have any other choice but to do exactly what Karina suggested.

  Buckle up, hold on and enjoy the ride.

  Chapter Eleven

  Twenty-two hours. That was how long it would be until he saw Nikki again. There had been a stop clock ticking down in his mind for the last three days.

  He’d talked to her every day this week. Sometimes several times a day and each time he did, it was better than the last. His phone calls with her were by far the best part of his days.

  Mike looked out his large picture window, watching the leaves of the large Valley Oak tree blow wildly in the wind.

  Jane cleared her throat, drawing his attention back to their meeting. “The luncheon ends at two, then you have a four o’clock with your mother; she wants to nail down the details of the benefit-”

  “Move my mother to Sunday. I am going to be taking the rest of Saturday off after the luncheon.”

  Nikki had agreed to spend the rest of the day in the city with Mike after the luncheon. He’d made reservations at the Cliff House which overlooked the bay.

  “You’re takin
g a day off?” Jane asked looking up from her iPad.

  “Half a day,” Mike clarified.

  She stared at him for several beats before lowering her head back down and tapping on her screen. “You have a ten am tee time with Judge Randal on Sunday what time do you want me to move your mother to?’”

  “Four o’clock is fine.”

  He and Jane went over Monday’s schedule and just as they were finishing up there was a knock on the door and Phil came in wearing a tight expression on his face. “I need a minute.”

  Jane stood and excused herself not even sparing a glance in Phil’s direction. It was no secret that there was no love lost between the two of them. Mike had his suspicions that it had something to do with the fact that Phil did not appreciate how much Mike included Jane in his campaign brainstorming and planning sessions. There had been several instances where Jane and Phil had been on opposite sides of the direction that he needed to take. When that happened, Mike usually agreed with Jane. She was smart and thought outside the box. Phil didn’t like it.

  “Why did you cancel Saturday with your mother?” Phil’s clipped tone immediately put Mike on the defensive.

  “I rescheduled,” Mike corrected. That had taken all of ten minutes to get back to him.

  “For what reason?”

  “I’m taking some time off on Saturday.”

  “Does this have anything to do with you getting another ticket for the luncheon?” Phil sat in the chair across from Mike that Jane had just vacated.

  Mike’s shoulders tensed. He hated having his every move monitored. Especially when the parties doing the monitoring felt that they could dictate his next move.

  When Mike didn’t respond Phil continued, “She’s an airline stewardess. You cannot be serious about this girl.”

  “Nikki is off limits,” Mike’s voice was steady and deadly calm. “Mine and Nikki’s relationship is off limits.”

  “Your relationship?” Phil’s voice was quickly turning to outrage. “A week ago you didn’t know this girl even existed. Just how much of a relationship can you possibly have with her? She must be some piece of ass.”

  Mike stood from his chair and walked around his desk with purposeful strides. Phil’s eyes widened as Mike stopped directly in front of him.

  “Stand up,” Mike growled.

  Phil immediately started back pedaling and remained seated in his chair. “Listen, I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m just saying you don’t know who she-”

  “Stand up,” Mike repeated.

  Phil’s chest was rising and falling rapidly but he quickly masked his panicked expression and stood.

  When they were face to face, eye to eye, Mike spoke slowly, his words evenly spaced. “I will only say this one more time, so you need to listen carefully. Nikki is off limits. Our relationship is off limits. I don’t care if you like it, understand it, agree with it or not. You will not bring it up again. Do you understand?”

  Mike could see that Phil was battling with what move to make. Mike had never challenged him this directly before. They’d had a fairly congenial working relationship.

  Until now.

  “Mike…” Phil started to plead his case once again but stopped when his eyes met Mike’s icy stare. Then he nodded and turned on his heels, stalking out of the room.

  His exit reminded Mike of a petulant child. Part of what made Phil so good at his job was his single-minded focus. His ability to only see what he wanted and make it happen at all costs, with no consideration for boundaries.

  Mike hoped that Phil recognized how serious he was and dropped this. But if not, Phil was going to be looking for another job.

  --- ~ ---

  Nikki reached down and turned up the music. She sang along at the top of her lungs as she drove down highway 50. Music helped her cope and right now she needed all the help she could get.

  When she’d dropped Scrappy off at Amy’s, Nikki had been such a mess that her sister had actually offered to drive her to Sacramento. She’d pulled herself together but Amy still had a worried expression across her face as Nikki had pulled away.

  There were several things that were contributing to her current state of near nervous breakdown. She had no idea what to expect today at the luncheon. She knew that Mike would be speaking and presenting the recipients with the scholarships. She also knew that she’d be having chicken because Jane, Mike’s assistant, had contacted her on Thursday with menu options. Other than that she had no flippin’ clue what was going to happen.

  Then after the luncheon they were going to head to San Francisco, stop off at the hotel that Mike had insisted getting for them to change, and head out to do some sightseeing before they ate at the Cliff House.

  She and Mike were going to spend a whole day and possibly night together. Well, part of the night anyway. She had to be at the airport at four a.m. so she would have to be up by three. Still, it was a significant amount of time and Nikki was a bundle of nerves.

  They’d stayed on the phone for hours last night. That might not be a big deal to most people but Nikki hated talking on the phone. She much preferred to text or email. Usually conversations over the phone were b-o-r-i-n-g. Not when she was talking to Mike though. He was funny, smart, interesting. And his voice. Oh. My. God. She loved his voice. She could listen to him talk forever and never get tired of hearing the deep, melodic timbre of his voice.

  When he spoke it calmed her and turned her on all at the same time. Which didn’t make any sense at all. How could something that soothed her excite her at the same time? Somehow, everything Mike did was just different…special.

  Her phone beeped indicating that she had a voicemail. She hadn’t heard her phone buzzing over the music blasting through her speakers. She turned down the volume and played the voicemail back on speaker.

  Mike’s voice sounded and it immediately took the edge off of her frazzled nerves. “Hey, Beautiful. Just wanted to let you know that there is construction on J Street. Make sure that you turn on 12th Street to avoid it. Parking is on K Street. If you have any issues just give me a call. I can’t wait to see you.”

  Nikki still wasn’t exactly sure why he was so interested in her but he did seem to be genuinely into her. He’d not only called her every day since she’d first spoken to him at the book club meeting, he also texted her several times a day. And he’d sent her a beautiful bouquet of two dozen roses the day before.

  She was no stranger to receiving not just flowers but also gifts from men. She’d gotten jewelry, clothes, even trips from men that she was seeing. Nikki had always appreciated it but never had her heart skipped a beat like it did when she’d read the simple message written on the card attached to the long-stemmed arrangement. It read:

  I can’t stop thinking of you. Mike

  For some reason those six little words had made her happier and more excited than a trip to Greece, diamonds, or a Prada bag ever had.

  She’d made up her mind to listen to Karina’s advice; just buckle up, hang on, and enjoy the ride. But it was proving to be harder than she’d ever expected it to be. This business of feeling emotionally connected to someone was exhausting and terrifying. As much as Nikki wanted to say that she preferred to be detached, now as she looked back she was wondering what the point of all of those meaningless relationships had been.

  Sure she hadn’t felt like she was going to throw up, pass out or have a nervous breakdown with any of those guys but she also hadn’t felt so happy she thought she might explode, or so totally accepted that she knew all she had to be was herself. That was maybe her favorite part about getting to know Mike. He’d seen her panicked in the elevator, socially awkward during their flight and it was like the entire time, no matter what was going on or what mood she was in he just saw her. All Nikki had to be around Mike was Nikki.

  There was a small-annoying-nagging voice in the back of her head that said that might be all she needed to be around Mike, the guy she met at the bar, but what about Mike the senator? Wou
ld there ever really be a place in his world for someone like Nikki. She was about the farthest thing from a Stepford wife that she could think of.

  Every time that little voice piped up, she told it to shut the hell up. She knew that tiny piece of her sub-conscious was getting way ahead of itself. Even though she was already having a hard time remembering what her life was like without Mike in it, the truth was she’d only known him a week. One week.

  She exited the freeway on J Street and her pulse started racing at the thought that in a few short minutes she would see Mike again.

  Focus on here and now, that’s all she needed to do. Just enjoy today. Not think about the future. And breathe.

  Yep, she took in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth in an attempt to calm her nerves. Just breathe.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nikki stepped out of her car at the restaurant where Mike's luncheon was being held and hoped, yet again, that everything about her appearance was alright...her hair, her outfit, her makeup...everything. She didn't often (ever!) attend functions like this, and she wanted to make sure that her overall presentation and demeanor were appropriate for the occasion.

  The stakes felt particularly high to her. It went beyond not wanting Mike to be embarrassed about having invited her. She wanted him to actually be proud that she was on his arm. She straightened her shoulders, decisively, before marching toward the front door. She was Nikki Maguire and she could do this.

  Nikki made a point of smiling confidently as she stepped through the front doors. Sure, she didn't know what awaited her on the other side, but she did know that the first glimpse that she wanted anyone to get of her was of a smiling, confident, sparkling woman that could handle anything that life—or this luncheon—threw at her.

  Thank God, the first person she saw as she breezed through the entryway was Mike himself. He turned toward her and his face lit up as if someone had flipped a switch inside of him. She smiled back and gave a little wave. Every ounce of effort she had put into pumping herself up for this moment had been worth it, and then some, just to see the look on his face when he spotted her.