possible I’d killed my brother. And the worst part was I couldn’t say for sure I hadn’t, because I didn’t remember.”
“I don’t know all the details, but I knew she looked hard at you. Murders often involve family members.”
“The only reason John was a senator was because I blew my chance before I could even declare my candidacy.”
She eyed him tentatively. “What happened?”
“I got a DUI days before I was due to declare. All those years of preparing and planning down the tubes. My little brother, who didn’t even want the job, was suddenly the golden one, and I was the disappointment.” He dared to look directly at her and noticed her eyes had lost the animation he so enjoyed. “Do you know what it’s like to be a disappointment to Graham O’Connor?” His father had served forty years in the Senate. All his life, Terry had prepared for the day he would run for his father’s seat. But one big night out had changed everything—for him and his brother.
Lindsey remained quiet, so Terry kept talking. “Sometimes I wonder if what happened to John was sort of my fault.”
That got her attention. “How in the world could that be your fault?”
“If he hadn’t been forced to run for the Senate, maybe he would’ve moved to Chicago to live with the woman he loved and their son.”
“How old was he when he was elected to take your father’s place?”
“Just thirty. He barely qualified to run.” That was another galling fact of Terry’s life.
“So he was thirty years old and hadn’t yet moved to live with his son and the woman he supposedly loved, right?”
“My father put a lot of pressure on him to keep a lid on that situation. In those days, the fifteen-year-old son of a United States senator fathering a child would’ve been a huge scandal.”
“If he hadn’t taken a stand against your father’s directive by the time he was thirty, he probably wasn’t going to. You can’t blame yourself for the fact that his son killed him when he found out John was seeing other women. That’s not your fault, Terry.”
While he appreciated what she was doing, the weight of that guilt was something Terry carried with him every day. “Where does this leave us?”
She looked down at their joined hands and then back at him, sadness radiating from her. “I need to think about it.”
“I suppose that’s better than ‘I never want to see you again.’”
Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I didn’t say that.”
He held her hand between both of his. “Take all the time you need. You know where I am when you’re done thinking.”
When he would’ve withdrawn his hands, she tightened her grip. “Thank you for telling me.”
“I should’ve done it sooner.”
“When exactly is the right time for a conversation like this?”
“Damned if I know,” he said with a laugh. “This is all new to me.” Taking a big gamble, he leaned in to kiss her cheek just as she turned her face. Their lips collided and since his eyes were wide open, he watched hers flutter closed. Encouraged, he raised his hand to her face, keeping the kiss light and undemanding.
By the time he finally pulled back from her, his heart was racing again. She seemed to have that effect on him. “Sorry about that.”
“No, you’re not,” she teased.
“No,” he said, laughing, “I’m really not.” Reluctantly, he released her hand and stood. “I hope you’ll call me.”
“I will. When I’m ready.”
“Fair enough,” he said as she walked him to the door.
Terry stepped into the cool air and took deep breaths. In eighty-six days of sobriety, he’d never wanted a drink more than he did just then. But rather than head to one of his favorite watering holes, he reached for his cell phone and called his sponsor.
Chapter 7
Sam and Nick worked their way through the pile of cards and a bottle of wine.
“This one’s nice,” Nick said. “‘You’re a gorgeous couple. Can’t wait to see the
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