Page 14 of The Senator's Wife

“I know,” she said. “I know.”

They rode out the flares together; the days she had only enough energy to walk to the bathroom because of the joint pain and fever and spent endless hours sleeping. He’d been kind and supportive, encouraging her and never impatient. Even though she was not in a flare right now, that could change at any moment.

Now Sloane finished dressing and walked down the stairs in navy slacks and a white pullover. First she went to the kitchen to speak with Yvette, the cook, about dinner, then poured herself a glass of pomegranate juice. She sat in the living room to wait for Whit to come home.

Alone with her thoughts, Sloane twisted the wedding ring on her finger, becoming more and more impatient for him to arrive. She’d been incensed at Madelyn’s catty remarks the night of the White House dinner but had never said anything to Whit. Whenshe’d reached the point where she thought her nerves might snap, she heard the front door open and his footsteps on the marble floor of the entrance hall.

Rising from her chair, she walked toward the foyer and called, “I’m in the living room.”

He came in and kissed her lightly on the lips. “How are you, darling?”

“I’m fine. You didn’t wake me before you left this morning.”

“I tried. Even gave you a kiss. You were really out of it, so I figured you needed the sleep.”

She cocked her head and regarded him, wondering if he’d been relieved that she hadn’t been awake. “Dinner isn’t for another hour or so. I want to talk to you about something. Do you want a drink?”

He chuckled. “Am I going to need one?”

“Maybe,” she said, her face serious.

Sloane sat down as Whit went to the bar cart and poured himself a whiskey. “So.” He sat in a chair near hers, putting his drink on the small table between them. “What is it you want to talk about?”

“Madelyn.”

“Right.”

She frowned. “I don’t want to belabor the point. You’ve said that your relationship with her is strictly business, and I believe you.” She sighed. “But when you lie to me, it’s hard not to be suspicious.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I had lunch with Camille yesterday. She told me someone saw you getting into Madelyn’s car, the day you canceled lunch with me because a sudden meeting came up. Why didn’t you tell me you’d canceled our lunch to see her?”

He took a long swig, finishing the whiskey in the tumbler. “I should have told you, but I didn’t want to upset you. That’s the only reason I didn’t mention it. I wasn’t trying to hide anything. You have to believe that. The thing is that I still have ties to both of them—political and financial. Fred’s been a huge backer, and I just can’t discount his influence and deep pockets. You know howit works. Besides, I don’t want Fred as an enemy, and Madelyn can be vindictive. If they decide to back someone else, it could be very difficult for me.”

“I get that. I’m not asking you to make an enemy of either of them. But I do expect transparency. You should have told me that you were canceling to have lunch with her. It was so embarrassing when Camille told me about it. I don’t like being made a fool of.”

Whit rose from the chair and knelt at her side. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I promise to be one hundred percent up front.” He stood, taking her hand and drawing her up and into his arms. “You are everything to me. And I will show you every day of your life that you will never, ever have to doubt that. I love you.”

Sloane lifted her face to his. “I love you too,” she said. Sloane wanted to believe that Madelyn Sawyer was a nonissue, but it was clear that Whit was very much in her sights. Peg had obviously seen this too, and Sloane felt remorse as she remembered that last beach weekend when she’d accused Peg of overreacting. Peg had never possessed the strength or self-assurance to go up against a woman like Madelyn, but Sloane was different. Still, the last thing she wanted was to remind Whit of Peg with accusations and insecurity. She would never have married him if she didn’t trust him. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t keep her eyes wide open. She knew all too well that even in the closest marriages, people kept secrets.

- 11 -

WHIT

Whit leaned forward over the desk in his office and reviewed the file. Total Care Agency had sent the name of their recommendation—Athena Karras—after calling to let him know the applicant they had originally intended to send was now unavailable. He’d been disappointed, since it had been difficult to find someone with both the healthcare background and computer skills Sloane wanted—not to mention that he’d already vetted one applicant and was now forced to expedite a new background check on another.

He closed the folder containing the report from the private investigator. There were no red flags, as far as he could tell. Whit turned on his computer and opened a browser. Even though Sloane had told him the agency had stringent vetting procedures in place, he still wished to conduct his own investigation before allowing anyone into their home. He was interviewing the woman today, and he wanted to make sure there was nothing in her background that would make her an unsuitable hire. So far, she had checked out fine.

According to the report, she’d been with the agency for three years and had a spotless record. They had hired her when she’d returned from Greece, where she’d lived with her late husband for twelve years prior. Even though she was of Greek descent, she’d been born in America to parents who’d immigrated to the States before her birth. Her husband had been a lawyer in Athens, and they’d met when he’d come to New York on business. After a whirlwind romance and marriage, she’d moved with him to Greece. She had been a communications major in college, but had dropped outin her junior year, moved away, and begun working as a healthcare aide soon after her marriage. The photos in the file showed her looking at her husband adoringly. He had died of a brain injury sustained in a motorcycle accident while they were vacationing on the island of Rhodes four years ago.

Whit typed her name in the search bar on Facebook, and her profile came right up. Leaning in to get a closer look at the last post, he noticed she hadn’t added anything in over four years. All her previous comments were from her time in Greece, mostly pictures of landscapes and beaches. A few showed her and Yiannis, her late husband—one with him on a red motorcycle and Athena seated behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist. He checked Twitter and Instagram next, but nothing. Clearly, social media was not a priority for her, which was good. Even when she had been active, her posts rarely shared information that disclosed anything too personal.

He clicked on a picture of her at the beach and enlarged it. Slender women had always appealed to Whit, but he couldn’t deny that Athena’s curves were attractive. She had smooth olive skin, sultry brown eyes fringed with thick black lashes, and lush rosy lips. Her long black hair fell in abundant waves.

He would do the initial interview, but ultimately Sloane would have to approve hiring her. Between Athena’s communications background and her experience with helping patients who had chronic illnesses, she seemed to be the perfect candidate. But until he spoke with her in person, he wouldn’t be able to tell if she was truly up to the task.

Whit heard a quick tap before his office door opened. His assistant, Linda Rodriguez, led a woman into his office.

---