Page 45 of The Senator's Wife

“Yes, I am.”

“Senator Montgomery has been there a lot lately. Will he continue working with you when you’ve recuperated from your surgery and are back full time?”

“Probably not.” Sloane cut the conversation short, annoyed by Athena’s constant questions.

Athena glanced at the half-empty bowl on the night table. “I’ll just take that away.”

“Fine, Athena. That’s all,” Sloane said, weary of her.

“You’ll call me if you need anything?”

“Yep.”

“You’ll think about the meditation, won’t you? I mentioned it to the senator, and he thought it was a good idea.” Athena took the bowl and left the room, closing the door behind her.

I mentioned it to the senator…Sloane mimicked in a singsong voice after Athena had gone. What were they saying about her while she lay in bed and they had dinner together? Wouldshe tell Whit about the hallucination? Athena wasn’t naïve, and she certainly hadn’t bought Sloane’s ridiculous explanation. And shewas nosy, wanting to know things that were none of her business. Sloane was determined to do a little more looking around in Athena’s bedroom the next time she took a day off. She wanted better insight into the woman. If only she could be privy to those dinner conversations.

She frowned, remembering how real it had felt. It was trulyterrifying how real. She bit the inside of her lip and reluctantly picked up the sheaf of proposals Athena had left on the bed for her. She might as well do something useful and read through them while she was still lucid, she thought wryly.

Sloane made notes here and there, but her eyes began to tire after twenty minutes. Then she blinked, rereading an item that seemed odd: a shelter in Ohio proposing a grant for expansion in the amount of $150,000. When had they opened a shelter in Ohio?

- 35 -

WHIT

Whit opened a bottle of pinot noir and poured two glasses. Athena came into the dining room, wearing a short red dress that accentuated her curves in all the right places, along with sexy high heels.

“You look lovely tonight. It’s nice to have such a charming dinner companion.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you. It’s nice to get dressed for dinner, especially in such elegant surroundings.”

If any of the household staff thought it unusual that he and Athena dined together every night now, their expressions never reflected that, although just this morning he’d heard Doris mention it to Sloane. The first time Athena joined him for dinner, he’d been surprised at how striking she looked. He was used to seeing her in scrubs, but she had worn a short black dress and high heels.

Athena took a seat across from him. “I’m worried about Sloane. I’m pretty sure she had a hallucination earlier today.”

He raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“Yes, Doris and I heard her laughing in the hallway. Doris came upstairs at the same time I ran out from my room, and Sloane was perched over the railing, her arms waving like she was trying to fly. I wanted to call you, but she was very insistent that I not. I’m really not sure what to do about this. I mean, if we hadn’t been there, who knows what could have happened?”

Whit wrinkled his brow. “She could have killed herself!”

Athena blew out a breath. “That’s what Doris said. In fact, if I may say, she was pretty rude about it. She tried to blame me. I can’tsit in Sloane’s room 24/7. I mean, I wouldn’t mind, but Sloane wouldn’t stand for it. It’s clear that we need to do something to make sure she’s safe.”

“I’ll speak to Doris. She’s been with Sloane a long time and can be a bit overprotective.”

“We do need to do something, though. We can’t very well lock her in her room, but maybe we need to put an alarm on her door or something to alert one of us if she’s out of her room. I also think you need to get her in to see her doctor as soon as possible,” Athena said.

“I agree,” Whit said. “She has an appointment in two days, but I’ll call in the morning to ask if he wants to see her sooner.”

“Good idea.”

“I’ll contact the security people about adding a door sensor to Sloane’s room. But she’s not going to like it,” Whit said.

“I can tell she’s getting frustrated. And she’s been upset, with so much on her mind, worrying about her former mother-in-law.”

“Apparently, Mrs. Chase regained consciousness. I let Sloane know earlier,” Whit said.

“That’s good news, isn’t it?”

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