“Why do I feel like singing?” Keisha asked playfully as she swung Will’s hand. She then leaned her head on his broad shoulder.
He gave a wry smile. “I don’t know. Why do you feel like singing?”
Keisha grinned. “Because this is the first night in a week that I’ve had off,” she proclaimed. “Because I’m walking with the man I love to get hot chocolate—the greatest drink in the world. And because you look so cute in your hat,” she said. Playfully, she tugged the bill of his navy blue baseball cap.
They continued to stroll down the promenade, glancing in store windows as they made their way to the coffee shop at the end of the block. Keisha’s breath sent gusts of clouds into the cold air. She shoved her free hand into her pocket and then snuggled closer to Will for warmth.
“I wonder if it’s going to snow this weekend. It’s a little early in the year, but it’s been so frigid lately.”
“Don’t know,” Will murmured.
“Were you here in town for the big snowstorm last year? We got eight inches, which is a rarity. I was so excited. It reminded me of the snow back in Philly. I ran outside and fell on my back and made snow angels.” She sighed. “I’d love for one of those snowstorms to come again. Can you imagine us on the couch, under a blanket, drinking red wine and watching a movie with the snow falling outside your bay window?”
He stared blankly into a furniture store window. “Yeah, I guess,” he muttered distractedly.
Keisha frowned. “Are you all right, Will?”
He blinked, turned, and looked down at her. “I’m fine,” he said a little too quickly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Her frown intensified. Will was really preoccupied lately, almost forlorn. Twenty bucks says it’s something to do with the election, she thought. But they had made a rule not to talk about work, or politics in general, at least until the election ended. It just made things easier for them and reduced the possibility of an argument. But she knew things were getting harder for him. The polls were showing that Parker was in the lead, and that undoubtedly put pressure on Dupré’s campaign staff. Their headquarters probably wasn’t the jolliest of places right now.
“It’s almost over,” she said softly as she gazed up at him. She figured he knew instantly what she meant. “That’s what I keep telling myself anyway. ‘It’s almost over.’ ”
He slowly nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. He then leaned down and kissed her lovingly.
Minutes later the two sat in the coffee shop, gazing out the window into the dark night outside. Crackling logs burned in a fireplace along the far wall, adding a glow and warmth to the room. Keisha closed her eyes and took a sip of hot chocolate, savoring the smell and the taste.
“Mmmm, that’s some really good cocoa,” she murmured. “How’s your latté?”
Keisha opened her eyes to find that Will hadn’t touched his drink. Instead, he was anxiously licking his lips. She watched as he suddenly reached across the small bistro table, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. He stared at her intently with a sense of urgency that made her nervous.
“How many more months do you have on your apartment lease?” he asked.
Keisha squinted, confused by the abrupt subject change. She lowered her cocoa mug and shrugged. “I don’t know. Three or four, I think. Why?”
“Don’t renew it,” he said suddenly. “Move in with me.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What?” Move in with him? She leaned back in her chair and slowly shook her head. “Will, where is all this coming from?”
“I’m just…” He sighed impatiently. “I’m just tired of waiting. It’s like a game of chess. We’re strategizing one step and then the next step and then the next. We’re wasting time, and for what?” He quickly shook his head. “Besides, things don’t always turn out the way we intend, right? Even with the best of plans. Life throws you curve balls, right?” He let go of her hand and shoved up the sleeves of his sweater. He fidgeted, bouncing his knees as he leaned forward in his chair. “Well, from now on, I’m just going to run with it, Keisha. I’m not going to fight it anymore. After this campaign is over, I want you to move in with me. I promise you, I won’t do another campaign. I’ll just stick to consulting or work at a think tank. Our time will be ours. No one will come between us again.”
Will was acting manic. He had been so quiet earlier, and now he was babbling words that were making her head spin. Quitting campaigning? Moving in together? When he started to talk about going to the paint store to get swatches, she had to hold up her hands to quiet him.
“Wait. Wait!” Keisha almost shouted. “Slow down! Now let’s talk about this,” she said slowly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “First of all, what do you mean, you won’t do another campaign? You love politics, Will! You said this is what you want to do, what you’ve always wanted to do since you were a teenager. Why the sudden change? And living together…” She sighed and shook her head. “Will, for most of my life I’ve either lived with my mother or with roommates. I like finally having my independence. Besides, the only man I plan to live with is the one I intend to marry. I’m not a big fan of playing house. I never have been.”
He furrowed his brows and frowned. “So you’re saying you’d need an engagement ring on your finger before you’d move in with me?”
Keisha rolled her eyes with annoyance. “Not necessarily,” she began. “It’s just—”
“Because that could be arranged.”
“—more important that we establish that we’re really compatible. We…wait, what?” She blinked. Had she heard him correctly? “What?”
He shrugged. “A long engagement would probably be better. We should live together for a year or two before we get married, but I have no problem popping the question before you move in. If that’s what you need, I’m fine with it. You’d probably want to go to the jeweler with me, though. I’d want you to pick out something you really liked.” He tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow. “Does mid-November work for you?”
Keisha stared at him blankly. “Huh? Does mid-November work for me to do what?”
He smiled. “To pick out a ring.” She watched as he finally took a sip from his latté and grimaced. “Hell, I let it sit for too long. It’s gotten cold.”
Keisha raised her hands to her temples, feeling them throb against her fingertips. What the hell is going on? Had he just proposed? And why was he treating the proposal like a contract negotiation? He was jumping from subject to subject like a crazed bumblebee from flower to flower. Where was the logical, thoughtful Will she knew and loved? This guy was definitely freaking her out.
She slowly shook her head, as if awakening from a daze. “Will, I really think that we need to slow down. You’re not making any sense.”
“Keisha,” he began earnestly, reaching across the table and grabbing both of her hands. “I love you and I want to spend my life with you. If that means getting engaged before we live together, fine. If it means not getting engaged, I don’t care. Whatever steps you feel need to be taken, we’ll take them.”
“But why now all of sudden?” she asked with disbelief. “Why the—”
He quickly leaned across the table and kissed her. She felt that old familiar knot of need in her stomach and all the words she had planned to say suddenly floated away. When Will pulled back seconds later, he ran a finger along her cheek and jaw line and her eyes slowly fluttered open.
“Look, I just want you. I know it all sounds sudden, but don’t say no just yet, okay? Just…just think about it,” he whispered against her lips. “Do that for me.” He grinned. “I’m going to get a refill. Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m fine,” she answered, still in a daze. Keisha watched Will rise from the table and walk back toward the front counter. When his back was turned, she dropped her head into her hands, feeling as if she were going to faint. God, this is moving so fast, she thought desperately. But was Will right? Why wait if they were both in love? Why wait if deep down it was what she secretly wanted too—to spend her life with him? But it was such a huge risk.
The ringing of her BlackBerry tore Keisha from her thoughts. She looked down at the glass screen and frowned. It was Phil, and, more importantly, he was calling her during one of her coveted, rare evenings off. She sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Hey Phil,” she answered. “What’s up?”
“Are you alone?” he asked abruptly.
Keisha blinked and frowned. “Uh…yeah. Wait.” She glanced at the counter and saw that Will was still standing in line. She quickly rose from the bistro table and walked out the coffee shop’s front door. A bell tinkled overhead with her exit. She stood under an awning as a light snow began to fall. Keisha looked around and noticed that the outdoor shopping center was almost deserted. She was indeed alone. “Okay, now I am,” she said into her phone. “What’s wrong?”
“Keisha, did you tell anyone, anyone about Sydney’s prison record?” Phil asked. “I need you to be honest with me.”
Keisha’s mouth fell open. Her palms began to sweat under her wool mittens and the hairs on her neck stood on end. She loudly cleared her throat. “Uh, no,” she lied. “Why…why would I do that, Phil? What’s wrong? Just tell me what happened.”
Phil sighed heavily on the other end of the line and then fell silent for what felt like an eternity before speaking again. “Sydney got a call about an hour ago from a reporter at the Post asking about the time he served when he was fifteen years old. He was completely ambushed, Keisha. They knew about the charges, where the burglaries took place. They knew everything! He refused to answer any questions, but, at this point, his silence just makes him look guilty. The story’s going to appear on the front page tomorrow.”
Keisha glared at the ground in shock. “Oh, God. Oh, God, Phil, I…” She brought her hand to her chest, feeling her heart pound rapidly against her rib cage. “Do you want to meet back at the office? We can go over how to handle this. I can—”
“Parker and I already discussed how to handle it,” he interrupted. “Kelly is drawing up a statement right now. She and I have already talked about the wording. We’re going to grant an interview with one of the local TV stations. We haven’t decided which one yet. I suggested the reporter over at Channel 7. She’ll probably be sympathetic to Parker since she did that glowing segment on him earlier this year.”
Keisha quickly nodded. “That sounds good. Is there anything you need me to do? Maybe I could—”
“We’ve got it covered, Keisha,” he said firmly, cutting her off again. “Look, I didn’t call for additional help. I just called to make sure that no other surprises are in store, if you know what I mean.”
Keisha fell silent. She frowned. “No, Phil, I…I don’t know you mean.”
“Nothing else is going to come out of the woodwork, is it, Keisha?” he asked impatiently. “If it is, I need to know right now.”
Her eyes started to sting. He really believed that she was the cause of all this. Worst of all, she couldn’t vouch for sure that she wasn’t.
“Phil, I didn’t tell the reporter at the Post!”
He sighed heavily again. “Keisha,” he began with eerie calm, “I know about you and Will Blake.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
“I let it slide and didn’t confront you about it because I believed, perhaps stupidly, that no matter what you did in your personal life, you wouldn’t compromise the integrity of this campaign. I thought I knew how much this means to you,” he continued. “But if I find out that you screwed us over, you’re done. You understand me?”
She then heard a loud click that made her flinch. The line went dead. Keisha’s hands shook as she tucked her phone into her coat pocket. She was absolutely shell-shocked. How could this have happened? How had the Post found out? The only person she had told was Will, and he wouldn’t have told anyone else. Would he?
“What are you doing out here?” Will asked. “You should get back inside. It’s cold out here.”
She turned to find him standing in the doorway, gazing at her. Just the sight of him piqued her anger. Will instantly frowned. “What’s wrong?” he whispered. He rushed forward.
“You were the only person I told,” she said angrily, stepping away from him. “It’s not enough that you would let them drag a man like Parker through the dirt, but you had to betray me like this too? You were the only person I told and you swore…you swore to me that you wouldn’t tell anyone else!”
His frown intensified. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“What do you mean, what the hell am I talking about? Phil just called me!” she yelled hysterically. “He told me that the Post tried to interview Parker about the time he served when he was a teenager! How did they find out about that if you didn’t tell them?”
Will froze. He suddenly closed his eyes and shook his head. “Shit,” he muttered.
Her eyes widened. “So you did tell them?”
“No. No!” He quickly shook his head. “It’s just…I’m just shocked.” He raised his hands helplessly. “I didn’t…I didn’t expect Gretchen to work that fast. I thought…I thought I had more time.”
Keisha gazed at him in disbelief. “Gretchen? So that’s who you told?”
“I didn’t tell her, Keisha!”
She wasn’t hurt anymore; she was furious. Will had actually betrayed her to a woman he used to sleep with. Who says he used to, a voice in her head prodded. What makes you think he isn’t still sleeping with her?
Keisha could feel her blood boil as she imagined Will in bed with Gretchen, sharing Keisha’s precious secrets. They had probably shared quite a few laughs at her expense. She had been so gullible, so trusting. Isn’t that what Tanya told you in the beginning? ‘You’re playing with the big boys. Wear a cup.’ Remember?
Will gritted his teeth. “Keisha, I didn’t tell her anything. I swear. Gretchen and George had some guy dig this up on his own. I swear to you—”
“Don’t swear anything to me, Will!” she yelled as tears streamed down her face. “Don’t swear another damn thing to me! You lied! You lied right to my face!” She then turned on her heel and walked away, letting the flakes of snow melt on her hot cheeks.
“Keisha!” Will called as he followed closely at her heels. “Keisha, wait!” But she ignored him and continued her angry strides, wiping at the angry tears streaming down her face. She stopped only when she felt his viselike grip around her arm.
“Take your hands off me,” she bellowed, trying to yank her arm away. “Let go of me!”
“No!” he barked. “Not until you listen, dammit!” Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Keisha, I know this is hard. I understand that you’re upset,” he began as he finally let go of her.
“What gave you that idea, Will?” she asked sarcastically.
“Look, going after Parker like that was below the belt,” he continued. “I know that. But that doesn’t give you the right to call me a liar,” he said, making her eyes widen.
“Doesn’t give me the right?” she repeated, her voice tinged with outrage. “Are you kidding me?”
“Keisha, I’m not lying to you. I never have. I swear—” He stopped himself and sighed. “Everything I told you, everything that I’ve ever told you, is the truth. I do love you and you can trust me. Dammit, I just asked you to move in with me! I said I wanted to spend my life with you! Do you think I was lying about that, too?”
“Okay, fine. Fine, Will!” Keisha said, raising her hands in surrender. “I’ll play along. You didn’t tell Gretchen. You’re not lying to me. You’re completely innocent.” She then glared up at him. “So if that’s the case, why didn’t you warn me? Why didn’t you tell me this was going to happen? I would have told you. I wouldn’t have let you get blindsided like this!”
At that, Will’s shoulders fell. He didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he gazed at her with a pained expression.
“Is this why you want to get out of politics?” she asked resentfully. “Because you know what you’ve done? Because you see what you’ve become?” Keisha gave a caustic laugh and shrugged. “Or maybe you were like this all along. Maybe Tanya was right after all.”
At that, his eyebrows furrowed. A tick formed along his jaw line as he glared down at her.
“Keisha,” he began quietly, “I love you, but if after all this time and after all the things I’ve told you, you could say something like that to me…” He slowly shook his head. “Maybe I was wrong about us. Maybe we should go our separate ways.”
She stood silently in the falling snow, gazing up at him. Then, finally, Keisha slowly nodded.
“Well, maybe you’re right.” She shoved her hands into her pockets and turned. “Goodbye, Will,” she said, refusing to look back at him.