If, as John Steinbeck wrote, Texas is a state of mind, then Austin, an eclectic and high-spirited city filled with artists, musicians, and freethinkers, was the perfect capital city.
Leta Breckenridge never knew where she fit in, exactly. Unlike many of her fellow classmates at UT, she didn’t run in the circles of earthy students who ate organic fare and spent their evenings in dark, smoke-filled rooms listening to moody musicians.
Neither was she one who wore Tony Lamas or tight jeans, who followed the rodeo circuit, or who pulled on running shoes every Saturday morning to participate in the sponsored run du jour.
Frankly, her social life was just as Katie claimed—dismally nonexistent.
So when Erin Robertson peeked her head around the cubicle wall and invited Leta to join her and some friends for dinner, she didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I thought we’d just catch an early bite somewhere downtown.”
“Yeah, sure. That’d be great.” Leta closed the Excel spreadsheet she was working on and grabbed her purse. “What did you have in mind?”
“The Roaring Fork. They have great fish tacos and this green chili mac and cheese to die for.”
Twenty minutes later, they joined a small group already seated at a table beneath a large chandelier made of deer horns.
“Hey, everybody.” Erin hung her purse on the back of a chair. “This is my co-worker Leta Breckenridge. These bozos are Troy and Ben.”
The one with the longer hair grinned. “Hey, nice to meet you.”
Erin pointed to a girl with short platinum hair worn spiky. “And Tatum.”
Leta slid into her seat. “Hi. Thanks for letting me hang out.”
“No problem.” Troy reached across and shook hands. “How long have you guys worked together?”
Erin took the menu Ben offered. “Leta started at the Ladd Agency not long ago.” She quickly scanned the menu. “I don’t know why I’m looking at this. I already know I’m getting the mac and cheese.” She handed the plastic-covered menu off to Leta.
There was a time she’d never have been able to accept this invitation, never afford menu items priced at twenty dollars or more. Thanks to her recent good fortune, she could now live a little.
She had to admit, acting like other women her age felt good. In fact, life in general was pretty good.
With the bonus money, she’d been able to write a fairly good-sized check to Heritage House, which included an amount over her monthly obligation. “The overage is a small charitable donation for anyone who can’t quite afford things this month.” The gesture surprised Edith Styles. “I’ll do more when I’m able,” Leta promised.
She’d also splurged a little and used some money to upgrade her sad wardrobe. She bought several pairs of new shoes and a purse, a few dress clothes. She’d even had a professional haircut, the first in over a year.
While it wasn’t hard to quit her job at the Hole in the Wall, leaving Central Market was a bit harder.
“You can’t quit now,” Mike begged. “I don’t have anyone trained to take your place.”
“What about Denese?”
Mike shook his head. “Had to move her into produce last Tuesday.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, too many customer complaints.”
So, her nemesis had been yanked out of her beloved floral department like a bunch of bad weeds. “Well, sure. I’ll stay on until you find someone good.”
Besides, with any luck, she might run into Nate—oh, not literally, but she couldn’t help but hope she might look up to see him standing at the end of the aisle, smiling at her.
While she hadn’t seen him since the afternoon they’d spent talking in the coffee shop, the hours she’d spent with Nathan Emerson that day had been a special gift that carried her clear through the holidays.
He was so easy to talk to. Rarely did she ever open up and share at such an intimate level, revealing feelings often reserved for only the closest of friends, like Katie.
Likewise, she doubted Nate had confided in anyone else about his father. And she’d seen that thing in his eyes again, that look that made her heart beat faster.
She smiled thinking of him as she looked over the menu.
Erin leaned over to Leta. “Do you like fish? You can’t go wrong with the salmon.”
“So, hey, I got tickets to South by Southwest. Anyone else going?” The guy with the longer light brown hair, the one named Ben, looked across the table at her. “What about you, Leta?”
She shook her head. “I hate to admit this, but I’ve never been.”
“You’ve never been to South by?”
Tatum rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a schmuck. I’ve lived here two years and I’ve never been either.”
Troy turned to her. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Ben grabbed his beer. “Man, you guys are missing out. You gotta go. Let me see if I can get my hands on some more tickets.”
Erin pulled a tortilla chip from the basket on the table and dredged it through a tiny cup of salsa. “Tickets are on sale already? March is still a long way off.”
Troy leaned forward and grabbed a chip. “Be here sooner than you think, and the tickets to all the hot venues sell out quick. Last year I snagged entry to a live taping of the Jimmy Kimmel show.”
Tatum banged her shoulder against his. “You’re such a celebrity habitué.”
He bumped her back. “And you use words that are too grandiloquent.”
“Hey,” Erin said, interrupting their banter. She lowered her voice and nodded in the direction of the door. “Speaking of celebrities. Isn’t that Senator Emerson?”
They all turned and looked. Especially Leta.
Ben let out a low whistle. “Who’s the classy babe?”
Erin frowned at him. “That’s his girlfriend. I saw on the news Emerson plans to announce his bid for governor soon.”
Troy rubbed his stubbled chin. “Should be an interesting race against that Holiday guy.”
Leta heard the entire conversation but couldn’t pull her attention from Nate and the beautiful woman by his side. Tiffany Shea. She’d looked her up.
The waitress appeared at the table and took their order. Reluctantly, Leta returned her attention to the table. “I’ll have the salmon. And a salad.”
“Dressing?”
“What? Oh, uh, ranch is fine.”
Leta snuck another look and watched as Nate and his lady friend were seated at a table by the window. Despite feeling like some sort of spy, she continued to sneak glances every few seconds while pretending to stay engaged in the conversation at her own table.
Erin rummaged in her purse and pulled out a photo of her family and passed it around for her friends to see. “That’s the whole bunch of us at Christmas.”
Ben pointed. “Your guy?”
Erin shook her head. “No—that’s my brother.” She passed the photograph to Leta. “He’s single, by the way. Interested?”
She grinned and played along. “Depends. What does he drive?”
Her comment elicited a laugh around the table, so she added, “I’m not picky. A Maserati will do.”
She tried to sneak another glance, but a small group had gathered at Nate’s table, blocking her view.
“What about you?” Troy asked. “You got family nearby?”
The waitress showed up. She waited to answer until their salads had been served. “Just my mother.” She didn’t offer anything more, instead she simply picked up her fork. “These marinated artichokes look delicious.”
Tatum scooped a bite and nodded in Nate’s direction. “So, do you think he has a chance?”
Troy lifted his empty glass to the waitress. “If he makes it through the primaries, he’ll likely give ole Holiday a run. I mean, look at him. He’s what, twenty years younger? That’s reason enough to vote for the guy. Governor Holiday is a fossil.” He chuckled. “I bet he doesn’t even know how to tweet.”
Erin looked at her from across the table. “Oh, he doesn’t have to know social media. He has people. Huh, Leta?”
She shrugged, not entirely crazy about the direction this conversation was taking, given the sensitive nature of the work at the Ladd Agency. “Yeah, he probably does.”
Worse, she didn’t feel comfortable mulling over the odds of Holiday beating her new friend in a run for higher office.
She placed her fork on her plate and scooted her chair back. “Hey, y’all excuse me? I’ll be right back.” Leta wiped her mouth with the corner of the linen napkin, stood, and headed toward the bathroom.
In the privacy of her stall, she leaned back against the door and tried to catch her breath. She needed to get a grip after seeing Nathan Emerson again. This time with his girlfriend in tow.
Had she misread his interest?
Sure, they’d spent time together one afternoon over coffee, even connected at a deeper emotional level than is normal for casual friends, but that obviously hadn’t altered his relationship status. He already had a girlfriend. One who looked like she regularly shopped Neiman Marcus.
Of course Senator Nathan Emerson couldn’t possibly be attracted to someone like Leta. She’d completely misunderstood. He was just being uber-nice, that’s all.
But even as she told herself this, she could see him running down the sidewalk calling out after her, all frantic as if he—
Leta, get a grip!
She shook her head and erased all those silly notions. No one in their right mind would consider he had even a moment of romantic inclination toward her. That was just crazy.
They were friends. That was the extent of it.
With her head now clear, she opened the stall door and walked to the sink. She squirted some liquid soap into the palm of her hand and turned on the faucet.
The bathroom door opened.
In walked . . . her.
Nate’s girlfriend smiled and walked up to the vanity mirror. She leaned forward and checked her face. Noticing Leta staring in the mirror, she smiled. “Hi.”
Embarrassed, Leta dipped her hands under the running water. “Hey,” she offered back. “Nice evening.”
The comment sounded lame, even to her own ears. But she couldn’t come up with anything else. Not when her gut twisted and her mind suddenly turned into pudding left out in the sun too long.
Tiffany reached in her bag and pulled out a tube of lip gloss. She removed the top. “This is a great restaurant. Eat here often?”
Leta watched her slide the applicator across her red lips, wishing she too could pull off that look. “No—my first time.”
Tiffany reattached the lid and slid the tube back into her purse. “Well, if you haven’t ordered yet, try the salmon. It’s to die for.”
“Well, have a nice evening.” Tiffany gave her a wide smile before heading for the door.
“Yeah, you too.”
Alone again, Leta reached for a paper hand towel from the basket on the counter. She wiped her hands and tried to quiet her pounding heart. Tried to quit thinking about Nate kissing those perfect red lips.
She chastised herself again.
Don’t be stupid. Both of them are completely out of your league.
Leta rejoined the table just as the waitress showed up with their entrées. She sighed and took her seat, determined not to look over at the happy couple.
Erin pointed her fork at Leta’s plate. “Man, that salmon looks delicious.”
Leta nodded. “Yeah, it looks really good. So does your mac and cheese.”
Despite promising she wouldn’t, she snuck another peek at the table near the window.
Nate noticed her then. Their eyes locked, and he smiled and waved.
Her tablemates noticed as well.
“What, you know Senator Emerson?” Erin asked, frowning. “Why didn’t you say something?”
Tatum spoke up. “Tell you what, I’d sure vote for him. He’s gorgeous.”
Troy rolled his eyes. “And that is exactly what is wrong with America. You don’t vote for somebody because he’s a pretty boy. You cast your ballot for the guy who’s going to make a difference.”
“You didn’t make that remark when we were talking about his age,” Erin interjected. “Besides, you’re being sexist.”
“What?”
“A smart woman can make a difference too, you know.” Erin scooped a steaming bite of mac and cheese.
“Yeah,” Tatum agreed. “Just look at Hillary.”
“Or Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright,” Erin added.
Nate got up from his place at the table. He waved again and walked in their direction.
Ben lifted his glass. “I think he’s heading over here.”
Leta felt desperately shy and totally elated at the same time. She quickly swallowed and ran her tongue over her teeth, praying nothing was stuck between them.
“Hey,” Nate said as he neared their table. His mouth curved into a huge smile. “How is everybody this evening?”
Ben stood. “Hey, man. We’re good.” He extended his hand to the senator.
Troy did likewise. “Yeah, everything’s going great. Yourself?”
After shaking their hands, Nate smiled and placed his hand on Leta’s shoulder. “Just thought I’d wander over and say hi to a friend.”
She felt the heavy weight of their stares. She swallowed. “Hi, Nate.”
He gave a little squeeze before moving his hand. “How was your Christmas? Did your mom enjoy the chocolates?”
“She did,” Leta said, willing herself to relax a little. “They didn’t last long. Especially when she offered one to every nurse who entered the room.” She turned to her friends and explained that her mother was in a residential nursing center, and why. “If you guys aren’t familiar, Senator Emerson does a lot of work on behalf of people like my mother. He headed up legislation that funded some extraordinary studies.”
Troy nodded. “That’s pretty cool, man.”
Tatum agreed. “Yeah, I’m really glad to hear someone is spearheading an effort to do something that really makes a difference like that.”
Erin dropped her fork to the side of her plate. “So, are you going to do it? Are you going to run for governor?”
Troy laughed. “Wow, Erin’s going all Katie Couric on us.”
Erin threw him a look. “I am not. I’m just bold enough to ask what we’re all wondering.”
Nate patiently smiled in her direction. “Well, I can tell you this—we’re getting really close to making that decision.”
“I’d vote for you,” Tatum offered.
“Thank you.” Nate gave Tatum a wide smile. “I appreciate that. If I decide to go for it and run, it’s good to know people like you guys are behind me.” He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small leather wallet and passed out his cards. “In the event I decide to run, we’ll be announcing soon. If any of you would like to come on board and help, the campaign would love to have you. We’re going to start a grassroots effort, and as all of you likely know, it’ll be a tight climb to unseat the current governor. And do me another favor?” He looked across the table at her. “Y’all keep my friend Leta out of trouble tonight. Okay?”
He held her gaze for several seconds before breaking away and moving back to his table.
“Wow, you run in some fancy circles, girl!” Tatum scooped up her fork.
Erin leaned forward. “Yeah, and you might not want to let that untidy piece of information get out at the Ladd Agency. Not sure your connection with Senator Emerson would go over all that big with Jane Ladd and her new client.”