remained. Unquestionably, The Edge was Langley’s favorite restaurant.
“Do you want anything else?” I asked. “Are you still hungry?”
She laughed. “You’re making fun of me.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m glad you enjoyed your meal.”
She placed her silverware diagonally across her plate and pushed it to the center of the table. “Ugh. I’m so full. I feel like I’m going to explode. I’ll have to exercise twice as long tomorrow morning to make up for this lunch.”
“Do you exercise every day?”
“I’m a physical therapist,” she answered, as though that’s all she needed to say.
“So?” I prompted, prying her for more information even though both my reports and her long, lean muscles already answered my question.
“I work in a gym of sorts, so I end up doing some exercise every day at work, and my mom and I have a standing tennis date on Saturday mornings.”
“Are you and your mom close?” My research suggested they weren’t, but that might not be Langley’s perception of their relationship.
She chewed on her lip, clearly contemplating her answer. “Growing up, my dad was larger than life. I idolized him. For the first ten years of my life, I was his shadow. When he died, it was just my mom and me for a couple of years. I love her. She’s my mom, but we never really clicked. I don’t understand her, and she doesn’t understand me. What about your mom?”
“She was a single mom, so she wasn’t around a lot. It always seemed like it was my brother Knox and me against the world. We did everything together.”
She nodded. “You’re lucky. I wish I had a brother or a sister. When my mom remarried, I thought my stepdad would want kids, but it never happened. He focused on his career and my mom focused on reinventing herself. There wasn’t much room left for anything else.”
“Reinventing herself?” I asked, ignoring the topic of Senator Wharton and kids entirely.
“When she married Senator Wharton, she transformed from Hollywood wife to the doting wife of a politician. She replaced her flashy clothes with simple lined dresses and pantsuits. She spent her days volunteering for causes I don’t think she knew existed before her second marriage.” She frowned and shook her head.
“Did that trouble you?”
“It shouldn’t have, but at the time I felt like she wanted to erase the memory of my dad and the first ten years of our lives.”
I slanted forward, bracing my elbows on the edge of the table. “Now what do you think?”
“Maybe it was her way of dealing with the grief. For the most part, I went along with what she wanted, but I refused to let Senator Wharton adopt me.”
“Why?”
She twisted her hands in her lap. “Because I had a dad. I didn’t need another one. Besides, he was barely around, so it felt forced. I don’t think he really wanted to adopt me. Contrary to what is reported in the media, we’re not close,” she confessed.
I nodded, not saying anything for a few prolonged seconds. Truth be told, I was shocked. My files were littered with articles of how Senator Wharton embraced his role of parent to Langley. “I didn’t realize.”
“Nobody knows that, except for Winnie.” She laughed. “She’s the keeper of all my secrets. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” I answered with a grin.
“You’ll never get anything out of her. We took a blood covenant as kids. I’ve sworn her to secrecy.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Now I’m really curious about all these secrets that necessitate a blood covenant.”
“They’re serious.” She nodded, her eyes wide in mock innocence.
I winked. “Can you give me a hint?”
She gazed at her lap for a second and then exhaled loudly. “Okay, but you have to promise never to tell.”
I held up one hand. “I promise.”
“I cheated on my fifth grade spelling test. I wrote a word along the inside of my index finger.”
“What
“Do you want anything else?” I asked. “Are you still hungry?”
She laughed. “You’re making fun of me.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m glad you enjoyed your meal.”
She placed her silverware diagonally across her plate and pushed it to the center of the table. “Ugh. I’m so full. I feel like I’m going to explode. I’ll have to exercise twice as long tomorrow morning to make up for this lunch.”
“Do you exercise every day?”
“I’m a physical therapist,” she answered, as though that’s all she needed to say.
“So?” I prompted, prying her for more information even though both my reports and her long, lean muscles already answered my question.
“I work in a gym of sorts, so I end up doing some exercise every day at work, and my mom and I have a standing tennis date on Saturday mornings.”
“Are you and your mom close?” My research suggested they weren’t, but that might not be Langley’s perception of their relationship.
She chewed on her lip, clearly contemplating her answer. “Growing up, my dad was larger than life. I idolized him. For the first ten years of my life, I was his shadow. When he died, it was just my mom and me for a couple of years. I love her. She’s my mom, but we never really clicked. I don’t understand her, and she doesn’t understand me. What about your mom?”
“She was a single mom, so she wasn’t around a lot. It always seemed like it was my brother Knox and me against the world. We did everything together.”
She nodded. “You’re lucky. I wish I had a brother or a sister. When my mom remarried, I thought my stepdad would want kids, but it never happened. He focused on his career and my mom focused on reinventing herself. There wasn’t much room left for anything else.”
“Reinventing herself?” I asked, ignoring the topic of Senator Wharton and kids entirely.
“When she married Senator Wharton, she transformed from Hollywood wife to the doting wife of a politician. She replaced her flashy clothes with simple lined dresses and pantsuits. She spent her days volunteering for causes I don’t think she knew existed before her second marriage.” She frowned and shook her head.
“Did that trouble you?”
“It shouldn’t have, but at the time I felt like she wanted to erase the memory of my dad and the first ten years of our lives.”
I slanted forward, bracing my elbows on the edge of the table. “Now what do you think?”
“Maybe it was her way of dealing with the grief. For the most part, I went along with what she wanted, but I refused to let Senator Wharton adopt me.”
“Why?”
She twisted her hands in her lap. “Because I had a dad. I didn’t need another one. Besides, he was barely around, so it felt forced. I don’t think he really wanted to adopt me. Contrary to what is reported in the media, we’re not close,” she confessed.
I nodded, not saying anything for a few prolonged seconds. Truth be told, I was shocked. My files were littered with articles of how Senator Wharton embraced his role of parent to Langley. “I didn’t realize.”
“Nobody knows that, except for Winnie.” She laughed. “She’s the keeper of all my secrets. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” I answered with a grin.
“You’ll never get anything out of her. We took a blood covenant as kids. I’ve sworn her to secrecy.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Now I’m really curious about all these secrets that necessitate a blood covenant.”
“They’re serious.” She nodded, her eyes wide in mock innocence.
I winked. “Can you give me a hint?”
She gazed at her lap for a second and then exhaled loudly. “Okay, but you have to promise never to tell.”
I held up one hand. “I promise.”
“I cheated on my fifth grade spelling test. I wrote a word along the inside of my index finger.”
“What
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