Corporation. But she got his point.
“So he’s really going to go through
with it?”
“You mean running for the U.S.
Senate?” Grace asked.
Tommy nodded. “Yeah. I knew he had ambitions in that direction, but I assumed he would start
locally, on a smaller scale.”
“So did I,” Grace admitted. “But he has people in the GOP who think he
can actually win this thing. He’s going
all out.”
Tommy looked at her. She smelled as fresh as those lilacs in that
garden she once planted in his backyard. “And what about you? Are you
looking forward to moving to Washington should he win? Are you looking forward to being a Senator’s
wife?”
Grace shook her head. “No, to be honest with you. I’m not looking forward to it at all. And I assume you aren’t going to let me move
Destiny to Washington, D.C.”
“You assume correctly,” Tommy said
firmly. He would hate to see Grace move
to another state also. But if she did,
they would have to arrange for her to have visitation, because nobody was
taking his daughter away from him.
“That’s our biggest disagreement so
far.”
“What’s that?” Tommy asked.
“The fact that I’m not leaving
Seattle. The fact that I’m not uprooting
Destiny. He hates it. Should he win, he thinks we should both be
with him while Congress is in session. But I told him that’s not going to be feasible. Destiny has school, and her friends. Destiny comes first. Her home is here in Seattle. With her father.”
Tommy’s heart swelled with
emotion. Time, and undoubtedly living
with an egotistical man like Ed Jefferson, had changed Grace. There was a time, early on in her second
marriage, when she wouldn’t stand up to Ed. He was pleased to see that she was holding her own now.
Grace wasn’t surprised to see that
Tommy was alone. Since his breakup with
Liz, he’d been alone every time she saw him. It surprised her that a man like him, who was accustomed to having a
woman by his side, hadn’t hooked up with another one yet. Unless he missed Liz just that much. “Are you enjoying flying solo again?” she
asked him.
Tommy moved his head from side to
side, as if he was weighing it. “Not
really,” he finally admitted.
“You miss Liz, is that it?”
Tommy was a little perturbed that she
would think Liz was the reason, although he knew she had no other reason to
think otherwise. “No,” he said. “I haven’t seen or heard from her since I last
saw her in Syria.”
Grace’s big, pretty eyes expanded
even more. “ Syria ?” She was sincerely
concerned. “My goodness, Tommy. So much is going on over there right
now. It’s in the news constantly. That’s a dangerous place.”
Tommy exhaled. “I know. There was even an attempt made on her life.”
Grace was shocked. “Are you serious? What happened?”
“Me, fortunately. I saw it coming and was able to take care of
it.”
“But why would somebody try to kill
her?”
“I had my men look into it. The guy who attempted to take her out was in
league with some radical jihadist group that wanted to prove some point by
assassinating western journalists. She
was on their kill list.”
“Wow.”
“But that’s the career she’s chosen.”
“She’s an exceptional woman, that’s
for sure,” Grace said. “But I’m sure
that’s why you chose her originally. You
deserve the best.”
Tommy looked at Grace. She said it as if she wasn’t the best. She was always shortchanging herself that
way, and he didn’t like it. “I had the
best when I had you,” he said to her before he realized he was saying it. But he didn’t want to take it back.
Grace was touched by his words, and a
little astounded. And when they glanced
at each other, they did share a moment of memory, regret, and resolve. But before they could discuss it further,
Destiny had
“So he’s really going to go through
with it?”
“You mean running for the U.S.
Senate?” Grace asked.
Tommy nodded. “Yeah. I knew he had ambitions in that direction, but I assumed he would start
locally, on a smaller scale.”
“So did I,” Grace admitted. “But he has people in the GOP who think he
can actually win this thing. He’s going
all out.”
Tommy looked at her. She smelled as fresh as those lilacs in that
garden she once planted in his backyard. “And what about you? Are you
looking forward to moving to Washington should he win? Are you looking forward to being a Senator’s
wife?”
Grace shook her head. “No, to be honest with you. I’m not looking forward to it at all. And I assume you aren’t going to let me move
Destiny to Washington, D.C.”
“You assume correctly,” Tommy said
firmly. He would hate to see Grace move
to another state also. But if she did,
they would have to arrange for her to have visitation, because nobody was
taking his daughter away from him.
“That’s our biggest disagreement so
far.”
“What’s that?” Tommy asked.
“The fact that I’m not leaving
Seattle. The fact that I’m not uprooting
Destiny. He hates it. Should he win, he thinks we should both be
with him while Congress is in session. But I told him that’s not going to be feasible. Destiny has school, and her friends. Destiny comes first. Her home is here in Seattle. With her father.”
Tommy’s heart swelled with
emotion. Time, and undoubtedly living
with an egotistical man like Ed Jefferson, had changed Grace. There was a time, early on in her second
marriage, when she wouldn’t stand up to Ed. He was pleased to see that she was holding her own now.
Grace wasn’t surprised to see that
Tommy was alone. Since his breakup with
Liz, he’d been alone every time she saw him. It surprised her that a man like him, who was accustomed to having a
woman by his side, hadn’t hooked up with another one yet. Unless he missed Liz just that much. “Are you enjoying flying solo again?” she
asked him.
Tommy moved his head from side to
side, as if he was weighing it. “Not
really,” he finally admitted.
“You miss Liz, is that it?”
Tommy was a little perturbed that she
would think Liz was the reason, although he knew she had no other reason to
think otherwise. “No,” he said. “I haven’t seen or heard from her since I last
saw her in Syria.”
Grace’s big, pretty eyes expanded
even more. “ Syria ?” She was sincerely
concerned. “My goodness, Tommy. So much is going on over there right
now. It’s in the news constantly. That’s a dangerous place.”
Tommy exhaled. “I know. There was even an attempt made on her life.”
Grace was shocked. “Are you serious? What happened?”
“Me, fortunately. I saw it coming and was able to take care of
it.”
“But why would somebody try to kill
her?”
“I had my men look into it. The guy who attempted to take her out was in
league with some radical jihadist group that wanted to prove some point by
assassinating western journalists. She
was on their kill list.”
“Wow.”
“But that’s the career she’s chosen.”
“She’s an exceptional woman, that’s
for sure,” Grace said. “But I’m sure
that’s why you chose her originally. You
deserve the best.”
Tommy looked at Grace. She said it as if she wasn’t the best. She was always shortchanging herself that
way, and he didn’t like it. “I had the
best when I had you,” he said to her before he realized he was saying it. But he didn’t want to take it back.
Grace was touched by his words, and a
little astounded. And when they glanced
at each other, they did share a moment of memory, regret, and resolve. But before they could discuss it further,
Destiny had
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