Brady swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I don’t think you did.” He seemed to have composed himself, but his eyes were still hard. She felt two feet tall in the shadow of that gaze. Then he stuck his hand out. “Brady Maxwell. I believe we met on campaign. Yes?”
“We did,” she whispered, nodding. She took his hand in hers. Sparks flew as if someone had struck a match between them. It jolted her, and she actually jumped a little on contact. He took in a deep, even breath and then quickly dropped her hand.
“How nice to meet you again,” he said, that campaign mask firmly in place. She wouldn’t be seeing her Brady the rest of the conversation. Not that anything about him was hers anymore. “How was the rest of the campaign?”
Liz felt the weight of that question to her very core. “Same old, same old. It took forever to get to November,” she all but whispered. “Congratulations on your victory.”
“Thank you. I had a great team behind me. They really believed in me and my vision,” he said, each word stabbing her like a knife wound.
“That’s very . . . fortunate,” she said, not knowing what else to say.
Savannah smiled, oblivious to the underlying conversation going on between them. “I’m glad I could reintroduce you,” she said brightly. “I know Liz voted for you in the election and spent a lot of time ensuring students on campus voted.”
“Is that right?” Brady asked, his gaze shifting to Savannah.
“I know how you like to talk to your constituents,” Savannah said with a pat on his arm, as if he weren’t some big politician. To Savannah he was just her brother. “I’m going to go find Dad. Find me after, Liz, okay?”
Savannah traipsed away to find her father before Liz could say anything. And then she was left alone with Brady.
They stood there together awkwardly. How many times had she envisioned what she would say when she finally saw him? How many times had she thought that she would beg his forgiveness, yell at him for never coming after her, throw herself at him? But none of those things happened. They just stared at each other.
Liz knew that she should say something. She even opened her mouth. But what could she say? They were so far removed from where they had been last August. She just wanted to apologize, to explain, but she couldn’t. Not here. Not like this.
“There you are,” Liz heard from behind her. Her stomach sank. Shit.
She broke Brady’s gaze and turned to see Hayden walking toward her. He was in a navy sport jacket and khakis with a striped shirt underneath. His hair was perfectly tousled and his hazel eyes were almost green as he smiled at her.
He walked right up to her and kissed her softly on the lips. She didn’t think she even responded.
“Hey, Lizzie,” he said when he pulled back.
Liz stepped away from him, feeling terrible at the realization that Brady was watching. Fuck.
“Um, hey,” she said awkwardly.
Hayden noticed who she was standing by and straightened up immediately. “Oh, you must be Brady Maxwell,” Hayden said, having the sense to look slightly embarrassed. Though she wondered if he had kissed her on purpose. No. This was Hayden. He didn’t have a bone in his body that wasn’t good and decent.
“That’s right,” Brady said.
Hayden thrust his hand out. “Hayden Lane. I’m the editor at the college newspaper.”
Brady took it, keeping his campaign mask firmly in place, but Liz could see the fire brimming in his eyes as he stared at Hayden. His gaze shifted to Liz and she could see precisely what he was thinking in that moment. You’re with this guy now?
Brady knew exactly who Hayden was. She had kissed Hayden in D.C. while she had been seeing Brady. Their picture had shown up in the newspaper when school started.
“Nice to meet you,” Brady responded. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to.”
And without another second’s pause, Brady turned and walked in the opposite direction. She was left alone with Hayden, but she might as well have been all by herself all over again . . . because her heart had been ripped out of her chest with Brady’s departure.
Chapter 10
BIN 54
The rest of the day passed in a blur of Brady Maxwell. It was like the seven months that she had gone without him had just been a haze and those precious moments with him were her clarity. She remembered all too clearly what it felt like to walk through the world feeling as if she had walked out of Technicolor into black and white. That was life with and without Brady.
By the time she was supposed to meet with Savannah for dinner, Liz was just happy to have an excuse not to have to be around Hayden. He knew she was off. Her focus was shot, and half of the time it felt as if she were listening to him underwater. She told him that she was having dinner with Savannah, which got her raised eyebrows from Hayden.
“Where are you going?” Hayden asked curiously.
Liz shrugged. “I don’t know. She just asked if I wanted to go.”
“Strange.”
“Is it?” Liz asked, wrapping her arms around her middle. She couldn’t seem to get herself straight.
“I mean, I know y’all are friends, but I didn’t think you guys really hung out like that.”
Liz shrugged again. She didn’t know what else to do. “She asked me. I said I’d go.”
“Are y’all meeting anyone else?” he asked. He seemed to be trying for casual, but they had been together too long for her not to get what he was asking.
“I don’t think so.” She really had no idea.
“Not her brother?”
Liz’s eyes bulged. There was no f**king way that was happening. “No. Why would you think that?” she sputtered.
“He was just . . . looking at you is all.”
“People tend to do that when they’re introduced,” Liz said, trying to brush it off.
“I don’t know,” Hayden said, taking her nonchalance for it not meaning anything. But of course it meant everything. “I’m probably crazy and way off base, but I didn’t really like the way our politician was looking at my girlfriend.” He pulled her into him and kissed the tip of her nose.
She laughed lightly, hoping that she sounded disbelieving. She was sure she failed, but he couldn’t see her face, so maybe she pulled it off. “We’re talking about a congressman. A man who works for the House of Representatives. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t look twice at a college reporter. You, Hayden Lane, are just imagining things.”