For a long time, he simply stared at her. Then he gradually began to soak in what she wasn’t quite ready to put into words. He looked slightly dazed as he leaned back in his chair. “You could really pull it off, couldn’t you?”

She propped her chin on the back of her hand and gazed dreamily off into the distance. “If I set my mind to it, I imagine I could assemble the biggest power base anyone in Washington has ever seen.”

“And like a fairy godmother, use it only for good deeds.”

His cynicism was back, but she didn’t flinch from it. “Exactly.”

“That’s not the way the game’s played.”

“I may be the only person in the country who doesn’t need to play the game. I’ve already won.”

“How do you figure?”

“I’m not ego-driven, and when you take the ego out of the politician, what’s left is a public servant. I have instant, bone-deep credibility.”

“This past week has put a big dent in that.”

“Not if I spin it right.”

“The spin,” he drawled. “I was wondering when we’d get to that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with spin as long as it’s honest. People understand job dissatisfaction. I had to escape a job that was strangling me. That’s something everybody can identify with.”

“A lot more is involved than escaping an unsatisfactory job. There’s the matter of where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing. The press won’t give up until they have the whole story.”

“Believe me, I know more about getting around journalists than you can imagine.”

He began studying the tablecloth.

“You have to trust me, Mat. I love the girls. I’d never let any harm come to them.”

He nodded, but he didn’t look at her.

The waiter arrived with their salads, and she decided it might be best to change the subject. “I’ve gone on and on about myself, but you’ve hardly told me anything about your own work.”

“There’s nothing much to tell. Do you want a roll?” He picked up the green wicker basket the waiter had brought earlier.

“No, thanks. Do you like your job?”

“I guess I’m going through a career crisis right now.” He shifted his weight and no longer looked so comfortable in the small chair.

“Maybe I can help.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Candor only works one way, is that it? I tell you all my secrets, but you hold yours back.”

“I’m not too proud of some of my secrets.”

She’d never seen him look so serious.

He set down his fork and pushed away his salad. “There’s something we need to talk about. Something I have to tell you.”

Her stomach sank. She knew exactly what he was going to say, and she didn’t want to hear it.

Chapter 18

18