The crowd laughed, which reminded him he was in the middle of a speech and he should really pay attention to what he was saying. Thank God he’d done this kind of thing enough that he could daydream about the woman in front of him when he was halfway through a speech and still keep talking and making sense. But now he needed to concentrate.

He took a sip of water, looked at the other side of the room from Olivia, and cracked a joke that got the whole ballroom laughing again. He was going to finish this speech, and then he wasn’t going to let that woman leave the room until he’d gotten to talk to her again.

To what end, though? Was he really going to ask her out? Did he really have the time and energy to try to navigate dating someone not even two years into his first (and hopefully not only) six-year Senate term?

He wasn’t sure. But he’d thought about her every day for the past three weeks. He’d gotten a second chance; he couldn’t waste it.

He finished his speech to a round of applause and made his way off the stage and down into the ballroom to chat with the crowd … and to find someone to introduce him to Olivia. It would help if he positioned himself by her table … like so.

He didn’t have long to wait.

“Senator, can I introduce you to Olivia Monroe?” The board president had his hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “She’s an old friend of mine and a fantastic attorney who just moved to L.A., and I’m trying to convince her to join our board. I know she could be a wonderful asset to us.”

She’s a fantastic … attorney? But she’d said she was an accountant.

He kept the bland, professional smile on his face and shook her hand.

“Ms. Monroe, it’s so nice to meet you. What law firm are you with?”

Her smile turned wry for just a split second. Ah yes, she remembered that she’d told him she was an accountant.

“My own,” she said. He saw the pride in her eyes. “Monroe and Spencer. A friend and I started it last month.”

Well, she had moved to L.A. for work; that part had been true.

“Congratulations,” he said. “And welcome to Los Angeles.”

Olivia smiled at him, then glanced over at the executive director.

“Thank you. It’s very exciting but also very busy. Which is why, as I told Bruce here, I might be too swamped to join the board for a while, but I’ll be thrilled to be involved in any way I can.”

Bruce shook his head.

“I was hoping the senator here would be able to convince you to join the board, but I understand.”