“I understand you were very thorough, and I appreciate it. We’ll take all the time you want. What can I clarify for you?”

Mia opened her tablet, called up a page, pretended to read, then looked up, forcing a smile when in truth she wanted to smash her fist into his handsome face. Of course he wanted to know everything she’d done in Boston, what everyone had said to her. She said, “I also spoke to your former fiancée, Juliet Ash Calley. Reading over my notes, I realized I have some questions.”

He cocked his head to one side, clearly puzzled. “Juliet? Whyever did you see her?”

“You said you appreciated my thoroughness. Of course I saw her, she was a big part of your life. She’s a lovely woman, and so very talented.”

Mia saw alarm, fleeting, but she saw it. Then it was gone, and she could have imagined it. Only she hadn’t. He said nothing, merely kept his head cocked, with that faint look of puzzlement.

“She—Juliet—told me a bit about how you met, eventually got engaged, but she didn’t want to talk about why your engagement broke off. Was that her decision, or yours, or was it mutual?”

Alex blinked at her. “What?”

“Your fiancée at the moment, Ms. Barrett, believed you had called it off, but you decided to say it was mutual so as not to embarrass Ms. Calley.”

His smile slipped, he stiffened, and for a moment he looked like he wanted to throw her through the office window.

Then, the snap of the fingers, and Mr. Candidate was back. A dark eyebrow up in charming question, the practiced smile now firmly in place. He shook his head. “I can’t imagine why the electorate would care about a former engagement. It isn’t like it happened last month. It was more than two years ago.”

“Alex. I’ve told you this before, your personal life will be endlessly fascinating to voters, and as you know, it all goes much smoother if you’re willing to be an open book and leave no unanswered questions. Believe me, people sense when you’re not being completely honest and open, and they’ll talk and wonder. Now, if voters read a former fiancée broke your heart, they will feel sorry for the pain you must have felt, empathize with you, admire your brave face. Hasn’t Cory mentioned to you it’s usually best to feed the beast?”

“Yes, of course, it’s Cory’s mantra. It’s simply disappointing the electorate don’t dig into the issues, and leave the distant past buried.”

Mia burst out laughing. “Sorry, but I can’t believe you—a politician—just said that. Alex, of course you know people are endlessly curious about a candidate’s past, transgressions and experiences, whatever.”