“You’ve always been the feistiest thing.”
“And your point?”
“You’re extremely dehydrated and you fainted in my arms at the finish line. I don’t know if you have heatstroke or heat exhaustion. We have to get you checked out.”
“I’m sure I didn’t faint.”
“Oh, you fainted all right.”
At the memory of collapsing in C.J.’s arms Tasha could feel her cheeks heating. How embarrassing.
“I tried to call your friend Richard, who was listed as your emergency contact. When I reached him, he said he wasn’t in town, and told us to go ahead and call your parents. He seemed very worried.”
“You called my parents?”
“Protocol.”
Her mind raced while she figured out how to handle what was coming. The press would be at the hospital when she was taken from the ambulance. Her day seemed to be getting worse by the minute.
With her dad running for reelection this year, he never missed a chance to be interviewed. She could see him calling his PR team to tip off reporters, so he could get on the evening news tonight.
“Who’s Richard?” C.J. asked.
“Pardon?”
“Richard. Who is he?”
She thought C.J. looked flustered. The fact that he wouldn’t take his eyes off her made her feel a little uncomfortable. For years she’d wondered what it would be like to be the object of his attention.
Better to keep him at arm’s length, she decided. It hurt to be around him because memories of Tim kept surfacing, reminding her of the woman she used to be. Reminding her of the man she’d loved.
“He’s my running buddy.”
“And your boyfriend?”
Tasha refused to answer, but glanced around the ambulance interior, noticing the paramedic. Normally she wasn’t aware of anyone else when C.J. was present, because he was larger than life.
“How close are we to the hospital?” she asked.
“Tasha? Look at me.” He sat on the other gurney, staring at her so intently it made her pulse quicken. “You win,” he eventually muttered. “We’re two minutes away. If you don’t want to talk about Richard, we won’t, but I’m curious.”
“When have you ever been curious about me?”
“You act like I was horrible to you.” He leaned forward.
With his face so close to hers, Tasha had to struggle to think. She could see his clean-shaven jaw and smell his cologne. “You weren’t horrible, but you were never that friendly, either.”
“You, me and Tim were all buds.”
“No, we were never buddies.”
“Tasha … I don’t know you like this. When did you change?”
She flashed him an icy smile. “Let’s see…. I’m not feeling well and I unexpectedly bump into a person from my past. And now I look different and you’re nice to me. Oh please, C.J. You’ll never change, will you?”
He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You were always so shallow.”
“That’s not true,” he retorted.
“Of course it is! I’m skinny now, so you’re paying attention to me.”
“Captain?” the paramedic interrupted.
C.J. sat up. “Yes?”
“We’ve arrived at the hospital.”
The doors opened. Just as Tasha had feared, cameras flashed and reporters rushed forward to get the scoop on the congressman’s daughter.
As she was being transported into the hospital, she cried, “I’ll get you for this, Powell!”
But he’d jumped out of the ambulance to shelter her from the reporters with those wide shoulders of his. “I’ll take care of the press and be up to see you in a few minutes.”
He winked at her before the gurney was rolled through the entrance to the hospital.
“DARLIN’, YOUR FATHER AND I are worried about you,” Genevieve cooed in her Texas drawl. She sat on her daughter’s hospital bed in her tan trousers and white linen blouse. Both fit her lean figure to perfection.
“Mother, you heard the doctor. My blood work and vitals are all normal.” Tasha was determined to keep her voice low and cool. “I was dehydrated. It occasionally happens when you run a marathon.”
She leaned in to caress her daughter’s cheek, her bracelets clinking. “My, you’re such a beauty now.”
The emphasis on now stung every time Tasha heard it. How could a girl compete when her mother was beauty personified? Genevieve Bennington was a tall blonde with big blue eyes set in an oval face.
She could have been a model, and made sure to remind Tasha of that every chance she got. Instead, she’d chosen to be a wife and mother. Natasha often wondered why.
“Thank you, Hal.” George Bennington had finally decided to come in from the hall and talk to her. He closed his cell phone and put it in his trouser pocket.
Tasha knew Hal was her father’s private doctor. She wondered what her dad had in store for her.
She could see he’d been tanning again. His skin was too dark for the lifestyle he lived. George was a tall, handsome man in his early sixties with a full head of hair dyed chestnut-brown.
He had the hardened green eyes and the polished smile of a politician. He was known for being cruel in political races. Unfortunately, that was how she saw him, too.
“We’ve been told you’re healthy, but I don’t trust that doctor. I’d rather have Hal come check you out.”
Tasha leaned forward in her bed. “Dad, that’s ridiculous and you know it.”
He took a no-nonsense stance. “Now listen here. He’s going to fly up from Cedars Sinai in L.A., and is leaving now. This is not the time to argue.”
“As an adult I have the right to refuse his services. I’m in the best shape of my life. It was hot and I got dehydrated. End of story.” Tasha was doing her best not to scream.
“You were heavy for so many years,” her mother murmured. “I worry if that has any implications on your health now.”
“Unbelievable!” Tasha had to fight not to feel that old inferiority complex she’d wrestled with all her life. This was C.J.’s fault.
