shoved the thought away and instead focused on her morning work. It took twenty minutes to go through her emails, deleting spam that had managed to get through the filter, marking messages to forward to Kate and answering those that didn’t require her boss’s attention.
Once the email was finished, she moved to the file folder on her desk that held a stack of invitations for Kate. As a former U.S. ambassador and vice president, Kate was invited to hundreds of events each week.
As Debra looked at each one, she made a list of who, what and where for each event that required a response in the next week or so. The social calendar Debra kept on the wall was an ever-morphing, color-coded animal that required constant attention.
There were rumors that Kate was being groomed to run for president in the next election and she was already being courted by special-interest groups and powerful party movers and shakers.
So far she hadn’t mentioned her plans to anyone, but Debra suspected the idea of becoming the first female president of the United States was definitely appealing. Kate had a reputation as a loving mother, a family-oriented person, but Debra knew she was also a woman of great convictions about how the country should move forward in the coming years.
It was just after eight when a familiar soft knock sounded on Debra’s door. She grabbed her memo pad and left her desk. It was their routine; Kate knocked to let Debra know she was now in her office and it was time for a morning update.
At fifty-eight years old, Kathleen Adair Winston was an attractive woman with short, stylish light brown hair and blue eyes that radiated honesty, kindness and intelligence. Debra had worked for her long enough to know that she also possessed a will of steel, a slight streak of stubbornness and a love of her family that was enviable.
This morning she was dressed in a pair of tailored navy slacks and a pale blue blouse that emphasized the bright hue of her eyes. Her jewelry was tasteful, a wedding ring despite the fact that she was a widow and a silver necklace with matching earrings.
“Good morning, Debra.” Her smile was warm, and adoration for the woman who had been her boss since she’d been a college graduate swelled up inside Debra.
“Good morning to you, Kate,” she replied and took the chair opposite the large ornate desk where Kate sat. “Did you sleep well?”
“I always sleep well,” Kate replied. “It seems the days are too long and the nights are far too short for my taste.”
Debra nodded and smiled and then got down to business. “I have several pressing things we need to discuss this morning,” she said.
It took nearly forty-five minutes for Debra to update Kate and get confirmation or regrets on the invitations that required answers.
When they had finished that particular task, Kate leaned back in her chair and sipped the coffee she must have carried with her into the office. “You look tired,” she said. “Did you not sleep well last night?”
Debra stared at her in surprise. Did it already show somehow on her face? Did newly discovered pregnancy make a woman look tired the day she realized she was pregnant?
“Nothing to worry about,” Debra said, pleased that her voice sounded normal. “I did do a lot of tossing and turning last night. I think it was indigestion, but I’m sure I’ll sleep fine tonight.”
“Anything in particular on your mind?”
Debra smiled with a forced brightness. “Yes, I’m wondering along with the rest of the world if my boss intends to make a run for the presidency.”
Deflect, she thought. She had always been good about making the conversation about other people rather than about herself.
“Your boss still hasn’t made up her mind,” Kate replied ruefully. She turned in her chair and stared at the wall that held an array of family photos. Most of them were of Kate with her three handsome sons.
“Although I know I need to come to a decision in the next couple of weeks. It’s a long, arduous process to begin a campaign, but the men who have already thrown their hats in the ring are not what the country needs right now. I do believe I’d do a better job than any of them, but I also realize the price I’d be asking my family to pay if I decide to become an official candidate,” she said as she turned back to look at Debra.
“You’ll make the right decision,” Debra said confidently. “You always do. Either way, you’ll do what’s best for both your family and the country.”
Kate flashed her the bright smile that had been her trademark both when she’d served her four years as vice president and as a beloved ambassador to France. “You’re the special secret in my pocket, Debra. There are days that your efficiency and loyalty are responsible for my very sanity. Thank goodness you possess the organizational skills that keep me on track.”
“I have a feeling you’d be just fine without me, but I love what I do, and now I’d better get back to my office and take care of the RSVPs on these invitations.” Debra stood. “You’ll let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you. You have nothing on your calendar for the day so hopefully you can give yourself a break and just relax a bit.”
“Maybe.” Kate stood and carried her coffee to the window that looked out on a lovely garden.
Debra left the room aware that Kate didn’t know how to relax—until she made up her mind about the next presidential election, she would worry and stew, weigh pros and cons, until she made a final decision about what her future would hold.
Debra didn’t even want to think about her own future. She knew that the first thing she needed to do was see a doctor. She’d try to schedule an appointment with her gynecologist for the weekend to confirm what she already knew.
In the meantime, day by day—that’s how she would have to take things right now. She’d scarcely had time to process the reality of her condition.
Eventually her pregnancy would show and she’d have some explaining to do, but until that day came she had to focus on her work.
She remained at her desk until just after eleven when Kate used the intercom to call her back into her office. Debra grabbed her notepad and reentered Kate’s office, only to stop short at the sight of the ridiculously handsome man seated in the chair she had vacated earlier.
Trey Winston was not only incredibly handsome with his rich dark brown hair and striking blue eyes, he was also the CEO of Adair Enterprises, the family business, a rich and powerful man who was well liked by his employees and friends. He was also the father of the baby Debra carried.
* * *
“Here we are,” Kate said as Debra entered the room. She gestured her assistant to the chair next to Trey’s. Trey offered Debra a faint, rather uncomfortable smile.
Uncomfortable. That’s the way things had been for him whenever he saw Debra after the crazy one night they’d spent together—a night that should never have happened.
He’d been at the popular bar/restaurant celebrating the close of a big business deal and she’d been there commiserating a breakup with her boyfriend. The two of them had somehow hooked up, shared too many drinks and then had continued to make the mistake of heading to a nearby hotel and having hot, passionate sex.
He
