announced her elopement? If so, Lauren would be profoundly relieved and grateful to have the mother she knew and loved back to her normal sane, rational self. But she also was well aware that Charlene was a proud woman who’d been raised to do well in anything she attempted—a goal she’d pretty much always succeeded in achieving—so would likely be embarrassed by this rather public and personal failing. Lauren vowed right then she would approach the subject delicately and with compassion.
She glanced at her mother, wishing again that she could have spent some time with her alone first, rather than this somewhat stilted, best-behavior, social call. The private room was nice, but only went so far. She couldn’t ask her mother the things she was most dying to know, which was how in the worldwide hell, with all the distinguished and lovely gentlemen who had orbited her very active social circles since Lauren’s father had passed away—and there had been no small number who would have given anything for even a personal smile from Charlene Matthews—had she ever, even in a weak moment, chosen this one?
Okay, maybe she needed to work on the delicate part of her approach. But even if her mother had realized her impulsive union was a mistake, Lauren was still curious why she’d been compelled to be so impulsive in the first place.
She thought perhaps she could catch the corner of her mother’s eye and silently mouth something to her—about seeing her later, in private. But her mother had set her menu aside and was busy spreading her linen napkin neatly in her lap, her faultless southern Virginia manners as natural a part of her as her relentlessly graceful charm.
When the silence continued after they’d all set aside their menus, Lauren cleared her throat and said, “Cedar Springs is lovely.”
Her mother’s eyes sparkled at the comment. “Isn’t it, though? Just like a page out of a magazine.”
“Jewel of the Rockies,” Arlen said, sounding less uncertain of himself now. Of course, that was because he sounded like a campaign poster. Which as mayor, was, generally speaking, his job.
Now that Lauren suspected he wasn’t going to be in her or her mother’s orbit much longer, it was easier to simply take him with a grain of salt and not be as tense or stressed over every single sentence.
“It’s taken a good part of my time in office,” he went on, “but we’ve managed to turn this town into a destination resort that rivals—and if you ask me, outdoes—its more glitzier counterparts to the south. Telluride might have its little film festival, and Aspen and Vail their constant stream of movie starlets, but Cedar Springs is a town that can embrace the worldwide adventure seeker, and still offer home and hearth to those residents who plan to live out their life in our little mountain paradise. It’s becoming a generational town, where family names still mean something, and small town values remain high on our priority list, despite our reputation as a place that easily meets the needs of our most worldly and cosmopolitan travelers. From a five star resort, to award-winning restaurants, it really is—”
“The jewel of the Rockies,” Lauren finished with him, wondering how often he’d given that exact speech. “I can see why.” She turned her attention to him more personally, a pleasant smile on her face. In fact, she was feeling almost generous with the guy now. It was even a bit tempting to let him believe he’d won her over with his chamber of commerce, tourism board ad campaign, but given the amount of rhetoric she’d heard in her career, it would have taken a much better actress than her to pull that off. Besides, even her goodwill had its limits. Which was made, perhaps more clear than she intended, when, instead, she said, “I will admit though, I hadn’t expected my arrival to be so…conspicuous.”
“I’m sorry about that, sweetheart,” her mother broke in to say. “It’s just, with Arlen being the mayor, and my excitement over your visit, word spreads in a little town like this. Please don’t feel pressured by it; everyone is excited to meet you, as well.”
Lauren smiled at her mother and wished like hell the two of them were anywhere but here right now. This all felt so…staged. And she was pretty sure her mother was feeling the same way. But her manners would never allow her to tear away the veil of social propriety. And Lauren wouldn’t put her in that kind of awkward position by doing it herself. At least, not blatantly anyway.
But at least she could look forward now to spending some time alone with her mother. The two of them could figure out how best to handle the next step so that her mother could extricate herself and return to her previous life with as little fallout as possible. Which…was going to call on every bit of campaign strategy Lauren had learned in her years in Washington, and then some.
She glanced back at Arlen to find him steadily regarding her. It caught her off guard, and he immediately glanced down and spread his linen napkin on his lap, but it was still a little unnerving. She told herself he was simply feeling the awkward tension in the room and had been trying to read her, figure out what would work. Politicians and businessmen did it all the time as they met with constituents, clients, and those who might be able to help them achieve their goals. She wondered if Arlen was good at reading people, or just thought he was good at it. She’d met both types. She hadn’t learned enough about him to know, but his business successes would indicate he was pretty decently skilled. It was something to keep in mind. To not underestimate him. Especially if her mother was planning to ask for a divorce.
He had a whole town behind him. Her mother was an O’Grady and a Matthews, and back home both carried significant weight. But Lauren was well aware that her mother would want to preserve both her good name and her standing, at all costs. Pride and dignity being paramount in her world. So, if Arlen wanted to play dirty, he could easily have the upper hand.
Worth keeping in mind, in terms of staying on his good side. At least, for now.
Lauren picked up her menu again just as her mother said, “We’re so sorry we couldn’t meet you in Holden. Jake was very kind to do us the favor, but I understand the storm earlier kept him from flying you in.”
“It did, but we made it in just fine.” Lauren was careful to keep looking at her menu. Her mother had an almost supernatural ability to look at her daughter’s face and know what she was thinking. Or, at least, who she was thinking about. There was more than enough tension swirling in the room already. And that was what they’d come here to figure out. Lauren didn’t want to give her any excuse for a distraction, particularly when she wasn’t sure how she felt about the distraction yet, herself. It was definitely way too early, on all fronts, to mention just how much she’d enjoyed Jake’s company. Much less that she planned on enjoying it again. She assumed that word might get around after their little flight on Sunday, but certainly by then she and her mother would have a battle plan in place. And, considering Lauren wasn’t all that certain she’d need to be here much longer than that, it wouldn’t really matter at that point. “How do you all know Jake?” she asked casually. Better to know up front what the connection was. “Or is it that everyone knows everyone here?”
“Well, that much is certainly true,” her mother said, “but, as it happens, Jake’s sister, Ruby Jean, is Arlen’s personal administrative assistant. Sort of like the job you have with Senator Fordham,” she added with a proud smile. “Just on a somewhat smaller scale.”
“Careful, dear,” Arlen said with a chuckle. “You know we men don’t like to have our egos—I mean, careers—sized.”
He patted her mother’s hand, which caused a totally inappropriate, almost visceral protective reaction in Lauren, which had her staring really hard at the menu rather than using it to swat his hands off her mother.
Who happens to be his wife, she reminded herself, which should have been totally unnecessary. Of course, she’d already come to the conclusion, given their behavior
