More Than Rivals by Mary Whitney Read Free Book Online Page B

minimum it would distract her from her goal. At worst, he’d use it against her. Regardless, it would be a problem, and there was no reason for her to be running for Congress if she couldn’t handle herself around another candidate. Things needed to change.
    Her smile faded as determination set in. Speaking up for her better angels, she called the question. “Why?”  
    “What do you mean?”
    “Do you have some kind of grand plan with this flattery?”
    “No…”  
    “Are you sure you don’t have an agenda?” She raised an eyebrow.
    “What are you getting at?” His expression had changed from playful to one of concern.
    “I don’t know…” She intentionally trailed off her voice, though it was obvious there was no confusion in her thoughts. She was on a mission to find out what his intentions were with her. “It just seems odd for you to be flirting with another candidate.” Her eyes bore into him. “Why are you doing it?”
    “Uh…” He took a step away, both physically and mentally taken aback. “Well, I would say that we met under a different circumstance than the one we find ourselves in now.”
    “True, but things have changed.”
    “Yes, but there’s no reason we can’t be friendly with each other.”
    “You want to be my friend? That’s the reason why?”
    “What other reason would there be?”  
    “You could have another agenda.”
    “Do you think I’m messing with you? I’m being deceitful?” He asked the questions, but his voice was full of realization he’d hit upon what she was getting at.
    “Maybe.” She shrugged. “I don’t know you. I just know it’s not a good idea that you’re saying these things to me.”
    He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe her words. “I suppose I can see what you’re insinuating, but let me tell you, that’s not the case.”
    “Really?”
    “I …” He stopped and stared at her. When he spoke again, it was in awkward exasperation. “I don’t have an agenda. I’m not trying to screw you over somehow. I enjoy talking with you—just like I did when we first met, and I thought you did too. I’m sorry if I got carried away.”
    His words touched Lily’s heart. She wanted to believe him because she liked talking with him also, but if she took what he said as the truth, it simply conjured up a whole new set of problems. She glanced out the window for a moment and again hardened herself to her goal. She was running for Congress to win—not to find a guy.
    She looked back up and said flatly, “Regardless of how we met, I’d appreciate it if you treated me just as you would any other candidate.”
    Jack’s nose twitched as if he’d heard something annoying. “I’m friendly with everyone.”
    Lily hated being caught in a circular argument, and a circular situation was even worse. Already frustrated by her predicament, the irritation in his voice bothered her even more. When she saw Jordan step out from the double doors and wave her inside, she lost her patience altogether. She glared at Jack and muttered, “Then on second thought, you should treat me differently. Don’t be friendly to me at all. It will be better for both of us.”  
    With a quick turn, she headed straight to the doors where Jordan stood with an impatient scowl. Though Jack’s voice rose behind her, “Lily…,” she didn’t look back.  
    ***
    After the event, Jack stood outside speaking with members of the Del Norte Chamber of Commerce who had driven down from Crystal City. The conversation flowed easily, and Jack felt he was making headway with them. No thought of Lily entered his mind at all. He had a unique ability to divorce negative feelings from his drive to win. At that moment, his entire concentration was focused on showing the man and woman in front of him that a San Francisco liberal could understand the concerns of rural California.  
    As he spoke about recent bills in the state legislature, a soccer ball rolled up to where they stood. For