The Gentlewoman by Lisa Durkin Read Free Book Online

sure.
    At three on the dot, Rory met her cab in front of the
building. She was due at Nicole’s for Sunday dinner. Growing up, Sunday dinners
at Rory’s house were a political event one didn’t miss. She sighed and stared
out the window as the cab carried her through DC toward Virginia.
    Forty-five minutes later, the cab rolled up to Nicole and
Jim’s new countryside house. As she got out, she looked around at what an
impressive piece of property the Daileys had acquired. There were four acres of
lush lawn rolling around the white farmhouse. It looked as though it should be
on a postcard of the old South. Rory walked up the driveway and let herself in
through the breezeway. Nicole came quickly toward her, baby in arms.
    “Hey, I wanted to catch you before you go in there. Landon’s
here. He heard you were on a date last night with Jackson Dorn.” She was smiling
and whispering in a fast clip, as she bounced the fourth and youngest Dailey
boy on her hip. She spun around so the baby was on the other side of them,
supposedly out of hearing range.
    “Did you fuck him?”
    “No! I didn’t fuck him! Jesus, Nicole, are you getting
laid?” She removed her coat and hung it with her bags by the door.
    “I can’t believe you went out with him. You were so adamant
that you wouldn’t give him the time of day. How did that happen?” She was
already beginning to irritate Rory.
    “I didn’t go on a date with him. He gave me a ride to go buy
furniture and we stopped and had dinner on the way. That’s not a date.” Rory
held her hands out to take the baby from Nicole. “How’s our Danny boy today? I
haven’t seen you for a couple weeks. You’re getting so big!” She blew
raspberries on the baby’s cheeks.
    Nicole moved to the kitchen counter and began tossing a
large salad. “Did you at least kiss him?”
    Rory turned and looked at Nicole, bouncing little Danny on
her hip. “It wasn’t like that, seriously. Don’t piss me off.” She wasn’t about
to tell Nicole that she had kissed Dorn on Friday night. She’d never hear the
end of it.
    Rory sat at the bar and balanced the baby on her knees. She
knew Nicole wasn’t trying to make her mad. She was doing what she had been
doing for the past two years—trying to help Rory become normal again. She felt
guilty that her friend worried so much for her, and that she couldn’t do more
to return to the person she used to be. She tried, but it was never quite
right.
    Nicole set a glass of ice cubes and a Diet Pepsi on the
island next to Rory and came around to take the baby. “Well, I’m here to tell
you, there isn’t anything wrong with you getting a little something from the
hot congressman. You could use the distraction. Go on in there; Landon’s been
waiting for you. But watch him. He’s not particularly happy about rumors your
first weekend in town.”
    Rory sighed and poured her Pepsi into the glass. She stared
at it until the fizz died down, mentally girding herself to walk into the other
room and deal with the force that Landon McCollum could be. Her uncle and his
political agenda. Rory learned early to never forget that it all came down to
politics.
    She picked up her glass and walked through the open archway
that led into the living room. Landon and Nicole’s husband, Jim, were sitting
opposite each other on brown leather couches watching football on a big-screen
TV. As Rory entered, they both stood and took turns hugging and kissing her.
    “There she is. How’s my girl?”
    “I’m fine, Uncle Landon. How are you?” She knew it was
coming. She took note that Jim immediately fixed his full attention back on the
football game.
    “I’m good, thank you, sweetheart. How are you getting
settled into the office?” He sat back down and patted the seat next to him on
the couch.
    Landon McCollum was a handsome man in his early sixties,
with a slim, muscular build and silver hair. He was charismatic and had enjoyed
a lengthy political career. He always