An American Cinderella

“International trade can be interesting,” I responded, trying not to think of the reams of paper waiting for me back at the office. “Sometimes.”

“If you say so.” He picked up another tater tot and chewed it carefully. “And what about you? What do you do at the Trade Representative Office?”

“Nothing important.” The words tasted bitter coming out.

“Do you want to do something important?” he asked, his blue eyes going to mine. When he looked at me like that, the world held still.

“I do,” I said softly. “I always have. I want to make the world a better place.”

Henry nodded and then frowned slightly. “You said your last name is Ritter? Like the Ritter Child Safety Law that’s posted in the back of all the taxi cabs?”

I smiled at my father’s legacy and nodded. “Yup. That was my dad. The success of it turned him into a senator.”

Henry looked impressed. “So you’re a senator’s daughter?”

“I was,” I told him. I looked down and fiddled with a crumb on my plate. Somehow I’d devoured the entire sandwich. “He died a while ago. A heart attack.”

“I’m so sorry.” Henry reached across the table and took my hand. It warmed me straight to the core.

“Thanks.” I tried to shrug away the empty ache that always filled me talking about my dad’s death. “Anyway, he’s probably the reason I want to become a senator myself.”

“So, you have political aspirations,” Henry said, releasing my hand.

“I guess. But, it’s more that I want to follow in his footsteps. I want to live up to the Ritter name and continue on his good work. He wanted to make the world a better place, and so do I.”

Henry appraised me for a moment, leaning back in his chair. The sunlight dappled on his across his face. He must have shaved that morning because he didn’t have stubble yet, but my fingers itched to touch him and find out. It took some willpower not to stare.

“What about you? What do you want to do with your life?” I asked, wanting to take the attention off of me and learn more about him.

“Me? I’m following the family business,” he replied. “Just like you.”

I smiled. “Is your dad a senator too?”

He chuckled. “Not quite.” His eyes went distant. “He died last year. We’re all still adjusting. My older brother has most of the responsibilities, but I’m doing my best to help.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, echoing his words to me. I reached out and took his hand this time.

“Something we have in common,” he said softly. He looked down at my hand, rubbing his thumb over my fingers.

“You said you have an older brother,” I said, wanting to change the subject. Death wasn’t a great first date topic. “Any other siblings?”

“A younger brother, too,” he said, a smile replacing the sadness in his eyes. “Liam is the oldest, I’m the middle, and Freddy is the youngest.”

I tried to imagine two more men that looked like Henry. If they were as attractive as he was, they could all go into Hollywood and make millions. The idea of three blue-eyed handsome men was rather breathtaking.

“What about you?” he asked. “Any siblings?”

I thought about Anastasia. She could barely remember my name half the time. “I have a stepsister, but we aren’t close. I don’t really have any other family. My mom died when I was little and my dad remarried when I was sixteen. After Dad died, we didn’t really have much in common anymore so I rarely see them.”

And I was talking about death again. And my terrible stepmother. Good job me. Time to change the subject.

“Have you been in DC long?” I asked, choosing something that hopefully had nothing to do with dead parents.

“I just got here last week,” Henry replied. “It’s a beautiful city.”

I smiled. “Have you seen the sights yet?”

He shook his head. “Not really. I saw the Washington Monument the other day, though.”

He grinned at me and I chuckled. “I’m not sure you actually saw it. You were kind of busy running into me.”