Simply Scandalous (Simply 2)

Except for the trickle of people beginning to flow to the party downstairs, no other patrons were in the bar. Catherine found it easy to relax and focus on the television show. “She’s got poise,” Catherine murmured, glancing at the woman on the screen.

The bartender nodded. “Sure does. I just hope she gets the break she deserves.”

“Me too.” Catherine blinked, and the next thing she saw was Logan’s beachfront cottage. Warning bells and an unwelcome sense of foreboding sent her apprehension soaring. “Make it louder, please.”

“See? She’s even won you over.”

Catherine ignored him, focusing on the screen. The anchorwoman’s voice-over did little to calm the churning in Catherine’s stomach. This was not good. She’d avoided the Internet, afraid of what she’d see. Although she knew she couldn’t avoid the headlines forever, she’d wanted to bask in the memories of last night for as long as possible. She also hadn’t expected television coverage of Judge Montgomery’s arranged event.

Just what do you think a press conference entails, Catherine? She shook her head and concentrated on the cultured, feminine voice. “Hampshire’s boy wonder, Logan Montgomery, firmly dispelled any rumors of an impending run for mayor. Despite Judge Montgomery’s posturing and claims to the contrary, the younger Montgomery insists he will not be running for office.”

Catherine smiled. At least Logan had swayed the media to see things his way. The screen went from the beautiful young anchor to Logan, standing in his standard jeans and pullover, his cottage in the background. He looked sexily disheveled and Catherine knew she had helped cause that rumpled look before they’d been caught by the photographers.

Logan’s voice cut into her thoughts. “…and while I appreciate the confidence of the judge and other supporters, running for mayor is not in my plans.”

“And what would those plans be, Mr. Montgomery?” a reporter’s voice sounded.

“After my stay at the public defender’s office, I intend to open my own practice where clients will be offered affordable representation.”

Catherine couldn’t help but notice his class and poise. If he’d chosen to run for mayor, he’d make a formidable opponent. Composed and sure of himself, it would take an incredible opposing candidate to beat his charismatic charm. She also noticed his father was not by his side during this speech.

Her heart squeezed at the thought of him standing up to the judge and coming out on top but still alone. She wondered what had transpired between the two men after her abrupt departure. Logan had been deliberately vague on the subject. She could only imagine his father’s displeasure at finding them together. Not that he’d realized right away who she was.

“Every generation of Montgomerys has either sat on the bench or held public offic

e, conquered the world by leaps and bounds. Doesn’t it bother you to break with tradition?” the reporter asked.

“Not at all.” Logan looked straight into the camera. “I’d rather conquer the world one person at a time.”

Catherine’s stomach curled into a delicious knot. With his emphasis on the word one and the intense, focused look in his eyes, he might as well have been gazing into her eyes and promising her his undying devotion.

They’d said as much with their bodies last night. The unspoken words meant little when the actions were there. For the first time today, she realized he’d managed to convince her that different backgrounds didn’t matter as much as she thought.

Without warning, the camera panned back and the anchorwoman’s serious face replaced Logan’s smile. “Mr. Montgomery’s pullback from a speculated run for office couldn’t have come at a more convenient time. Minutes before the scheduled press conference, this picture was taken of Mr. Montgomery in a compromising position.”

Catherine’s nightmare flashed on the television screen for the world to see. Well, for all of Boston to see since this was a local station, but that didn’t ease the sudden pain in her chest. There she was, Logan’s shirt pulled up to her thighs, his arms wrapped around her waist and his cutoff shorts, his only clothing, hidden by their entangled position.

“Hey, isn’t that—”

“Me,” she said, cutting the bartender off, then she turned her attention back to the screen.

“Logan Montgomery’s companion is Catherine Luck, co-owner with her sister, Kayla Luck, of a local catering and party company, whimsically named Pot Luck.”

“No publicity is bad publicity,” Catherine muttered aloud. She held her head in her hands and continued to watch her life be made fodder for gossip, speculation, and ridicule, just as she’d feared.

She wasn’t immune to the embarrassment. Neither, Catherine suspected, was her pregnant and emotionally vulnerable sister.

“The Luck sisters are best known for the scandal involving an inherited business, a charm school for men that turned out to be a front for a prostitution ring with ties to organized crime…”

Good God, what would they drag up next?

“…and, with her working-class background, Catherine Luck is not the woman one would expect to see Logan Montgomery consorting with. But a romp on the beach is far different from a lifetime…”

Entertainment show? More like gossip and tabloid exploitation, she thought with disgust. She didn’t have to take any more. “Shut it off. Please.”

The bartender glanced from Catherine’s face to his girlfriend on the screen. He turned off the television.

Catherine tried to breathe, but her heart was beating so rapidly she thought her chest might explode. Thinking was near impossible, but she forced herself to concentrate—and her first coherent thought was of Kayla. Bed rest and a high-risk pregnancy. Catherine had to check on her sister.