Richard started forward, but Sharon placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. “Wait.”
“Don’t you want to confront him?” Richard asked, appearing confused.
“Of course I do. But I want to do it. If you just start asking him questions, he’s bound to get defensive. Then we won’t find out anything.”
Richard nodded. “Fine. Let’s go. I’ll let you do the talking.”
She drew in a deep breath. “Okay.” She’d already given a great deal of thought as to how she’d handle Tony when she finally confronted him. She’d had plenty of time while she’d been secretly watching him.
At first, she’d been nervous at the thought of facing him again. Now she was petrified, though it helped to know she had Richard by her side.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten. “Okay.”
She stepped forward, but this time he stopped her. “Sharon.”
“What?”
“I’m proud of you,” Richard said. “It’s nice to see some of that spunk return. I was beginning to think all the progress you’d made for yourself had disappeared when the pictures showed up.”
She smiled grimly. “I appreciate you saying that.” Maybe he really loved her for who she was, after all. “I’m just sorry this is touching your life, your campaign. So. Let’s go.” She shrugged his hand off, needing all her composure to face Tony.
He inclined his head and together they approached the couple on the bench. Tony wore faded jeans and a red T-shirt. The woman beside him seemed relaxed and happy.
Sharon wondered if she was about to upset the balance in Tony’s relationship the way he’d upset hers.
Tony knelt down in front of the young boy Sharon had seen the other day.
She leaned against the chain-link fence separating the road from the playground and cleared her throat. “Tony?”
At the sound of his name, the man’s head whipped around fast. She wondered if he recognized her voice, then called herself silly.
He rose to his feet, staring at her as his gaze narrowed in recognition. “Sharon?”
She nodded.
From behind her, she felt Richard slip his hand into hers. She appreciated the silent support.
Warily he approached her. “Watch him?” he said to the woman she assumed was his wife, pointing to the child.
Warily, the other woman nodded. She seated herself on the edge of the sandbox, but her gaze remained firmly on Tony’s back.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you.” He stepped closer.
Although rationally she knew she was safe, she was glad to have the fence between them. “Because my friends were here first.”
“They grilled me.”
“And you lied to them.”
He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and shrugged. “I have a family to protect now.”
“Look, it’s because you have a family that I’m hoping I can appeal to your sense of decency. You’ll notice I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt by assuming you’ve developed one.”
She studied him. He was still handsome, although his features were more hardened than she remembered, his attitude gruffer. She supposed prison could do that to a man, and she shivered.
Richard released her hand and slid his arm around her back.
“Who’s the suit?” Tony gestured to Richard.