Perfectly Inappropriate

He reached in, grabbed a piece, then bit half of it. Olivia stared at him with big excited eyes. It tasted like cheese to him but those eyes…“You’re right—it’s delicious.”

She gave him a huge smile and nibbled a piece, her eyelids fluttering. “I know, right? So good.”

He held back his laugh and finished off the piece of cheese, nudging her toward a bench. “Let’s sit here for a while.”

“Perfect.” She followed him to the bench and sat down.

After he joined her, he tipped his head back, inhaling the fresh air. The comfortable silence between them settled in while Olivia ate her cheese and Noah absorbed a moment that was entirely foreign to him. Nothing motivated the passing minutes. They held no purpose. He wasn’t working. He wasn’t sleeping. And yet, he wouldn’t change a damn thing.

For years, he knew his every step in his life. He had a singular goal: Win one of the New York senator seats. From day one, he had known that dream meant he had to sacrifice a personal life. He’d always been okay with that sacrifice.

Though in only days of knowing Olivia, she had shown him the life he had thrown away for his career. He studied the pedestrians strolling the streets enjoying the evening. With their relaxed postures and slow gaits, they had nothing to do but spend time together. For the first time ever, he saw what he had given up. “This feels good,” he told her.

She stopped chewing. “What feels good?”

Wanting her closer, he slid his arm behind her on the back of the bench and stroked her soft shoulder. “Doing nothing at all but sitting beside a pretty lady.”

He thought that might stir a smile. He was wrong.

She studied him intently. “Has it really been that long since you’ve dated seriously?”

He nodded. “I’m thirty-five now. I’ve been a senator for four years, so I’ve been single for five years.”

“Five years?” Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

“That surprises you?”

“Of course it does.” She gave him a very through once-over. “I mean, look at you. And you don’t seem to be emotionally unstable or anything.”

He arched an eyebrow.

She laughed softly. “That came out all wrong. I just mean, why has there been no girlfriend? You’ve got it all together. I’m sure in your inner circles you’re a huge catch.”

He winked at the compliment, which earned him a cute grin, before he explained his past. “Relationships tend be hard when you’re career-focused. They were hard even before I became a senator. My family…there’s expectations, there are parties, appearances…I simply didn’t have the time to date anyone properly.”

“I guess I can understand that.” She paused, smiling at the little girl walking her fluffy white dog down the street. She turned to him again and nibbled her cheese. “How long did your previous relationship last?”

“A year,” he answered. “Her name was Colette, and she got tired of being put second. She gave me an ultimatum.”

Awareness filled Olivia’s expression. “I take it that was that then.”

He nodded, knowing full well that his admission did not put him in the best light. “Becoming a senator had been my sole focus after Harvard. First, the goal had been to be elected to state office, then I took on becoming a congressman before moving into the Senate.” A bird landed on the sidewalk in front of them before quickly flying away. He glanced at Olivia again. “The only thing that mattered during those years was mingling with the right people, showing my face where I needed to show it, and working long hours. Colette knew all this going into our relationship, but I’m sure the reality wasn’t as pretty as she thought it’d be. Because when the parties and events were over, she was alone.”

Olivia’s eyes saddened. “I can only imagine how hard that would have been. Being alone all the time would be awful.”

“You’re right—it would be terrible,” he agreed. He recalled when Colette had approached him and told him he was just like his father. A man who was never there for his family, always working, always mingling. And Noah remembered the sadness his mother endured. “That is precisely why I haven’t had a girlfriend since Colette. It’s unfair to ask anyone to join in my life because I will always break promises and commitments, and there is nothing I can do about that.”

At that, her head cocked. “Is your life still like that?”

He wanted to say no, but that wasn’t entirely true. “My hours are not as long as they once were. But I travel often, so in that regard, nothing has changed. I had to give up a lot for my career, and a personal life was part of that sacrifice.”

Her focus turned to an elderly couple walking down the street before returning to him. “Do you ever wonder if you took the wrong path in life?”

“Never.” He didn’t even need to think about it. “Working for the people gives me purpose.” He paused at the emotion crossing her expression, sensing she felt very differently. “What about you? Have you ever faced a fork in the road like that?”

“Not really.” She sighed and gave a small shrug. “Or maybe I have, I don’t know.”

Odd. “You’re unsure if you’ve ever faced a big decision like that?”