On His Terms (11 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I don’t know if you’ve been reading the papers,” he said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Not really. No,” she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“The public, they’re already talking about you two.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She adjusted her posture. “What are they saying?” She felt a rush of excitement fill
her veins.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Good things.
All good things.
Yesterday’s polls showed that Hale just took the lead in the campaign,” he looked
down at the contract and then up at her. “I’m pretty sure you can figure out why,”
he said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She stared off for a few moments, trying to understand where Charles was going with
all of this.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“You’re good for Mr. Westbrook. And I think he’s good for you,” he said. Ally’s cheeks
shifted from a pale hue to a deep red.

She looked at Charles one last time to study the level of sincerity in his eyes.
And
 
fortunately
or unfortunately she was still coming down from her Bakersfield cloud. Charles couldn’t
have picked a better time.

Ally reached for Charles’ pen. A wide smile crept through the aide’s face. After reading
through the legal contract, she etched out her best Jane Hancock. She didn’t know
a lot about Hale Westbrook even still, but she knew from the beginning that anything
between the two of them would be anything but normal. And now she knew that
everything
between the two of them would remain… between the two of them.

“Congratulations, Ally. You’re life will never be the same. You made the right choice,”
he said, tucking the contract securely into his briefcase.

Her head was spinning. She was pretty sure that she just made the right decision to
sign.
 

What’s the big deal? It’s just a contract saying I won’t write some tell-all book
about Hale.
 
And I wasn’t planning to do something like that anyhow.

But she now found herself wrapped up in the middle of a
very
big deal. So big that words like billionaire, confidentiality, and White House were
swirling around her head. As much as she tried to relax and tell herself that she
could handle all of this, the nausea in her belly was telling her otherwise.

Maybe that was because she had failed to let Hale, or Charles, know something about
her- something that could send this entire train off the rails and into a dusty ditch.

Holy shit. What did I just get myself into?

* * *

Ally returned to her sister’s apartment door, took in a deep breath of air, and proceeded
to go in.

“What the hell was all of that about?” Julie said
,
curled up in a
papasan
chair that faced the door, as if she’d been waiting there since the moment Ally left
with Charles.

Ally stood frozen. At this point her sister, who was by far her best friend and most
trusted confidant, knew pretty much nothing about her virtually secret life with Hale
Westbrook. Ally knew she had some answering to do.

She plopped herself down on the soft leather hand-me-down couch that faced Julie’s
chair.

“I think I might be dating Hale Westbrook,” she said. Julie’s jaw dropped and her
eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Are you fucking serious Ally?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She shook her head up and down. She started to feel dizzy from the weight of everything
that had just been dropped on her. And now she had to face her older sister.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I know
,
it’s crazy Jules. My head is spinning,” she said, tugging off her shoes and burying
her head underneath an accent pillow.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Did you hook up with him?” Julie asked.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Julie always had a way of caring for Ally in that classic older sister sort of way.
She wanted Ally to be safe and happy, but within certain limits. If Ally ever got
too far ahead in life, her Julie always seemed to reel her back in just the right
amount.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Yeah,” Ally grabbed an extra pillow to hide her face behind.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Ally look at me,” she said. “This is crazy! You’re in love with Hale Westbrook?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“No. No. I’m not in love with him. I barely even know him and beside he’s…”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Bullshit Ally. It’s so obvious and you know it,” said Julie.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally sprang through her pillow fortress. “You can’t tell a soul,” Ally said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Obviously,” Julie’s eyes were covered in disbelief. “This is going to be all over
the news you know?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Yeah, I know,” Ally had prepared
herself
for a new level of public scrutiny.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Are you happy?” Julie asked.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I’m scared,” Ally replied.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I don’t blame you. I can’t believe how crazy this all is,” her sister said. “He’s
so fucking hot. And rich. And powerful”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I know. I know Julie. You’re not helping matters right now,” Ally said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“What’s he like, you know…” Julie licked her lips, wanting her sister to tell all.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Enough Julie. I’m not going there with you right now.”
 
She had given her sister all that she could handle giving at this point. “Aren’t you
taking Gracie to the aquarium this morning?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Whatever Ally. I’m going to need to know more at some point. Don’t even think about
getting all shy with me about this stuff.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Little Gracie came bounding out of her bedroom, her soft hair perfectly messy form
her long night’s sleep.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Auntie!” Gracie jumped onto the couch and crawled onto Ally. Nothing felt better
to Ally than the feel of little Gracie’s body snuggling into her own. Nothing.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Excuse me little girl! Where’s momma’s good morning kiss?” Julie reached out her
arms for Gracie.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Hi Mom,” she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“You missed your Auntie last night, didn’t you sweetheart?” Julie asked.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gracie tickled Ally’s side. “Auntie! Auntie! I’m going to the aquarium today with
Mommy and Steve. Can you come Auntie?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally looked at her older sister. “No cutie, you’re having special time with Mommy
today,” she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Auntie please, please
come
!”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I can’t you little peanut. But maybe we can color together later today, if that works
for Mommy?” She looked over at her sister. She loved her sister, a lot. But when it
came to her love for Gracie, there was nothing that Ally hated more than having to
ask for permission from Julie to spend time with her.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The confidentiality agreement.
 
Reality came flooding back into her mind as Gracie tugged at Ally’s hair. Ally gazed
long and hard, mourning the striking familiarity of the young girl’s facial features.