Roman Holiday: The Adventure Continues by Ruthie Knox

Author:Ruthie Knox [Knox, Ruthie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Loveswept
Published: 2014-03-25T04:00:00+00:00

Ashley got to her feet without any trouble. The lawn was uneven, the downhill slope steeper than she’d accounted for, but she only reeled on the inside.

Her father was here. Her father.

And Carmen. Who looked pretty much exactly as she had in Ashley’s imagination: like a Latina Maxim cover girl in a power suit and four-inch heels.

Roman had called this woman Kitten.

“Holy shit, and that’s the senator,” Roman said. “What’s he doing here?”

Roman’s hand found her elbow, as if he could steady her that way. Ha.

“Capturing me,” Ashley said. “He forgot to check his fence lines, and I got away.” She glanced behind her at Roman. “I’m a wayward calf,” she explained. “Not a person.”

“He can’t be that bad.”

He wasn’t—not by himself. Practically every Republican voter in Florida loved her father. He was their smiling Senator Bowman, so handsome, so sure of himself.

Ashley loved him, too, so long as they were separated by hundreds of miles.

“Just wait and see,” she replied. But then she made the mistake of imagining how it would go. How she would explain Roman to her dad. “Actually, on second thought, I would rather you two didn’t … Stay right here, okay?”

Before she could second-guess herself, Ashley took off across the lawn, meeting her father in the middle.

“Ashley.” His smile came a few beats too late to be genuine. Flashed in televised interviews and behind campaign-trail podiums, this particular smile of his made her think of hair oil and firm handshakes.

“Dad.”

His eyebrows were lifting, his attention focused over her shoulder. Ashley turned around to see Roman had come after her.

“Mr. Díaz.” Her father extended his hand. “I’m Bill Bowman. I believe we’ve met.”

Roman shook it. “Yes, sir.”

“The Miami Entrepreneurs dinner, wasn’t it? In the spring.”

“I’m surprised you remember.”

“I try not to forget the up-and-comers. Heberto told me you were going places in the Keys. It’s always a pleasure to meet one of our Florida businessmen.”

Roman’s return smile chilled Ashley’s blood. She’d forgotten that he could do that with his face.

He’d never told her he’d met her father.

“Thank you,” Roman said. “And I appreciate your work for us in Washington. The industry press has nothing but good things to report.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m a big believer in growth. We grow or we die, that’s an economic fact.”

“I hear you.”

“Guys?” Ashley cut in. “Maybe we could not do the bullshit?”

There was a moment’s awkward silence. Her father bounced once on the balls of his feet and cleared his throat. “Ashley,” he said. “I’d almost forgotten how … refreshingly honest you can be.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Right. Well. Can we talk?”

“Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“Privately,” her father said.

Ashley sighed. And then, internally, sighed at herself for sighing. Don’t go down this old road with him, she warned herself. Don’t instigate, don’t react. When she did that, she and her father created a feedback loop of rancor. He accused her; she antagonized him. “Fine. Let’s walk.”

She started moving away. Roman caught her elbow. Leaning close, he spoke in her ear.

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