The Father of Her Son - By Kathleen Pickering Page 0,70
of twenty-four hours to implement his plan. Damnation. He had been so close. “Why that son of a...”
“What, Evan?” Frowning, Kelly put down her chop sticks.
He held up a hand. “Okay. Thank you, Sarah. I’ll talk with you in the morning.”
He reached for the remote. “I want you to brace yourself. I didn’t tell you, but Dean was the one who sneaked the DNA test on Matt. He interviewed Campbell this afternoon. It’s on the news.”
Kelly jumped to her feet. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
Evan glanced at the wall clock by the bookshelf. Five minutes until showtime. He sat on the couch, pulling her down next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder but already her body had stiffened. Tension creased the corners of her eyes. “Don’t lose your cool, Kelly. I talked to Steve the morning. When I left, he wasn’t airing anything on Campbell until he heard from me.”
Then he remembered. Steve said he had to run Evan’s request by the chairman and would get back to him. He never called. And truthfully, Evan had become so wrapped up with Kelly that he forgot. The big-screen TV erupted to life on the NCTV channel. A beer commercial played. Evan closed his eyes as the truth hit. He had just been screwed by his friend and boss.
Kelly was watching him. “Why are you upset, Evan?”
He could tell Kelly already suspected foul play. He shook his head. “I had an argument with Steve this morning.”
She gestured to the screen. “Over this.”
“Yes.” How much should I tell her?
“What did he say?”
He released a breath. “He accused me of being too close to you. That under any other circumstances I would be using your story to pin Campbell against the wall. He wanted to know why I was keeping you from the spotlight.”
The late night news began rolling on the television.
“Did you tell him?” Though her voice was soft, her eyes held suspicion.
“Absolutely not.”
“Okay. So, how did you answer him?”
He was having trouble tamping down his own anger. Not five minutes ago they were as close as lovers could possibly be without the L word being spoken. Now, he would have to defend himself. Knowing Kelly as he did, chances were slim they’d ever survive the broadcast, especially if Dean did what he suspected Steve set up him up to do.
The anchorwoman outlined the evening’s features. Campbell and Dean were front and center in order of delivery as she read the teaser for the story, “Will the discovery of a hidden love child hurt Senator Buzz Campbell’s bid for the White House?”
“Oh, God!”
Kelly had turned dangerously pale. She fell back into her seat, defeated.
“I will kill that bastard!” He looked at Kelly. “I have to see what they reported. Can you watch this?”
“Shut it off. Please!” She choked on her own words.
He snapped the TV off. He’d get on the computer and snag the file. But first, he had to do damage control—one more time, damn Steve’s bones. Kelly sat with her arms hugging her knees to her chest.
“Kelly, I did not condone this. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t know what to believe right now, Evan.”
He snapped the TV back on. “Then we’re going to watch this. Unless we have the facts we’ll jump to conclusions and someone will get hurt.”
Evan and Kelly listened as the woman explained that Dean had spent the afternoon at the Campbell home on Long Island. A photo of Buzz walking his back lawn with wife and dog filled the screen behind her as she explained that the interview took a turn for the worst when Dean asked the Senator to address the sexual harassment allegations by his former administrative aid. The reporting switched to the interview tape.
Dean and the senator sat in wingback chairs with a coffee table between them in what looked like the Campbell’s living room. Dressed in dark slacks and a crisp blue button-down opened at the neck, Campbell sat with his one leg crossed at the knee, master of his castle. Dean wore a dark suit, a closed leather file in his lap.
Kelly groaned. “Oh, Lord. I remember that room.”
Evan wanted to pull her into his arms. The turmoil in her eyes harpooned his heart. They watched while Buzz listened with a momentary frown as Dean asked about Helen Thompson and her interview with Jay Doyle. Shaking his head, Buzz glossed over those allegations like a pro, making Helen and her accusations sound like an ungrateful employee with a