Our Little Secret by Starr Ambrose

stilling them.

    “Hi, Steven? It’s Drew Creighton. Is Gerald there?” Drew said into the phone. He waited about ten seconds, aware the whole time of the way her hand had frozen beneath his. But she didn’t pull away. “Gerald? We’ve heard from Dad and Meg.” He cut off the expected barrage of questions with, “I’ll tell you about it later. They said we’re supposed to watch
Capitol Talk
. When is it on?”

    He could hear the surprise in Gerald’s voice whenhe answered, “Right now. I’m watching it. Channel six.”

    “Thanks.” Drew hung up the phone. “It’s on
now
,” he told Lauren, finally feeling some of her anxiety. “Come on.” Pulling on the hand he’d been holding, he tugged her toward his father’s office, the closest room with a TV. Her warm fingers squeezed his as they rushed along, then pulled away when they entered the dark room and he turned on the TV. They stared at the silver blur of a sports car as it slid across wet pavement to the bass-heavy sound of rock music.

    Lauren sighed with frustration at the commercial and stuck a fingernail between her teeth.

    “Bad habit. Relax,” he told her quietly. He pulled her hand away and held it gently in his. She didn’t resist, just bit her lip and stared at the screen. He entwined their fingers, enjoying the softness of her hand while telling himself it was only to keep her from decimating her remaining nails.

    After another minute of commercials and two minutes of the first lady speaking at a charity luncheon, Drew stiffened and felt Lauren’s fingers tighten around his. Behind the female anchor, an insert photo of Senator Creighton beamed out at them.

    “And in our hearts and flowers segment today,” the woman said, “Capitol Hill was taken by surprise when Texas Senator and notorious ladies’ man Harlan Creighton unexpectedly announced his marriage to his secretary, Megan Sutherland.” She emphasized the word “secretary,” as if listeners might have missed the significance of Meg’s lowly position. “Dana Zamecki caught up with the happy couple at the airport shortly before they boarded a plane for the Virgin Islands.”The screen flashed to a reservation desk where Meg clung to Senator Creighton’s arm, both smiling self-consciously into the camera as a pretty, blonde reporter stuck a microphone in their faces.

    “Senator, you’ve been difficult to find since the announcement of your marriage,” she said.

    Drew recognized the practiced chuckle his father was able to emit at will. “Well, that was the plan, Dana. And we almost snuck out of town without getting caught.” He tipped his head in amused acknowledgment. “Now, don’t you put this on the air until we’re outta here,” he said, letting a down-home Southern drawl creep into his voice. It always played well in the public opinion polls. “Newlyweds deserve a little privacy on their honeymoon.” Drew nearly choked as his father looked fondly at Meg. She gazed adoringly into his eyes before they turned and headed for the VIP security line.

    The picture flashed back to the anchorwoman. “We don’t know Senator and Mrs. Creighton’s final destination, but his office assures us it will be a short trip, due to the upcoming hearing on the senator’s offshore drilling bill.”

    “Huh,” Drew snuffed. “His office. Nice of them to contact us with the news. I wonder when that was?”

    The picture changed to the next story, and Drew automatically hit the mute button. He stared at the silent TV while his mind tried to grasp what he’d seen. Lauren hadn’t moved, apparently as stunned as he was.

    The ringing desk phone jolted him out of his trance. Reluctantly, he released Lauren’s hand and picked it up, knowing who it would be. “We saw it,” he said in greeting.

    “That was weird!” Gerald pronounced.

    “In what way?” Drew had his own opinion, but no one had spent more time with Harlan Creighton over the past ten years than his personal