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when Reed came to the rescue.
    “Mom, I don’t want to drag up old bullshit. Tell me about what you’re up to these days.”
    It was a masterful change of subject. People always loved to talk about themselves, and something told me Tina would be no exception to that rule.
    “Oh, goodness, I’ve been so busy since we got married. It’s been quite a whirlwind. I’m teaching yoga part time over at a new studio a few miles from here, and I’m starting a charitable foundation that provides maternity yoga for poor pregnant women. It’s been a challenge, I can tell you.” Tina was quite animated as she talked, but something about her made it feel like she was reading a script.
    My dad smiled at her. “Yes, Tina’s work with low income”—he emphasized the words “low income”—“women has been very inspiring.”
    Tina nodded to my dad to indicate she understood his correction of her word choice, and I resolved to pay closer attention to what was going on under the surface. Something felt odd to me about their interactions.
    “So where did the two of you meet?” I asked, wanting to keep the focus on the two of them, rather than on Reed and me.
    The newlyweds smiled at one another.
    Dad put a hand on Tina’s leg. “We met in Costa Rica. We were both staying at this little eco resort for one of their yoga retreats. I was solo, and so was Tina, and since most of the people there were couples, we ended up eating dinner together and working together for the partner yoga sessions. I knew the moment I laid eyes on her that she was the one for me. She’s so strong and so inspiring. I think her story is one that many people will be able to relate to.”
    “So when did you start doing yoga, Mom?” Reed asked.
    Tina started describing her emotional and physical journey and how she felt more centered, blah, blah, blah, but I tuned her out. I was hearing undercurrents in the conversation that wouldn’t mean anything to Reed, but that meant everything to me. My father, user-of-people extraordinaire, was planning another political campaign, and Tina was one of the tools he was going to use to garner support from the ordinary person. He didn’t need to say a word, but I could see exactly how it was going to shape up. He’d be seen as the champion of the little person—ordinary Tina, who’d grown up poor … or low income, rather … and who’d made something of herself. It all made sense to me—her charity work, their charming love story—political gold.
    Now I wasn’t callous enough to think that the whole relationship was a sham. My father wasn’t an idiot. I suspected they’d met, been attracted to one another, and maybe recognized kindred spirits in one another. After all, Tina got rich overnight, and my dad got a partner who’d do anything to support his campaign.
    The problem was that I didn’t want any part of the limelight. I’d been there, done that, and had to move to Texas to escape the fallout when things fell apart. Tina was still prattling on, and I was rethinking my decision to move to Las Vegas at all. Sharing a last name with a man running for office, while it might actually help me in my job search, was ultimately not a position I wanted to be in. Of course my dad hadn’t bothered to ask me—or even tell me—but I was pissed.
    Until I looked over at Reed.
    Tina and Dad were gazing deep into one another’s eyes (gag) and Reed—all laid back, dark, and gorgeous—gave me a half smile and wink that gave me goddamn butterflies.
    You are too old to be acting like this—drooling over a guy who’s off limits .
    “So, Dad,” I said, finding an opportunity to interrupt the tale of romantic dinners, partner yoga, and the near-tragedy of a misplaced passport that threatened to delay the wedding and their return home. “What are you up to these days?” I crossed my arms and sat back in the chair, curious about whether he’d be honest about getting back into politics. I was certain I was right.