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grows inside me.
    My brain turns calendar pages and I realize that by the time of the general election, I could be showing. The cruelest pundits will say I should lay off the cheesecake. The worst tabloids will claim a first sighting of a baby bump, the unidentified man’s love child.
    I knock on Jared’s door and then test the handle. It’s unlocked. I swing it open and Jared is at his round dining table, a mess of papers strewn across it. Beside him, Sasha Heller looks up at me and smiles, her silky tank top hugging all the right places.
    Absent her jacket, she looks a lot less like a shark.
    She looks a lot more like my replacement.
    Fuck.
    “Sorry.” I blink, willing this vision away from my eyes. “I didn’t know you’d have company.”
    “What are you doing here?” Jared’s tone is guarded.
    “I came by to … just to catch up. It’s no big deal.” My feet rewind me a few steps back to the door. “We can talk tomorrow. At my office. Or whatever. You can make an appointment with Trey.”
    Sasha’s eyes flick to Jared and back to me. She shifts her chair closer to him and I bristle. “Jared and I have had a long night. And you look tired. Why don’t you just download with me tomorrow?”
    Her smooth question stabs at me, taunts me. I look tired? She might as well have said I look like crap. “I really just wanted to follow up with him on….” I trail off when her bare elbow brushes his arm.
    “On what?” Jared’s gruff voice catches my hasty retreat.
    I’m talking garbage but I really can’t have this conversation with my lover, or ex-lover, or at least ex-consultant—whoever he is to me right now, but at a minimum the father of my child— with Sasha here.
    “Logistics,” I sputter. Logistics, like what the hell are you doing with her right now?
    “I can handle those.” Sasha waves her hand like that’s nothing, like I’m nothing. “We were just going over everything for the next stage. You don’t have to worry about it.” She touches Jared’s shoulder for confirmation and I grit my teeth.
    “Sasha’s got it under control,” he confirms.
    My eyes bounce between them, desperate to break up this cozy little meeting but finding no footing. Jared’s eyes burn into me as my body vibrates with indecision— fight or flight?
    I smile sweetly at Sasha. “Then if you’ve got it under control, you won’t mind if Jared and I take a minute to wrap up some loose ends?” I’m playing nice even though I want to slap her with my get-the-hell-out look.
    Jared nods slightly. “I’ve been working so closely with Grace in the past few months that I’d like to hear a bit from her tonight, if that’s OK, Sasha.”
    If that’s OK, Sasha? Where the fuck is my bossy man?
    “I think we’re pretty much done anyway,” Sasha says lightly as she stuffs papers in folders. “We can debrief on the Alton show tomorrow. It doesn’t air until Friday.”
    I exhale. Small victory.
    Sasha slides on her jacket and slips her laptop and files in her attaché. “I’ve got some talking points to draft. This little speech at Trey’s high school is turning into a major pain in the ass.”
    Jared flashes me a warning glance— Not now— and I hold my tongue. “Sasha and I are scrambling the schedule a bit this week to accommodate that and some new appearances, but we’ll have it sorted out shortly.” He turns to her. “Thanks for joining our team at the last minute.”
    She waves her hand. “ Pffft. It’s fine. It’s kind of fun to be on the same side of a campaign as you for once. Just remember me when it comes time to make White House staff assignments, OK?” Sasha gives him a wink and another light pat on the arm, then strides to the door.
    “Ready by seven tomorrow?”
    “I’ll be there.”
    “Good.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

    The door clicks closed and Jared closes the distance between us in two heartbeats. I open my mouth to speak, but his hands cup my cheeks and his lips stop my words.
    He