One More Dance by Roxanne Rustand (best ebook reader for pc txt) 📗

darkened windows, wishing she could leave this place without making a scene.

Sylvia toyed with her wineglass, took a sip and studied the sparkling cut of the crystal. “Let me put this another way. What do you see when you look around this house?”

Caught off guard, Kate darted a quick glance at the towering wall of windows that probably faced a manicured back lawn. The heavy antique dining-room table that could easily seat twenty. A massive, gilt-framed painting of an Edwardian lady, undoubtedly an original.

“I...I guess I see an elegant home,” she ventured. “You have beautiful taste.”

“What you see, my dear, is a house of cards.” Sylvia waved a hand toward the glass-fronted hutch, with its backlit display of fine crystal, then up at the glittering chandelier. “This place will belong to Jared and Julia someday. It’s a home for entertaining, for impressing people who must be impressed. My late husband and I hosted many a political fundraiser here. Dinners and festive parties that helped him move forward with his career.”

She stood and paced the room, then stopped by Kate’s chair. “You are a lovely girl. I can see why Jared is attracted to you. But can you imagine him graduating law, then trying to follow his father’s footsteps with a wife from such a...difficult background?”

“I have no plans—”

“The tabloids would have a field day, believe me. These days they’re like ravenous sharks. His chances for the prestigious law firms, the most influential positions, might be seriously damaged.” Sylvia slid into the chair next to Kate and took her hand. “I’ve held on to this place since Ellsworth died because of my children. There’s no way they’d be able to hang on to it if Jared’s career wasn’t a shining success. Do you love him?”

Kate felt heat rise up her neck and into her cheeks. “No...well...we haven’t really been together that long, and...”

“If you care at all about him, step away. Don’t let things go any further.”

“But I’m not like my parents.”

“Look, I know about the child abuse charges against your father, and that he was an alcoholic. Your mom, too. Is that why she failed to protect your brother?” Sylvia’s voice hardened. “Do you want all of that history splashed across the newspapers and magazines again? Isn’t Kyle a first grade teacher now? What would that humiliation do to his new career? And to Jared’s political future, if he were to marry into such a family? If he runs for the senate, as his father did, your life will be an open book.”

Kate felt her stomach twist. Kyle had suffered, protecting her from their father. How could she fail to protect him now, in return?

Apparently satisfied, Sylvia sat back in her chair. “I won’t make a scene over this, as long as you stay away from my son. He never even needs to know we had this talk.”

Her stomach tightened even more, and all Kate could do was stare silently back at Sylvia in disbelief.

“Honestly,” Sylvia continued, “the past will probably never come back to haunt you if you’re not in the limelight. Please, I beg you—don’t ruin Jared’s life.”

“YOU’RE AWFULLY QUIET,” Jared said reaching for Kate’s hand as they came out of a small neighborhood movie theater near the campus. “Didn’t you like the movie?”

“Loved it. The hero’s acting was amazing. The woman who played his mom, too.” Kate breathed easier, thankful for an innocuous topic.

It was now two weeks after Thanksgiving, and she still hadn’t been able to walk away from him, though Sylvia’s threat was never far from her thoughts. The knowledge that she was a potential liability for Jared was even more unsettling.

If she told Jared why she was leaving, she knew he’d stick by her no matter what. But if she selfishly remained silent and stayed, how could she hurt the man she’d come to love?

“I’ve been thinking,” she said slowly.

“Sounds like trouble,” he teased, giving her hand an extra squeeze.

This was so difficult. “You and I are both incredibly busy. Maybe we should just back off for a while.”

“Bad idea.” He playfully bumped his upper arm against her shoulder. “Bad, bad, bad.”

“I mean it.” She took a deep breath. “I can’t afford to think about anything else except school. I’ve been distracted these past couple months, and if I don’t keep my GPA up, it could ruin everything. Just look at how much time we spend going between the two campuses to see each other.”

“You’re kidding, right?” He slowed to a stop, his gaze riveted on hers. “This is just a joke.”

“No. It’s not.” She had to look away, because otherwise she would cave in.

“Sorry, I don’t buy it. Look, if you’re feeling pressured right now, we can just talk on the phone, and you can live at that library of yours. A whole month, if that’s what it takes.”

“It’s bigger than that, Jared.” He fell silent, and she knew how much she was hurting him. “This next year or two are going to be overwhelming for me. I hear all of the upper-level students talking about it. I just need my space.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t want to lose you, Kate.”

“Ending this relationship is the best thing you could do for the both of us. Don’t you see that? Look at where you come from. What your plans are. Do you have any idea how badly things could work out? We need to end this now.”

He rocked back on his heels and swore under his breath. “It’s about that house. My so-called ‘family heritage.’”

“And your future,” she blurted out, desperate to make him see the truth. If he took her into his arms, she would never have the strength to walk away.

“My future,” he repeated flatly.

“Your dad was an influential senator. You can be one, too, if you want. But if you’re saddled with me, what chances would you have? Can you see the headlines?”

“What would they be, Kate?” he asked evenly, his eyes growing colder. “Got