Be Mine at Christmas(47)
Author: Brenda Novak

Except she felt no warmth of spirit. She was cold inside, and as empty as the building appeared to be.

Mark had always loved it here, she thought. But not because of the beauty. It was the power that drew him.

Was it the same for Maxim?

Probably. He’d done just about everything he could to retain his seat, hadn’t he? And that included making her believe he cared about her. She wasn’t entirely sure it was an act, but even if he’d received the anonymous tip Ruby had mentioned and gone after Mark before they’d had the chance to get to know each other, did she really want another man obsessed with his own ambition? Could she deal with a second relationship like the one she’d had with Mark? He’d started putting so many things before her—among them, apparently, his interns.

She shuddered as she imagined what must have happened with Phoenix. Mark had hidden his interest in the boy so well. Or had she merely missed the signs? He’d certainly talked about Phoenix. He’d even had him over to the house. After learning that he didn’t have a supportive family, she’d felt sorry for the boy. She certainly knew what being alone was like. But now she saw how effectively she’d been manipulated. It was Mark who’d told her about Phoenix’s family. Who knew if it was even true? Had they been kissing and touching in another room while she was right there in the house?

Maybe. Her presence provided the perfect cover, should anyone ever raise any questions. She never would’ve suspected, hadn’t watched them closely at all.

That must’ve made it pretty darn easy.

But Mark hadn’t expected to die and have someone as tenacious and determined as Maxim take over his seat. Would this have come out if she hadn’t entered the race? She doubted it. Why would Maxim have bothered with Mark otherwise? Ironically, it was her desire to stand up for her husband because of Maxim’s lack of respect for him that’d brought the truth to light.

What did those e-mail messages say? Did she even want to know?

“You’re such a liar,” she told Mark. It wasn’t only the fact that he’d broken their marriage vows that hurt. It was that she’d lost so much self-confidence wondering why she couldn’t interest her own husband. “You bastard.”

Her phone vibrated in her purse. It’d been going off all night. She would’ve cut the power, but Ruby had made her promise not to. She wanted to be able to check in. But it was Maxim again.

Adelaide wasn’t ready to talk to him. Pressing the button that would shut down her phone, she got up and started to walk around the gardens.

An old man with white hair stood near an American Indian monument. He nodded as she passed him. “Merry Christmas,” he said with a smile.

ADELAIDE WASN’T HOME. Maxim had been to her place three different times.

Had she gone over to a friend’s? Maybe. But he didn’t know the people who were closest to her, wasn’t sure who to call. He could understand why she might not want to spend the evening with him, but he was worried about her, worried enough that he’d taken to cruising the streets around her house, hoping to spot her car. It wasn’t the best way to give his girls a good Christmas, but he was so preoccupied with this he couldn’t go home. And they’d assured him they were fine, that they understood.

So where was Adelaide? She couldn’t be in any stores or restaurants.

It was so late that even the businesses that stayed open on Christmas Eve were closed.

He remembered her mentioning Mark’s parents and wondered if she’d gone to their home. Maybe they’d heard the news and called her.

After pulling to the side of the road, he used his phone to check information. Sure enough, the Fairfaxes were listed. But did he dare call them at midnight on Christmas Eve? He was the reason their son’s reputation was ruined….

“This won’t be easy,” he muttered, but he dialed the number, anyway.

After several rings, he heard a woman’s sleepy voice say, “Hello.” Tempted to hang up, he hesitated. He didn’t want to trouble these poor people, especially on Christmas. But he had to know if they’d heard from Adelaide.

“Mrs. Fairfax?”

The sleep cleared from her voice, changing to confusion. “Yes?”

“This is Maxim Donahue.”

He could sense her unwillingness to believe him. “Is this some kind of crank call?” she asked.

“No, it’s not. I’m looking for Adelaide. I was wondering if you’ve heard from her tonight.”

“You’re looking for— Do you know what time it is?” she snapped.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You have no business waking people in the middle of the night, no matter who you are. And after all you’ve said to discredit my son, why do you think I’d help you?”

Maxim wasn’t sure if Mrs. Fairfax’s words meant she knew the latest or not. Since Mark had changed and begun to go back on so many of his campaign promises, Maxim had been pretty vocal about his lack of admiration for him. She could be referring to that. “I disagree with just about everything your son did, Mrs. Fairfax. I won’t pretend otherwise. But I’m worried about Adelaide. Will you please tell me if you’ve seen her or heard from her? If you know where she’s at?”

“I have no idea. Why?”

Now he was certain they didn’t know about Phoenix. She’d still be raging at him if she did. “I’m afraid you’ll find out soon enough. I apologize for disturbing your sleep.”

“Wait— What do you have to do with Adelaide?”

He told himself to hang up. But Mrs. Fairfax had answered his question. He figured he owed her the same respect. “I’m in love with her,” he said and disconnected before she could rebound from the shock.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS WERE the only songs she could find on the radio. Adelaide had heard enough of them for one year, but Christmas carols were better than silence, so she let them play. She’d gone to Midnight Mass at a beautiful church not far from the capitol building. She wasn’t Catholic, but when she’d noticed the crowd gathering at the doors, she’d felt drawn to join them.

She was glad she had. The service had reminded her of the meaning of Christmas and given her a sense of peace. It had also reminded her of the baby she carried and the hope that having a child brought into her life. Did the past really matter? Not if she didn’t let it, she decided.

But the minute she pulled into her driveway and saw Maxim there in his car, waiting for her, she tensed up again. She couldn’t deal with the powerful emotions he evoked—in addition to the disappointment of learning what she had about Mark. She wanted to put Mark behind her and forget once and for all, and she was pretty sure that meant she couldn’t have anything to do with politics.