An Irresistible Bachelor (An Unforgettable Lady #2)(46)

“Callie, have you met his fiancée yet?” Gray asked.

Her heart stopped and she could feel Jack’s eyes burning from across the table. She forced herself to look up and smile. “I haven’t had the pleasure, no.”

“You’re going to love her. She’s a remarkable woman. And a terrific match for Jack, considering what he’s about to get himself into.”

As Gray turned and cocked an eyebrow in inquiry, Jack cleared his throat. “I haven’t mentioned anything, but we can talk about it in front of her.”

What she would have preferred, Callie thought, was having no more talking at all.

“In all likelihood,” Gray said, “our friend here is going to run for governor of this fine commonwealth next year.”

Callie glanced across the table at Jack.

Political ambitions. How appropriate, given his family’s history.

She tried to picture him leading the state and could see it clearly. He was charismatic, smart, compelling. And he probably wasn’t going to stop there. Knowing him, he would shoot for the Oval Office.

Jack nodded at his friend. “I’m pulling together my team now. Gray’s going to make himself indispensable, aren’t you?”

“And you’re going to need all the help you can get. This is going to be a nasty fight, considering who the incumbent is.”

“Who will you be facing?” Callie asked.

“Bill Callahan. Better known as Butch Callahan,” Jack answered. “He likes to play dirty, and fortunately, I’m not put off by a good fight. I’m going to enjoy trying to beat him.”

She thought back to him in his study, phone up to his ear, looking like he was about to reach through the wires and grab someone around the throat. And then she saw him crawling into the ceiling over the garage, determined to fix the stereo even if it took him all night. He was the kind of man who would stand up to anything and persevere until he had what he wanted. She figured whoever he was up against had better watch out.

Gray shook his head. “Like I said before, you’re going to have to be prepared to have some serious mud thrown at you. Butch and his buddies are going to get into everything, especially your, ah, past.”

Jack frowned while his friend looked at Callie.

“But fortunately, his wild days are over. There’s no more carousing with the ladies and Blair is a great asset. Photogenic as hell with a background that’s clean as a whistle. She also happens to be a fine person, which is the most important part.”

“How about dessert?” Jack asked.

How about getting the hell out of here, Callie thought.

As Jack nodded to the waiter, she had no idea how she was going to sit at the table for another moment. It was a relief when they were finally done and Jack, who insisted on paying, left to find Nico.

Gray regarded her steadily and smiled. “I’m in town for the next few weeks. Would you like to get together again?”

She hesitated, but then Jack came back to the table.

“Yes, I would.”

“Yes, what?” Jack asked.

Before Gray could say anything, she stood up. “This has been lovely.”

Which was partially the truth. Under different circumstances she would have enjoyed getting to know Gray. He was charming and witty, though he could have been a troll for all the attraction he had for her.

No, she saved her lusty thoughts for the unattainable. Lucky girl that she was.

After they thanked the chefs and Nico, she and Gray waited outside the restaurant while Jack went to get the car.

“So how do you like working for Jack?” Gray asked.

“I love the painting.” It was as close to the truth as she could get at the moment.

“It is a masterpiece. When Nate Six went bankrupt, he sold it off and Jack was infuriated. At the time, he was just out of business school and starting at J. P. Morgan in New York. He was working his tail off, but he didn’t have enough money of his own to meet the asking price. He’s waited for years to get that portrait back.”

Callie stared at Gray in surprise. Bankruptcy and the Walker name were two things she never thought would get linked.

“How did Mr. Walker go—what—er, what did Mr. Walker do for a living?”

“Not much. And I don’t mean that pejoratively.” Gray rubbed his jaw and then shrugged. “Well, maybe I do. He was a philanthropist. The man donated money to charities and universities as if it were his profession. He funded the Walker Chair in Art History at NYU. You went there, right? So you must have heard about it.”

“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “If Mr. Walker lost his money, how did he pay for . . .”

She didn’t go any further. She couldn’t believe she’d started to ask such a nosy question.

“Jack. Jack paid for everything. Still does.”

“Mr. Walker must have been grateful.” In spite of what Jack had said about their relationship.

“Not in the slightest. He thought Jack was a money-hungry reprobate. It was ironic as hell. If his son hadn’t been so strong in business, Nate Six’s declining years would have been spent in something far more modest than Buona Fortuna.” Gray shot her a meaningful look. “Jack’s dad was a bastard, to be honest, and an alcoholic. I don’t think many people outside of the family knew how bad it was. In public, the man was a perfect gentleman. He saved the ugliness for those closest to him.”