Blurb
Some seats in Congress turn over once in a lifetime, and the election isn’t a race; it’s a crowded, mad dash for Washington, D.C. When the local congressional seat opens up for the first time in forty years, Sonoma County Supervisor Ursula “Lily” Robles knows it may be her only opportunity. Though she’s a long shot, she likes her chances.
The night before she announces her candidacy, she meets a handsome stranger at a coffee shop. He’s the first man to catch her eye since her husband, and she’s taken with him—until she realizes he’s her leading opponent in the primary. State Senator John “Jack” Bengston can’t place where he’s seen her face, but he’d like to get to know her more. There are times when politicians want to put their identities aside.
Excerpt:
When she turned to Jack, he silently ushered her over to an empty part of the auditorium. His path required her to walk past her mother who was in deep conversation with another older woman. Lily tried to ignore her, but Martha’s suspicious stare burned through her. She turned to see her mom’s furrowed brow in full investigation of what was going on with her daughter and the handsome candidate. With no better answer or reaction, Lily shrugged and followed Jack to a side table.
Half-sitting on the table, he extended his long legs out and offered her the edge next to him. She joined him, but gripped a chair to brace herself. His smile did little to soothe her nervousness.
“So…,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I’ve been replaying how we met the other night. I’m pretty sure you were the first to omit the truth.”
“What?” She chuckled.
“I’m not saying I didn’t leave out some facts. I’m just saying I believe you did it first.”
“You said your name was Jack.”
“My family and friends call me Jack. You said your name was Lily. That’s not exactly close to Ursula.”
“I was named after both of my grandmothers. My grandmother on my father’s side was named Ursula which is my given name. Lily is the name of my mom’s mother. It’s my nickname.” She gave him a skeptical look. “But back to the fibbing. You live in San Francisco. In fact, you live in Marin; otherwise you couldn’t run for this Congressional seat.”
“I still have a house in San Francisco. I have an apartment in Marin.”“Which, no doubt, you only rented to run in this district,” she said throwing a hand on her hip in playful indignation.
“Maybe. Regardless of your point here, you were the one who fibbed first.”
Excerpt:
When she turned to Jack, he silently ushered her over to an empty part of the auditorium. His path required her to walk past her mother who was in deep conversation with another older woman. Lily tried to ignore her, but Martha’s suspicious stare burned through her. She turned to see her mom’s furrowed brow in full investigation of what was going on with her daughter and the handsome candidate. With no better answer or reaction, Lily shrugged and followed Jack to a side table.
Half-sitting on the table, he extended his long legs out and offered her the edge next to him. She joined him, but gripped a chair to brace herself. His smile did little to soothe her nervousness.
“So…,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I’ve been replaying how we met the other night. I’m pretty sure you were the first to omit the truth.”
“What?” She chuckled.
“I’m not saying I didn’t leave out some facts. I’m just saying I believe you did it first.”
“You said your name was Jack.”
“My family and friends call me Jack. You said your name was Lily. That’s not exactly close to Ursula.”
“I was named after both of my grandmothers. My grandmother on my father’s side was named Ursula which is my given name. Lily is the name of my mom’s mother. It’s my nickname.” She gave him a skeptical look. “But back to the fibbing. You live in San Francisco. In fact, you live in Marin; otherwise you couldn’t run for this Congressional seat.”
“I still have a house in San Francisco. I have an apartment in Marin.”“Which, no doubt, you only rented to run in this district,” she said throwing a hand on her hip in playful indignation.
“Maybe. Regardless of your point here, you were the one who fibbed first.”
She smiled and looked down for a moment. “Well…” When she looked up, she stared up into his hazel eyes. She noticed they had more green in them than brown, and the green stood out against his sandy blonde hair. “I was honest when you asked if I was a med student.”
“Ah…But when I asked if you worked in Petaluma you said ‘no.’ You said you were a nurse at CPMC. You failed to say that you were a supervisor in Sonoma County.” He snickered. “Which I might add is really your job. It’s what you do full-time and most likely where you draw a bigger paycheck since you don’t work that often at the hospital.”“Okay. That’s all true, but I didn’t lie.”
“I didn’t say you lied. I’m just saying you omitted information. Why’d you do that?”
“Oh come on,” she said, throwing up her hands in disbelief. “It was almost ten at night, I’d just come back from a run, and I looked like crap and was sweaty. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”
His smile slowly turned into a grin. “I believe I said you looked quite the opposite of crap.”
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Author Info
Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.
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ReplyDeleteI have never read one of your books, but have read the reviews to the two that are being given away. They seem very interesting and would love to get my hands on them. Thanks so much!!
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