Campaigning for Love Read Online Free PDF Page A

sounded a lot like a chuckle escaped from her assistant’s mouth, Katherine leveled a squinted glare on her. “It’s not funny.”
    “Does this have to do with a certain Mr. Nicholas Delaney, by any chance?” Gina eased within arm’s reach, placing the cup on the counter in front of Katherine like an offering to a vengeful overlord.
    With a deep, slow breath, she collected herself before reaching for the piece of flowery china. It was that or hurl the cup against the wall. “Yes. He and I had a fight during session today.” She plopped into a chair. “As our punishment, Judge Pierce has ordered us to spend the weekend...” She shuddered. “All weekend together. We have to share three meals a day, which I have to cook with Nick as my helper. The man’s culinary skills start and stop with boiled water. And I don’t know if that’s on the stove or in the microwave.”
    Another laugh escaped. Gina gave her an apologetic shrug that made Katherine want to scream.
    “The whole weekend, huh?” Gina nodded her head. “Now I understand why the judge wanted me to fill in for you with Jeremy at Grace Community Friday night.”
    “Judge Pierce wants us to have time to talk to each other about non-court-related subjects, and the only way to ensure I’ll cooperate is by holding me hostage at his house—where he can keep an eye on me!” Katherine gnashed her teeth and tapped her nails against the solid surface of the counter, desperate for a way around the judge’s orders. An idea started forming in her head. Oh, yeah. But could she? There was no question. Definitely .
    She smiled at her own cleverness. “Gina. My dear, wonderful and resourceful Gina. How about using your super sleuth skills and getting me every known fact on Mr. Nicholas Delaney, attorney-at-law?” She let out a pleased sigh. “If Uncle Charles wants a mini-bio on Nick at each meal, he’ll get one. I just won’t use Nicky Boy as my source.” She headed toward her office with a bounce in her step. She’d won round one.
    Her sense of victory was short-lived. In the silence of her office, there was nothing to keep the memories of her last personal conversation with Nick at bay. With her emotions churning, suddenly thirteen years ago was as vivid as yesterday. The scars from the old wounds Nick had inflicted with his betrayal reopened. All his talk about how important knowing the right people would be to his future. The doors those right people could open for him. She’d faked a smile and prayed she could hold her tears inside until later. What had he expected her to say? He’d told her things for him were moving fast. His summer wasn’t his. He was leaving for college the day after graduation. He’d said he’d be too busy to see her, much less call. She’d been sad for herself—she was losing her only friend—but she’d been happy for him. He had a chance at realizing his dream. At that point, she hadn’t had an inkling of a dream.
    She didn’t fit into his world of “the right people.” Honestly, where would a connection with a poor orphan living in a children’s home get him? But he hadn’t given her the chance to bow out, to set him free. He’d treated her like an ugly secret no one could ever know about.
    He’d said his father was an attorney. Told her he handled some family services cases.
    She knew he’d handled at least one.
    Hers.
    And Nick had gotten him to do it. To banish her to the most remote area in the district to finish out her senior year at a new school in a new group home. Among strangers.
    No matter how deep she buried the memories, the slightest reminder of how gullible she’d been still infuriated her. If she hadn’t been so alone, she would have known all his attention and charm were an act. Whoever heard of Prince Charming hanging out with Orphan Annie?
    She sniffed, forbidding a single tear to pool, because the worst part, the part that shamed her the most, the part that still made her want to scream, was