More Than Rivals Read Online Free PDF

 
    “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 indignancy.
    “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.”
    Her eyes widened, and it was her turn to be quiet for a second. She felt like a bashful thirteen year old girl. “Thanks. I think I said something similar to you.”  
    Nothing was spoken as the two gazed at one another in recognition of their mutual attraction. Lily held her breath because she didn’t want to say anything more. She liked the feeling between them and didn’t want to break it, but she also wanted to hear what he’d say.
    After a slow nod, he asked, “You didn’t know who I was, did you?”
    “No. Not at first…though I thought you looked familiar.” She smirked. “And when I asked about you…in a number of ways I might add…you only said you were a lawyer.”
    “Well, I am a lawyer.”  
    “And I’m a nurse.”
    “Okay. So we’re even.”
      “And it was only when you took off your hat that I recognized you.” She chuckled. “But you never recognized me. Not that I think you would even if I was dressed like I was today.”
    “What do you mean?” He raised his eyebrows and leaned back for a better view of her. “I really don’t think we’d ever met before.”
    “Oh yes, we had.”
    “When?”
    “A year or so ago. Maybe more. At the big fall Democratic fundraiser in San Francisco. Charles Kingsley introduced us.”
    “I don’t believe that. I’d remember you,” he said emphatically.
    “Well, we did, and you certainly didn’t remember me. You botched my name before moving along to the next person. You called me Ursula Roberts. I remember it because your date actually got my name right.”
    “Oh.” He frowned. “I’m sorry. I must’ve been in a rush.”
    “Yeah, I’d say you were preoccupied.” She tilted her head as she recalled the flashy redhead he was with that night.
    “Maybe so.”  
    He appeared uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat. Lily could see he was on the defensive, but she still thought it was the perfect opportunity to needle him a bit. “I think the bigger question is why haven’t you ever