Her Perfect Candidate. Candace Shaw

talk to. Someone to stimulate my mind. Someone to laugh with like you’ve made me do for the past hour. And I can save you from more horrible dates. So, yes I’d say you’re the perfect candidate.”

      “Perfect candidate? I’m not the one running for office.”

      “But will you be by my side when I do?”

      Chapter 4

      The next morning Megan woke up earlier than normal. She wasn’t a morning person, but she could no longer sleep after tossing and turning with Steven’s request on her mind. He told her to think about it, and if they chose to go forward with their plans, they agreed to tell no one.

      She decided to jog on her treadmill and listen to some music. She was nervous about what the future held. But at least she wouldn’t have to worry about any blind dates for a while because she would be in an exclusive relationship with Senator Steven Monroe.

      Her main fear was that he’d sleep with women on the side, but it wouldn’t be cheating because they weren’t in a real relationship. Though, he had said he wouldn’t, and she believed him. Megan wondered how her ex would feel about her dating a senator. He probably wouldn’t care. He definitely didn’t care about her feelings when he lied and cheated on her for almost four years.

      She was going to get on with her life and if that meant helping a senator clean up his image, then that’s was what she was going to do. Plus, if it meant having a shot to land a guest spot on Decorator’s Dream then it was well worth it. Satisfied with her decision, she jumped off of the treadmill, showered, dressed and headed out the door to Chase and Whitmore Designs.

      When Megan arrived, Jade was speaking to the intern, Lucy, in the mostly all-white reception area that Lucy had recently remodeled for a class project. Megan, who loved antiques, was quite impressed with Lucy’s mixture of modern and Louis XVI–style furniture. Light blue and lavender toss pillows laden the white chairs and couches in the client waiting area. Fresh calla lilies and orchids sat on end tables along with decorating books.

      Megan smiled as she looked at her best friend. She was truly the diva of fashion and style. Her makeup was flawless which added to her large brown eyes and her auburn-colored skin. Her shoulder-length layered dark hair was curled without a strand out of place. She wore an off-white pantsuit with stilettos making her even taller than her already five-foot-seven-inch height.

      “Are you forgetting our job today?” Megan inquired looking down at her khaki capris, tennis shoes and a sleeveless pink T-shirt. Her long hair was pulled back into a bun at her neck. “We’re hanging wallpaper.”

      “I have a change of clothes in the car. Besides, that appointment isn’t until this afternoon, and I have another appointment in an hour with Wade Greene, you know the sportscaster.” Jade looked up from the file she was reading. “Chelsea introduced me to him at her cocktail party last month. After seeing what we did with her home, he now wants me to redo his dining and living room areas. Still, I promise to be at the Brown’s to help you hang wallpaper. I just need to show him some fabric swatches for his dining room.”

      “And get a date?” Megan questioned her single friend.

      “If I’m lucky.” Jade winked and then sashayed back to her office.

      “I’m going to run down to Starbucks for a caramel macchiato,” Megan said, heading toward the door.

      “I can go get it for you, Ms. Chase,” Lucy offered. She was an eager-to-please intern. Lucy had one more semester before graduation, and Megan was contemplating hiring her full-time.

      “No, I need to run a quick errand, as well. I’ll be back in a few.” She really didn’t have to go to Starbucks considering they had a Keurig in the kitchen, but she wanted to go ahead and call Steven with her answer before she changed her mind. And she didn’t want to do it in her office. She rarely closed her door when she was there because Jade and Lucy were always in and out. She didn’t want them to think something was wrong, and she definitely didn’t want anyone to else to know about her arrangement with Steven.

      When she walked into the Starbucks, she found an empty table near the back. She figured she would order enough coffee and pastries for everyone before she left. She then nervously dialed Steven’s cell phone number. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do.

      * * *

      At exactly seven that evening, Megan’s phone rang. She was sitting on the floor brushing Percy, a weekly ritual that he hated. She glanced at the caller ID and saw Steven’s name. He was in a meeting earlier when she called him with her decision. They agreed to talk that evening, and he was punctually calling at the time she’d suggested.

      She stood up to grab her notepad that she had earlier jotted some general questions in to ask Steven. Free from Megan’s hands, Percy darted out of the bedroom to escape the brushing ritual.

      “Hello?” Megan plopped down on the bed.

      “Hey, it’s Steven. How are you doing this evening?”

      “Fine, Stevo. And how are you?”

      “Stevo?” he asked taken aback.

      “Well, I figured you need a pet name for me to call you. You don’t like Stevo?”

      “No, it reminds me of my days in high school when the nerds would call me Stevo or worse Stevster.”

      “I see. Well, I guess we’ll think of something else. In the meantime, I have some questions that every girlfriend should know,” Megan said getting her pen ready.

      “Yes, I have big feet and great hands to give body massages with,” he joked.

      Megan felt her face getting hot at the thought of his great hands giving her a body massage with hot oil. A man with big feet could only mean one thing, at least most of the time. She smiled at the thought.

      “I already have my list of questions.”