They’re not just nameless faces to do your bidding—they have lives outside the Callahan campaign.”

Although I wanted to tell her where she could stick her holier-than-thou attitude, I knew she had a point. She sounded like my mom. Neither of my parents talked down to staff, and they never let me or my siblings do it either. “Okay. Fine.”

Addison’s mouth gaped open in surprise. I knew she was shocked I hadn’t come back with some smartass remark. “Well, uh, good.”

“But right now the only person I’m concerned about getting to know better is you.” I waved the folder in my hand. “This arrived while you were gone.”

As Addison’s gaze zeroed in on the folder, both apprehension and curiosity flickered in her brown eyes. “What’s that?”

“Our relationship homework.”

“Excuse me?”

Mimicking a game show host’s voice, I replied, “It’s a fun-filled packet of get-to-know-you activities to ensure we fool the public into believing we’re a loving, happy couple.”

Wrinkling her nose, Addison said, “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I wish.” I handed her the stapled packet with her name on it. Instead of sitting at the formal dining room table, I motioned for us to have a seat on the couch. A tense silence hung in the air as we began reading the instructions.

“Hmm, we’re supposed to handle it like a reporter doing an interview,” Addison replied.

“At least in this case, we’ll know the questions beforehand so they can’t stump us,” I mused before draining the rest of my beer.

Addison paled slightly. “Are we going to be expected to give many off-the-cuff interviews?”

“I’m sure Dad and his people will limit them as much as possible, at least in the beginning until we have more time to spend together.”

“But what if we’re asked a question that’s not in here?”

“I doubt that is a possibility considering Bernie’s thoroughness.” When Addison continued to chew on her bottom lip, I said, “We’ll just have to wing it. Whatever we have to spontaneously lie about will just become the truth.”

“If you say so,” she murmured.

Motioning to the folder, I said, “Come on. We might as well get started.”

At the top of my page was a short biography on Addison, and she had the same on me. Basically, it was like the Personal Life section of a Wikipedia biography—the bare essentials. After I finished reading, it was pretty clear that Addison was a badass. I mean, I sure as hell didn’t know many girls who could say they could start a fire from sticks, teach English to native villagers, and graduate top of their class from an Ivy League school. I could see now why Dad and Bernie had been so impressed.

After the brief biography, the remainder of the page was filled with the lame getting-to-know-you questions. When she saw that I was finished reading, Addison clicked her hotel pen. “Ready?”

“Go for it.”

"Favorite movie?"

"The Godfather."

With a smirk, Addison said, "Not surprising, but I would’ve also bet on it being Scarface—or maybe 9 ½ Weeks."

I laughed. "Nope. The Godfather is in my top ten, along with Platoon and Saving Private Ryan.”

“Are you a fan of war movies because of your dad?”

“Not really. He likes to critique them more than anything, especially the ones about Vietnam.”

She nodded. “My grandfather served in Korea and refused to watch any movies that even remotely referenced war. He said he’d had his fill of killing.”

“I can see his point. Well, I guess I should say I understand his point. Obviously, I can’t speak from experience.”

She paused in doodling a flower in the margin of her packet. “It must be hard for you having a father and brother invested in the military and not be able to share those experiences.”

Damn, had this chick minored in psychology or something? How could she possibly unearth that insecurity so quickly? Trying to play it off, I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

Addison eyed me curiously. “If you hadn’t been disqualified from service because of your heart condition, would you have gone into the military?”

“Of course.”

“Because of family obligation?”

“Yes, and because military service is a noble thing to do.”

“You don’t impress me as the military type.”

With a wink, I said, “Hey, I’d totally rock a crew cut, not to mention looking hot as hell in the uniform.”

“I’m not talking about the look. I’m talking about your personality.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “It’s more like you lack the discipline required to take orders.”

I narrowed my eyes back at her. “That’s a hell of a ballsy thing to say to someone you

barely know.”

Instead of shrinking back, Addison replied, “I’m just calling it as I see it based on several factors.”

“Such as?”

“Your internet persona for starters, not to mention what I’ve seen so far tonight.”

“Let me set you straight—I’m one hell of a disciplined man, sweetheart. Don’t forget I earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from an Ivy League school, not to mention taking a failing division at The Callahan Corporation and making it one of the most successful in the company.”