Lexi: He seems nice.
I look at her, and she rolls her eyes. At least I’m not alone in disliking Tom.
“I’m glad to be working with you all,” Tom says to my staff. “I think we can get this campaign back on track. I’m experienced at winning against the odds. Reagan, you’re familiar with my experience, right?”
I want to slap him. Or better yet, kick him in the balls. Tom is deliberately flaunting my young stupidity in my face. This is exactly why I didn’t want him here.
“I think so,” I say, drawing my brows together. “It’s been so long, it’s hard to even remember.”
“I’ll jog your memory,” Tom says with a wink.
“Ew,” Lexi mutters.
My thoughts exactly.
Some of Tom’sideas are good. He wants me to emphasize my legislative experience and rally the Democratic base in our heavily Democratic state. It’s like home-field advantage.
But mostly, we’ve spent the morning and early afternoon arguing about his plans to discredit Jude.
“Let’s focus on me, not him,” I say for at least the fifth time.
“We have to work both angles.”
I get up from my seat, my muscles sore from sitting on the bus all day. We’re heading to Southern Illinois for a rally tonight, which gives us all day to strategize during the drive. I managed to escape Tom for an hour when we stopped for lunch, but other than that, I’ve been dealing with him all day and I’m on edge.
“Lexi, get me a spreadsheet of all county party chair email addresses,” Tom says. He’s looking over the top of his glasses, which are perched low on his nose.
“Don’t order her around,” I say before Lexi can respond. “Ask her.”
Tom glares at me. “We need to dispense with formalities.”
“That’s fine, but let’s not dispense with common courtesy.”
Tom flips the pen in his hand across the bus, and it bounces off the window. “Look, Reagan. I’m not doing this back-and-forth with you all the time. Your father sent me here to run this campaign.Run it.Not hold hands with your circle of friends and share ideas. Are we all clear about who’s in charge?”
The bus is completely silent. No one is moving a muscle as Tom and I stare each other down. I unclench my jaw and force a smile.
“Yes, we’re clear.”
“Good. When we get to the hotel, you and I will be tweaking your stump speech in your room.”
“You, me, and Lexi,” I correct. “Lexi and I share a room at hotels.”
We’ve gone back and forth up to now, but things have changed now that Tom’s around. I want Lexi rooming with me at every hotel from here on out.
“Sure,” Tom says, looking back down at the paper on the table. “She’s welcome to sit in.”
He’s so condescending. I wish I could vent about him to Jude, but that’s not happening. When I take out my cell phone to sneak a look at his mid-orgasm pic from last night, I see a waiting text from him. He sent it more than an hour ago.
Jude: Thinking about u.
Me: Same. Sorry it took me so long to write back, I was working out a deal with the Trib to sell that photo of you from last night.
Jude: Funny. Tell them u got me off with ur sexy moaning.
Me: Where are you today?
Jude: Near the MO border at St. Louis. You?
