Our food tonight is being prepared by people who work for several non-profits in the Tallahassee area and which receive state funds to provide services to the homeless and needy. Meaning the fees they earn tonight are going to help charities while spotlighting them and giving them well-deserved media coverage.
Our campaign is also paying for the decorations and facility fees. Carter is still weighing what to do with the remainder of cash left in our campaign coffers. Whatever its final destination, it’ll be a worthy recipient and that will be “leaked” to the press when it happens.
Carter is ruthlessly protecting our infant administration. We’ll face so many outside threats as it is that any self-inflicted scandals we can prevent aren’t a bad thing.
Right now, we’re still surfing a wave of both major parties’ desperation over our landslide victory numbers. Lawmakers are trying to jockey for position to appear to their constituents to be the most reasonable at working with us.
That has to continue for as long as possible for us to achieve a fraction of our agenda. Giving either party a toehold to exploit scandal will torpedo us. But the fact that we ran as Independent—and won by such a huge margin—has already opened the floodgates of candidates deserting both parties to switch their affiliation toI.
It’s also why I know we’ll have to make such excruciating personal sacrifices, and we’ll all face some lonely nights ahead of us.
I’m used to that. I was raised in a family where that was the norm, not the exception. I know I’ll be okay.
And it’s why I desperately worry about what the stress of that will do not only to Carter without Owen sharing a bed with us, but especially to Owen.
I consider Owen every bit as much my husband as Carter. So does Carter.
Dray knows, because he works for us, but he’s also a trusted family friend and has signed an NDA. We just can’t tell anyone else.
Yet.
Owen completes both of us in ways I never imagined possible. Which is why this works for all three of us.
One day, we’ll be able to openly express our love and our relationship.
Unfortunately, today is not that day.
Chapter Two
Logistically, it’s easier for the limo to pick me up first, then swing by the mansion and get Owen and Carter. Normally, the governor doesn’t get a huge security detail on a scale like you see for POTUS or other dignitaries. But on a normal workday, when going to the office and back to the mansion, Owen will usually have an officer assigned as a driver, as well as a shadow car. I’ll normally have one officer, who is also my driver.
Unless we’re making an appearance somewhere. That’s when the head of security will evaluate every situation on a case-by-case basis. Our daily security detail officers, and security for any work-related events, are paid for by the state. Tonight, we’ll have a car ahead of and behind the limo, since we’re all together.
Extra officers that Carter was careful to make sure were paid for—as was the limo—from our campaign funds. This isn’t an expense the taxpayers are footing. We are going to be extremely careful with how we spend funds.
I’m ready to go when an FHP officer in full dress uniform rings our doorbell.
“Good evening, Mrs. Evans.”
“Good evening, Officer.”
He offers me his arm to hold after I’ve set the alarm and locked the front door behind me.
I smile. “Thank you, Officer.”
I hook arms with him and let him escort me down the front walk, to where the limo is waiting, even though my heart is aching that it’s not Owen or even Carter who’s walking with me. There aren’t many opportunities now where I get to walk with Owen and can hold his hand or his arm without it raising suspicions.
Tonight is one such night.
Ironically, it’s a very high-profile night, too.
The driver is holding my door open for me, and the officer waits until I’m safely inside and the door’s closed to return to his marked car idling in front of the limo.
And away we go.
Carter’s already planned our arrival at the ball. He told us that he’ll help me out of the limo, but make a very public point of handing me off to Owen for the walk inside, and he wants us to have the first dance together tonight. He wants there to be no whispers or innuendo, wants people to see that he has no problems with Owen having that kind of contact with me.
We’re Governor Taylor and Lieutenant-Governor Evans. We’ve earned the right to celebrate tonight.
