He pulls mein for a long, strong hug. “We’ll work in the West Wing until five, then we’ll come upstairs and eat dinner and work up here. I’ll ask Pete to come by and give you a personal briefing in the residence, and we’ll get the official photog to take a couple of candid shots. Something moody, maybe with you staring out the window in the Oval Office with a mug of tea in your hands or something.”
“Chrisis okay. I’ve already told him that, if he needs us, to admit it and let us come to him. I talked to him a little bit ago. He told me to let you sleep.”
“How long do you think he’ll stay there?”
“At least another day or two. I’ve already asked Secret Service to give me a couple of options for us going over there. There’s a big field just a quarter of a mile down the road from the house. We mightbe able to send a contingent ahead and chopper in. No motorcade traffic, less of a logistics nightmare. They’re contacting the property’s owner to see if they’ll allow it. And Elliot and his team are safely on the ground in Seattle. Lauren had an idea, if you feel up to it, of recording a short message they can air before he goes on.”
“As long as they don’t mind me looking like this,” I snark.“I’m not putting on makeup today.”
“That’s okay, sweetie.” He cups my face in his hands again and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Just keep leaning on me. This is what I’m here for.”
“What’s the rest of the world doing while we’re handling this?” I ask, unable to help myself. “It hasn’t blown up, has it?” I shudder to think what could happen right now and hope I don’t have to deal with somethingliterally explosive.
“Nothing that you need to worry yourself about beyond the PDB this morning. Today, we’re going to review the dossiers for your candidates to fill Housing and Labor.” He wraps his arms around me again and holds me.
Those two Cabinet secretaries have already signaled that they wish to end their terms at the end of my current term so they can focus on their own projects andfamilies. We’ll need to have replacements ready who can sail through a very friendly bipartisan Senate confirmation procedure, and would prefer to do that before their summer break. That way, their current counterparts can help them settle into their posts.
While we hope Democrats and the moderate Independents and Republicans I’ve been working well with will hold on to the Senate, we can’t guaranteethat. If I don’t get re-elected, no harm, no foul. If I do, having those two cabinet positions pre-approved and already in place is a time-saver. Doubly so if November shifts the Senate’s profile into one less than congenial to my agenda.
It’s times like this I wish Momma were still alive to talk to. Even if she didn’t have advice for me, just totalkto her.
One of Chris’ projects is fundraisingand awareness for Alzheimer’s, because of Momma.
I wish she could’ve met him, and Kevin. I’m pretty sure she would’ve liked both of them.
Hell, maybe she would’ve been okay with me being with both of them. I know damn well she had gay friends. She was always a supporter of equality, no matter what.
I was helpless to do anything to help her.
I feel helpless now.
There is an irony that I’min control of arguably the most powerful arsenal in the world, and some driver in a vehicle has shattered the safe comfort of my existence.
They’ve devastated my husband, my family.
We’re not invincible despite all the Secret Service agents dedicated to protecting us. Life can still happen.
Shit can still happen.
Bad things can happen.
Promises can happen.
I hold Kev a little tighter. Sometimes,this is the little bit of sanity that I need in a crazy day to help me make it through.
“Can we come up here at four?” I ask.
He nuzzles the top of my head. “Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”
