“Oh, you thought we’d be done after our chat if I say yes? That’s adorable, sweetie. Bless your heart.” She sips her coffee.
I laugh and can’t even feel insulted by her snark.
Her grin widens. “You’re easy-going. I like that.”
“Why is that important? You’d be Elliot’s chief.”
She shrugs. “I take this job, it’s going to be you and me shoulder-to-shoulder on a daily basis. Want to make sure you’re not a narcissistic, egotistic asshole I’ll be butting heads with.” She motions to me with her fingers, so much like the “come here” gesture Leo uses that it almost makes me shiver. “Give meyourbottom line, hon. Hypothetically, if I take this job, lay down the law to me. Donothold back.”
“Seriously?”
She nods. “Seriously. Don’t bullshit me, either. Don’t tell me what youthinkI want to hear—tell me whatyouwant to say if there arezeroramifications of saying it. No harm, no foul. I want a no-filter, in-my-face, zero-fucks-left, shoe-pounding-the-table declaration. As if Elliot’s won the election, obviously.”
“Shoe-pounding?”
She laughs. “Sorry. That one’s a little dated, I know. Google it later.” Her smile fades. “Hit me, Jordan.”
I think about it for a long moment and realize the only way I can phrase this is with the full honesty she’s demanding. If I’m going to piss her off, best I do it now, in secret, with no one the wiser and no repercussions.
I look her in the eyes and drop into Sir mode. “Elliot’smyboy. I know he’ll be running the country and will swear an oath on a Bible in front of the world to uphold and defend the Constitution.Myfirst loyalty, however, is to Elliot Woodley, and I don’t give a shit what my oath of office as a federal employee says. I will do whatever it takes to protect Elliot, even if it means throwing Leo or anyone else under the bus in the process.
“You might think you’re working for Elliot and at the pleasure of the president, but the truth is, you’re working forme. His calendar goes throughme. Contact and face-time goes throughme. Unless I’ve stated otherwise, or it’s a national emergency,yougo through me. Theonlything above my head is NatSec.
“Iam Elliot’s gate-keeper. I won’t fight you doing your job, duh, because he’s POTUS. Iwantto workwithyou to make both our jobs easier. If there’s something going on with him, and I need to get him behind closed doors for a couple of minutes for a reset, I’ll verbally backhand you in the SitRoom in front of the Joint Chiefs, if I have to, to do what’s best formyboy. You and I will come up with a few secret signals of our own, and I’ll tell you all the ones I currently have with Elliot, so we can easily manage that process in secret.
“I am absolutelynotinterested in having a pissing contest with you, or making your job difficult. I don’t want your job. I have a job—Elliotismy job. I want us to be able to work together easily, as a team. And I warn you now, if you fuckmyboy over, I don’t give a shit how many connections you have, or how powerful you think you are, because I’ll find a way to make you regret it. I have no interest in running for office, ever. Once Elliot’s a private citizen again, believe me, I’m looking forward to handing the reins back to Leo full-time and enjoying our privacy. But I made a promise to Elliot, and I’m damn sure going to keep it.”
She listens to all of that with her head cocked. “What about Leo?”
“What about him?”
“He’s Sir to both of you.”
“Not when it comes to work, he’s not. He’s hands-off.I’min charge. Until Elliot’s a private citizen, the only time Leo’s in charge of Elliot is behind a lockedbedroomdoor, and he knows and accepts that. Leo absolutely will not override anything I say when it comes to Elliot and his job.”
I don’t understand her amused grin. “Guess what?”
“What?”
She reaches across the table. “Congratulations. You just hired yourself a chief of staff. When it’s you and me alone, always feel free to be that blunt with me. I respect you for it. Just be advised I won’t hesitate to be that blunt with you, either. Or with him. I’m nobody’s yes-man.”
Confused, I shake with her. “Um, thank you?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you why, because I’m sure you’re curious.” She pours herself another cup of coffee first.
Then, her smile fades. “Because you are loyal, and you are dedicated, and you’re not in this for yourself. I don’t want to deal with some political crony looking to feather his cap, who’s going to waste time trying to screw me over or play games for their own reasons. I’m not interested in running for office, either. I like being the power behind the throne. Your agenda and mine dovetail nicely. It sounds like I won’t have to worry about some messy personal wrestling match for control erupting between the three of you. But I have a condition.”
“Okay.”
“Right now, I’ll only guarantee you two years as chief of staff. We’ll look at it again closer to that, whether or not I stay longer. I’ll be bringing Declan on board as my deputy chief of staff, before we lose your Ben guy. So Declan can get acclimated. We can name Dec a special deputy advisor to the chief of staff, or something, in the interim.
“When I’ve finally had my fill of the job, however long that is, Declan can take over. At least for a couple of years. He’ll still be plenty young enough to have the energy to do the job, too. At that point, we’ll have a better idea who to move into his position, once Declan’s ready to quit.Ifhe doesn’t want to run out the clock and stay there with Elliot, that is. Provided, of course, Elliot’s elected in the first place, and then re-elected.”
“He will be.”
“I like that you’re so cocky about his chances.”
I shrug. “Not cocky if it’s true. Poll numbers are there, and Kev’s got this under control for us. We’ve followed his strategy, and he’s been right every time. You think Declan will say yes?”
