“Thanks.” I have a thought. “Hey.” She turns. “Let me talk to Jordan first before you tell him.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want him getting arrested for threatening my sister.”
She smirks. “Roger roger.”
I didn’t say anything to Jordan or Leo about what Kev told me. If nothing came of it, it would mean Jordan especially might get unnecessarily worked up.
Or, they already knew about it from their own sources and weren’t telling me for the same reason.
Not to mention the past three days have been pretty busy around here. Telling them completely slipped my mind.
See? Icanfocus on my job and not on my personal shortcomings when I try hard enough.
Ten minutes later I know the quick double-rap on my study door is Jordan. “Come.”
He walks in, head down over his personal phone, where I know he’s taken notes about the phone call so he can talk to me before transcribing the pertinent information into official documents. “Okay. I ripped that fucker a new asshole,” he grumbles once he kicks the door shut behind him. “But I finally got everything set up for your next fitting.”
Then he looks up at me and scowls. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
It’s spooky how well he knows me. “You might want to sit for this one.”
“I’ll stand.”
He’s even more enraged a few minutes later by the time I finish telling him not only about Kev’s visit the other day, but adding the latest development.
I can tell he’s working on a good rant, too, so I opt to pull “executive privilege.”
“Let itgo, Jordan.”
Behind his glasses one eyebrow slides up in what’s supposed to be a threatening arch as he stands there, looking adorably outraged with his arms crossed over his chest. “You want to rephrase that,boy?”
“No.” I stand and take his hands in mine, squeezing them. “I know you love me and you’d do battle for me without a second thought. But weareletting this go and, outwardly at least, acting gracious. We all know McMurtry’s a douchebag. We don’t need anyone getting wind of what we really think about him.”
His glower darkens. “She’s bound and determined to try to cash in on your name as much as possible,” he grumbles.
I shrug. “Let her. I’m the one with the 62% approval rating compared to his, what, 32% and he’s barely been in office a month?”
“29% in this week’s Fox poll. And that’s his highest one.” He blows out an aggravated breath. “She’snotgetting married here.”
“I agree. Even if she were to ask I wouldn’t allow it. But she has to know I’ll say no and most likely she’s already computed the political calculus to realize it’s not worth it. It might dredge some outrage for McMurtry’s voters to latch on to but she won’t risk the personal embarrassment. I mean, the president won’t let his sister get married at the White House? What does POTUS know about her and her fiancé that the public doesn’t? No, she won’t risk that kind of PR backlash. Not among the people she runs with. She knows that would immediately torpedo her rep.”
“There should be consequences for McMurtry’s fuckery.”
“There will be.” I grin. “Dumb fuck’s marrying my sister. That alone is sheer torture worthy of a Congressional special prosecutor inquiry.”
That finally earns me a smile. I pull him into my arms for a long, strong hug he eventually relaxes into. I’m guessing from his reaction that he hadn’t put any energy into deeply researching the freshman congressman from Florida once the election ended.
Probably because we’ve been so busy, you know, running the damned country.
“I’m sorry I hate your sister,” he mumbles against my lapel, “but Ihaaaaateyour sister.”
“No worries. She’s not exactly my favorite person either. Especially not now.”
“And that fucker’s going to be yourbrother-in-law?Ugh. What thehellis she thinking?”
“I don’t know but I guarantee it’s not true love for either of them.” I have a thought. “Don’t tell Leo yet, okay? I’ll tell him.” I hold out my hand and I think he realizes that his boy isn’t anywhere in the house right now because, without question or hesitation, his hand dips into the pocket of his slacks and he hands me my burner phone.
