“We’ll be summoned when they arrive, dearest. Let’s have a drink first, shall we?” Michael said.
Four champagne glasses were ready on the wet bar and Jamie watched the president pour out four servings from an expensive bottle he’d bet money was a gift from his father. Jamie accepted his glass with a fake smile that would make his mother proud.
“To turning the tide,” Michael said, raising his glass. “And to keeping the White House in our party’s hands.”
Jamie echoed his words before taking a sip of the champagne. The conviction in his voice rang hollow in his ears, but he kept his opinions to himself. The party in power almost always lost the presidency after two terms. His father had the strongest chance to keep it before Jamie’s decisions derailed everything. At this rate, they’d be lucky to keep hold of the Senate.
Jamie danced through small talk with the First Family like a pro, his years gliding through elite social circles making it easy. They’d just finished their glasses of champagne when someone knocked briskly on the door before opening it. Charles stepped inside, eyes on his tablet.
“Sir, Prince Samuel and his family are due to arrive in five minutes,” Charles said.
“Excellent,” Michael said. “Shall we?”
The drive from Blair House where all guests of the president stayed during state and official business wasn’t that long. With security keeping the street clear, Jamie doubted the full five minutes would be needed.
Everyone got to their feet and Jamie kept pace with Gabriel as they followed the president through the White House to the North Portico. Jamie had been thoroughly briefed on the formality of the State Dinner and the protocols involved last night.
The formal arrival happened at the North Portico, where the official guest of honor arrived by car and was greeted by the president and their spouse amidst a backdrop of honor guards, color guards, and security. The photo op there was one splashed around the world in seconds, one which Jamie was glad he wouldn’t have to be a part of. The official welcome was done only by heads of state, and Gabriel, though a member of the First Family, wasn’t allowed to be present for that moment.
They remained out of sight as Michael and Ashley stepped outside beneath the glare of cameras to greet Prince Samuel and his family. The official photo would show the president and First Lady standing side by side with the prince and his wife.
Once they finished out there, a brief reception would happen in the Yellow Oval Room on the second floor. That reception would be attended by everyone lucky enough to be seated at the head tables to ensure everyone was properly introduced to the president and his official guests. While they enjoyed their reception, other guests would be gathering in the White House downstairs for the State Dinner.
Once the reception ended, the president would descend the Grand Staircase from the second floor to the state floor, to the time-honored sounds of the Presidential March. A formal receiving line would happen in the Blue Room before everyone would be escorted outside to the South Lawn where the dinner would occur beneath an enclosed luxury pavilion.
Normally, dinner would be held in the formal State Dining Room, which sat 120 guests. Considering the special relationship with the United Kingdom that the United States had held for centuries, a larger dinner and party were an absolute must. The only way to accommodate the number of people on the guest list was to move it outside.
The luxury portable pavilion had taken two days to construct, the massive enclosure complete with an orchestra platform, dance floor, theatrical lighting and sound system, floating chandeliers, gorgeous flower arrangements, and satellite kitchens. It offered up more space to include all tables in one area, as opposed to scattered through various White House rooms.
The protocol involved in making sure no one of any social level was slighted by mistake while ensuring everything went smoothly was a migraine waiting to happen. Jamie wasn’t even in charge of it and it made his own head hurt.
“Have you been to something like this before?” Gabriel asked as he shifted on his feet.
“Many times,” Jamie said, thinking back to all the events his parents had paraded him through over the years.
“Do you like them?”
“I’m always honored to attend when invited.”
If Jamie had learned nothing else from his parents, it was how to play the word game. Gabriel was cut from the same cloth, and he smiled knowingly at Jamie’s response, but said nothing more.
They waited in silence in the entrance hall, the honor guards on duty inside not moving a centimeter or saying a word. Jamie could feel their eyes on him, and he wondered what they thought, considering everything being said in the news about him. Many people believed he no longer deserved to wear his uniform anymore, no matter the fact that he’d earned that right years and years ago.
Once a Marine, always a Marine.
Eventually the front doors to the White House opened. Amidst a backdrop of camera flashes, the president, the First Lady, members of the Royal Family, and their entourages entered the White House.
For the first time all night, Jamie felt a real smile curve his mouth. He straightened his shoulders and snapped off a salute to the president.
“Allow me to introduce my son, Gabriel Rodriguez,” Michael said as they approached. “And as I understand it, Captain Callahan needs no introduction.”
“Of course not,” Georgia, the Countess of Wessex, said with a warm smile. “Gabriel, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Jamie, it’s sogoodto see you again.”
Georgia had been a spitfire of a woman in her youth, and her strong will hadn’t diminished with age. Tall and thin, with a grace to her carriage that came from years of horseback riding, the countess was a well-educated woman who’d found her Prince Charming in college and had used her royal status to become a patron of many charities.
The tiara Georgia wore glittered in the light, the sparkle there matching the twinkle in her hazel eyes when she extended her hand to Jamie.
“Countess,” Jamie said formally.
