Finn knew she didn’t want the real answer.
“Unfortunately, we have an engagement today,” he said.
“Ugh.” Iris threw herself onto her back. Her arm went dramatically over her eyes. “What now?” she grumbled.
That was possibly what he liked best about her: her willingness to openly display every emotion. She was just so fully … herself all the time. Frustration and annoyance included.
“The late-night show,” he reminded her.
“Already? But I haven’t had my fifty thousand hours of media training. I wassolooking forward to that.”
A little chuckle escaped Finn. “It wasn’t supposed to be so soon. But according to Henry, we are ‘trending,’ so the talk show wanted to ride that momentum.”
“And if massage, acupuncture, and a shot don’t work?”
“We’ll be seated the whole time. I can fake it.”
“Yes, I guess you can,” she said, her tone getting a little colder as she climbed out of bed. “I’ll make coffee.”
And just like that, she was gone. Literally and figuratively.
Finn sighed, frustrated that she was beginning to take some of her training to heart, that she was becoming less genuine because that was what he, Henry, and the political sphere demanded of her.
He managed to slowly get himself into a seated position by the time he heard a knock at the door.
“Where is he?” Henry’s voice asked, already moving through the house to look for him. “Oh, great,” he sighed when he got a look at Finn, sweaty and pale, face contorted in pain from the movement.
“It’s been this bad before.”
“Not when you had an engagement the same day.”
“It’s a seated engagement.”
“You’re seated now and look like you’re on day two of the flu.”
“Always a ray of sunshine, Henry,” Iris said, moving into the room to bring Finn a cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” Finn said, frustrated with how his back spasmed just from raising his arm.
“Why is your face red?” Henry asked, zeroing in on Iris.
“Oh, Finn slapped me.”
“Hewhat?” Henry asked, eyes widening.
Finn hated that he couldn’t tell if Henry’s gaze went serious because he was horrified that his friend was capable of slapping someone … or if he was trying to figure out how to minimize the blowback politically.
“Accidentally,” she added.
“Thank God,” Henry sighed, visibly relaxing. “A little ice or makeup should hide that from the cameras.”
“It doesn’t hurt, by the way,” Iris said, never willing tolet Henry’s callousness slide. “I know you were very concerned about it.”
“Is that the massage therapist?” Finn asked when there was a knock at the door.
“Arden. To get Iris ready for tonight. Between him and the bird, they should be able to shape her up.”
“Like a piece of clay,” Iris grumbled under her breath.
