“So am I. I should’ve listened to you.”
“Nah, don’t do that. You couldn’t have known she’d do something like this.”
“I should’ve known what she was up to, and the fact that I didn’t is part of the problem we’re addressing.”
“Is there a way out of here that isn’t through that scrum in there?”
“Yeah, I’ll show you, but before you go, I just need one minute of this.” He hugged her tightly and seemed to be breathing her in. “This is bad. Really, really bad.”
“I’m so sorry, Nick. I wish there was something I could do for you.”
“Having a minute with you helps a lot. I wish I’d trusted your legendary gut where Gretchen was concerned.”
“You trusted your own legendary gut.”
He rested his forehead on hers. “Mine’s got nothing on yours, and I need to remember that in the future.”
“Call me if you need me for anything.”
“I need you for everything.”
“I’ll come home any time. All you have to do is ask.”
“Thank you for coming, for being there for me. It means everything.” He gave her a kiss and another hug before leading her to the secret door that opened into a West Wing hallway.
“Hey, that’s cool.” She glanced back at him. “Take good care of my love. He’s my whole world.”
“Same goes, babe. Be safe out there.”
Sam hated leaving him when he looked so lost and despondent. That bitch Gretchen. If she crossed paths with her, Sam would be hard-pressed not to stab her with her famous rusty steak knife. She didn’t even know the full extent of what Gretchen had done, but if anyone had ever deserved the rusty steak knife straight to the heart, it was her.
As she walked toward the main foyer, she texted Vernon. Going back to work.
Be right there.
When she arrived in the foyer, Chief Usher Gideon Lawson was coming toward her, smiling. “I heard FLOTUS was on-property and figured I’d try to grab a word while I could.”
“Nice to see you, Gideon.”
“You as well. I was going to call you today to discuss Christmas.”
“Um, do I need to remind you that we just had Easter, and the cherry blossoms just bloomed…”
He laughed. “I know, but the planning for Christmas at the White House takes months and is driven almost entirely by the first lady.”
A heated flush crept up Sam’s neck that had her fearing she might break out in hives.
“Take a breath, Sam.” He spoke quietly so no one would hear him call her by her first name, as she’d requested. “We’ve got a plan.”
She fanned her face. “Maybe you could’ve led with that.”
His lips quivered with amusement. “My apologies. The most important thing you need to do is approve a theme. I’ve taken the liberty of sending a list of ten possibilities to Lilia for your consideration. When you’ve had a chance to look them over, we can talk about next steps.”
“How do I say this delicately? I don’t care. Pick what you want. Do what you want. Tell me where I need to be for photos to take the credit, if that’s the process. You don’t want me anywhere near this. It’s not my thing.”
“Understood. I believe your sisters mentioned being interested in participating. Would you like me to reach out to them?”
“This isn’t a great time for them…” One was dealing with a rupture in her marriage, and the other was a recent widow about to have her third child. Sam loved them both so much that she carried the weight of those things along with them. The thought of even discussing White House Christmas decorations with either of them at this moment was borderline preposterous.
