Page 18 of The Devil Goes to Washington

“They’ll all be doing the same thing. Besides, you met half of them last night. They can be fairly primitive when they drink.”

“You’re telling me!” Evelyn shivered at the recollection.

“So about the dress, what are you thinking?”

“It’s the French Ambassador, so it has to be fashion-forward, but conservative enough that a royal would wear it. I’ll work on some sketches and see what develops.”

“Mr. Banner! How may I help you?” Evelyn asked when they were interrupted by a knock at the open door.

“Good afternoon, Madam. You have been here for about a month, yes?”

“Yes.”

“And you and Micah are content? You have everything you need?”

“We are exceedingly well. How could we possibly need anything with how well you and the rest of the staff care for us?”

“I am gratified. Um . . . the cook found a box of children’s things in the basement. We thought Micah might like some of the items.”

“That is very sweet, but we really couldn’t overstep like that. It is part of the Harding legacy and should be cared for as such. But thank you for thinking of us.”

“Certainly. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do for you.”

“Actually...I could use some help from you and Meghan. I need to coordinate a dinner for Micah with Michael.”

“Michael doesn’t normally eat with you?” Meghan sounded surprised.

“He’s been busy.”

“Sure. Did you forget that I keep his schedule too?”

“I don’t know what he normally does for dinner, but he agreed to this meal. Now I need him to show up.”

“On it.”

“How would you like me to help, Madam?”

“Once Meghan has the date, please ask Cora to make Michael’s favorites. Nothing fancy. It could be grilled cheese. Just as long as he is there to get to know Micah.”

“ALRIGHT, I THINK WE’RE all here. I see Ethan, Blake, Heath, and you, Michael. Is Meghan there with you?” Sabrina spoke louder than necessary, staring out of one of the four squares on his computer screen. He disliked video calls, but they were more tolerable than everyone crowding into a meeting room after fighting DC traffic.

“Yes, I’m here,” Meghan called out instead of letting Michael answer. It was unusual for her. Bolder than she used to be. Her style of dress had also changed to a more tailored fit. She must have a new man in her life, it was the only logical reason.

“The pics from last night were outstanding. Especially the one of you two dancing alone in the hallway. That was hot!” The assessment from Ethan made Michael choke on his sip of water, thinking about what was actually happening at that moment.

“Reports are that Evelyn made a great impression,” Blake noted, reading from the notes on his desk

“Yeah, she really got around.” Heath snickered.

Was that what he had sounded like to Evelyn? The stony silence on the ride home gave him time to admit that he had failed in basic human decency. He hoped she accepted his apology, a rare occurrence, with the sincerity it was meant.

“Uh, did something happen that we need to know about?” Sabrina was always ready to address any problems, it’s what made her so good at her job.

“Evelyn said there were some legislators who were drinking heavily and got closer than was comfortable.” Meghan offered an answer, staring Michael down.

“She handled it without issue,” Michael added. While Meghan seemed to know more about what happened, there wasn’t a need to discuss it with everyone.

“By the way, that dress was a great choice. Seems so many people want one like it, they crashed the designer’s website.” Ever the artist, Ethan tended to focus on the visuals. Meghan’s glare intensified with what felt like an ‘I told you so.’