Compromising Positions (19 page)

“Better for you or me?”

“Well, I bet Trish and Jeff would say for both of us.”

Politically, it made sense for me to be alone for a respectable amount of time after the divorce. That way, it wouldn’t appear that I was cavalier by jumping from woman to woman. Besides, I didn’t want Jessie looking like she was with some guy who behaved that way. Emotionally, it was heartbreaking to think of waiting around for an appropriate time to get the world’s approval. “They’d be right, but I don’t care.”

“I don’t really care either,” she said, with some relief. “I think we would get through it.”

“I know we’d get through it.”

Neither of us spoke for a moment as we held each other’s gaze. Then Jessie checked her watch. “It’s late.”

“It is, and we have a press conference first thing in the morning.”

“We do.”

As much as I hated losing a golden opportunity, I nodded toward Jeff. “Let Jeff take you home. I don’t need Trish pissed at me any more than she already is.”

Jessie smiled. “That’s smart thinking, but I told you she’s more pissed at me. And if she knew I literally threw myself at you...”

Making sure no one could hear, I leaned in close and whispered, “It’s not like I didn’t walk in there with every intention of kissing you and anything else I could get away with.”

Jessie’s eyes bugged out, but then she composed herself with a soft laugh. At first I thought she was going to ignore me. She turned to Jeff to say something about work, but while they talked about next week’s floor schedule, her hand sneaked up my thigh, giving it a good squeeze before she brushed against my junk.

I snorted in surprise, and she just turned to me and said in a whisper, “Oops.”

~~~

Early the next morning, I kept checking the time on my laptop’s clock, waiting for a semi-reasonable set of numbers to appear so I could call my dad. I figured I needed to at least wait until six Central Time before I could wake him. When the clock hit one minute after six, I dialed the house.

“Yes?” Mom answered in a hesitant voice. The family had caller ID on the house phone, but the timing of my call had to have confused her. “What is it Michael? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Mom. I’m just returning dad’s call from last night. I wanted to talk before my day got too crazy.”

“Oh, that’s right! He called you when you won your amendment. I’m sorry I didn’t get to see the debate, but he told me all about it. Congratulations, Son. That’s very impressive.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it. You know there’s no way it will become law, but it’s nice to win one.”

“I’m sure it is. Now, tell me…” she said, as the creak of her heirloom rocking chair could be heard through the phone. I curled my upper lip in annoyance at the sound. It meant she was settling into a long conversation, but I hadn’t called to talk to her. I wanted to talk business with Dad. “What Mom? I don’t have much time.”

“Just give me a second. I’ve been waiting to find out how you liked working with Jessica Clark.”

“It was good. She’s very effective.” It was stupid of me to think that would end mom’s snooping.

“Of course, she is, but how did you
like
being around her all the time?”

“Mom…” I rolled my eyes. “I know what you’re getting at, and all I’m only going to tell you that I enjoy her company.”

Her voice became sharp. “You realize that you’re still married in the eyes of the law and the church?”

“Of course.” My voice lowered into a mutter, “I’m painfully aware of that.”

“Good. I’m glad you remember.”

“But things will be different soon.”

“Well, yes… but you don’t want to jump into something.”

I rubbed the back of my neck as I considered what was obviously good advice. In my gut, though, I knew being with Jessie was a good thing, just as I knew in my gut, Stacy was a bad thing. Given the political ramifications and how much I liked Jessie, I decided to be honest. After a moment I said, “I don’t see it as just jumping into something.”

“Oh, Michael,” she said, in the voice she always reserved for pity. “Are you sure? You could get hurt as could your career. Isn’t it better to wait?”

That made me laugh. “She said the same thing just a few hours ago.”

“It’s reassuring she thinks that.”

“Can I talk to Dad now?”

“Oh, all right. You don’t want to tell me anymore. That’s fine.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

A minute later, Dad came on the line. “Congratulations, Michael.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“A win is always nice, but I was just as impressed with the debate on the amendment. You handled yourself very well.”

“It did go well, but I couldn’t have done it without Jessie.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to calm myself before I got to the real point of the phone call.

“So she got the White House to stand down?”

“She did.”

“Good for her. I hadn’t seen her speak until last night. She’s a great speaker.”

“She is.” I didn’t want to get trapped into talking about Jessie, but knew it was inevitable. I cleared my throat. “But Dad, I actually was calling to let you know I’m going to give in to Stacy.”

My father exhaled and released a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a groan. “I knew this was coming.”

“It’s time to move on.”

“If you hold out longer, you could get a better deal. You know that.”

“Of course, but I’m tired of this hanging around my neck.”

“I don’t like that you’re giving in to her, but I understand why you’re doing it.”

“Good. I’ll call Mark to draw up the papers for the settlement and then we’ll work up a media strategy when we give the settlement to the court. There will be a lot of press around that.”

“Okay.” Dad had waited a few seconds before his voice took on a concerned tone. “I overheard your conversation with your mother.”

“And?”

“I’m wondering how long you plan to wait to see someone else. After all, it’s going to take some time for the court to approve the settlement.”

“Six months. I know. And if Mom had it her way, I wouldn’t see anyone until the Vatican annulled my first marriage.”

“So will you wait?”

“Absolutely not. People don’t expect that anymore. The court approval is simply a formality, and the marriage annulment is something I’ll do for Mom—not because I believe in it.”

Dad chuckled. “So you’re really taken with this Jessica Clark? I’ll admit from what I’ve seen, I like her, even though she is a Democrat.”

I smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

“But Michael, if you’ve been exhausted by the media scrutiny from the divorce, just wait until the world finds out that you’re dating another member of Congress—before your divorce is finalized—and a Democrat to boot.”

My stomach churned at the thought of more media intrusion into my world. Now that I was in Congress, a public personal life was something I was going to live with. “That is something to consider, but I’m not going to worry about it right now.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Chuck

Later that morning, Chuck Benjamin shuffled through security at the new Capitol Visitor Center. The noisy crowds caused him to lower his head. He normally wouldn’t even be in the building, but he’d decided to drop in on the press conference being held by Congressman Grath and Congresswoman Clark. Because the television and radio studios were in the Visitor’s Center, Chuck was forced to mingle with hundreds of school children and gawking tourists in order to get to the right room.

It was also rare for Chuck to attend a press conference. He was a distinguished reporter who didn’t have to get his news en masse. Chuck was used to receiving information early and often, in privileged, private meetings with legislators and staff. But after his dinner with Michael and Jessie, he felt some friendship for them and wanted to see them bask in the glow of victory—no matter how meaningless the victory would ultimately be.

When he walked into the studio, the press conference had already begun, and the only available space was on the far side near the podium. Excusing himself as he navigated through other reporters to the open spot, he still kept his eyes on the speaker. Jessie was taking questions one after the other, giving perfectly canned answers.

Because of his short height, Chuck had a poor view when he reached the open area. He could only see the bodies on stage, but not their faces. Yet, as he stood there listening to their words, he studied their body language. It was then he noticed something no one else in the room did. Michael’s body movements and gestures interacted with Jessie as a man did with a woman he cared for. He never touched her, so it wasn’t obvious. Yet his hands and arms were always there, guiding her around the stage, gesturing if something needed to happen, and above all guarding her if someone came too close. Chuck studied Michael’s body language and Jessie’s positive response. She was never far from his side. Chuck mulled over the evidence which bolstered the circumstantial guess he had when they’d met the other night.
Is something going on between them?

Though he listened to the speakers, he couldn’t stop wondering if he was right, and when the press conference ended, he was disappointed that he still wasn’t sure. Like all reporters, there was a need to know, but what made him different was his ability to find the truth. Journalism was a career that defied the adage that hard work always paid off, because no matter how hard a reporter worked, the journalist still needed to be in the right place at the right time. In the end, even after a reporter had prepared himself, success only occurred by luck.

That day, fortune smiled on him because his shoelaces were often untied. A stray lace caught his eye as he started to leave the room. After he had kneeled down to tie the shoe, he lucked out. He alone had an awkward view of the stage, and he alone saw the conclusive evidence.

Hidden from sight of everyone else in the crowd, and for only a moment, Michael clutched Jessie’s left hand with a confirming squeeze. Jessie responded by grazing her right hand over their clasp. They immediately dropped their hands and moved off the stage.

Chuck slowly stood up and watched them exit the side door at the back of the room. Enjoying the moment of confidence he always had when he guessed correctly, he smiled. He meant Jessie and Michael no harm. Their secret was safe with him, but as with every bit of information he discovered in his work, he knew it would prove useful one day.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jessie

A few days later, I heard a knock on my back door. Checking the kitchen clock, I noticed it was a little after six, but the time really didn’t matter. I’d accept a visit from Trish whatever the hour, and it wasn’t unheard of that our first meeting of the day took place at my tiny kitchen table. Severus looked up from his morning meal and meowed. It was just a reminder not to forget about him.

“Morning.” I said as I ushered Trish in and Severus out. “How are you?”

“He’s divorced.” She strode in, cell phone in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other.

“Excuse me?” Though I understood who the “he” was, I was surprised Trish knew anything.

“I just read it on a gossip site.” Trish took a seat and stretched out her long legs, clad in running tights. Her face was still flushed from her daily jog.

My first thought was disbelief “That can’t be. How would they know?” I asked, closing the door. I joined Trish at the table and pushed aside my cereal in which I’d lost all interest. “Michael would’ve told me if he’d settled the divorce.”

“Maybe.” Trish took a sip of coffee. “Maybe not. It’s kind of an awkward conversation, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. We’ve talked about it before.” I always expected I’d hear the news from Michael himself. Since our make out session on the sofa, we talked all the time. It was usually during the day and generally a simple “hello” text or pinging the other with a joke. At night, though, the phone calls were long, lasting deep into the night. We told stories, teased each other, and occasionally got a little hot and bothered. Because Larry had invited him over on the weekend, it seemed as though we already had a date planned. I shook my head. “It just seems weird to me. We talk all the time.”

Why wouldn’t he mention it to me?

“Maybe it’s the money.”

“What do you mean?”

“The story says the divorce settlement is around $20 million. That’s a lot of money for only four years of marriage. I mean—the Graths are rich, but $20 million? Wow.”

“Well, she’d been asking for $40 million.”

“Which is a preposterous amount, and the story says he was only offering $4 million.”

I had to do the math for a moment to bring the numbers down to ones I could comprehend. If someone demanded $4,000 from me, but I only offered $400, and I ended up giving that person $2,500, it was hardly a good bargain on my part. “Why? Why would he give in like that?”

“He obviously wants a quick divorce settlement rather than money.” Trish smiled. “Or should I say someone wants you more than money.”

“Oh.” I tried to hide my smile by covering my mouth. “You think that’s possible?”

“Yes,” she answered, with a knowing look. “Especially after what I saw on the couch the other night.”

“I’m not sure…” It was a silly thing to say since Trish’s logic made perfect sense.

“And
that
is the reason why he didn’t tell you first,” Trish said, crossing her arms as if she’d solved a puzzle. “He’d have to explain his undying love for you in the context of his divorce. Who wants to have
that
conversation?”

Love was supposed to take a lot longer, right? My last significant relationship had taken a full year before we said “I love you.” The relationship lasted only two years after that. So maybe the length of time before you fall in love wasn’t a very good indication of relationship success.

“We’re hardly at the love stage,” I said, trying to throw up a stupid smokescreen. I was falling for the guy and hard, but was it premature? The only concrete prediction I could make was based on intuition. The tingling feeling I got around Michael and the sense of unstoppable joy told me love was definitely coming, at least for me. With his divorce, it might take him years to want to be with another woman.