The Reluctant First Lady (25 page)

34

Ashley turned the television off and turned toward her secretaries. “Okay, what did you think? Intelligent conversation, mediocre chattering, or dead woman talking? Don’t forget; I can tell when you’re lying.”

Mavis and Kathy laughed. “What did you think, Kathy?” Mavis asked.

“I’d give it a ten on a scale of one to ten. I thought it was great. Your opinion, Mavis?”

“Is ‘great’ going to be satisfactory enough for you?” Mavis asked Ashley.

“Define ‘great,’” Ashley shot back.

“Well, Miss Neurotic, you need to remember there was nothing new for Kathy and me. We’ve worked with you for a long time,” Mavis said.

“Humph . . . you’re just covering because you think I bombed, right?”

Kathy shook her head.

“What I want to know is how you think I came across to people who don’t know me?”

“It was a wonderful interview. You looked relaxed, and you and Oprah had good rapport. You had a chance in a more casual setting to say what was on your mind. What more did you want? If you wanted everyone all of sudden to understand and accept your decision not to step into the role of the First Lady, I think you aimed too high,” Mavis responded.

Behind them, phones began ringing.

Before turning to answer the phone, Kathy said, “I think you accomplished what you meant to do. I think you struck just the right note.”

Mavis interrupted, “Sienna is on line one. Shall I tell her you’re too busy to talk right now because you’re having a nervous breakdown?”

Ashley squinted and shot Mavis an appraising look. Then she said jokingly, “You do remember I’m the one who does your evaluations, don’t you? Yes, for Pete’s sake, put her through to my office. And, thanks, you guys. I don’t know what I’d do without your overwhelming verbal assessments.”

Ashley picked up her office phone. “Hi there.”

“I know you’re sitting at work fretting about how you thought the interview went and are probably driving Mavis and Kathy crazy with your questions. Admit it. You’re analyzing every little detail of your conversation with Oprah. So I called to put your fears to rest. It was wonderful. It was exactly right.”

“I thought it went pretty well when we taped it, but I guess I was hoping all of America would say, ‘Gee, now I understand why that poor woman made the decision she did, and if I were in her shoes, I’d do the same thing.’ I suppose you think that’s a little too much to hope for?”

“What? You, unrealistic? Absolutely not. Never you. Give me a break. I’ve been watching the polls; little by little people are beginning to see it really doesn’t make any difference that you’re not officially in the role of the First Lady. What more could you want?”

“I suppose I should be satisfied with that. I think eventually people will see that the role of the First Lady isn’t a necessity but that its true value lies in its tradition. Some presidents’ wives will want to be part of that tradition and others won’t.

“How are all of you? It looks like California is already getting some warm weather.”

“We’re so used to it being nice, we hardly notice the weather. Unless, of course, it turns nasty; then we wonder what we did to offend the gods. We’re going rafting this weekend.”

“Michael will be envious when he hears that. I wonder how that would work with all of the security around him. Listen, I’ll need to call you back later to catch up. We’re being inundated with calls, and Kathy just put a note on my desk saying Michael’s on another line. I’ll give you a call in the next couple of days. We need to talk about when we can get together again.”

“I agree. Tell Michael hi for me.”

“Will do. Love you.”

Ashley immediately punched the button for another line. “Good morning, Mr. President, and to what do I owe the honor of this call?’

“Hi, honey. A few of us just watched your interview, and I wanted to tell you how well we thought it went. Congratulations. If you continue to come across so charmingly, you’re going to win over the entire nation.”

“Fat chance, but I’m glad you thought it went well. How are things in your neck of the woods? I’m sure you have more important things to do than watch me on television.”

“Oh, I don’t know; the programming was pretty interesting today. However, to answer your question, I’m booked solid with meetings as usual; I hardly have time to breathe. I wish you were here. By the way, this coming Saturday there’s a state dinner at the French Embassy. Any chance you can make it?”

“I’m sorry, Michael, I wish I could. This weekend is the New York Council for the Arts function. I’ve already said I’d attend. Robert can’t go, and we both felt strongly that the museum should be represented. Maybe I can make it to something else in the future. Why don’t you have Georgia send me a copy of some of the dates of your upcoming events, and I’ll see what I might be able to attend in the future.”

“I’ll do that, but you realize Paula will be going. I’m only mentioning it because it could make the news, and she’ll be attending as the official White House hostess. I don’t want you to get upset or make more of it than it is. Remember, these kinds of events are part of her job. I’d much rather have you there; you know that, don’t you?”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind while I’m seething. I know this is the reason you created the director of protocol position, but I still think Paula is out for a position much higher on the ladder, like becoming your wife. Be careful. Whether you recognize it or not, she’s as dangerous to you as you claim Geoffrey Carruthers is to me. Please try and trust my instincts about this.”

“Warning noted. Again, I wish you could be there.”

“Me too. I’d love to come for a visit. Check to see how next weekend looks. I could make a trip to Washington, if you’re not too busy.”

“I’ll do that. I need to go; I’m already running behind schedule. Just wanted to touch base and let you know I thought the interview went very well. I’ll be in touch. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Ashley felt lonely the minute she got off the phone. Mavis, who was on another line, held up a finger indicating to wait before leaving the area. After hanging up, she said, “We’re being swamped by calls. Between the two of us, we have about thirty or so.”

“Just put the messages on my desk. I want to walk around the museum and when I get back, I’ll start returning calls. Sorry for the telephone overload. I know it’s cutting into your workday. If there’s anything else I can do to give you some relief, let me know.”

“That would be two lattes, a raise, and three months off in the summer. Is there anything you can think of, Kathy?” Mavis asked.

“Nope, that pretty much sums it up. Oh, yeah, and we’d like secretaries of our own.”

Ashley laughed as she left the office and went about her day. She made a mental note to order flowers for her secretaries when she got back to the office.

One of her favorite things to do as she started her day was to walk around the museum to see how visitors responded to the various art collections. As she passed from one corridor and gallery to another, she reflected on her interview with Oprah. It was true what she’d said; life comes at you in unexpected ways. Ashley reflected on her and Michael’s early beginnings and how their one true beacon had always been their love for one another and their family. Yet, here they were, all living in separate cities, sort of an umbrella of love with the spokes all pointing in different directions.

Ashley knew what she had to do, but it would take some planning, some manipulation, and a good bit of luck. She needed some time to think and plan, and unfortunately that might involve putting stress on others she loved temporarily.

Once she returned to her office, she couldn’t believe the pile of messages that had accumulated on her desk. It was going to take days to return all of these calls. She separated the messages into two piles—ones she would handle personally, and another pile for Max to answer. Unfortunately her stack of messages was twice as big as his.

Ashley spent the rest of the morning returning phone calls and doing the necessary follow-up. So far, she’d avoided returning Geoffrey’s call; still, she knew she couldn’t ignore it forever. The man had just established a sizable endowment for the museum. That put him in the unique position of getting preferential treatment.

She didn’t know why she kept avoiding calling him back except she was more wary of him now ever since Michael had made such a big deal out of his behavior. She still heard Michael’s warnings in her head, and he’d planted a seed of doubt where Geoffrey was concerned. Could she really be that blind to a man’s intentions? He’d never been inappropriate around her. She knew Michael could be blindsided by the female population, but could she be equally naïve about men? She just prayed the conversation between Michael and Geoffrey wouldn’t come up.

She dialed Geoffrey’s number. His secretary answered. “Good morning, Mr. Carruthers’s office.”

“Hi, Mrs. Peters. It’s Ashley Taylor. I’m returning a call from Mr. Carruthers. Is he available?”

“He’s in a meeting right now, Mrs. Taylor. Even so, let me tell him you’re on the line. “Would you hold for a moment, please?”

“No problem,” Ashley responded. What she really hoped was that Geoffrey was too busy to take the call. She’d rather avoid having to speak with him directly. It would be enough for him to know she had returned his call.

Ashley heard the line click. “Thank you for waiting, Mrs. Taylor. Mr. Carruthers asked if you could hold for just a moment while he wraps up his meeting. Will you please hold?”

“I can hold for a couple of minutes, but then I have to go. Please let Mr. Carruthers know that, in case our call is disconnected.”

“I most certainly will. I’m sure he’ll be with you as fast as he can.”

Ashley decided to hold for three minutes, no longer. She was already behind in her work. At least she’d made an attempt to return his phone call. Just about the time she was ready to hang up, Geoffrey came on the line.

“Glad you called. I saw your interview with Oprah this morning; it was terrific. You’re determined to whittle away at public opinion, aren’t you?”

“Oprah made things easy for me, so any congratulations need to go to her. I doubt seriously if I’ll have any effect on public opinion. At any rate, I’m sure you didn’t call to comment on my interview. What can I do for you?”

“You’re always all business, nose to the grindstone and all that. Okay, then I’ll get right to it. In addition to congratulating you on the interview, I was calling about business. When you and I had lunch, I mentioned hosting an open house to raise additional funding for the museum. Are you still in favor of the idea?”

How could she possibly say no? It was her job to secure financial support for the museum, and Geoffrey was dropping a rare opportunity right into her lap. She had to accept his gracious offer. To refuse would be folly.

“Of course, I am. What did you have in mind?”

“I thought perhaps to kick off the summer in high style, we could have an open house at my home in the Hamptons. Some of my most valuable pieces of art are there; I’d love to show them to you. I’ll send out invitations making clear the purpose of the event. You should reap a significant return to the museum.”

“Geoffrey, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer. I do. Even so, I’m still unclear as to why you would do this for me.”

“I thought we went over this ground at the luncheon. Don’t tell me the wine affected your memory?”

Irritated, Ashley responded, “Of course, it didn’t. I recall what you said. Just the same, for some reason your being such a good Samaritan doesn’t really match the bad-boy image you portray so well in public.”

“Bad-boy image? Certainly, you of all people don’t believe everything you read in the press? As I said, I like to encourage talent where I see it. Ashley, as much as you hate to admit it, you draw people to you simply because you’re married to the president and because you rejected the position of the First Lady. I realize you don’t like hearing that, and I can almost hear your feathers ruffling. Even so, you know what I’m saying is true.”

Annoyed but determined to hide it, Ashley responded, “Yes, I suppose you’re right sans the ruffling feathers. Robert and I will both try to attend the event together. In fact, I’ll call him and make arrangements for the two of us to be there. Have you selected a date?”

Geoffrey hadn’t expected her to go to such lengths to avoid being alone with him; he’d underestimated her. That wouldn’t happen again.

“How’s June twelfth?”

“I’ll call Robert right now and see if that works for him. He’ll get back to you with a confirmation. On behalf of the Cameron Museum of Art, I want to thank you. We greatly appreciate your efforts on our behalf.”

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t want to. I think you know that. I’ll be in touch.”

After they hung up, Geoffrey leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head to think. He had to play this just right. On one hand, she was a strong-willed and determined businesswoman, but on the other hand, she was rather skittish. She was definitely an enigma.

No one had interested him this much in a long time. In spite of that, he knew he was playing with fire. The president had already paid a visit warning him to stay away from his wife. He didn’t like being told what to do, and he never passed up a challenge. Yes, this was definitely a dangerous undertaking.

Ashley immediately called Robert. She was anxious to let him know what Geoffrey Carruthers was planning and hoped he would be able to make it to the open house.

Ashley started humming a Lady Gaga tune that was stuck in her brain while she waited for Robert to come on the line. She didn’t want to attend the open house without him. She would have her Secret Service agents with her; still, she wanted Robert as a further barrier between her and Mr. Carruthers. With the money for the museum at stake, it was her job to be the gracious recipient of goodwill and to finesse sloppy drunks and frisky benefactors.

Robert’s voice suddenly boomed in her ear. “I was just about to call you. I thought your interview went extremely well. Congratulations. But I had another reason for calling. Have you heard about Ted, by any chance?”