by D J Small
Val got into the cart and argued, “I can’t decline the invitation.”
“Then I suggest you practice more,” Summer said after she climbed into the cart beside her.
As they made their way to the green, Val said, “I had an idea this morning. You could move into one of the presidential town houses.”
“Twelve hours later and I see you’re still thinking about this,” Summer said with a smile.
Val chuckled. “You can’t blame me. I only want what’s best for you while maintaining both of our privacy.”
Summer nodded. “And while I appreciate it, I’ve told you it is too much. I’m going to stay in my apartment.”
Val wouldn’t give up the fight, but she would put a pin in the topic and bring it up later since she wouldn’t be able to change Summer’s mind at this moment. “Okay, I will leave it alone. For now.” Summer shook her head, and the two of them shared a chuckle. They both knew she would bring it up again before the day was over.
Chapter Nineteen
Summer sat on the towel-covered toilet lid and started drying off from her shower. The tepid shower had been greatly needed after spending most of the day on the golf course under the hot sun. Depending on what she did next, she would probably take another one later.
Right now, Summer needed to do something simulating after spending a long boring day on the golf course. It had only been remotely bearable because of Val. The two of them had run into each other a number of times throughout the day, and each time Summer had been genuinely happy to see her.
Summer put on her robe and tied it shut, then reached for her crutches. As she got them situated someone knocked on her room door. A low growl came from her as she made her way out of the bathroom. She had wanted to spend some time alone. Being around people for most of the day had drained her, and if she were being truthful she didn’t have the mental stamina to be in the company of others.
Despite her calm demeanor during the tournament, Summer had been a nervous wreck during it and had spent a lot of her energy just trying to keep her anxiety in check. She sighed as she approached the door to her suite and hoped Kareem would be putting her on anxiety medication soon. It would be nice to not have to worry about it all the time.
Summer opened the door, and when she saw who it was, she blew out an annoyed breath. “What do you want?”
Her mom gave her a pleasant smile and replied, “I thought the three of us could have dinner together.” Summer moved to let her parents into the room. “And, please, lose the attitude.”
Summer scowled at her back and closed the door. “As much as I would like to join you two for dinner, I do have plans for the evening.”
Her dad chuckled. “Beating up Secret Service agents is not having plans, sweetheart.”
The idea hadn’t crossed Summer’s mind, but going a few rounds with one of the agents now seemed like a marvelous idea. However, her parents would force her to have dinner with them at some point during the weekend, so it was better to get it out of the way now. Summer blew out a breath. “Let me get dressed and we can head out.”
“Do put on something presentable,” her mom shouted as she began to head into the bedroom.
Summer had half a mind to put on gym shorts and a tank top in defiance, but she fought against it. Instead she put on a nice pair of black slacks, and a sleeveless cerulean button-up. When she was done getting dressed, the three of them left her room and headed down to the hotel lobby. When they walked by the hotel’s restaurant she asked, “Are we not eating there?”
Matt smiled at her. “No, we found an excellent restaurant in town and thought we’d give it a try.”
Summer rolled her eyes. Both of her parents were food adventurists, and perhaps it was her military background, but she honestly didn’t care about food as long as it tasted decent and filled her up. The fact they were going to a restaurant in the small town the resort was located near meant the Secret Service agents covering her were going draw attention, which was the opposite of their job. The three of them got into an idling SUV and left the hotel.
“Your father told me you and Val seemed to be doing better,” her mom remarked, and Summer scowled at both of her parents. Talking about her and Val would not be on the agenda tonight. They could talk about everything else under the sun except for that. Taking her silence for what it was, her mother hummed. “I see we won’t be broaching that subject tonight.”
“We will never broach that subject, mother,” Summer countered sharply.
“Summer, we’re happy the two of you are getting along again,” her dad said with a soft smile. “You two were good toget—”
“Oh, stop it,” Summer interjected, already done with the conversation. “She and I have come to an amicable place, and that is it. There is nothing else to it.”
Her parents glanced at one another before looking back at her. Summer sighed and stared out of the window. This was going to be a long dinner. They got to the restaurant twenty minutes later, and the first thing Summer noticed when she got out of the SUV were the Secret Service agents.
There seemed to be more than usual, but remembered there were several former presidents in town along with the current one, so the number of Secret Service agents would be higher than normal, especially if they were all at the same restaurant.
Summer and her parents entered the establishment, and the host showed them to their table. As they approached a part of the restaurant that was sectioned off, Summer saw Val and her parents sitting at one of the tables, and when the young woman led them to it, Summer began to scowl. “What the hell kind of set up is this?” Summer asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Mrs. Hawkins smiled at her. “There is no set up, it’s friends having dinner together.”
Val expelled an aggravated breath. “No, it looks like my parents and former in-laws are forcing me and my ex-wife to have dinner together.”
Rebecca laughed lightly. “Oh, dear, we would need several glasses of wine before tackling that topic.”
“It doesn’t need tackling, Becky.” Summer reluctantly sat down at the table, because it was obvious nobody cared about what she wanted.
“I think we do need to address why Summer has become a frequent visitor at the White House,” Ken said. “What is going on?”
Val set her wine glass down after taking a sip and said, “It doesn’t matter why Summer is there. That is our business and no one else’s.”
“But it is peculiar, Valarie,” Cassandra pointed out. Summer groaned in her head. This wasn’t dinner; it was an ambush. The last time one of those happened, the two of them had ended up planning a wedding. Summer grunted quietly to herself. That would not be happening again, not on her watch.
“Mom…” Summer warned.
Cassandra sighed. “I’m just saying it’s weird. For the last two years you’ve avoided not just the White House, but D.C. altogether, then all of a sudden, you’re seen at the White House almost every day, and that was after you announced the foundation would be opening an office in D.C.” She paused, and Summer saw where the evidence was damning for her and Val, but she wouldn’t admit to anything. Her mom continued. “I have to say, if I were someone from the press I would speculate your frequent visits was some attempt at reconciliation.”
Before Summer could lose it, Val responded first. “There is no reconciliation between Summer and I,” she stated in a direct tone. “She has one of the sharpest minds I know, and we know each other well enough to know what the other is thinking. This allows us to have unguarded conversations, making it easy for me to use her as a sounding board. Summer has become my unofficial advisor, and that is all. We are merely friends.”
Their parents stared at Val before their gazes turned to Summer who nodded in agreement. “She’s right.”
A lump formed in her throat, and it perplexed her, but what bothered Summer more was the unsettling feeling she got when Val said they were only friends. She took a drink from her glass of water and
sighed. This dinner would be nothing short of a disaster.
During dinner, Summer couldn’t keep her eyes off Val, no matter how much she tried. She hadn’t been able to shake the disquiet that had taken hold of her when Val called her just a friend. It ate at her in tiny little bites, and though it shouldn’t have, it bothered her. “I think I’m going to head back to the hotel. I’m tired and it has been a long day,” Summer announced as she placed her napkin on her plate.
Val glanced at her, and concern eclipsed her face for a brief second before she hid it. Summer gave her the barest of smiles.
“Summer, you should stay a little longer,” Becky said. “I would love to hear about your new programs at the foundation.”
Summer smiled at her and said, “Perhaps tomorrow night, Becky. I really am tired.”
Becky nodded. “Of course, if you must go.”
After saying her goodbyes, Summer left the restaurant and went back to the hotel. The dinner had been several different versions of bizarre, but her reaction to Val still bothered her, and it was the only thing she could think about the entire ride back to the hotel. Once there, she went up to her room and changed into her gym clothes, then went down to the resort’s gym.
When she entered the massive room, she saw Addison and her boyfriend Calvin running on the treadmills. Summer walked over to the treadmill on the other side of Addison. “I see Operation Reconciliation failed miserably,” she commented as Summer programmed the machine.
She pinned her down with an irritated glare. “You knew about that?”
Addison smirked. “I sort of had a hand in it, since I handle the president’s schedule.” Summer shook her head in disbelief, and Addison began to explain the reason why she was behind such an asinine idea. “I know you and Val aren’t happy with the intrusion, but things have changed between the two of you these last few months. We all care greatly about the both of you and want to see you back together.”
“Val is going to kill you when she finds out about this,” Summer said as she started to run on the treadmill. “A few months doesn’t change anything, Addison.”
“It doesn’t, but the two of you don’t seem as wounded as you used to be.” She chuckled. “I know there is a lot you two need to work out, but it’s you and Val. You two belong together.”
Summer drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out as she thought about what Addison had said. Everything about the statement went against what she knew, and what Summer knew told her she wasn’t good enough for Val, but at the same time there was her response to Val calling her a friend.
Summer shook her head, still not understanding where the reaction had come from. She blew out a breath and increased the speed of the treadmill, hoping it would help her run away from the troublesome thoughts wanting to take her asunder.
~~~
The Secret Service agent let Val into Summer’s room and she gave him a small smile in appreciation. As she crossed the large sitting room of the suite she hoped Summer wasn’t having another bad night. She was certain the ambush dinner would have had an effect on her. Val slowly opened the bedroom door, and as she crept into the room, Summer said, “I’m not asleep.”
Val closed the door behind her and asked, “Are you okay?”
She heard Summer sigh. “Yeah, maybe.” Another drawn out breath filled the room. “I’m up because of insomnia, but my anxiety is the reason for the insomnia.”
Val carefully crossed the dark room and made her way closer to the bed. “You’re not taking anything for your anxiety?”
“Not yet. With me just starting the anti-depressants my doctors want to see how they affect me before prescribing another drug.” Summer fell silent “What are you doing in here?”
Val sat down on the edge of the bed and replied, “I wanted to make sure you got a decent night of sleep, so I thought I would sneak in to check on you. When we get back to D.C. I also plan to come to your apartment once I’m done for the day.” She chuckled. “It might be hell for me, but I don’t like the thought of you suffering alone.”
Summer suddenly shifted on the bed, and Val wondered what she was doing. The side table lamp came on and Summer said firmly, “You can’t do this. It’s too much for me.”
“What’s too much for you?”
“This!” Summer exclaimed while waving her hand between the two of them. “Everyone is expecting something from me, and I can’t deal with it.” She ran her hand through her hair and looked down at the comforter. “When I decided to help you get through the Middle East conflict, it was because I wanted to keep you sane during it, but I can’t keep doing this if people are expecting something to happen, especially if you’re one of them.”
“Summer, I told you I had no expectations.” Val connected the dots and sighed. “This is about dinner, isn’t it?”
Summer pressed her lips together and nodded. “And Addison.”
Val couldn’t stop the scowl from forming on her face. Of course Addison had had a hand in the ambush dinner. She knew Addison had been involved somehow, but hadn’t been sure about it, and now she knew. “I’m going to hurt her.”
“It’s no big deal. She has her reasons, they all do,” Summer remarked, waving off the threat.
“Screw their reasons. They’re causing your anxiety to worsen by putting unnecessary pressure on you,” Val countered sharply. Their meddlesome friends and family were doing more harm than good in her opinion. “Summer, we talked about this last night,” she said softly. “I’m more focused on you getting help and becoming stable than I am about our relationship.” Val paused and bit the inside of her lip as she tried to figure out how to word the question she wanted to ask. There was no good way to say it. “Do you have expectations?”
“I don’t know,” Summer admitted quietly.
Val sighed and said, “You know where I stand.” There was more she wanted to say, and it seemed like there was no time like the present. “I made a mistake when I said I have no expectations. I do have one.” Summer looked at her, and Val saw the apprehension shining in her eyes. She forced herself to tell Summer the painful, but truthful, admission. “I do expect the inevitable heartbreak which will come from all of this.”
Summer opened her mouth to argue, but Val held up hand and shook her head. “Let me finish, and listen to what I say.” She took a moment to organize her thoughts then released a soft breath. “It won’t be your fault. I will have only my damn self to blame for it.” The corners of her mouth turned up in a sad smile. “It’s inevitable we’re going to fall into something which will resemble what is normal for us because of who we are, but eventually you’re going to get stable, and when it happens, you’re going to find out what you truly want.”
Val swallowed down the emotion that caused her throat to tighten and prevented her from continuing. “And you might end up leaving me altogether.” She shrugged. “It’s our reality, and I’ve accepted it, but I want to rebuild everything between us because I want to be your friend. I don’t know how to stop caring about you, Summer, and these last few years have killed me because I didn’t know how you were or if you needed my help, but if I can’t be your wife, I’ll be your friend.”
Summer drew in a breath in preparation to say something, but she only exhaled. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
“I know you don’t,” Val murmured. “But like I said, it won’t be your fault. It’ll be mine, and I will be more than okay with it if it means I get to have you back in my life, if only as a friend.”
Summer brought her leg up and wrapped her arm around it as she rested her cheek on her knee. “I could use a friend.”
Val scooted closer to her and nudged her shoulder with her own. “Of course you do.” She chuckled. “You either insulted all your former friends or cut them off.” Summer rolled her eyes and Val chuckled harder as she wrapped her arm around her waist. “You ready to go to sleep?”
Summer shook her head. “How are things in the Middle East?”
Val
blew out a slow breath and gave Summer a quick squeeze before moving to sit back against the headboard. “I can’t tell you that,” Val said as she crossed her legs.
Summer moved back to sit next to her. “I still have my security clearance,” she said with a grin.
Val rolled her eyes and muttered, “I should have gotten it revoked.”
The comment made Summer laugh. “Good thing you don’t have any control over that.”
“I will find a way to get rid of your clearance,” Val threatened half-heartedly. She sighed. “I have yet to hear back from the Alliance, but I gave them until the end of next week to let me know their decision on needing additional support and what they were going to do to find those bodies. I may have also threatened them.”
“Valarie…” Summer admonished.
“Oh, do not give me that tone. You would have done the same thing,” Val argued. “I dropped a bomb on the Security Council.”
“What did you do?”
Val scoffed. “I told them I wanted Nasir and Hasem out of power.” Summer groaned, and Val said, “There is enough evidence available to show they have connections to the insurgents and should not be in power.”
Summer shook her head. “You know Western countries have no say about the leadership in the Middle East. The Alliance was created for a reason.”
“I know it was, but this is something that needs to be discussed.” Val jabbed her finger into the mattress as she said. “We cannot continue to be their allies if they’re going to stand by and do nothing about the insurgents. I know their concerns lie with denuclearization, but this is something that needs to happen.”
Summer grunted and remarked, “They should have handled the rebels before bothering with the nukes.” She held up her hands. “But then again, I am not a politician.”
“Iraq had some reservations about reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the country,” Val said, and she couldn’t help to be irritated. “We should have looked into Nasir and Hasem as soon as they started being difficult.”