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The audience laughed.
“Not everyone gets to surprise the president.” Jameson looked at Candace and then back to the crowd. “I think the song speaks to more than how much I love her. It reflects how much you love her too. And, while I may be biased,” Jameson offered a glance to the band. She looked at Candace and smiled. “I think we’ve all been searching for someone exactly like you.”
On cue the band started to play a familiar Van Morrison tune; one that Jameson had often played in the background while she and Candace sat in front of the fireplace dining on chicken wings and wonton soup. She turned and pulled Candace close.
Candace shook her head and smiled as Jameson turned her on the dance floor. She could hear the applause in the background. Nothing at the moment mattered to her except Jameson and the lyrics that carried to her ears. She loved to dance with Jameson.
Jameson’s cheek pressed to Candace’s as they swayed together on the stage. “I love you.”
Candace breathed Jameson in. She pulled back slightly to look at Jameson. Her eyes sparkled with love and admiration. She couldn’t recall a president kissing his wife on the dance floor. She grinned mischievously. She wasn’t a he. Candace often thought the world could stand to see more kissing and less killing. Her hand reached for Jameson’s cheek. “I love you too,” she promised. Her lips met Jameson’s softly in a tentative yet loving kiss.
“Holy shit!” Michelle started to laugh. “Can’t say I recall seeing that before.”
“I think people had better start expecting the unexpected,” Marianne commented.
“Safe bet,” Pearl chimed.
The hall filled with the sound of whistles and whoops.
Candace giggled. She wiped a familiar smudge of red from the corner of Jameson’s mouth.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Jameson whispered.
“A little more kissing in this world couldn’t hurt.”
“I’ll remember you said that when we get home.”
“I’m sure you will,” Candace said as the music finished. She waved to the hall again. She turned and waved to their family.
Cooper’s eyes were pleading. Candace beckoned him over. He sprinted for his parents. The band played an upbeat tune and Jameson lifted Cooper. Candace kissed his cheek, leaving a smudge. Jameson set him back down and Candace began to dance with him.
The crowd offered its approval.
“You weren’t kidding,” Michelle said to Marianne. “They’re nuts,” she laughed.
Jameson couldn’t stop herself, she laughed.
“Is my dancing that bad?” Candace asked.
Jameson took Cooper’s other hand and leaned into Candace’s ear. “No, I was just thinking there is no one better to run the greatest asylum on earth.”
“Lunatic,” Candace said.
“First Lunatic, Madame President.”
“No,” Cooper said. “She’s just Mommy.”
Candace laughed. She bent down and kissed Cooper. “That’s exactly right, Cooper.” She looked back at Jameson. “Don’t ever let me forget that.”
“You won’t,” Jameson said.
The pair turned with Cooper between them and waved goodbye.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Can I go with you and Momma?”
Candace looked at Jameson. Jameson shrugged. “You can go to one more,” Candace said.
“With you?”
Candace nodded. “With us.”
Jameson laughed. “Sucker,” she whispered.
“I promised my presidency would be about family. Seems like a good way to start.”
“Tongues will be wagging later,” Jameson said as they stepped backstage.
Candace stopped, kissed Jameson gently and let her lips hover next to Jameson’s ear. “I certainly hope so.”
Jameson swallowed hard. She laughed when Candace winked at her. “All Hail the Chief,” she said.
Candace joined in the laughter. “Don’t you forget it.”
The End
To Be Continued In
SITUATION ROOM