“You’re right about the income. So, how are you?”
“Fine. I want to pass on the news I heard late today from Paul, because I thought your friend in Congress would want to know. He and Trevor went over a position paper about USNet changing its position to conform with the new law, and Paul told me that Trevor is really behind it.”
“Great!”
“Yes. So maybe he and President Harper will have their meeting in Moscow, and Callie will have to get out of the business. Wouldn’t that be great? It would be such a load off me.”
“Yes. That would be wonderful. I hope it happens soon. And how are you? Still busy?”
“As ever.”
“Oh. Wait a minute. It’s my other line.” She depressed the button on her phone. “Hello.”
“Kristen? Hi. It’s Callie.”
“Callie! It’s so good to hear you. Let me clear the other line. Just a minute.” She pushed the button again. “David? It’s Callie. What timing. Let me talk with her. Can I call you back?”
“Uh, no. Let me call you tomorrow.”
“OK. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll pass it along to Janet Sullivan.”
“Good. And let me know how Callie’s doing.”
“Will do.” She clicked to switch to the second line again. “Callie? Hey, how are you?”
“Oh, I’m good. How are you? Did you enjoy San Francisco?”
“Yes. It was great.” Kristen shifted on the couch to get more comfortable and muted the television. “I actually stayed a little longer than I planned. I love that place.”
“I went there earlier this year. Really nice. But, like, I called to find out about your trip. And what you’re doing now. I don’t know—sort of like what we talked about. Keeping in touch.”
“Thanks. Thanks, Callie. I’m glad. I’ll always be really happy to hear from you. My hotel was right downtown, and so I was able to walk almost everywhere. You wouldn’t believe this red dress I saw. It looked just like the one we…”
And the two women discussed Kristen’s trip, her job search, and other subjects for almost forty minutes.
As David drove home from his business dinner, he was more at peace than he had been for months.
Finally it’s all coming together. Rob has the summer to work, without pressure from school. Callie won’t be able to make any more of those videos, at least for a year. With my bonus we can offer her a college in the Northeast, away from Alex, or whatever she wants.
And hopefully we’ll bring in some good new people this month. If Todd and Cheryl will just stay, maybe we can have a functioning department again. It would be nice if I could actually enjoy the trip to Moscow to meet with the President.
Now I’ve got to focus on Omid and Goli—to get them away from those fundamentalist Muslim thugs who’ve taken over my parents’ country. What a tragedy. How can anyone believe what they believe?
If I prayed like Kristen, I guess I’d thank God for our family here, and ask His help for our family there. He paused. And I guess for that I’d have to pray to God, not Allah.
25
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8TH
Two mornings later David and his son were sitting at their breakfast room table having cereal and fruit. Each wore a white shirt and gray slacks.
“How’s the shipping business?” David asked.
“It’s OK.”
“What have you learned so far?”
“Oh, that rich people with jets going on vacation send their suitcases ahead by express delivery.”
“Really? I had no idea.”
“They want giant bags delivered the next day. Crazy expensive. And crazy people.”
“Dealing with crazy people is great training for whatever you eventually do.” David smiled.
“Yeah. I know. But it’s sort of boring, too.”
“Yes. A lot of business is. But sometimes the most boring is the most necessary.”
“I guess.” He nodded his head and took another spoonful.
“You came in kind of late last night, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know. About eleven thirty.”
“I thought I heard the door close after midnight.”
“Maybe.” His son stood and took his empty bowl to the sink. “I gotta put on a tie.”
“All right. I’m flying up to Washington with Paul Burke. We have a meeting tomorrow in the White House.”
Rob turned. “The White House?” It was the first words he’d spoken that morning that indicated any interest.
Finishing his cereal, his father said, “Yes. Paul’s meeting with Bradley Fuller, the domestic policy guy, and I’m meeting with Sandra Van Huyck, the President’s foreign policy advisor.”
“You’re meeting with Sandra Van Huyck?”
Rising, he smiled. “Sure. What’s so odd about that?”
“I mean, she advises the President every day.”
“Yep. I didn’t know that you’d know about her. Tomorrow we’re talking about the President’s trip to Moscow. We hope to host her at our new USNet headquarters there, and I’m sort of in charge of the details.”
“Really? Whoa!”
“My thoughts exactly.” He smiled again as he put his bowl in the sink.
“Can I tell anyone?”
“Not yet. It’s not public. But probably by the end of the week.”
With a carefully measured portion of near-respect, Rob surveyed his father again and said, “That’s cool.”
Late that morning David was beginning a review of the acceptance documents for the space in New York that Kristen had negotiated two months earlier, when Todd came through the doorway, beaming.
The senior executive walked over to stand in front of his boss’s desk and said in an excited voice, “David, I just heard from the attorney for Capital Tower. They’ve agreed to accept our offer to match Porter’s price, and they want to close as soon as possible. Isn’t that great?”
David clenched his fists in front of his shoulders. “Yes!” He stood up and shook Todd’s hand. “Great news! Great job, Todd.”
“Thanks. They’ve asked us to come over this afternoon. Can you make it?”
“If we don’t meet too late. Paul Burke and I are scheduled to leave for D.C. at five, but I could probably make it later if no one else needs the jet.”
“I’ll check with you right after lunch. OK?”
“Great. Knox and Burke will be really pleased.”
“I’ll start reviewing our due diligence file. And, David, can I ask you one other thing?”
“Sure.”
“On Kansas City—if the two deals are close, let’s go with the brewery. It’ll be a great project, and we’ll have office space to grow into. The guys who are doing Brookglen will do a great job for us.”
“We’ll see. It sounds good. But they need to get right on their rent, too. Anyway, let’s get Capital Tower in the barn, and then I’ll owe you one. How’s that?”
“Fine. But we’ve got to make a decision soon, and I think Cheryl is leaning toward the cheaper space. But it’s not necessarily the best, if you ever think we’ll expand in that market.”
“How about you and Cheryl work out a priority of recommendations, and we’ll take a look? But for now, go nail down that appointment and let’s make a deal with those folks on Capital Tower before they change their minds.”
Todd turned and walked toward the door. “You got it.”
Later that night, delayed by two hours, Burke and Sawyer left for Washington in USNet’s smaller corporate jet. David couldn’t contain his pleasure after the meeting that afternoon with the Capital Tower attorneys, who agreed to let USNet buy the property for the same amount offered by Bill Porter. The two executives spent much of the flight seated on opposite sides of a small table, going over the plans and forming preliminary ideas on how to combine Capital Tower with their own West Capital Grand to create a new, striking corporate headquarters.
“This will be a real showplace.” Paul nodded as they concluded
.
David smiled. “Yes, but very functional, and actually less expensive.”
“Yes. It was a great idea, David.”
Genuine compliments were few and far between in the corporate world, even among friends, and David appreciated the words. “Thanks.” He smiled. “Let’s just hope that there are no surprises. We can celebrate when we move in.”
The next morning the two men were picked up at their hotel and driven to the White House gate designated for guests. The driver showed his badge to the guard, who looked quickly into the backseat and made notes on a clipboard. The gate opened, and they were deposited at one of the private entrances. A pleasant young woman greeted them, gave them badges, and led them upstairs.
As they entered a small waiting room, their guide offered them seats and said, “Mr. Burke, Mr. Fuller’s assistant should be here in a few minutes. Mr. Sawyer, Ms. Van Huyck’s office is just across this hall; someone will come for you in a bit. Can I get you gentlemen some coffee while you’re waiting?”
The two men shook their heads and thanked her. Then she left.
“Have you ever been here before?” David asked in a low voice.
Burke smiled. “No. You?”
David shook his head. “It’s kinda neat, isn’t it?”
They heard steps and voices outside. A moment later President Susan Harper came into the room, accompanied by Bradley Fuller. Several other men and women waited just outside the door.
The two visitors stood up. President Harper, wearing a dark blue suit with red trim, greeted them. Smiling warmly, she shook their hands. “Thanks for coming. Brad was just telling me about your meetings, and I thought I’d stop by for a minute and let you know how much we appreciate what you’re doing.”
Burke and Sawyer nodded, and Paul said, “Thank you, Madame President. We appreciate the opportunity to do this together.”
“Yes.” She was about their same age, and she looked briefly from one to the other. The President continued. “It means a lot to us to have USNet onboard to cut down on the prevalence of ‘adult’ entertainment, if not eliminate it. It’s pushed right into our homes, schools, libraries. Anyway, you already know that, and I really appreciate your willingness to help us contain it.”
Burke spoke again. “Yes. And Trevor Knox asked me to tell Mr. Fuller that we’re one hundred percent committed to the pledge we made to you earlier this week.”
“Good. We have to make the changes. This stuff tears down kids and families. Devastating. So, thanks again. And, Mr. Sawyer, we’re glad you’re here, too. As Sandy will tell you in a few minutes, we’ve been looking for the right place and time to announce some major new initiatives with the Russian government, and your reception may be just the right spot.”
David smiled and said, “It’s an honor, Madame President.”
“Yes. Good. Well, I’m sorry I have to go, but Brad and Sandy will take good care of you. If all goes well I’ll see you in Moscow—in less than a month.” She extended her hand to each man.
“Thank you,” David said. “We’ll do our best to make you feel welcome.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Should be exciting. Thanks again.” President Harper turned and left. Bradley Fuller, who had been standing a little behind the President during their conversation, said, “Paul, let’s walk around to my office. David, I think Sandy will be ready for you in a minute. I’m glad you had a chance to meet the President.”
The two USNet executives looked at each other briefly. “Yes. We are, too,” Burke replied for both of them.
As soon as the two men left, David looked out the window at the White House lawn and thought, ‘Tears down kids and families’. She’s so right. Why on earth do we produce the stuff?
His thoughts were interrupted by a young woman. “Mr. Sawyer? Ms. Van Huyck is ready to meet you. Please come with me.”
For the next twenty minutes, Sawyer met with the President’s fiftyish foreign policy advisor about the opportunity the reception would give to emphasize US-Russian cooperation in many business and government areas.
As they finished discussing the combined invitation list of business and government leaders, there was a knock on the door. A woman in her early thirties came in.
“Here’s Tanya. Ms. Prescott, please meet Mr. David Sawyer of USNet. You two will be working together for the next few weeks.”
Tanya Prescott was of medium height with short dark hair. Her face reflected the high cheek bones of her Slavic mother and the piercing blue eyes of her American father. She smiled and extended her hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
David took it and was impressed with her grip. “Yes. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Let’s sit for a few minutes and go over our general plan,” Van Huyck offered, “and then the two of you are welcome to meet in the adjoining conference room for as long as you need.”
“Sounds like quite a party,” Tanya commented, when David and Sandra finished. “David, when I get to Moscow I’ll need a few days on the purely governmental events and to meet with our Russian counterparts. Then I’ll want to meet with the head of your USNet security team and check out the site. Hopefully it will be pretty cut and dried, as you’ve suggested. But we’ll have to be cautious, since this event and the Fourth of July celebration are the only ones that are outside government circles.”
She paused. “Why don’t we go next door to continue, unless you have anything else for us, Sandra?”
“No. I think you have it well in hand. David, we appreciate your offer to host the reception, and as you can already see, we’ll try to take care of the details so that you and your guests can enjoy yourselves.”
As they walked to the door, Tanya said, “David, I think you ought to be there by the end of June, if the event will be on the Fourth.”
He nodded.
At the door they shook hands with the foreign policy advisor. “Have a safe trip home, David, and to Moscow, Tanya. I’ll see you both soon. Thank you for coming.”
Once outside, Tanya indicated a small conference room, where they reviewed the plans in detail. When they finished, Tanya walked David back to the reception area. “I imagine that we’ll be talking a lot. You have my cell phone number, and I’ll check in with you in about a week, once I’ve been on the ground a few days.” She smiled. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you. See you again soon.”
They shook hands. Ten minutes later he and Paul Burke retraced their steps to the car.
Outside, as the driver opened each door for them, Paul said, “That was an unusual morning. How was your meeting?”
They took their seats and the driver started the engine. David answered, “They want to expand the reception to include more government types and announce some joint programs. Should add about fifty people—and be good for business.”
Burke smiled. “Yes. Sounds like it. Our meeting went well, too. We’re going to announce our support for the President’s program tomorrow. I called Trevor, and he concurred. That way a couple of us can be available for the Sunday morning talk show circuit, if anyone wants to pick up on it.”
They drove through the gate. “That’s good,” David agreed. And maybe I can get Callie home in a few weeks.
David looked out the window, and Paul pulled out his cell phone and dialed his wife. “Sarah? Hi. David and I just met the President.” He went on to describe to his wife their meetings that morning. “Isn’t that something? Yeah. We’ll be leaving shortly. See you for dinner tonight. Bye.”
As he hung up, David turned back to him from the window and asked, “Do you ever think about whether our cell phone calls are secure?”
Burke looked puzzled and a little taken aback. He dialed the number for his voicemail messages. “No. They’re pretty secure, aren’t they? I mean, who could listen to all these phone calls? That would be impossible.” He clicked the buttons for his mailbox and pass code, then began listening to his confidential messages.
David looked out the wi
ndow again. “Yeah. I hope you’re right.”
It was too warm that evening to eat outside, so the Sawyers gathered in the breakfast room. Elizabeth had prepared tacos. David had changed into shorts and a knit shirt. Rob was in baggy shorts and a blue T-shirt. The main topic of interest was, of course, David’s visit to the White House.
“So you actually met the President?” Rob asked a little incredulously. “Like, President Harper of these United States?”
His father smiled as he passed the taco sauce. “Yes. The actual one.”
“What’s she like?”
“Very friendly. She seemed genuine. Interested in what we’re doing. She said she was glad that USNet is now supporting her initiatives.” David went on to describe their meetings in some detail.
When he finished, Elizabeth said, “It sounds like the reception in Moscow has turned into a major event. Do you think the press will be there?”
“I would think so.”
“Will they broadcast it live here?”
“Maybe. It’ll be the Fourth of July, so they might. At least on the cable news channels. With the time difference, our afternoon reception will be early morning here.”
“So maybe we’ll see you,” Rob said. “With the President.”
“Yes. Maybe.”
“Extreme.”
“When do you have to go?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m not sure. Sometime at the end of the month. We’ll start working on the ticket and visa tomorrow. And, oh”—he looked across the table at Elizabeth—”before Moscow, I may have to go to Los Angeles again.”
She brightened. “Really? Can I go, too, and visit Callie?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. Maybe. Let me see how many days I have to be there.”
“Try to combine a weekend, dear. It would be great to see Callie.”
“Yes. I’ll check.”
Rob was finishing his last taco. “I bet that Tanya woman can do karate.”
David paused for a moment. “Uh? Oh, yes. I bet she can. She had quite a grip.”
“I wonder if she’s ever tried Street War 2100?”
Enemy In the Room Page 28