“Saul, I’m very impressed you got us into Nage on a Friday night,” Glynn said. Though a part of her had wanted to go home after work and fall into bed, she needed a sense of normalcy that only a night out with friends could bring. Saul and Melinda Harrington had been friends since her days with the UN, and they fit that bill perfectly.
“Don’t be impressed with Saul,” his wife said. “I think he made the reservation in your name.”
As always, Glynn was charmed by Melinda’s Bahamian accent. “In that case, I’m impressed with myself.”
“And we’re celebrating my meeting with Senator Culbertson, so dinner is on me,” Saul announced.
“Not a chance. If you buy, I have to file a report.” Since they had this same conversation every time they got together, Glynn had begun to suspect it was Saul’s way of teasing her.
The waiter stopped for their drink order, and Saul examined the wine list.
“Just sparkling water for me,” Glynn said.
“No wine?” Melinda asked as Saul placed their order.
“No, thank you.” Her doctor had advised her to avoid alcohol during treatment, and until her skin was fully healed. “I’m really glad we had this chance to get together. With everything going on with Sebby, your friendship has meant so much—”
“Excuse me, Congresswoman Wright. It’s so nice to see you again.”
Glynn looked up to see a familiar face, one she recalled vaguely from a hearing in the Cannon Building.
“I’m Julie Exner. We met last year at—”
“At the agriculture hearings. I remember.” Bas had taught her the importance of committing names and faces to memory.
“I’m very sorry to interrupt, but I wanted the chance to tell you again how grateful we were for your support in that hearing.”
“Believe me, the folks back in Indiana are grateful to problemsolvers like you.” Seeing Saul on his feet, Glynn remembered her manners. “I’d like you to meet some friends of mine, Melinda and Saul Harrington. Saul directs the American Institute for Child Studies, and Melinda teaches at the University of Maryland.”
They exchanged pleasantries, and Julie pulled her companion into view. “And this is my friend, Dr. Charlotte Blue.”
Glynn turned and froze. Charlotte was looking directly at her and holding out a hand.
“How do you do?”
Glynn took it, suddenly conscious of what must have been a stupefied look on her face. “Pleased to meet you.”
Charlotte greeted the Harringtons, and then retreated to stand quietly behind Julie. It was all Glynn could do not to stare. The two women made a very striking couple.
“Anyway, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to say hello,” Julie said. “Enjoy your dinner.”
Charlotte fell into step behind her, but paused for the barest moment to whisper something into Glynn’s ear. Saul and Melinda were opening their menus and missed it.
“So what’s good here?” Saul asked.
Glynn smiled wryly. “Not the halibut.”
“See, that’s why I like to go to the hip restaurants on Friday nights. I always run into someone who might be able to help me down the road,” Julie said, struggling into her coat.
“They seemed very nice,” Charlotte answered stiffly, working hard to mask her irritation. Seeing Glynn so obviously fatigued had stirred a fierce protective streak, and she hated that Julie had imposed on her private time for some possible career gain. Beyond those important titles were real people who held the positions.
“Glynn Wright really is nice. You know I don’t say that about many people in this town, but I meant it about being glad to get her support. She knew her stuff, too.”
Charlotte calmed immediately, embarrassed at her overreaction, and thankful it hadn’t been overt.
“I have a couple of movies,” Julie said, taking Charlotte’s hand as they walked toward the parking lot.
“I’d better take a rain check. I have rounds in the morning.”
“I thought you said Brandon was on call.”
“Just for tonight, so we could go out. I shamed him into it because I took his call last Friday.”
“So we finally get a Friday free, and it’s spoiled by you having rounds on Saturday morning.”
Charlotte bit her tongue. The idea that Julie was peeved about her rotation was beyond ridiculous, given how Julie’s work schedule dictated practically all of their time together.
“Don’t mind me, Charlotte. I’m just pouting. I always look forward to Fridays. They’re over too fast.” They had reached Julie’s car. “Do you want a ride to your car?”
“It’s okay. I think I’ll walk.” The other lot was only a few blocks away.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No.” That was mostly the truth. Julie’s admission that she was only pouting had dissipated her annoyance, just as the nice words about Glynn had cooled her off before. But Charlotte wanted to be alone tonight. “My stomach’s a little upset. I think I’ll take something and go on to bed.”
“Sure you don’t want a ride?” Julie leaned against her car and tugged Charlotte’s coat until they were pressed together.
Charlotte responded with a quick peck to the lips. “Thanks, but I think the air will do me good.”
“Okay. Call me tomorrow. We can cook if you want. I’ll save the movies.”
“All right.” Before she could get pulled into another kiss, Charlotte broke free and turned in the direction of her car. Halfway down the block, Julie tooted the horn and waved goodbye as she drove past.
Something had shifted tonight for her and Julie, and it wasn’t in their favor. With growing irritation at herself, Charlotte acknowledged when it started—when she learned they wouldn’t be having sex tonight. Julie couldn’t do anything right after that.
This dismal feeling was her own fault, she decided. Julie had a right to her reservations, and she had redeemed herself pretty well at the end of the night by saying genuinely nice things about Glynn. And that bit about pouting . . . at least she had been honest about it, which was more than Charlotte could say for herself.
With new resolve, she vowed to call Julie tomorrow and apologize for being out of sorts. Then she would hit the market for something special to cook and start their weekend anew.
Chapter 8
In her perch at the top of the bleachers, Glynn leaned back against the wall and stretched her feet in front. She couldn’t wait to find out how Sebby’s week had gone. From the looks of things, he was fitting in well at Rawlings. Mark had guessed right that her son would be on the basketball court when she came to visit. She couldn’t help but be proud of his athletic prowess. He was a natural, just like his father. And Sebby’s skill seemed to have earned him the respect of the older boys on the court, along with that of the staff.
Were it not for the chance to see him this morning, she might never have gotten out of bed. Though she had been exhausted last night, sleep had eluded her for hours, the scene from the restaurant playing over and over in her head. She was impressed by Charlotte’s unruffled response to seeing her there, but that wasn’t the only thing remarkable about her sudden appearance. It was the way she had looked, stunning in a tight black skirt and shimmering white top. And her appearance alongside Julie Exner had vanquished her image as only a doctor who happened to have treated Sebby. Charlotte Blue was every bit a woman, and a beautiful one at that. And apparently involved with someone equally attractive, though that did little to quell Glynn’s fascination.
A break in the action on the court drew her out of her ruminations, and she looked up to see Sebby trudging toward her. She jumped to her feet and held out her arms for a hug. “Ew, I love you, but you stink!”
“I know. I need a shower,” he said flatly. He looked back at the court anxiously. Mark was watching them from near the baseline.
“You looked good out there.”
“Thanks.”
She pushed his wet hair off his forehead and sat back down,
wondering what it meant that he seemed so aloof. “How has it been, sweetheart?” “It’s okay.” Sebby shrugged and toweled off his face and neck. “Mark says to come at four tomorrow.”
“All right. Is he easy to talk to?”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy.”
“Are you doing okay with everything?”
“Hey, Sebby! You coming?”
He looked at the court and back at her, clearly hoping to join his new friends.
Glynn pushed a paper bag toward him. “I brought you some extra clothes. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, I’m good.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
He gave her a tentative hug, as if mindful of his sweaty stench. “Sorry.”
“Come here.” She wrapped him up and squeezed hard. “I’ve missed you.”
As she watched him bound back onto the court, she was struck by a strange sense of discomfort. More than just being aloof, Sebby hadn’t even seemed glad to see her. He certainly hadn’t missed her the way she had missed him. Or maybe things weren’t going as well as he had said, and he was upset with her for placing him here. Tomorrow’s session with Mark couldn’t come soon enough.
Charlotte spun the shower dial to off, instantly missing its near-scalding spray. Brandon had mopped the floor with her on the racquetball court, his first such triumph in months. Her body had been sluggish, and her head totally on vacation. Thanks to both, she had a deep, round bruise on one of her butt cheeks from his return of serve.
No matter how hard she had tried to focus, her thoughts kept going back to last night and the weary visage of Glynn Wright at Nage. With weeks of treatment ahead for both Glynn and her son, it was hard to see how she would make it through the stress if she didn’t start taking care of herself. Charlotte wished she could reach out, not as a psychiatrist, but as a friend. It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to follow up, she decided, especially since she had left any subsequent contact up to Glynn.
Charlotte needed to get her mind back on the here and now. Julie had already called about this evening, leaving a message that she had watched both movies by herself already, but might be persuaded to explore another avenue of entertainment. Instead of welcoming the offer, Charlotte found herself ambivalent. Having slept on Julie’s words of the night before, she wasn’t sure where their relationship could go. Their differences were simple. Julie was a loner. Charlotte wasn’t.
She toweled off and examined her growing bruise in the mirror. Sitting was not going to be pleasant for the next few days.
From her gym bag in the bedroom, her cell phone announced a call.
“Damn it.” It was probably the hospital. Instead, it was an unfamiliar number.
“Hello, is this Charlotte?”
Charlotte knew the voice immediately and smiled. It was the call she had been hoping for after all. “Yes, it is.”
“It’s Glynn Wright. Am I disturbing you?”
She sat on the edge of the bed, wincing as she remembered her bruise. “Not at all. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, it’s fine. I just wanted to say thank you for what you did last night at the restaurant. It was very thoughtful of you to be so discreet.”
She picked up the barest hint of a tremor in Glynn’s voice, and wondered if she was nervous about calling. “I figured you might not want the others to know how we knew each other.”
“The Harringtons are old friends of mine, so I let them in on the secret after you left. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine with me. But I didn’t want to say anything in front of Julie, especially when I realized she already knew you.”
“I guess that would have been all right if you had. After that blurb in the Post, I figure everyone in town knows anyway.”
“Maybe, but no one needs to know more than you’re willing to tell them. And besides, I promised you confidentiality.”
“So you did, and I appreciate it. That’s a rare commodity around here. I just hope the press doesn’t find out where Sebby is.”
“They shouldn’t. His records are locked up.”
“That’s good.”
By Glynn’s tone, her nervousness had passed, which Charlotte took as a good sign. She wanted Glynn to feel comfortable talking with her. “So how is Sebby? Have you talked to him?”
“I saw him today. I guess he’s . . . I don’t know. He says he’s fine.”
Charlotte picked up more than a hint of skepticism. “Is something wrong?”
Glynn sighed. “Probably not. I think Sebby might be a little perturbed at me for putting him there, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. He seems to like the other boys.”
“That’s a good sign.” She guessed the separation was hard, but it was also a good chance for Glynn to focus on her health. “And how about you? Are you doing okay?”
“I’m starting to feel better about things. It’s been a week since that incident at school, so I think we’re out of the danger zone for now.”
Charlotte wasn’t surprised that Glynn’s frame of reference for her own well-being was her son. “And how are your treatments going?”
“Fine. I just want to get them over with.”
“It’s tough, I know. You looked pretty tired last night. You need to take a little time here and there to relax, and lean on your friends for support.”
“I actually took it easy this morning, believe it or not. When I got home from Rawlings, I went back to bed for three whole hours.”
“Because you needed it. Now listen to your body, or you’ll force me to call on some of my friends to get you committed.” She tried her best to sound both threatening and silly, hoping Glynn had a sense of humor.
“You wouldn’t really do that, would you?”
“Do you want to find out, Congresswoman?”
“I’m thinking no.”
Charlotte laughed. “Good answer. But watch out for me, because I’m going to badger you about this every chance I get.”
“I see. Is my insurance going to cover these badgering sessions?”
“Probably not, but we can do it quid pro quo. I’ll badger you for free, and if you become president someday, you can set me up in the Lincoln Bedroom.”
“Everyone always wants something.”
Charlotte smiled to herself, glad she and Glynn had finally gotten on the same wavelength. “Better yet, I’ll forget you’re a congresswoman if you’ll forget I’m a psychiatrist.”
“Okay, so when you boss me around, you’re doing it as a friend and not a doctor.”
“Right. And when I tell you to take it easy, you can’t blow me off with excuses about work.”
Glynn chuckled. “Well played, Charlotte.”
“Thank you,” she answered, doing her best to sound smug. “So as your new and bossy friend, I’m telling you to take the rest of the weekend off. Do something fun and relaxing.”
“It just so happens I was planning to do that anyway. So there.”
“Good.” Charlotte’s mind raced for how to seal this new friendship. Since Glynn had made the first overture by calling, it was only fair she make the next move. “Would meeting for coffee fall under fun and relaxing?”
“Only if I could show up in jeans and sneakers.”
“Perfect,” Charlotte said.
Glynn checked her watch. Charlotte was late, but only by a few minutes. It probably seemed longer because she had arrived ten minutes early, trying to shake off an inexplicable case of nerves.
She was excited about seeing Charlotte outside of her office. She had told herself a dozen times before calling that Charlotte would never have given her the private number had she not intended for her to use it. And when their conversation had drifted from their casual meeting last night to Charlotte’s friendly haranguing about taking better care of herself, it was clear the door was open for getting to know each other beyond their interaction as mother and doctor.
She didn’t have many friends outside of government
. That was the consequence of having a job that never ended. There was rarely a moment outside of her own four walls—whether at a party, a picnic or even in church—where she wasn’t expected to be a congresswoman from Indiana.
And within her circle of government friends and acquaintances, most people still thought of her as the widow of Bas Wright. Only when she confided in Charlotte about her relationship with Stephanie did she realize how much of herself she kept hidden behind the façade of her office. Tina was her sole confidante, since she had pressed her for insight on how the party might handle such news if she decided to come out. Tina’s advice had been a resounding plea to guard it like a national secret.
And now, she was striking up a friendship with someone who not only knew about Stephanie, but who was a lesbian herself. A lesbian with a girlfriend, it seemed, though that was part of the fascination. Of course someone with Charlotte’s looks and personality would have a girlfriend. Not only was Julie Exner pretty, she was also smart and at least ten years younger than Glynn.
So why was she reaching out to Charlotte? Or perhaps the better question was why was Charlotte reaching out to her?
Suddenly, Charlotte appeared in the doorway, sporting a completely different look from any Glynn had seen before. Instead of the usual sharply creased slacks or smart skirt, she wore faded jeans that hugged her thighs like a second skin. Scuffed leather boots replaced the polished dress pumps, and her hooded parka emphasized warmth over fashion. The effect was a warm shiver up Glynn’s spine.
“Hi,” Glynn said, embarrassed at how her voice squeaked. Nerves.
“Sorry I’m late. It took me forever to find a parking place.”
“I should have had you come to my house. You could have just parked in the driveway, and we could have walked over together.”
“Now you tell me,” Charlotte said dramatically.
“Sorry.” She could talk to presidents and foreign heads of state, but for some reason, not to a woman who just wanted to be her friend.
Charlotte flashed a smile as she shrugged out of her coat. “Fortunately, I don’t mind a little exercise.”
Secrets So Deep eBook Page 9