by Harte, C. J.
It took a couple of hours to arrange for security, but it also ensured they had the best boats and would be undisturbed on the water. Drew quickly climbed in the boat and held her hand out to help Jordan in.
“I’m going to fall.” Jordan switched from one foot to the other. “How do I climb in without tipping it over?”
“Grab my hand. I promise you won’t fall in.”
“Yes, I will.”
Drew laughed. “Maybe we should just have lunch and skip the river.” She started to climb out, but Jordan grabbed her hand. “Come on. I’ll keep you dry. I promise.”
“You make it look so easy.”
“It is. Trust me.” Drew stood waiting.
Jordan looked at Drew’s outstretched hand. She reached out and took it.
Drew slowly pulled Jordan to her and then reached for her with her other hand.
When Jordan stepped into the canoe, it began to rock. She quickly sat down. This caused Drew to feel slightly unbalanced and the canoe to teeter. Drew tried to steady herself. Jordan, however, grabbed the sides of the boat, increasing the rocking. Drew went flying over the side of the canoe into the water.
“I’m so sorry,” Jordan cried.
Drew sat in the water laughing. “At least I’m not bleeding—yet.”
Mark stood on the bank laughing. He grabbed his sides and finally landed on the ground.
“Okay, funny boy. Get up and help me out before the Secret Service gets here.” She could see them rushing to help.
Mark jumped up and reached for Drew. She grabbed his hand and with a quick jerk sent him flying into the water near her. Now she laughed as he spluttered and splashed.
Jordan gasped and then she too started to laugh. A mistake, she quickly learned.
Drew stood and had a smirk on her face. “Ms. Thompson, are you laughing at me?”
Jordan shook her head. Drew was now one step away. Jordan tried to stand, but strong arms were lifting her.
“Put me down,” Jordan demanded.
“What did you say?” Drew turned and was carrying Jordan out to deeper water. “Did you ask me to put you down? Okay.” She carefully lowered Jordan into about four feet of water. Only Jordan’s head remained dry. She quickly lifted her back out before her protection detail came rushing into the water.
“I’m wet.” Jordan wrapped her arms tightly around Drew.
“A statement of the obvious.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t believe me. In that case, maybe I should drop you off somewhere.” She turned to walk back out into deeper water.
“Stop!”
Drew stopped abruptly. Jordan nearly fell out of her arms. “It’s a good thing I work out on the ranch.” Drew grinned. “Well, do you believe me or not? You’re getting heavy and I’m afraid you’re beginning to slip.” She loosened her hold, enjoying the panoply of emotions rolling across Jordan’s face. It was like watching a thirty second commercial. Only in fast forward. She smiled. I love you, Jordan Thompson. I hope you can be strong enough for both of us.
“I believe.” Jordan felt the arms tighten around her. She loved being held in Drew’s strong embrace.
As a little girl, she dreamed someday of being carried in the arms of her love. Of course, at that time it was some boy. Now her dreams were of Drew. She didn’t want this weekend to end. She wished she could go someplace and hide away with Drew for the rest of her life.
“Can we stay here forever?”
Drew stopped inches from the shore. “I don’t think you’d like sleeping out on the hard ground without a restroom.” Drew grinned. “Besides, I don’t have my latrine shovel.”
Jordan laughed. “I love you.” She shivered, but it wasn’t from being cold.
“Let’s do some canoeing, have some lunch, and,” Drew lowered her voice, “get to bed early. I can’t believe how much I want you right now.”
Drew set Jordan gently into the canoe, helped Mark in, and then pushed the canoe out toward the middle of the river. She jumped in and began to paddle slowly until the security detail had caught up. It took ten minutes before they were rowing in a coordinated manner, and they were quickly moving down the stream. Her heart was full. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect weekend.
*
Monday morning, reality dragged Drew back into her responsible self. She looked at the clock. It was five thirty in the morning. She tried to remember her schedule. Lying next to the warm but bare body made it nearly impossible to think. She ran her hand over Jordan’s stomach, reveling in the softness.
“Mmmm, that feels good.” Jordan stretched. “Is it time to get up?” She looked at the clock. “Not yet, please.”
“I really need to get a shower and some clean clothes. I have a fairly busy day and week.”
“I don’t want to get up.” She snuggled against Drew. “This is wonderful.”
“I know. This feels so good, but we need to get up.”
“Okay.” Jordan looked like she was trying to figure something out. “Oh! I’m supposed to meet with some of my sorority sisters today to plan Fall Rush. Damn!”
“You swore!”
Jordan raised one eyebrow. “Upon occasion.” She smiled and rolled on top of Drew. “But first there’s something I need to do.”
Chapter Nineteen
Jordan couldn’t keep from smiling during lunch. She listened to her sorority sisters talking about their weekends. Monday conversations often revolved around who was dating whom.
“Jordan, did you hear Dana got pinned this weekend? About time.”
Dana was the sorority president. She had been dating the same guy for nearly a year.
“That’s fantastic.” She was trying to feign interest. “She must be thrilled.”
“Now that Brandan is graduating in a couple of weeks, what about you?”
“I’m still planning on graduating next year and getting a job.”
“Silly. I’m asking if you two are going to be an item or is it all over?”
Jordan was resenting Brandan more and more. “Brandan’s a friend. He was dating Dana when I first started classes, then a Tri Delt, then a Kappa. He’s not interested in me. And I’m not interested in him.” She almost said she was dating someone but stopped, knowing she would be harassed until they got a name. She wasn’t ready to go there. Not yet, anyway.
“He’s been telling his frat brothers that he’s planning on marrying you.”
“That should be interesting for his current girlfriend. One of his law school friends from what I heard.” Anna, a senior, was the social gossip. “Apparently, she has her eyes on him.”
“Good,” Jordan muttered, hoping no one heard her.
“Well, I hear he already has a Florida Supreme Court clerkship lined up. He’s going to be a great catch.”
For someone, but not me. Jordan was tiring of the conversation. “Shall we talk about Fall Rush?” It was an effort, but she was able to keep them on task for the next hour. This would be her last Fall Rush, and she was determined to make a graceful exit from sorority duties and ties after that. She wanted to spend time with Drew.
“I’m sorry. What was that?”
“Jordan, you said you’d take care of the selection and invitations. Are you still committed to doing that?”
“Of course. I was just thinking of who could help me put this together.” Nice save.
*
As soon as the meeting was over, Jordan headed home. Drew would be busy for the next couple of nights but would be free starting Thursday. Jordan would use the time to catch up on her studying. While she had enjoyed the weekend, she now realized she had homework, projects, and studying, plus finals were two weeks away.
Jordan pulled her car up to the front of her house only to be blocked by a familiar vehicle. Brandan! What is he doing here?
She opened her door. “Mattie, could you please come in with me? I’m not sure why Mr. Carter is here, but he was not invited.” Mattie nodded and follo
wed her into the house.
Brandan had made himself comfortable in the living room.
Jordan gritted her teeth. “Hello, Brandan. Is there something I can do for you?” She was determined to be polite but make this short. He had no right to be in her house without her permission.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling for three days. Why didn’t you answer? I came by twice and no one was here.” Brandan walked up and stood inches away.
“I’ve been busy.”
“You haven’t been home. Where the hell have you been? I hope it wasn’t with those queers.”
“I think you better leave.” Jordan was desperately trying to remain in control.
“Not until I get an answer. You’re my girlfriend, and I deserve to know what you’re doing and where you are.” He tried to grab Jordan’s arm but quickly found a Secret Service agent standing between them. “Get out of my way while I talk to Jordan.”
“Mr. Carter, I think you need to calm down.”
“I said get out of my way.”
Jordan was alarmed by his loud voice and rude behavior. He was out of control. “Brandan, please leave.”
“Were you with those queers? Do you prefer to spend time around those perverts than around decent, normal people? My future wife will not be associated with such trash.”
Jordan stepped back, appalled by the vituperative attack. What is he talking about? He has no right to say anything about my friends. Or whom I choose for my friends.
“Ms. Thompson, please go into the kitchen.” She was pushed toward the back of the house. “There are two agents there.” Mattie turned toward Brandan. “Sir, I must ask you to leave or I’ll be forced to remove you.”
Jordan watched as Brandan stomped out of the house. Before he left, he said, “This isn’t over.”
*
It took Drew twenty minutes to get across Gainesville. She took every shortcut she knew to avoid traffic and lights. She had no doubt Jordan was safe, but her “I need you now” text was still alarming. The first sign that something was wrong was that she was asked to show identification. She had been in and out of here so many times they knew her by her first name.
She jumped out of her car and ran up to the door. This time it was answered by an agent.
“Is Ms. Thompson here?”
The agent pointed to the kitchen. “She’s expecting you.”
Jordan was pale and visibly shaken. She was clutching the edge of the sink as if it were the only thing holding her up. Drew’s stomach lurched. “What happened?”
Jordan tried to answer but had trouble being coherent. “Please just hold me.”
“Come on, sit down. Let me get you something to drink.” She grabbed some bottled water from the refrigerator and led Jordan to the couch. “Tell me what happened.” She pulled Jordan close, whispering soothing words. Eventually, she could feel the tension in Jordan’s body dissipate. “Are you okay?”
Jordan nodded. “Thank you for coming so fast. I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have pulled you away from the hospital. It’s just that—”
“I’m here anytime you need me. Now, tell me what happened. Are your parents okay?”
Jordan nodded.
“Is your brother okay?”
Jordan nodded but began to cry.
Drew was at a loss. “What happened? You had lunch and a meeting at your sorority. Did something happen there?”
“No. It was when I got home. Brandan was here and made a scene.”
“Brandan?”
She told Drew what happened. “I have never seen him so angry. And the things he said. The names he called you and Mark. Why?”
Drew leaned back against the couch. She remembered the painful stories Mark had told when she first got to Gainesville. She looked at Jordan. How could she answer and still protect her? How could she explain unexplainable hate?
“Are you okay?”
Jordan nodded. “He was just so mean.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No, but he said such terrible things.” The tears had their own life and weren’t ready to stop. “He was so angry. I didn’t know how to handle it.”
“Sweetheart, please look at me.” She kneeled in front of her so that they were now eye-to-eye. “Brandan was out of control. People sometimes say things when they’re angry. Has he ever done anything like this before?”
Jordan shook her head. “Wait. We went to see a musical. There was a scene right before intermission. There were two women kissing in the play, and he really got upset. There were a couple of events we went to that he got upset because I introduced him as a friend.” She stared at her hands. They had finally stopped shaking. She took a deep breath and told her the things Brandan had said earlier. “I don’t understand. He’s never really shown interest in me. And he doesn’t even know you or Mark.”
“Jordan, there are people who hate.” She took Jordan’s hands, stroking her palms. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing rational about that hate. They don’t have to know you. They don’t want to know you. They don’t need to know you. They just hate you for whatever reason they want. Your religion, your ethnicity or race, your sexual orientation. It’s been going on for centuries.” She was beginning to sound like her father. I guessed I listened to more of his speeches than I thought.
Jordan was on overload. Drew could feel the tension begin to build again and see the way her eyes darted around the room. “Do you have to go anywhere right now?”
“No. I was going to have dinner at the sorority house, but I need to study.” She put one of her hands on Drew’s cheek. “Can you stay with me?”
“I can for a little while.” How was Jordan going to deal with being called names? “I have a few errands to run later. Maybe we can get some rest. Come on, let’s lie down.”
Once she was wrapped in Drew’s arms, Jordan began to talk. “I’ve never been so scared. Brandan was yelling. He was demanding that I be available whenever he scheduled some event—all political. He said he didn’t want his girlfriend hanging around a bunch of quee—”
“Queers?”
Jordan nodded. “If Mattie hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened. I just stood there! I let him scream at me and say terrible things about you and Mark.”
“Jordan, that happens. We just freeze.”
“I can’t imagine that happening to you.”
“Your protection detail would never let anything happen to you.”
“If they can get to me fast enough. When we drove up, I saw Brandan’s car and asked Mattie to come in with me. Usually, I’m safe here and they leave me alone in the house.”
“You have your emergency alert.”
“I didn’t think about that. I was so scared.”
Drew pulled Jordan close so that she could wrap her arms around her. She needed to make Jordan feel safe.
“Jordan, your security will never let anything happen to you. Neither will I. And I’m sure that, in the future, you’ll remember to activate your personal alarm. It’s over. Close your eyes.” Drew began to hum.
The stress and the tension had exhausted Jordan both physically and emotionally. Drew could see it in the look in her eyes, in the way her hands were in constant motion, and the tension in her body. She gently massaged Jordan’s back. Jordan began to relax. Her breathing became even. It didn’t take long before she was asleep.
Drew lay there for a long time worrying and wondering. Whatever came their way, she needed to be ready, and she needed Jordan to know that.
*
Jordan was surprised to find Drew gone and the house dark. She quickly turned on the light by her bed. It’s almost eight. I wonder where Drew went. I guess I should get up and study. Jordan washed her face and then walked into the kitchen. Her protection detail had changed at four, and two of the evening crew were in the kitchen. The table was filled with food. Both men stood when she walked in.
“Please sit. And have something to eat. Did Rog
er fix this?”
One of the men said, “Yes.”
“Ms. Thompson, do you want us to report the earlier incident to your father? We can make sure young Mr. Carter never again comes near you.”
Jordan knew that any potential threatening event would have to be reported to her father. She and her brother had some latitude in what was reported, but all physically dangerous situations were reported regardless. Obviously, this was one of the questionable reporting events. If she reported it, she would have to explain to her parents and she didn’t know what to say. Plus, Brandan’s father had been a close personal and political friend since her father became governor of Ohio ten years ago.
Her life seemed to be slipping deeper into chaos. She was in love with a woman. She had been screamed at by a guy she barely liked who called her his future wife. And the biggie, she couldn’t tell her parents about any of this. Life was perfectly normal.
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. It was just a misunderstanding.” She tried to blow off the experience, but the event left an impression. “But he is not to be near this place unless I give specific orders in writing.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll pass that on to SAIC.”
*
The next morning, Jordan called her parents to say hello and make sure nothing had been reported. The conversation focused on her father’s plans to officially announce he was running for reelection in the next couple of days. Congress was getting ready to recess for the summer, and he planned on spending most of August campaigning.
“Will you be coming here during break?” her mother asked.
Jordan hadn’t even thought about break. It was only two weeks away. “I don’t have any plans yet. I might spend part of the break with one of my friends.” Her father running for reelection meant four more years of the spotlight. For once, Jordan wasn’t sure she would survive it. “Can I let you know later?”
“Please let us know as soon as possible.” Jordan could hear the concern in her mother’s voice. She knew what was coming next. “We were hoping to have you here when your father announces. If you stay, we need the Secret Service to vet the family and check security.” There was no way Drew’s family would pass inspection. Besides, Drew hadn’t even asked her. “Let me get my classes done and I’ll let you know before finals.”