by Carsen Taite
Friend. Why had she ever thought he was a friend? They’d spent a year at the court arguing points and had barely spoken since. News reports, professional announcements, and Christmas cards were the only reason she knew anything about his life, his family, or he hers.
When her nerves calmed, she paid the check with her own money, left Jeff’s cash on the table for the waiter, and headed home. The cold air cleared her head, and as she crossed the threshold of her apartment, she decided she’d blown things out of proportion. Jeff was a politician. They talked tough, but it was mostly bluster. Of course, he didn’t want a liberal on the court, but he was probably resigned to the probability it would happen. After all, he knew the stakes as well as anyone: when you win an election and your party has control of the Senate, you get your pick. Two months ago, when Garrett was so far down in the polls he was expected to crash his entire party’s ticket, Jeff probably thought a conservative justice was a lock, but now? Now, he’d have to live with the president’s decision.
And so will I. Addison considered calling Julia to tell her about the encounter. She even picked up the phone, but stopped before she could dial the numbers. She didn’t need Julia to fight her battles for her, and she knew that wasn’t the real reason for the call anyway. She wanted compassion, comfort. She set the phone down. Julia would be many things to her in the coming weeks—her handler, her champion, her advocate—but she was paid to do all of these and nothing more. As long as she was going forward with the nomination, Julia was off-limits for anything personal.
She sighed as she felt the first pang of regret since she’d told the president yes.
Chapter Twenty-one
“You really couldn’t get him back here?” Julia stood in the middle of the East Room and looked up from the list on her iPad to bore holes in the deputy press secretary. She was already exasperated because the weather wasn’t cooperating with her first choice of the Rose Garden. Cold was one thing, but snow had been coming down for the last twenty-four hours and wasn’t expected to stop anytime soon. “Did you tell them it was important?”
The guy didn’t back down. “He’s not exactly a regular enlisted man. He’s Special Ops. We can’t just pull these guys out of the field at a whim. Or at least that’s what I was told.”
Julia shook her head. She knew he was right, but she’d really wanted the visual of Addison flanked by her veteran father and her soldier brother while the president touted her accomplishments. Oh well, she’d settle for Dad. “Okay, well, let’s move Larry Weir up to the front row, closer to the podium. He’s brother-like and a good image for all the Weir fans who’ll be watching.” She ignored the deputy’s disapproving look. It wasn’t her job to be politically correct. All she had to do was get the candidate elected. Or in this case, smoothly through Senate confirmation.
A young woman poked her head in the doorway. “She’s here. Do you want me to send her in?”
“No, take her to my office. I’ll be there in a minute.” She took a deep breath and gave the room a final look. All the preparations were in order. Guests would start arriving in the next hour and, after being screened by Secret Service agents, they would be ushered in by interns. All that was left on her list was to go over the protocol with Addison and make sure she was ready for the onslaught that was about to begin.
So why was she the one who was nervous?
She took a few moments to ensure the room would be arranged exactly as she wanted, and then headed back to the West Wing. And Addison.
When she approached her office, Cindy was sitting at her desk, all smiles.
“What? Do I have something on my suit?”
Cindy shook her head. “No, you look great. And so does she. I can’t believe we’re going to have a woman chief justice.”
Julia held a finger to her lips. “Shhh, you’re going to curse it.”
“Seriously, you’re superstitious?”
“Hell, yes. If you’d lived through as many crazy elections as I have, you’d be superstitious too. For all we know, Governor Briscoe wasn’t wearing his lucky tie the night his affairs became front-page news. There’s absolutely no reason to tempt fate.” She started toward the office door. “Any messages?”
“I e-mailed you a couple. Nothing urgent. But…” Cindy reached into a drawer on her desk. “I was able to get the report you wanted.”
Julia reached out her hand to take the folder Cindy handed to her and glanced at the cover. “Ah, thanks.” It was the accident report from the D.C. Police Department.
“Don’t be too thankful. There’s not a lot there.”
Julia frowned. “What do you mean?”
Cindy started to reply, but then her expression changed and her eyes became fixed on something over Julia’s shoulder. Julia turned and suddenly she was standing very, very close to Addison. Heat swept through her.
“Sorry,” Addison said, “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could get some water?”
Julia cleared her throat. “Of course. Cindy?”
Cindy nodded and dashed off. Julia escorted Addison back into her office. Once they were seated, she took a moment to observe the woman she’d been hired to elevate to the most powerful court in the land. Addison wore a perfectly tailored charcoal gray suit. The light blue shirt highlighted her eyes, although Julia avoided lingering on them too long for fear she would lose her bearings. Black pumps with heels, not too tall, not too short. Long, toned legs. Serious expression, but with a hint of a smile in her eyes. If she’d had to cast the part, she couldn’t have done better than Addison. Why had she resisted the nomination?
Because despite the attractive package, Addison came with plenty of baggage. Liberal, lesbian, untried. The Senate Republicans would say her lack of experience was doubly problematic because they couldn’t evaluate a nonexistent record. They’d be forced to extrapolate who she was into opinions that would take the court to the left. And if she answered questions the way every candidate since Robert Bork had—by not offering any specifics as to how she would apply her judgment to controversial issues, she wouldn’t be giving them any reason to assume differently.
“Are you comparing me to Justice Weir?”
“Excuse me?”
Addison pointed at the folder on her desk. “I didn’t mean to spy, but I saw his name on your folder. I made an assumption.”
Julia placed the folder in her desk drawer and sidestepped the question. “You don’t strike me as the type to make assumptions.”
“It’s not my usual mode of operation. I guess I noticed because Justice Weir’s been on my mind a lot recently. I had an unusual visit from his son recently.”
“Unusual how? He’s going to be here today, supporting your nomination. If there’s any bad blood between you, I need to know about it before the press gets wind of it.”
“You are a one-track mind, aren’t you? No, no bad blood. It’s just…” She glanced at her watch and then shook her head as if she decided not to get into it. “Let’s just say he had some questions about his father’s accident.”
Julia fixed her expression into careful nonchalance, but her hand instinctively reached for the folder. Was it a coincidence that Justice Weir’s son was concerned about an accident the White House seemed to have taken a special interest in? An investigation that was closed? As much as she wanted to look into the folder now, there wasn’t time. Instead, she murmured, “It was a terrible tragedy. Are you ready to head to the East Room?”
If she was disturbed by the abrupt change in subject, Addison didn’t show it. “Of course.”
“Great. When we get there, you’ll stand to the side of the president while he tells everyone how great you are and then he’ll welcome you forward to the podium. Your comments are on the teleprompter. Have you used one before?”
“Cindy walked me through it yesterday. Besides, I can wing it if there’s a problem.”
“Wing it? This is your first chance at a first impression. You’re being nominated as
the first woman ever to head the court, and you’ll wing it? I don’t think so.”
Addison laughed and, despite herself, Julia was charmed by the sound of it. “Relax. My comments are brief, and I have them memorized. Years of practice doing oral arguments before the court have honed my ability to memorize and speak on my feet. I’ll be fine.” Her expression became serious. “I assure you that I get how important this moment is, and not just for me.”
Julia sighed. “Thanks for shaving a few years off my life. Hopefully, the Senate finds your sense of humor a credit.”
Addison leaned close, and Julia could feel her breath on her neck as she whispered in her ear. “I’d be fine if only you did.”
Before she could respond, Addison was already out the door, standing at Cindy’s desk, waiting to be escorted to the event that would change all their lives. Julia lingered for a moment, savoring the impact not of what was about to happen, but of the memory of Addison, standing close, talking only to her, and conveying the utmost intimacy in the simplest of acts.
*
Addison barely had time to figure out the configuration of the room before President Garrett shook her hand, congratulated her, and said, “You’ll do great.” Within moments, he was standing at the podium, extolling her accomplishments, and she waited out the time by studying the audience. Some man she didn’t know was seated in the place that had been reserved for Larry Weir, and she did her best not to let his absence affect her mood. In anticipation of seeing him today, she’d called him again yesterday, but like every other time she’d tried to reach him in the past few weeks, she’d had to leave a message. Was it possible he was angry with her? True, she thought his theory about his father’s death was farfetched, but she had at least tried to get a copy of the accident report. Roger’s efforts in that regard had been stonewalled with excuses about family privacy issues. She should suggest that Larry request a copy of the report himself to allay his suspicions.
She vowed that when the dust settled from her nomination, she would find him and do whatever she could to settle his mind about his father’s death.
Her own father was seated in the front row, next to the stranger who’d taken Larry’s place. Dad looked proud. A relief. Of course, it wasn’t every day your daughter was poised to become the next Supreme Court justice, even if you didn’t agree with her politics.
Within moments, the president stepped aside and she took center stage. The teleprompter was a blur, so she relied on her instincts and recited her speech from memory. Thanking the president, her family, her school, and her mentor, Justice Weir, she kept her comments brief.
When she finished, the crowd erupted in applause, followed by the shouted questions of reporters. After she’d answered a few questions from the major news outlets, the president escorted her out of the room, while the White House press secretary took the podium to field additional questions. As they left, she heard someone ask if she had children. The sensation of having that many people curious about her life, personal and private, was a bit disturbing.
As if he could read her mind, the president said, “You’ll get used to it.”
“I doubt that.”
“At least once you’re on the court, you’ll never have to go through this again. Imagine having to run for reelection every few years.”
“I guess you’ll never have to worry about it again either, sir.”
He laughed. “I’ve got the next four years for them to poke and prod at me before I can stop worrying about my privacy.”
“With all due respect, you could have selected someone less of a lightning rod. Someone more like Landry. Might’ve made the ride a little easier.”
“True. There are lots of people who say that I don’t have a mandate, that I shouldn’t overstep my bounds. I almost believed them and, no disrespect to Landry, that’s why he made the cut in the first place. But you’re going to be the next chief justice, and I couldn’t be more proud to be the guy who appointed the first woman to the spot.”
A man Addison assumed was a Secret Service agent touched the president on the arm and whispered in his ear. He shook her hand and walked off. She watched him leave, wondering about his change of heart from Landry to her.
“That went well.”
Addison turned to see Julia standing directly behind her. “I didn’t faint or slur my words. How was the press conference?”
“Diane has them all under control. She’s probably showing them pictures from your first birthday party right now.”
“Lovely.”
“Seriously, the press will be writing about you constantly during this process. First, you’re a woman. Second, you were like a daughter to Weir. Those things combined would be enough to gin a dozen human interest stories, but then add in that your brother is Special Forces and your dad’s a vet. You’re like a goldmine.”
“And to think you didn’t want me.”
Julia raised her eyebrows, and Addison could feel the blush rise up her cheeks. “You know what I mean. Didn’t want me to be the president’s choice.”
“It’s my job to take what I’m given and win with it.”
“I get it. It’s all business. So, what’s a win in this situation?”
“A smooth confirmation. No surprises. Step one is the reception. Several senators from the Judiciary Committee will be on hand. Shall we go schmooze? Surely, as dean you’ve had to do your share of schmoozing.”
“I can schmooze with the best.” As Addison spoke the words, she remembered the abrupt ending to her drinks with Jeff Burrows. Would he be here for the reception? Doubtful, but should she mention their meeting to Julia just in case? She hesitated for a moment and then decided on full disclosure. “I should mention that I had drinks with Senator Burrows night before last.”
“Really?”
Julia at once assumed a defensive posture, and Addison responded in kind. “He’s not big on me being nominated, but I assume you expected that.”
“Actually, I’d hoped that because you are friends, we might have expected a gentlemanly agreement not to protest too much.”
“You may have overestimated our friendship. We’re acquainted, but we haven’t kept in close touch since we clerked for Justice Weir.”
“You seemed very friendly at the funeral and the reception.”
“I suppose absence makes the heart grow fonder. Trust me, he’s completely over it.” Addison wished she’d never broached the subject and that wish led her to keep quiet about the threatening tone of her conversation with Jeff. She’d enjoy the celebration of this day before she had to face her detractors in the harsh environment of a Senate hearing room. “I’m sure you’ll win him over. Isn’t that part of your job?”
A flash of something, disappointment maybe, crossed Julia’s face before she replied. “You bet. Now, let’s go. I’m sure your dad’s wondering where we’ve spirited you away to.”
The reception was a blur. Addison had attended plenty of White House events, and they were always a production, but she’d never been the center of attention. Everyone, even steadfast conservatives angled to get close to her as if their proximity would make them part of history. Julia, apparently deciding she could handle herself, left her side and started working the rest of the room. At one point, Addison spotted her father, likely one of the staunchest conservatives in the room, bending the ear of President Garrett. She considered saving the leader of the free world, but that might mean she’d be the one stuck hearing her father’s latest theories on the war or the economy. No, the most powerful man in the world could take care of himself.
“You handled the press like a pro.”
Addison turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Connie Armstrong stood behind her with a whiskey and an entourage. “Thank you, Senator, but I think Diane did all the heavy lifting. I’m saving myself for your committee.”
“You’ll be fine. We’ll have you over for interviews before we start the hearings, but I expect a quick yay vote.”
; “I think you’re going to get a lot of pushback from Senator Burrows.”
Connie shook her head. “Don’t you worry about Burrows. He likes to throw his weight around, but he’s only been the minority chair for a few months. He’ll learn his place.” She took a healthy drink and added, “Don’t you worry about a thing. You’ll be on the court quick as you please. I’ll take care of that. After all, we need you. We have a lot of important cases coming up.”
Addison glanced around and then gave a silent thanks that no one else was in earshot. “Senator, you know I won’t comment on pending cases on which I might be expected to eventually give a ruling.”
Connie leaned in. “Save it for the hearing, Addison. You don’t need to play the part for me. I get it. Would you like another drink?”
The abrupt change in subject made Addison’s head spin, but she recovered enough to shake her head before Connie waltzed off to the nearest bartender, leaving Addison alone for the first time since the reception had started. She stared at Connie, trying to process her words. Did she really think she was buying a vote on the court with her support?
Connie seemed oblivious to her observation. She got her drink and then moved on to monopolize the conversation happening between a couple other senators. Addison looked around the room and found her father, who was now talking to one of the president’s aides. She should save the poor aide. She started walking toward them, but stopped when she felt a tug on her arm.
“You look a little bewildered. Everything okay?” Julia asked.
Peeved that she’d let her agitation show, she smiled. “No, not at all. Anyone else I should talk to?”
“I think you’ve worked the room sufficiently. You should get some rest. We’ll start up in the morning with prep for the interviews next week. Senator Armstrong has assured me she’s going to fast-track the hearings, but everyone’s going to want a chance to talk to you one-on-one before they get started.”