Dissident (4 page)

She blushed. “I have one, but it’s kind of random.”

“Do tell. I noticed that the Speaker calls you sunshine.”

Caroline blushed even deeper. She was lucky that she had such a good relationship with the most powerful man in Congress. A lot of Republicans and even more Democrats didn’t like it. “That’s more a term of endearment than a nickname.”

“Any others?”

It was kind of embarrassing for her to disclose it to someone she’d just met, but whatever. “Christine’s husband Tom calls me Punky.”

Jack stared at her blankly.

“Like Punky Brewster.”

Still no response.

“From the TV show.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Didn’t you watch TV in the eighties?”

“Not really. I was a teenage boy and I was into other things. Who is this Punky person?”

“You’ve got to get on YouTube posthaste. I loved that show growing up. She was a working class kid, warm and funny, always playful. A glass overflowing kind of gal.” Caroline paused. “Tom says I remind him of her.”

“Is that who you are?”

She instinctively fiddled with her left ring finger. She still wore her wedding and engagement rings, maybe out of habit. And it really hadn’t been that long.

“It’s who I used to be,” she said. “Most of the time.”

“What about now?”             

She cleared her throat, shaking off the melancholy. “I’m working on now.”

“Does Punky wear ugly sweaters?” Jack asked with a grin.

She wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. “I may have spoken some very hard truths to Tom about his holiday wardrobe during last year’s party. As punishment I am forced to bear the scarlet letter that is this ugly sweater.”

“It’s very busy.”

Jack probably didn’t have anything like that in his closet. He was wearing an expensive tailored suit, very Savile Row, which was an unusual selection to wear to what was a casual party by Christine’s standards. Caroline hadn’t thought to comment on it. Maybe he always dressed up or had been under the impression that this was some sort of highbrow Congressional thing. But the conversation was about to veer off course and that wasn’t what she wanted.

“I really do want to explain what happened during the campaign,” she said.

His eyes darkened. “Forget about it. It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does. It was a horrible thing to say about someone I didn’t know.  Especially considering your opponent was and is an incredible jerkwagon.”

“He’s a what?”

“You know. A jerkwagon. Douche, asshole, jackass, whatever. I like to expand my arsenal of insults whenever possible.”

“You really think he’s that bad?”

“Yes, unfortunately for me I didn’t figure it out until after I’d endorsed him. But I couldn’t very well take back what I said. Even though I wanted to.”

It had been all over social media. The speech quickly became red meat for the Democratic masses and cannon fodder for the GOP. Caroline hid under a rock for a couple of days afterward and flew off the handle any time anyone used her statement in another attack ad. Which happened far too often.

“I guess not,” Jack said.

“I wish I had. I should have had the courage to do it. I wish I’d never said any of it. It was wrong, and I’m sorry.” Caroline took a deep breath. “It’s been a bad year for me. It’s not a valid excuse but it’s the only one I have. Those comments were borne of depression and sadness and my desire to make someone else feel as badly as I did. I get very snarky when I’m upset, which some people find endearing in a weird way but it usually ends up making me disappointed in myself.” She turned to face him. “I’m thankful you won. I would have felt terrible if you hadn’t.”

“Really?” Jack sounded surprised.

“I harbor a lot of Catholic guilt.”

“So do I, but I don’t take it nearly that far.”

“Anyway, what I said about you wasn’t true. It’s not what I believe. I don’t even know you. It was unfair for me to make assumptions and judge you like that.”

Jack was looking at her strangely.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “You seem very sincere.”

Caroline tried not to sound offended. “I’m being completely sincere.”

“I know.” His voice was quiet. “It’s not what I expected from you.”

“Did you expect me to be a total bitch?”

He shrugged his shoulders again. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.  Apology accepted. Let’s move on.”

“Okay.”

“Except there is one thing.”

“What?”

“Let’s play a game. I’ll give you clues and you can guess the answers.”

Was he flirting with her? Her mind was a little foggy after the few drinks she’d had and she couldn’t tell. “Okay, I’ll bite.”

“A little bird told me you’re the reason he endorsed me. Guess who?”

“That would be one Robert Allen, otherwise known as our very competent Speaker of the House.” Caroline shook her head. She should have known Bob wouldn’t listen to her. “That man can’t keep a secret to save his life. I told him not to tell you. Honestly.”

“And then another little bird very angrily informed me that I wouldn’t even be at this party if she’d had her way, because someone like me would never be allowed within a hundred feet of her house under normal circumstances, but you had begged her to invite me.”

Caroline could hear Christine’s voice echoing in her head. “Oh, that’s definitely Chrissy.”

Jack looked at her skeptically. “You call Representative Sullivan ‘Chrissy’?”

Caroline nodded. Christine was a formidable, smart, and shrewd politician, but she had a chilly reputation among many Pennsylvania Republicans. Caroline and Tom were constantly trying to get her to relax. She didn’t exactly evoke the warm fuzzies from pundits either.

“She’s one of my best friends but I don’t know how I get away with it,” Caroline admitted. “She would smack the hell out of anyone else who called her that, except her husband.”

“Does she call you Punky too?”

She stifled a laugh, surprised that he remembered that. “Sometimes. When she’s feeling particularly protective of me.”

“You need protection?”

“Mostly from myself.”

“Interesting. So then this other little bird-”

She held her hand up. “Did you talk to everyone downstairs about me?”

“No.” He started to get up. “Should I?”

“Definitely not. But there appear to be a ton of little birds at this party who can’t keep their beaks shut.”

Jack looked a little uncomfortable. “I won’t lie. After I ran into you I had all but decided that sticking around wasn’t worth it, but the Speaker tracked me down as I was walking toward the door. Then Representative Sullivan arrived and.…”

“All hell broke loose?”

“Practically.”

“You’re lucky she isn’t drinking tonight. It might have been worse.” Christine didn’t drink much, and when she did it never ended well. Caroline had seen her lose her shit once after downing a couple of Cosmopolitans. It had been a touch alarming but comical nonetheless.

“At any rate, their posturing convinced me to stay.” Jack seemed to be considering his words. “They both think very highly of you.”

Caroline looked down at her lap. “That’s nice.”

“You’re blushing. You don’t take compliments very well, do you?”

She didn’t, especially from people she didn’t know. Caroline was more apt to focus on criticism, which made being a public figure very hard sometimes.

She peeked over at him. “No.”

He gave her that strange look again and switched direction. “There’s one more bird for you to guess. This little bird insisted I come upstairs with a peace offering and give you another chance to apologize.” Jack pulled a bottle of Moscato and a corkscrew from beside the couch. “He told me it was your favorite.”

“Tom!” Caroline exclaimed. “I am quite fond of that talkative little bird.” She clasped her hands together and looked at the label. “That
is
my favorite.”

Tom always stocked the wine refrigerator well when he knew Caroline would be visiting but she thought they’d finished the last of the Moscato on the day after Christmas. She had indulged quite a bit during the past week even though she didn’t normally drink. Although she realized she had started drinking more since Nicky died. She wondered if maybe she should quietly resolve to bring her alcohol consumption back down again in the coming year. She didn’t want to turn into Kitty Dukakis.

Caroline glimpsed the red Solo cups Jack had also magically produced. “Tom’s wife would be appalled that he didn’t give you proper glassware,” she said. “And I’m a little upset you didn’t whip this out when you first got up here.”

“I thought I’d talk to you a bit before I started to give you free access to alcohol. I’m fairly certain you’ve had a couple already.” He opened the bottle and poured her a generous cup, then a smaller one for himself. “Cheers.”

Caroline looked at her watch. It was past midnight. “We missed the ball drop. I hope you’re okay with that.”

Jack took off his suit jacket and draped it across the back of the couch. “I’m enjoying myself quite a bit up here. I don’t mind.” He retrieved his cup from the coffee table and held it up. “To a fantastic new year.”

He was wearing suspenders. And expensive cufflinks. And a tie that probably cost more than Caroline would spend on a single dress suit. For a simple New Year’s Party. But, oh my. Those suspenders, hugging close to what appeared to be a very fit body. She was a complete sucker for men in suspenders. She caught a whiff of his cologne as he settled back into the couch. He definitely didn’t go cheap. Shit. Men’s cologne was one of her weaknesses too.

Caroline found his physical presence a little more unnerving than she expected. He was very well put together. She shook her head, jarring her brain free of all the naughty thoughts that suddenly flowed through her. Maybe it was the alcohol. She tapped his cup with hers, plastering a grin on her face to mask her embarrassment. “Hear hear.”

They sat on the couch idly drinking their wine until Jack spoke again.

“Did you really tell Speaker Allen to endorse me?”

Her cheeks reddened. “Yes. I chickened out about calling you but I felt so rotten the next day that I called Bob and demanded that he try to undo the damage I’d caused. So, he did.”

“Just out of the goodness of his heart?”

Caroline shifted on the couch. “Not exactly.”

“What did you have to do?”

“I promised him a lap dance.”

He stared at her, dumbfounded. “Really?”

“It’s how I worked my way through law school. It’s also one of the best ways to endear yourself to the mostly male leadership if you’re a chick.”

Jack cocked his head at her and Caroline took another sip of wine. “You don’t pick up on subtle humor, do you?” she asked.

“Apparently not. Maybe I’ve read too many articles about various scandals on Capitol Hill.”

“It’s not that bad. People cheat on their spouses all the time. Congress is no exception. There is a certain hookup culture among the interns, which I find to be highly hypocritical, particularly as it pertains to those who claim to be socially conservative. But most elected officials and staffers try to behave like mature adults.” She chugged the rest of her drink theatrically, wiped her mouth on her sleeve, then set her cup down hard on the coffee table and winked at him. “Most of the time.”

Jack refilled her cup. “So, what did you have to do?”

Her tone grew more serious, but not by much. “Well  – here’s where I pause for dramatic effect – I promised him I’d vote for him as Speaker if he endorsed you.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“Does the Democratic Party know about this?”

Caroline chuckled gleefully. “Nope.”

Jack gave her a mock frown. “Is that keeping with your duties as the keynote speaker?”

“Probably not. But I like to push the envelope. I’ve never been a big fan of blind allegiance. And Bob is a good man.” She laughed again. “Why are you looking at me that way?”

“Are you really going to do it?”

“Absolutely. I meant what I said. I gave him my word and I won’t go back on it. His friendship means too much to me.”

“That might get some pundits talking. Crossover votes don’t happen very often, do they?”

They didn’t, certainly not among party loyalists. Caroline was still plotting how she was going to explain that decision to Douglas Langlade, the Minority Leader. He was obviously expecting her to vote for him. She wasn’t planning on talking to him until after she’d already done it. It was always much easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.

“No,” she acknowledged.

“I see.”

“Bob knew I wasn’t kidding. To be frank, he might have endorsed you anyway if I’d bugged him long enough but after I told him I’d vote for him he was much more inclined to do it.”

“He made it sound as if he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near my campaign if it hadn’t been for you.”