In Bed With the Opposition (19 page)

Epilogue

Clearly, the Founding Fathers were sadists
, Grace thought. Otherwise, why have inaugurations in the middle of January? It was so cold the only appropriate outfit she could put together was her high-heeled black leather boots and a red wool coat. A perfectly pressed and cat-hair-free red wool coat, as it happened; it turned out that sending her clothes to the dry cleaners was a successful trust-building exercise.

Looking in the mirror, she decided that she looked like…well, she looked like Grace Santiago. And that was a pretty great feeling.

As if the freezing winds howling through Annapolis and threatening to blow over the governor’s inaugural parade weren’t bad enough, inaugurations forced all the recent political candidates to gather together in one spot and pretend they didn’t hate one another.

Today Kip Halloway would face the newly sworn Senator Nancy Jackson and all her gloating staffers. This might be a pretty rough day. But as soon as they stepped out of the car, they were greeted by a chorus of cheers from former aides.

Grace watched the droopy lines of Kip Halloway’s weathered face lift into a smile. “Y’all gonna come work for me in my campaign to be mayor of Ocean City?”

The crowd cheered, chanting, “
Halloway for mayor!
”

Grace’s mood lightened and she puffed warm air into her hands. That’s when she saw Ethan with the Jackson people. He was wearing a dark overcoat and held an actual briefcase in his hand, looking like the sharp new legislative director that he was. Grace waved to him across the crowd and he lit up to see her.

In the full view of everybody, he crossed Lawyers’ Mall to embrace her. Then Ethan turned to Kip Halloway and extended his hand. “Good to see you again, sir.”

Grace always twitched when the two most important men in her life came face-to-face. She’d worried that the Halloway family would hold the campaign against Ethan, but Grace’s new stepfather delighted in playing back the video of Ethan punching Dale Delmont.

Now he took Ethan’s hand and shook it, enthusiastically. “How’s your hand healing up, son?”

Ethan gave his television smile. “Good as new.”

“I hear you’re going to be part of the family!”

Ethan nodded, tugging Grace against his side. “If she’ll have me.”

Grace flashed the sparkling ring on her finger. “I already said yes.”

“Congratulations are in order,” Kip Halloway said. “But right now, me and the missus need to talk to some voters. You don’t need to babysit me, Gracie. Go have some fun.”

With a smile so big it hurt her cheeks, Grace let Ethan lead her away. They walked hand-in-hand and Grace luxuriated in the warmth of the moment. “Shouldn’t you be with the Jackson people?”

“Nah,” he said. “I’m a newcomer. This is their day.”

“You’re
sure
about this job? You ran against Jackson, too.”

“But I’ve learned to love my opposition,” Ethan said, kissing the tip of her nose. “And love her again and again…”

Grace fought the urge to melt all over him. “I’m serious. I never pegged you as a guy who wanted to work on the Hill.”

He shrugged. “It’s not as much pay as I’m used to, but it comes with excellent benefits, and not just because it keeps me close until you graduate law school. Besides, I wanna learn what’s so great about
governing
. And there’s an environmental bill that Jackson wants to fast track. I’ve got an inside line with an expert…”

Grace laughed. “I could give you a pointer or two.”

He wagged his eyebrows. “Wanna sneak away from the festivities or does Halloway need you?”

Grace glanced over her shoulder to where the elder statesman had Mama against his side, the two of them cloistered with supporters. “I think he’ll be all right. I really do.”

“Then let’s celebrate by going home to your surly cat and our warm bed.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Grace teased. “I bet we could find a cloakroom somewhere around here.”

Ethan’s arms tightened around her like a protective shield. “Too germy. You don’t even want to know the things I learned about contagions working for Professor Kim.”

“How about the backseat of your car?”

“I think not, young lady,” he said with a tone that reminded her of a certain former senator. “I have a better idea. I think we should take a little trip to Kansas. I’ve got a big family you need to meet, because you’re gonna be a part of it. And we need to celebrate.”

The warm squeeze in her heart banished the chill in the air. “What’s the occasion?”

“Inauguration Day isn’t a good enough holiday for you? It’s my favorite.”

“That figures.” She grinned.

“Come on. I’ll race you back to the car.”

“I’m wearing heels,” Grace protested.

“It’s all right. I’ll let you win.”

And this time, Grace believed he truly meant it.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Christi Barth, Laura Kaye, Eliza Knight, and Adam Dray for their amazing critiquing skills. Hats off to Officer Brandon Rice, for answering all my weird questions about ambulances, EMTs, and arrests. Thanks also to Jennifer Thomas for her creativity. I am grateful, as always, to my family for their support and encouragement, and to the Maryland Romance Writers, among whom I have found amazing friends.

I’ve been collecting material for this book for at least six years, with the assistance of many. So many friends helped brainstorm jokes and funny scenarios that I cannot name or even remember them all. I would, however, like to acknowledge several writers whose ideas and prose have influenced this work, including Mindy Klasky, Maureen McHugh, Julia Quinn, Kristan Higgins, Leslie Kelly, Heidi Betts, Carrie Alexander, and Megan Hart. I would be remiss not to point out the impact of Kristen Gore’s books, Sammy’s Hill and Sammy’s House. Also, Jessica Cutler’s Washingtonienne.

Importantly, this book pays homage to shows such as Spin City, The Newsroom, and, especially, The West Wing. Astute readers will notice allusions, in-jokes, and winking tributes to those shows, as well as to John Stewart, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and CNN’s Crossfire.

In parting, I’d like to thank my agent, Jennifer Schober, and my editor, Liz Pelletier, for believing in me and giving me the chance to write something so unorthodox, public spirited, and fun!

A more extensive bibliographic list of sources and citations for this work can be found at:
www.stephaniedraven.com
.

About the Author

Stephanie Draven is currently a denizen of Baltimore, that city of ravens and purple night skies. She lives there with her favorite nocturnal creatures–three scheming cats and a deliciously wicked husband. And when she is not busy with dark domestic rituals, she writes her books.

Stephanie has always been a storyteller. In elementary school, she channeled Scheherazade, weaving a series of stories to charm children into sitting with her each day at the lunch table. When she was a little older, Stephanie scared all the girls at her sleepovers with ghost stories.

She should have known she was born to hold an audience in her thrall, but Stephanie resisted her writerly urges and graduated from college with a B.A. in Government. Then she went to Law School, where she learned how to convincingly tell the tallest tales of all!

A longtime lover of ancient lore, Stephanie enjoys re-imagining myths for the modern age. She doesn’t believe that true love is ever simple or without struggle so her work tends to explore the sacred within the profane, the light under the loss and the virtue hidden in vice. She counts it amongst her greatest pleasures when, from her books, her readers learn something new about the world or about themselves.