by D J Small
That particular charge Val could not remain silent on. “What the hell was I supposed to do, Addison?” The emotions she had been trying to keep at bay came surging to the surface. “I almost lost my wife and best friend in that fucking crash. Of course I was going to let Summer do and say whatever the hell she wanted, she almost died.” Tears blurred Val’s vision, but she refused to cry.
“Yes, she almost died, but it didn’t give her an open invitation to turn you into her own verbal punching bag.” Addison scoffed. “Either way, whatever you did or didn’t do obviously didn’t work, because she pushed you away and wound up leaving no matter what.”
Val clenched her jaw. “I cannot be blamed for this. I fucking tried, Addison. I did everything I could to help her while running this damn country.” She bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. “I fucking tried.”
“I don’t think you did.”
Though the words were spoken in a soft tone, they stung more than any physical slap, and Val’s bearing changed as a full-blown rage ripped through her. She glowered at Addison. “Leave.”
“Val, you know I—”
“Leave the Oval, Addison, or I will have you thrown out,” Val ordered, and her hard gaze bore into her chief of staff.
Addison nodded, and she left the office. As soon as the door closed, the first sob shook Val’s body, and she covered her face as more followed. Addison saying she didn’t try hard enough hurt, and coupled with her guilt, Val felt like she had failed Summer in every possible way. If Addison had known about the guilt she harbored about the crash, she probably wouldn’t have said what she said, but she didn’t. Though Val agreed with the accusations she had placed on her.
When Summer had begun to shut her out after the crash, Val didn’t know what to do. After she came home from the hospital, Val did her best not to push Summer into doing something she didn’t want to, because she couldn’t stand to see her in pain, and she didn’t want to do anything she would later regret. In the end, Val had given Summer all the control, and it was the beginning of the end for their relationship.
Val began to wipe at her face in a vain attempt to look somewhat decent, but she knew there was no point. She walked over to the coffee table and picked up the files that were lying on it, then walked over to her desk to lock them up.
Between the wine and her emotions, Val could hear her bed calling. There were probably things she needed to look over before the new day started, but she didn’t have the heart, or focus, for it. It would be another thing to add to the pile of things she needed to do, making her dread the coming days. Val sighed and left the Oval using the exit for the Rose Garden. She didn’t want the staff to see her in her current state. As she walked through the outside corridor, guilt and heartache continued to eat at her, and Val longed for the reprieve of sleep.
Chapter Ten
Summer stood in the doorway of her closet, glaring at the few pieces of clothing hanging in it. Not having a wardrobe didn’t put her in a pleasant mood. At some point, she would have to make arrangements to have some items shipped down from her loft in Boston, but in the meantime, it looked like she would have to go shopping. The scowl on her face deepened. Summer hated shopping; hated it even more since becoming a national spectacle.
She closed the closet door and walked over to the night table next to her bed. “Mobile, call Nina.” The phone made the call, going right to speakerphone, and after two rings Nina answered. “I hate to bother you with something this trivial, but I need clothes, and I refuse to go shopping,” Summer said after she said hello.
“I will have someone at your apartment in an hour,” Nina replied with no hesitation, making Summer wonder if she had been expecting this to happen. Before she could end the call, Nina added on, “Your mom called, and Howard wants to talk to you.”
Summer frowned. “Why are my mom and Howard calling you?”
“Since you don’t have a proper office, I told the White House to forward your calls to me and I would pass along the important ones to you,” Nina stated as though the answer was obvious one. Summer was a little impressed by her initiative, but it also perturbed her a bit.
Because they were already talking about her former prison, Summer sighed and asked, “Can you call the White House and see if I’m still travelling with Val to California? I need to know if alternative plans need to be made.”
“Of course, Colonel. I’ll send Manny an email right now.”
Summer hoped Val had changed her mind, because travelling with her made Summer more than nervous. Appearing in public with Val was one of the reasons, but she also hated flying in general. “Nina, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, and I apologize for treating you like a personal assistant.”
Nina chuckled and remarked, “It’s all right, Colonel. I’m glad to be doing something instead of sitting in an office doing mundane tasks.”
“You say it’s okay, but I’m not okay with it,” Summer countered. “Once we get everything taken care of, we’re going to be discussing your role at the foundation.”
Nina hummed. “I thought I would be continuing my role as your chief of staff.”
Summer nodded. “You are, but you’re also going to be my spokesperson.”
Nina didn’t say anything for a moment, but then she said, “I will do my best to be a good spokesperson for you, Colonel.”
“You may want to quit after a month,” Summer commented with a small grunt. She wasn’t going to take advantage of Nina, but if she could, she would have her fill in for her as often as possible.
“We shall see, Colonel,” Nina remarked with a light laugh. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to find someone to make you look presentable. Expect them in an hour.”
Summer groaned, but still thanked Nina for her help before the call disconnected. Blowing out a long breath, she ran a hand through her hair. Howard’s call would have been the first one she returned, but calling her mother took precedence because if she didn’t, the hell she would receive would be twice as bad. “Mobile, call mom,” Summer ordered, sounding more than annoyed about the impending conversation.
The line had barely rung when Cassandra answered the call. “What the hell do you think you are doing? Not only will the board vote against your asinine idea, you are also the last person we would want to be in charge of something like this. Is this because of Val?”
Summer had been expecting her mother to be upset and knew she would ask if her proposal had something to do with Val, but the question still irritated her. “Val has nothing to do with this,” she said after making a derisive sound. “She may be president, but the world does not revolve around her.”
“Then explain to me, Summer, your sudden desire to open an office for the foundation in Washington?”
There were several reasons for the move, but Summer decided to go with one that seemed to be obvious and wouldn’t provoke further prodding from her mother. “It is ridiculous the foundation doesn’t have a presence in the city considering the work we do, and I want to change that.”
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I do not approve, Summer,” Cassandra said, and Summer could hear the irritation and anger in her voice.
For a brief second, Summer fought the smug smile wanting to break out on her face, but decided to let it form as she said, “It’s a good thing I don’t need your approval—just the board’s.”
Cassandra didn’t have an argument, and Summer did a celebratory dance in her head, but it was cut short when her mom asked, “Is this because of the episode you had in front of your father?”
The question caught Summer off guard, and it briefly stunned her. She put an abrupt end to the conversation. “If you have concerns, mother, you can bring them up during the deliberations preceding the vote.”
“Summer, I wish you would reconsider this decision.” She paused. “It may be too much for you.”
Summer clenched her jaw. Having people tell her what she could and could not handle was becomin
g old fast. “There is nothing left to consider. I will see you when the board votes.” She ended the call and blew out a breath before slowly drawing in another.
It was bad enough her mom brought up the drunken tirade she had gone on in front of her dad, but to have her mother—of all people—tell her she might be taking on too much was the last thing Summer wanted to hear. Anytime her mother told her she shouldn’t do something, or went against her, it only made Summer more determined to prove her wrong. The personality trait had caused their relationship to have numerous ups and downs, and sometimes it caused an explosive reaction. Summer drew in another deep breath and slowly let it out in an attempt to recover from the phone call with her mom.
She told her phone to call Howard, and once he picked up Summer said, “Good morning, Howard. I heard you called.”
“I did,” Howard said with a deep chuckle. He had been with the foundation for the last twenty years, and he currently oversaw the foundation’s operations. “We need to talk about this new office of yours. I need to know what its purpose is, where you want it, and how are we going to pay for it.”
Summer chuckled. “What makes you think the board is going to approve it?”
Howard laughed and remarked, “Are you kidding me? You have several senators supporting this initiative of yours, and you’re helping the men and women in uniform. A segment of the population I think the foundation could help tremendously.” Summer couldn’t help but to grin at his words. “I hope you have a good pitch though. Your parents seem to be causing all sorts of hell to make sure this doesn’t move forward. They say the foundation has no place in D.C.”
Summer grunted and set her jaw as aggravation came over her. “They want to make it seem like the foundation has no pull in D.C., but we do. Might as well make it official.”
Howard laughed and Summer joined him. The two of them discussed her plan for the foundation’s D.C. office, which would be the base of operations for both the mental health initiative and the veterans outreach program. The two of them were discussing the details of each program and their focuses when Howard asked, “I hate to bring this up, considering the history, but will the White House be involved with this?”
Summer scowled. “No, this program has no affiliation with the White House.”
A couple of seconds passed before Howard pointed out, “Getting an endorsement from the White House for the foundation’s new office in D.C. would help you get the votes you need, along with donations.”
Summer pressed her lips together. He had a point. Jaw tightening even more, she said in a controlled tone, “I will have my assistant get in contact with the White House to see if they will make an endorsement.”
“You better hope they do, especially if you want this vote to go through,” Howard commented.
The scowl on Summer’s face intensified. Howard asking her to get the White House’s endorsement felt like salt being poured into an open wound. The sting of Val telling her no was still fresh in her mind, so she would have Nina contact Addison for the endorsement. The two of them could duke it out instead of her and Val. They would probably end up arguing if she made the call, and it would probably consist of them belittling one another until one of them hung up.
Summer was about to steer the conversation to a new topic when the doorbell for her apartment buzzed. Her eyebrows furrowed as she said, “Howard, I have to go, but I will give you a call before the board meeting.”
He told her okay, and once the call had ended, Summer made her way out of the bedroom to answer the door. She opened it and found Ryan and a woman standing in the hall. Her presence at the door seemed to have rendered the woman speechless. Ryan gestured with his head towards the her and asked, “You expecting her?”
Summer looked the woman over and said, “I have no idea who she is.”
The woman seemed to recover from her shock and held out her hand. “I’m Monica Olívia. Your assistant Nina told me to come over.”
Summer nodded, now understanding who the woman was. “You’re the stylist.”
“Yes, Colonel.” Monica said with a big smile.
Summer moved out of the way and said, “Do come in.”
Monica looked up at Ryan. “Since I have been cleared, can the rest of my team come up?”
“Team?” Summer asked, a little concerned about what she was getting into.
Monica smiled politely at her. “Yes. I was told to make you look presentable.”
“I only needed clothes,” Summer rushed to explain, hoping to get out of whatever hell Nina had signed her up for. “I’m not sure what Nina has told you—”
“Pardon the interruption, Colonel, but my explicit instructions were to make sure you look like the respectable chairwoman of a reputable organization, and not some privileged brat who has been whoring around the world for the last two years,” Monica said. Surprisingly, she had delivered the message in a polite, but direct manner.
Summer laughed. Once again Nina had gone overboard, and she planned to give her a lesson about following orders, but she continued to laugh. There was some truth to the assessment, so the lesson wouldn’t be a harsh one. Summer shook her head. “Olsen, get Ms. Olívia’s team up here, please.”
“You got it, Colonel.”
As he gave out instructions to the other members of Summer’s security detail, she looked at the stylist. “There is one rule, and if you do not follow it you and your horde will be escorted out.” She paused and waited for Monica to agree. After the woman gave a curt nod she said, “Do not cut my hair. If a single strand gets cut, I will not be happy.”
Monica gave her a placating smile. “We shall see. If there are dead ends, then what must be done will be done.”
Deciding she didn’t like the woman, Summer scowled at her back as she walked into the apartment. “Excuse me, I have to go make a call.” She went back into her room and walked over to the bedside table. After picking up her phone Summer called Nina, but it went right to voicemail.
The line beeped, and Summer said, “The stylist you told to come over is here, and she may be fired by the end of this. She also told me what you said, and though it was slightly disrespectful, I am impressed. However, you do need to learn a lesson, so you’re going to call the White House and get their endorsement for the foundation’s new office in D.C.” She grinned. “Enjoy that conversation.”
Summer ended the call and slipped the phone into the pocket of the gym shorts she wore. When she reached the doorway of her room, she saw several racks of clothing being rolled into her apartment. The dining area was being turned into an impromptu hair salon for the man doing her hair, and everyone else was putting outfits together for her. Two women from her security detail stood in the living room wearing amused expressions as they watched the action.
This wasn’t the time for her to be someone’s dress-up doll, and Summer felt her mood sour when she realized that was exactly what she would be for the next few hours. Monica spotted her, and she snagged an outfit off the rack before making her way over to her. “I just picked out a lovely suit for you. I chose light gray, because it’ll give you an approachable look, while making you appear less grouchy when you are…well, grouchy.” She walked over to Summer and held out the suit. “Go try it on and we’ll see how it looks.” Summer glared at her, but Monica said, “I was given your mother’s number to call in case you became less than cooperative.”
Considering Summer did not want to speak to her mother at the moment, the threat worked. “You’re evil, and I’m firing Nina,” Summer snapped as she snatched the hanger from Monica, then turned to go back into her room, slamming the door behind her.
~~~
“This treaty leaves my country defenseless!” Hasem shouted as his hand hit the polished top of the wooden conference table. “Without these weapons, what am I to defend my people with?”
Basara argued, “The Alliance has a military force. With your country being a part of it, there is no need for Iraq to have nuclear wea
pons.”
Hasem sneered at him and shot back. “I do not trust the Alliance. It is only a matter of time before one country becomes too greedy or too power-hungry and tries to control the others. I will not allow my country to become a victim because I put all my faith in it.”
Val raised an eyebrow, finding his point rather interesting. The Alliance had been doing well for the last fifty years, and outside of recent events, the Middle Eastern countries had been making tremendous strides in improving the region. “Adnan, you know there is a clause in the Alliance charter which prevents one country from having too much control.”
The prime minister scoffed. “What do you know of the Alliance’s charter? You Western leaders washed your hands clean of the region and left us to clean up the mess you all created. You’re no better than your predecessors.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Perhaps even worse.”
Val’s hand’s tightened around the arms of her chair, and she slowly counted to ten in her head. “This treaty will be the right step for your country, and will show the world that Iraq is ready to move forward while proving it does believe in the Alliance and the message it sends to the world.”
“But I do not agree with its message, or its role in the Middle East.” Hasem leaned forward. “The Alliance has done nothing to stop the rebels in my country, so they run unchecked, causing damage and murdering innocent people.”
“You allow them to run around unchecked,” Basara countered, his voice rising to match the volume of Hasem’s. “Alliance soldiers have been sent to your country on several occasions to help with the rebels, and each time, you and Nasir have refused their assistance. It is you who has allowed the rebels to grow, and now they are entering my country. I refuse to watch my country be terrorized by these savages.”
The direction of the conversation was beginning to go down a path Val did not want it to go, so she intervened. “This is why signing the treaty is so important. It creates a unified front for the Alliance, telling those who wish to destroy the peace and unity that has been cultivated over the last several decades that violence and war are no longer tolerated in these countries.”
