The Romance Vote

by Ali Vali

  “What do we have on tap for tomorrow?” Sam asked as they sat in Chili’s office at eleven o’clock at night. The muted lighting made it possible to see the ships passing by on the river, but Chili was more involved in the political blogs she loved to visit than in her or the pretty view. Despite all the effort they’d put into Virgil, he was small potatoes in the realm of what they did, but the big campaigns were close and it was time to start putting out bait.

  She was sure at least one major campaign was theirs since Chili spent a minimum of a couple of hours on the phone with Rooster every day. The prostitution scandal was mentioned once a week in the news, and that was building up Rooster’s chances as a good alternative, so Chili had her and the rest of the team construct Rooster’s message that had been distributed to all the media. It wasn’t a stretch to paint him as a solid real difference that’d bring honor and dignity back to the office Fudge had smeared with smut and mud, as one older gentleman she’d talked to had told her.

  “The chamber invited Virgil to come back for a question-and-answer session for their monthly lunch tomorrow. Then there’s a town-hall meeting tomorrow at the Assembly Center.”

  “The chamber again? That must mean we’re moving even higher in the polls. They don’t invite if they smell a losing campaign.”

  Chili clicked off local politics and opened some national pages. “Virgil’s come a long way, and unless he’s got some deep, dark secret I don’t know about, he should be able to squeak this one out.”

  “The only secret we have to worry about is anyone finding out about his mother’s penchant for rhinestone-studded clothing. Thankfully she was as open to a makeover as her son was when we met him,” Sam said, remembering the expression on Virgil’s mother’s face when she came out of the dressing room in what she’d called the drabbest suit in the world.

  “I’m sure her Election Night outfit will be memorable. She’s got to be in withdrawal by now.”

  “Are you going to kick me upstairs for the next round of campaigns?”

  Apparently not hearing the question, Chili leaned forward, completely engrossed in what she was reading. After her talk with her father about what wouldn’t make her happy, Sam got up every morning and gave herself a pep talk before going in to work. Chili hadn’t really opened up to her any more, but she did seem relaxed around her, which made Sam crave more.

  Chili was over-the-top professional, and she also took the time to compliment Sam on something daily that didn’t really have a lot to do with work. When Chili did, it was the only time in their workday that Sam indulged in noticing things about Chili that would kill her father if he could read her mind.

  “Think you’ve earned that spot already, have you? Are you secretly sitting for your portrait in the lobby?”

  Chili’s usually short hair had gotten shaggy and was curling toward her ears, and Sam had the urge to run her fingers through it and comb it back. Unlike Paula, though, whose presence Chili could usually sense when she was within a mile of her, she hadn’t gotten any kind of over-the-top rise out of Chili aside from the day she got thrown out of her car.

  “I would’ve thought you’d had enough of me.” Sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in Chili’s office she kicked off her pumps and put her feet up.

  “Of course no…” Chili’s voice died away slowly before she finished the word as she stared at Sam’s feet. The red toenail polish was the only thing Sam could think that might make the blank look appear on Chili’s face. Intriguing response, she thought.

  “You do want to get rid of me then?” she asked as she put both feet on the ground. Perhaps Chili was paying more attention to her than she thought.

  “Of course not—that’s what I meant.” Chili was talking, but her eyes never left Sam’s feet.

  Slowly Sam slipped her shoes back on and almost laughed at the frown that turned just the corners of Chili’s lips downward. “It’s getting late, boss. Are you ready to head home?”

  “I just have a few more things left, but if you want I could skip them and we could grab a drink or something.”

  It was like someone had fired a starter pistol and Chili had suddenly come to life in a way Sam wanted, but rushing now would only give Chili the wrong idea. Not that she was taking anything her father had said into consideration, but more what Maria had told her. If she wanted more, it’d not only have to be different from what Chili was used to, but she’d have to work to whip up Chili’s need for more. She didn’t intend to be another notch in Chili’s bedpost.

  “Not tonight, but thanks for asking.” She stood and bent to pick up her purse. No, if she wanted to get Chili’s attention, she was going to have to use more than just toenail polish.

  “Wait up and I’ll walk you to your car. It’s pretty late.”

  “Anything special you want me to do tomorrow?” she asked as Chili locked the door.

  “Beth’s taking care of the media spots that center around coastal issues for the coming week, and I’ve got everyone else on the mail-outs Virgil wants. They’re not the most effective, but they don’t hurt. That frees us up to have lunch with the chamber tomorrow, unless you’ve got other plans.”

  “Sounds good to me. Who in their right mind would pass up an intimate lunch for six hundred people?”

  “Not any woman in her right mind,” Chili said, and smiled.

  Sam was starting to get addicted to that open, relaxed expression on Chili. When Chili smiled or laughed, her attractiveness doubled. “Do you need me to save you from Paula tomorrow?”

  “She’s going with Candy to the Junior League’s luncheon that’s at the same time, to answer questions about Virgil’s views about women. After Paula met Candy, she must have slipped a drug into her drink to make her consider the friendship they share.” The weather had changed from the warm morning to temperatures in the forties after a driving rain.

  The wind coming off the river was starting to make Sam shiver, so as much as she didn’t want to, she needed to send Chili on her way. “Stay warm and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Chili was staring at her as if she was trying to read between the lines of what she was saying. Anyone Chili had showed interest in was probably naked in the back of her car by now, but that was never going to happen with her, even with the mariachi band and a thousand picnics. “You sure you don’t have time for a drink?”

  “It’s late, and I can use all the beauty sleep I can get.”

  “Opinions might vary on that. Any more beautiful and you might get to be too distracting,” Chili said as she opened her door and waved her into the car. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, and closed her door before she compromised anything because of hormones. “I actually have a little sympathy for Paula now that I have time to think about it,” she said as she drove out of the lot. All she had to worry about now was where Chili was headed since she didn’t seem ready to go home.

  “Take a wrong turn on the yellow brick road home, and I’m hitting you with my car,” she said into her rearview mirror when Chili turned to head downtown.

  *

  “Can I have your autograph?” Chili asked when Sophie Grossman opened her hotel room door.

  “How in the hell did you get up here?” Sophie said as she opened her arms to Chili. “I stayed at the Piquant because of their great security.”

  “I scaled up the side of the building and smashed through the window because I had a burning desire to see you. Want to head downstairs to the bar before the tabloids start spreading false rumors about you if they see you with a devastatingly good-looking woman in your room?” Chili kissed Sophie’s cheek and stepped back into the hallway.

  “You sure you’re not too tired?” Sophie grabbed a small purse and took her arm as they walked to the elevator. “And I’m not going anywhere with you if you don’t tell me something about Samantha Pellegrin.”

  “How do you know anything about Sam? Never mind. I don’t want to know if you’re still talking to my
mother.” She waved to the waiter when they got to the bar, and the guy showed them to a table in the crowded room full of people listening to the live music.

  “Your mother loves her already, and she only talked to her for a nanosecond. And before you start yelling, all your dear mother wants is for you to be happy.” Sophie laughed when she pouted. “Stop channeling a three-year-old and listen to me. Don’t act like you don’t care about the future when it comes to anything but politics. When you’re old and sick, Rooster and his wife aren’t going to give a crap about you.” Sophie grabbed her chin and made her look her in the eye. “I’m being serious. You’re going to throw away every chance at what you need in your life unless someone threatens you.”

  “Are you here to threaten me constantly or for a visit?”

  “I’m here for a story, actually, since one of your senators can’t get a pretty girl to talk to him unless he’s got a twenty between his teeth. The network wants me to do a story starting with what the average Joe who voted for him thinks all the way up to the hallowed halls of the United States Senate.” Sophie held her glass up in a toast. “Since you’re representing Rooster, I’m guessing you’re not going to be too upset about that. Do you want any part of what I report?”

  “You know how much I love being in front of the camera, and for something like this it does make my job easier, but if I participate it makes me look like a spoiled child trying to get her way no matter the cost. I’ll help you with anything behind the scenes, but it’s best if whatever you find isn’t tainted by his opponent’s campaign people in the next election.”

  Sophie poked her in the shoulder and laughed. “I expected you to say that, but I had to ask, so now we’ve got nothing to talk about except your girlfriend.”

  “Let’s not start planning my wedding yet, and I’m not giving you any information on Sam that you’ll use later in collaboration with my mother.” She paid the bill and wanted to go home. The long day had picked that moment to kick her in the ass. “You set for tomorrow?”

  “Are you?” Sophie finished her drink and stood up. “I have a source that tells me the randy senator is going to make an appearance at the chamber luncheon tomorrow. It’s his way of trying to rebuild his credibility as well as testing the waters of how easily he blushes now that his little secret is out.”

  “If that’s true, Virgil’s going to get lost in the shuffle.” She kissed Sophie’s cheek and glanced at her watch. It was late, but she had no choice but to go back to the office and make some calls. “Can you make it upstairs okay?”

  “I’ll say yes if you tell me what’s going through that brain of yours.”

  “Don’t jinx me, sweet pea, but if I can work a little magic tonight it’ll make your story more interesting tomorrow.” The drive back was quick since the Mardi Gras parade scheduled for that night had ended and taken the crowds with it.

  “Do you care who wins the state senatorial race in special election at the end of this month?” she asked when Rooster answered his cell.

  “Is this some new service you’re offering on nights you can’t sleep? It’s after midnight, Chili, in case you’ve lost track of the time.”

  “Trust me, I’d rather be in bed counting votes, but it’s important.”

  “As long as whoever it is won’t be as big a scumbag as the guy who just went to jail, I really don’t have any problem with the outcome.”

  She picked up the campaign pin Virgil’s mother had made her as a joke and smiled. It had rhinestones around Virgil’s picture. Its twin was the one little bit of bling Virgil’s mother wore on the campaign trail every day. “How would you like to come to New Orleans tomorrow to endorse Virgil?”

  “I’d want to do this why? Aside from you asking me, that is?” Rooster asked.

  She explained her reasoning as she searched through the phone book for mariachi bands. When she didn’t find a section in the yellow pages, she tried Google. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

  “You want to write up my endorsement statement, or do you want me to do it?”

  “I’ll email you as soon as I finish it.” She wrote down the phone number she found at the second link she’d clicked on.

  “Anything else I can do for you now that I’m wide awake?”

  “If you had to plan a romantic picnic where would you go?”

  “Virgil asked for that too?” Rooster asked, and laughed. “If he needs to know that, tell him I’m not endorsing him.”

  “Call it research on my part.”

  “I’d tell you, but since I don’t know what the girl’s definition of romance is, you need to do what you do best and figure it out.” She wrote Rooster’s brief comments and reread them before sending them on. “Did you hear me?”

  “What do you think I do best?” she asked to humor him.

  “Homework. It’s the secret to your success and the reason old farts like me chase you around until you say yes to representing us.”

  “Go back to sleep, old fart. I need you to be sharp and charming tomorrow.” She hung up and made a few more calls as she continued her Internet searches. When she turned the lights off for the second time, she’d done all she could for Virgil, but she had more than that on her mind. She stared at the building and wondered what it would be like not to come here every day.

  “If I show up at Samantha’s window with a band to get into Huey’s little girl’s apartment, he’s going to blackball me so fast I’ll be lucky if my shadow will keep up to make it out the door with me.”

  *

  “Did you decide on anything?” Rooster asked as they stood outside the New Orleans Convention Center’s largest ballroom waiting to get into their monthly luncheon. With Senator Billy Fudge’s announcement that he’d be there, the number of people attending had doubled so there’d been a change in venue, but that only worked in Virgil’s and Rooster’s favor.

  “Decide on what?” she asked as she scanned the crowd in front and back of them looking for Sam. It wasn’t like her to be late, and they’d left the office at the same time.

  “Picnic locations,” Carla said, as she hung on to Rooster’s arm and smiled. Despite their age differences and her inexperience when it came to campaigning, Carla had the smile and manners down pat. She was going to be a major asset to them when they finally began in earnest. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

  Chili saw Sam heading toward them with Sophie and her crew following closely behind, Maria and another crew not that far up in the procession line. “I’ll tell you later, and if either of you brings this up in front of anyone, I don’t care who, I quit. Make that I quit right after I punch you in the nose.”

  “No need for any more hints,” Carla said, making Rooster give her a confused look, so she whispered in his ear.

  “I see a shotgun in your future,” Rooster said in a gleeful singsong voice.

  “Shut up,” she said as she waved to Sam and shook her head at both Sophie and Maria. “Keep walking, you two. We don’t have any comments.”

  “I haven’t asked you or Rooster anything,” Maria said as Sophie kept walking after smiling at her. “Makes me think you’re hiding something.”

  “Hiding something?” Chili laughed. “You’ve seen the guest list for today, haven’t you? If we’re hiding something we’re pure amateurs in comparison.”

  “Can I quote you?”

  “Sure, and the next time I have something going on I’ll call that girl from channel four. She likes me more than you do.”

  “I bet,” Sam said, so Chili stopped teasing Maria. “Daddy called and said he was inside already and had purchased a couple of tables, so we don’t have to worry about finding a place to sit.”

  “Why not sit with him and Virgil, along with whoever else he invited, and I’ll take Rooster, Carla, and the rest of the staff to the other table,” Chili said to Sam quietly as the line moved up.

  “Why?” Sam pointed to a large palm near the glass front of the building. “Will you guys hold our place?” Sam asked
Carla and Rooster.

  “We’d be happy to, and we’ll check you in on the chance you’re longer than you think,” Carla said.

  “We’ll be right back.” Chili followed Sam, with Carla and Rooster laughing behind her. “What’s wrong?” she asked Sam as they stood under the plant, which in no way was hiding them from the onlooking crowd. “You okay?”

  “Why don’t you want to sit with me?” Sam’s expression was so sad Chili would’ve thought she was asking why she’d given her puppy away to bad people.

  “I believe you said something about keeping Huey out of the loop when it came to anything regarding us starting over. Why make him worry if we don’t have to?”

  “That’s all?” Sam pulled on the button of Chili’s jacket as well as stared at it.

  “Sure. Why, what did you think?” She fought the urge to touch Sam’s face.

  “Nothing.” In Chili’s opinion Sam tried her best to smile as she finally lifted her head.

  “You don’t sound too convincing.”

  “I thought turning you down last night might’ve made you change your mind.”

  Chili gave in to the craving to feel Sam’s skin under her fingers but decided on moderation by tapping the end of her nose. “I told you I’m a little slow, but I remember the rules.”

  “Rules,” Sam said, her smile more relaxed and genuine. “You need the parameters of rules to be nice to someone?”

  “I was talking about that list of yours. I jumped the gun last night, so don’t worry that we’re headed in the wrong direction.”

  “Does that mean we’re headed in a dating direction then?” Sam asked, but didn’t appear upset about the possibility.

  “I’m not sure that’s what you want, but I should’ve known better before just asking you out for a drink. If you’re not interested, I’ll keep you company until Mr. Right comes along to sweep you off your feet,” she said, giving Sam an out.