“I don’t need protecting.”
“Yes, you do,” Beth shot back just as stubbornly. There was a long moment of silence that was finally broken by Beth saying, “You don’t want it, but you need it, Lauren. You do. It’s a dangerous world.”
Lauren held her breath for a moment before exhaling raggedly. She knew Beth was making a veiled reference to the assassination attempt on Dev. “You’re fighting dirty, Beth.”
“You’re too important to lose to, Lauren. I’ll fight dirty if I have to, at least on this. Besides, I’m rarely if ever wrong. Just ask David.”
Both women exchanged weak smiles, then Beth sighed. “Don’t kill Dev for this. She’s just worried for you. It’s not as though you left her much choice.”
“It’s not as though she left me any choice either.” Lauren turned around and began to replace the black robe on its hanger, her eyebrows drawn together as she thought. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I can’t be under lock and key every second, Beth. I’ll go crazy.”
“I know.” Beth put her hand on Lauren’s shoulder, feeling the warm fleece of her sweater beneath her palm. “Look, I know you and Dev have gone round and round on this, but since announcing your engagement certain things stopped being optional. Security for you is one of them. I’m sorry. This comes with the territory. You know that.”
Lauren made a face. “Knowing it and accepting it are two different things.” She squared her shoulders. “I understand that I’m more recognizable than I was a few months ago.”
Beth’s lips quirked. “No, really?” She lifted her hand and flicked her finger at the bill of the baseball cap Lauren was wearing in an effort to disguise herself.
Lauren blew out a breath and knocked away Beth’s teasing fingers. “You’re not helping.”
“Sure I am. I’m telling you the truth.” Beth, however, didn’t think it was necessary to mention the agent lurking at the entrance to the shop as well as the one hovering near her car to make sure it wasn’t tampered with that Lauren had apparently missed. She firmly believed there was such a thing as too much honesty.
“No one’s even noticed me,” Lauren asserted lamely.
Like she’s gonna buy that.
Beth snorted. “Sell it to someone who’s buying, Lauren.”
See?
“We’ve been in the store for 30 minutes. Big Burly,” she gestured to the male agent, who more closely resembled a mountain than a man, “and Bad Ass,” this time she gestured to the female agent, who had a predatory expression permanently plastered on her face, “have discreetly kept at least 10 people from coming up to you. I think the poor saleswoman has nearly been shot three times without knowing it.”
“Is that really their names, ‘Burly’ and ‘Bad Ass’? They sound like characters in a buddy novel.” Her tone became speculative. “I could write that.”
“Lauren,” Beth said impatiently. “Do not make me stamp my foot. My mother stamped her foot and I refuse to go there.”
Lauren smiled. “All right. All right.” She waved a hand in surrender. “But I do understand more than you realize.” They both began walking toward the cash register, with the agents trailing discreetly. “Especially after…” she licked her lips and swallowed hard as she usually did when mentioning it, “Devlyn’s shooting.”
Beth’s gaze softened as she regarded her friend. Lauren really was trying. She’d been through an almost unimaginable life change over the past year, and Beth reluctantly gave her credit for always doing the most prudent thing when the children or Dev were involved. Her track record when it came to decisions involving herself, however, wasn’t nearly as good. And, Beth admitted, it wasn’t like she could truly relate. She didn’t know what it was like not to be able to run over to a convenience store without turning it into a major production. Or how a simple baseball game or theater tickets now took weeks of planning.
Lauren wanted to make Beth understand. “I knew we wouldn’t be alone today.” Her eyes pleaded with her friend, who she knew damn well wouldn’t give her quarter. “This was sort of private, Beth.” Her cheeks flushed pink. “It’s our first Valentine’s since… well, you know.”
Beth grinned cheekily. She most certainly did know, along with everyone else on the planet. “And you didn’t want to be watched as you bought your girlfriend sexy undies?” She gestured to the robe in Lauren’s hands. “That’s really nice, by the way.”
Lauren scowled as her temper flared. Sometimes she felt as though she was smack dab in the center of a pressure cooker. “This trip wasn’t the Secret Service’s business!”
“Do you really believe that?”
Lauren crossed her arms over her chest. “Would I have said it if I didn’t?”
Beth rolled her eyes. “Does your need for privacy overrule everyone else’s needs? Devlyn loves you and you will have protection one way or the other.” She paused and turned towards the perfume counter. “Does it have to smell like they wax the floor with cougar piss and ox musk? Yuck!” She turned back, but despite the non sequitur her face was very serious. “When those agents are forced to sneak around to protect you, they aren’t doing their job the way they are trained to. They aren’t private security, Lauren. Or even CIA or Office of Homeland Security agents, trained to fight in the shadows. They’re Secret Service, who will literally put their body between yours and a bullet if they’re able. Their lives are put in greater danger by protecting you on your terms,” she said flatly. “Stop fighting the inevitable.”
Lauren blinked. In a few short sentences Beth had distilled the issue into something she couldn’t… wouldn’t ignore and put her in her place to boot. The very thought of one of those men or women risking their lives for hers made her sick to her stomach as it was. Why isn’t she on Devlyn’s staff? “Shit.”
Beth’s expression was a little smug, knowing that she’d won this round. With Lauren, victory was rare. “Exactly.”
“Be my chief of staff,” Lauren said suddenly.
Beth stopped walking and stared. “Huh?”
“Be my chief of staff,” Lauren repeated. “Michael Oaks and Devlyn both insist that as First Lady I’ll need one. I didn’t know there was such a thing. I guess it’s the equivalent of David’s job only for the President’s other half.”
Beth blinked a few times, wondering if she could really do that.
“You’re not only my best friend, well, besides Devlyn, of course. But you’re smart and know the ropes, Beth. I’m going to need help and I trust you. That’s more than I can say for 99% of
“Is that an age crack?” Beth asked with faux annoyance. At 41 she had a solid decade on her friend.
“Basically.” Lauren laughed.
Beth’s mind was racing, and she was fast warming up to the possibility of really doing this.
Lauren recognized the gleam in the shorter woman’s eyes. It wasn’t that long ago that she herself had been offered the opportunity of a lifetime and everything had changed.
“What about my teaching position?”
Lauren chewed her lip. Beth was a respected professor of history at
Georgetown
and as much as she wanted her for this, believed that she’d be perfect for the
position,
she would never ask her to permanently give up something she loved so much.
“How about a sabbatical?
Or a leave of absence? The university would have to be stupid to let you go completely if they could stop it.” She winked and offered wryly, “I could have Devlyn sic the IRS on them until they comply?”
Beth burst out laughing. “No need for that. I… well… maybe I could lighten my load to just one course a semester and still do this?”
Lauren nodded quickly. She’d take Beth on any terms she could get. “Anything.”
Now Beth was getting excited, and it was starting to bubble over. Her dark eyes twinkled, and Lauren knew she had her. “I’ll have to talk to David about it.”
“Of course.” Yes! Lauren grinned wildly. She set her purchase onto the countertop, and, after a moment’s deliberation, snagged a gold gift bag covered in tiny red hearts from the display near the register. She sucked at wrapping things. The card, however, was something she wanted to make herself. She began rooting around in her leather purse for her wallet, but Beth beat her to the punch, shoving a MasterCard at the ebony-skinned sales associate. Lauren could pay her back later.
The woman gasped as she took in Lauren. “Aren’t you—?”
“No,” Beth blurted, cutting off Lauren before she could even open her mouth. “She’s not. I know she looks like it. But look closer, you’ll see what I mean.”
The woman surveyed Lauren critically as she took Beth’s credit card. “Sorry, you’re right.”
“She is?” Lauren asked, bewildered.
“Oh, yeah. Lauren Strayer is way skinnier. No offense, ma’am,” she added quickly, not wanting to lose the sale.
Lauren’s gray eyes turned to slits as she glared at Beth, who looked like she was about ready to sink into the linoleum. “Oh, Beth?” she drawled in a singsong voice.
Beth gulped. “Yes?”
“You’re fired.”
*
*
*
DEV ROLLED HER shoulders, humming in pleasure when she felt her spine and neck crack and move back into proper alignment. It was
She was bone-tired and all she really wanted to do was call it a night and go to bed early, but she knew she still had something very important to take care of. It had been on her mind all day and, much to her private embarrassment, Dev felt a little like a high schooler with her first crush. God, I hope she likes it. What if she doesn’t like it?
With slightly trembling hands, she took the two boxes from her desk drawer and headed out of the office. She laughed a little, realizing she was making herself crazy for nothing. Glancing at the clock, she frowned, knowing she’d missed dinner with the family and that the kids would already be in bed.
That meant Lauren would be in her room working or in the kitchen playing cards with whichever agents or staff members had drifted there over the course of the evening. Dev smiled a little and shook her head as she exited the Oval Office. That discovery had been a bit of a surprise. Devlyn had overheard Amy, one of the agents who was permanently assigned to the Marlowe children, complaining about the $75 she’d lost to Lauren that week and the six pounds she’d put on since they started playing cards in the kitchen near all that food.
Dev stopped at Liza’s office and rapped on the doorframe. Two agents, who shadowed the President’s movement through the White House, stopped as well, staying well back to remain as unobtrusive as possible. Her personal assistant worked nearly as late as she did. “Liza?”
The reed-thin young woman glanced up quickly from her computer. “Oh, Madam President, I’m sorry I didn’t hear—”
“No worries.” Dev was quick to correct her. “Everything’s fine. Go home and have some fun tonight.” Dev winked. “That’s an order.”
“Are you knocking off early yourself, Madam President?” That didn’t happen very often and Liza knew it. But today was special. She bit back a grin.
“I’m going back to the residence for the evening. It’s umm,” she blushed slightly, “Valentine’s Day, you know.”
“I know. I have a late date.”
Dev let out a relieved breath; glad it wasn’t just her. Liza looked excited, too. “And I have a couple of surprises for Lauren.” She absently fingered the small boxes in her hand. “I want to give them to her before it gets too much later.”
She nodded at her boss. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’ll be here.”
Devlyn walked down the hallway with increased speed. As tired as she was, the thought of spending the rest of the night with Lauren was giving her renewed energy. She entered the Executive Quarters and quickly checked the children, finding them sound asleep. They looked so peaceful and quiet. Life, she decided at that moment, was very, very good.
Her next stop was her own room, where she changed from her skirt, blouse, and proper shoes into something far more comfortable. Donning a pair of jeans and a heavy-weight, tan-colored polo shirt that Lauren had given her for Christmas, she ran a brush through her dark hair, the dry air causing it to crackle as she brought it to order. She remained in socked feet, retrieved the gifts that she’d tossed on her bed as she dressed, and began padding down the hall.
Knocking softly on the door, she suddenly worried that Lauren might have given up on her for the evening. But when the door opened her face broke into a radiant smile. Worries forgotten. “Hiya, beautiful.”
Lauren wore an answering smile of her own. She was beginning to wonder if Devlyn had forgotten about the holiday completely. “Sweet talker.” Casually, she leaned against the doorway. “Care to come in?” Lauren stepped back.
“Love to.” Dev entered the room and waited for the sound of the door clicking shut before she turned to face her fiancée. She drew in a deep breath. “I’m sorry it’s so late.”
“It is late,” Lauren allowed softly. “But I love you anyway.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Dev’s neck. “I was really hoping to see you tonight.” She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her partner’s throat, smiling when she felt Dev shiver at the contact.