A BBQ in the dead of winter, consisting of burgers, hot dogs and grilled chicken breasts, and salads with all the fixings, had been served up buffet style and Lauren, the Marlowes and the McMillians all had slightly bloated bellies as a testament to their appreciation of the feast. The children were running and splashing and screaming. Dev herself felt like rolling over and taking a nap, and she wondered for the hundredth time what it was about food that revved her children up as if they were on speed.
She used the pen in her hand to scratch her temple as she forced herself to at least try and scan the papers in her hands. Only a year ago you were a governor yourself, Dev. Take this seriously. Then, Ashley executed a perfect cannonball into the pool and Dev sighed. Or else get up two hours early and do it then. Decision made, she tucked her papers under her lounge chair and leaned forward, intent on trying her own cannon ball. She was sure she’d be a little rusty, but either way, she was bound to make a helluva splash.
As she passed by the far door, she heard a knock. Dev pulled open the door to see Emma standing there, a stack of towels in hand. “What took you so long, Emma? David and Lauren nearly cleared out all the hot dogs.”
“I’m crushed,” Emma said flatly, though her hazel eyes twinkled.
“I knew you would be.” Dev’s gaze strayed down to the stout woman’s dress. “Where’s your suit?”
Emma smacked Dev’s arm. “You know
good
and well this body is not going to be seen in a bathing suit.”
“Aww… Emma.” She lowered her voice. “Beth hardly has a perfect figure and she’s in the pool right now.”
Emma glanced at Beth, who had Ashley riding on her shoulders. The
Emma crossed her arms over her ample chest. “That’s all well and good. But I’m not a young woman, Devlyn Marlowe.”
Dev’s eyebrows jumped. She turned her head and cupped her hands around her mouth to yell, “Hey, Beth. Emma says you’re a young woman.”
Beth stopped her path through the shallow end and gave Emma a beaming smile. “Thanks!” she exclaimed happily. “Seems I’m the only one of the women here who could be torn away from work long enough to play. Are you going to fix that, Emma?”
“Not in this lifetime,” Emma answered easily, taking a seat in Dev’s chair. Emma gestured to the children, who were laughing and carrying on with David and Beth in the pool.
Beth shook her head, nearly sending Ashley toppling into the water. “Go get your woman off that darn phone, Dev. It’s Friday night, for God’s sake.”
“Yeah, yeah.
I’m going,” Dev muttered absently as she indicated that Emma should take her chair. “She gets another five minutes.” This said loud enough so that Lauren could hear her. The younger woman nodded and winked at Dev, telling her silently that she was nearly finished.
Emma plopped down with a groan and gave serious thought to taking her shoes off and showing her feet off to the world. “Everyone will be properly worn out tonight.”
Christopher and Aaron jumped out of the pool and grabbed a pair of super-soaker squirt guns. Then they jumped back in right next to David, drenching him from both sides.
Dev smiled fondly at her boys.
“No doubt.
They’ve been romping for the last hour.”
“I was talking about David and Beth,” Emma clarified with a grin.
“Oh.
Them too.”
David climbed out of the pool and haphazardly ran a towel over his body before dripping his way over to Dev and Emma. He was panting, and his ruddy skin had taken on a reddish glow. “Do those kids ever quit?” He scrubbed his thick rusty-colored hair with the end of his towel.
“No.” Dev shook her head in wonder. “They’ve got more energy than all of us combined.” She reached out and patted her friend’s arm, waiting for him to make eye contact before saying, “Happy birthday, David.”
David gave her a genuine smile, then a hug, as much to get her wet as to show his affection. “Thanks, Devil. It’s nice to spend it with you guys. Beth is taking me out later, but this… well, this is great.” He shook his head at the sparkling water. “I can’t believe we haven’t done this before.”
“No kidding,” Dev agreed wistfully. Living in the White House was a lot like living in Disney World, but never having time go on all the really cool rides. The children enjoyed the magnificent living quarters far more than she did.
David used the towel on his ears. “Are you sure the office won’t explode without us?”
“No, but when it explodes they’ll just rebuild and there’ll be twice as much work on Monday.”
David groaned. “No kidding. Have I—?” Then he paused, distracted by Lauren’s frustrated voice.
“I don’t care!” Lauren said, clearly back in the middle of something with
Wayne
. “They can’t do that, can they?”
David gestured to Lauren with his chin, a crease forming on his forehead. “What’s up with her?”
Dev kicked off her shoes and adjusted the straps of her suit. “I’m not sure. But whatever it is, it’s not good.”
“If the papers would give the poor girl a break, she’d be all right,” Emma sympathized with a sigh. “She hasn’t been out of the house all week.”
“Excuse me for a second,” Dev gave David a parting pat. “I’m going to go make sure she’s okay.”
Dev could hear
Wayne
promising that “He’d try” and then Lauren ended the call. The smaller woman met Dev half way and, without warning, flung herself into Dev’s waiting arms.
“Whoa,” Dev squeaked, glad that she was standing on one of the few dry spots left.
“Stop the world.” Lauren buried her face in Devlyn’s neck. “I want to get off.” Long arms tightened around her and she let out a sigh of pure relief, sinking into Devlyn’s warm body.
“Tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart.” Dev pressed her lips to Lauren’s hair, breathing in the light scent of her shampoo.
Lauren whimpered. “The very first book I wrote was when I was young and incredibly stupid.”
Dev drew in a breath to speak.
“Not a word,” Lauren warned, giving Dev’s throat a playful bite and feeling the body pressed tightly to hers shake with silent laughter. “I was still in college and I signed a rotten contract with a small publisher and I pretty much forgot all about it after the book didn’t sell well.”
Dev frowned. “You’re unhappy about poor book sales 10 years after the fact?”
“Nuh uh.”
Lauren shook her head. “My old publisher contacted
Wayne
, looking for an address for Lauren Gallagher.” It was the pen name Lauren used for her fiction and, thus far,
Wayne
had been successful in hiding the link between Lauren Gallagher, reclusive, moderately successful fiction writer, and Lauren Strayer, respected biographer.
“Seems my old publisher has sold my story to a movie studio.”
“That’s great!” Dev grabbed Lauren by the shoulders and took a step backward to examine her face. She winced at the dour expression that met her. “Or not.”
“It’s… well…” Lauren’s face turned bright red and suddenly she couldn’t meet Dev’s gaze.
Dev blinked. “C’mon, whatever it is, it can’t be that bad,” she lied.
Lauren closed her eyes and exhaled. “The movie company that bought the book is known for its… well… for producing,” she lowered her voice, “adult films.”
Dev’s eyes widened. “Porn?” she blurted out loudly.
“Shhh! Jesus.” Lauren looked around self-consciously as Dev burst out laughing.
“Oh, God. You’re kidding?”
Lauren’s eyes flew open, then turned to dangerous slits. “Do I look like I'm kidding, Madam President?” And with a stiff push, she sent Devlyn careening backwards into the pool.
Dev shot up out of the water sputtering and coughing. “Puh. Bah.” She spat out a mouthful of water.
“Do it again! Do it again!” Aaron cried gleefully, thinking he’d never seen anything so wonderful as his mother soaking wet and her hair hanging over her eyes.
Dev thrust her chin into the air and arched a slender black eyebrow at Lauren, who returned the challenging gesture, placing her hands on her hips for good measure. She stuck her hand out to Christopher. “Weapon.” The boy dutifully handed his mother his squirt gun.
Ashley sloshed over to the edge, plucked Aaron’s gun from his hands, and tossed it up to Lauren. “I’m on your team!” she yelled.
“Hey!” Aaron, complained, shooting his big sister an evil glare.
“Me too,” Beth chorused, scurrying to put herself as far away from Devlyn as possible.
Aaron pulled his chubby body out of the pool and ran over to the bucket containing their arsenal to hunt for another weapon. “I’m with Mom!” The boy pulled out an enormous squirt gun with an empty tank nearly the size of his head.
He fumbled with the big gun, his wet hands slipping on the plastic handle. “Will you help me fill it, Lauren?”
Lauren looked at Dev and smiled lovingly, her eyes glittering with happiness. Then she turned her attention back to Aaron. “Sure, honey.” She called time, took off her glasses and set them on a stack of fluffy, turquoise beach towels, then scooted over to fill her and Aaron’s guns, while those who weren’t packing heat scrambled to the bucket to remedy that problem. Even Emma joined in. She knew better than to be caught empty-handed when battle lust took over the Marlowes and company.
In the age of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, a war to the death raged inside the White House. Only this one was filled with laughter, the occasional sloppy kiss when someone was captured by the opposing team, and chlorinated water.
B
ETH MCMILLIAN SHIFTED FROM one foot to the other as she peered around Lauren to see what she was looking at. “Dev would go bananas if she knew we were doing this,” she murmured as she waved away a sales clerk.
Lauren nodded absently as she lifted a silk robe from the rack and examined it with a discerning eye. She was ignoring the cloying, nearly overpowering scent of perfume from the counter nearby, determined not to let the budding headache she was developing from the combinations of odors ruin her time.
She and ex-husband Judd had stopped exchanging Valentine’s Day gifts after they’d married. Judd had informed her seriously that he didn’t need a made-up holiday to tell her he loved her or to buy her a gift. He wouldn’t have married her if he didn’t love her. So why should Hallmark put him on a schedule? And she’d readily agreed, mostly because she found herself with little interest in picking anything out for him.
The mixture of butterflies and anticipation that was brewing in Lauren’s belly for Valentine’s Day made it crystal clear to her that she and Judd had been full of shit.
What color? The holiday calls for red, I think. But…
“Ooo… Nice.” Lauren spied another robe pulled it off the hanger, fingering the cool silk with her fingers. With those gorgeous eyes, how can I pass up blue?
“Lauren?”
“Hmm…” Black is nice too. This robe will be short on her and that color against her skin would look so… She swallowed. Oh, my.
Beth put her hands on her ample hips. “Are you even listening to me?”
“Yes.” Lauren nodded, but her attention remained on the rack. “You’re getting ready to moan and complain about the lack of agents following my every move as I try to shop in peace.”
“Well, you have to admit you are—”
Lauren draped the blue robe over her arm and tossed the black one over the rack as she turned to face her friend. The look on her face caused Beth to blink and shuffle her and Lauren’s jackets, which she had obligingly held so Lauren could dig through the lacy unmentionables in the store. The movement caused her brown curls to bob wildly.
“Just what exactly do I have to admit?”
Beth’s brown eyes widened a touch. Uh oh. “Umm… well—”
“That I’m here without security?” A pale brow arched.
“Now, Lauren—”
“Don’t you ‘now Lauren’ me.” Her voice was low and edged with irritation. “Just what am I to believe he is? Hmm?” Lauren shot her arm out sideways and she pointed to a Secret Service man who was standing about 15 feet away and trying quite unsuccessfully to blend into the background. “Or her.” Lauren’s arm shifted to a woman in a dark suit who visibly cringed when she realized what had just happened.
“Lauren!” Beth grabbed Lauren’s arm and forced it down. “Are you crazy or something? Don’t point them out! They’re supposed to be…”
“Hiding from me?”
Beth opened her mouth and then abruptly closed it. She had the good grace to blush when she realized that Lauren not only knew about the protection that shadowed her when she thought she was sneaking out of the White House, but she also knew that Beth knew. “Protecting you.”