Look to the Rainbow (17 page)

     Mary Katherine said, “Then don’t. What’s the worst thing that could happen if you don’t?

     “Bobby could fire me.”

     Evan said, “I seriously doubt he will. Right now you being involved with Kel and writing about him is selling magazines and newspapers for him.”

    “Is that what I am, Evan? ‘Involved.’?”

     “I don’t know. You tell me.”

    “I think I’m in love with him.”

    “Are you prepared to take him on, if it comes to that?”

     She knew what he meant. “ I got a little taste of that last week. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed so much in all my life.”

     “I put in some extra time myself,” Evan said. “If this is a serious relationship, then we need to have a serious talk sometime. Anyone who is close to Kel needs to be able to handle an emergency.”

     “When I’m with him I feel like it could be forever. People keep putting doubts in my head. Debby and Bobby, my father.”

     “Your father?” Mary Katherine asked.

     “For reasons he won’t say he really dislikes Kel and thinks this relationship is terrible idea.”

     “Take your time,” Evan advised. “It might be easier to evaluate things after the election.  Speaking of which, the debate is on.”

     The potential candidates had been narrowed down to three, with the southern governor still in the running. He continued to press Kel on the same issues.

     “I don’t get him,” Mary Katherine sad. “Nothing he attacks Kel for has
anything
to do with real issues.”

      Mary Katherine was so fierce that Tara and Evan both laughed at her. As usual, Kel handled the attacks with grace and always turned the non- important back to something that mattered.  Tara cringed when the governor brought her into the debate. He asked outright if Kel thought it presented good family values to demonstrate public displays of affection with a woman to whom he was not married. Kel responded that if he was married and kissing someone else, no, but since he was not he did not see how whether or not he chose to date someone should be up for discussion in a debate over the issues of this campaign. Some of the audience laughed at his reply, which eased the tension somewhat.

     She wondered what her father was thinking at that very moment and steeled herself for the conversation that would come tomorrow as she had planned to fly from Washington to Atlanta for one night before going to meet up with the campaign in New York.  When the debate was over, they elected not to watch the discussions afterward and called it a night. Mary Katherine and Evan had graciously offered their guest room for the night, and she settled into what they affectionately called “Casey’s room,” which was more feminine than the other bedroom across the hall, which Tara assumed had been decorated with Seamus in mind. As she tried to fall asleep, she replayed what Evan had told her about Kel and Alise and contrasted that with Debby and Bobby’s perspective. She wanted to believe that Evan was right and that Kel was open to a long term relationship.  With her.

     Tara sat with her parents and brother at PittyPat’s Porch, the Atlanta classic restaurant where everything on the menu celebrated
Gone With The Wind.
It was her mother’s birthday and they always celebrated it at PittyPats.  Despite its name and what could be cheesy homage to Margret Mitchell’s epic novel, the food was quite good and the atmosphere made it a nice quiet place to talk over dinner. Tara had ordered the low country shrimp and grits, her parents had both chosen steak.  Without asking, Tara knew they would all have to have a serving of Southern Belle cake for dessert- a chocolate confection smothered in chocolate sauce and topped with ice cream.

      “They called you by name in the debate last night,” her father said.

     “I know Daddy, I was watching.” She had known he would bring it up eventually. She just hoped they wouldn’t argue and ruin her mother’s birthday dinner.

     “I assume that, and all the photographs, means that you are still going out with Kelly O’Brien.”

     “Yes, although it is very much a long distance relationship.”

     “One newspaper reported that he took a week off campaigning to go on a vacation with you.” Michael took a sip of iced tea and looked pointedly at her, waiting for confirmation.

     “
Dad,
” Jack said, laughing. “That was
The National Enquirer.
The same issue had a story about an Elvis sighting and an alien abduction. Surely you don’t read that trash.”

     “He was home for a week because he wasn’t feeling well,”

     Tara said. “If you are asking me if we’ve run off to some island paradise, the answer is no. If you think he’s trying to seduce me, the answer is also no. He is very romantic, but he is a complete gentleman.”

     Julia said, “Of course he is. James was too.”

     “I wouldn’t know,” Michael said.

     “Michael, don’t act as if you never met the man.”

     Jack thankfully changed the subject, but Tara did wonder how well her parents had known  Kel’s. She  knew that her mother, having been Lily’s best friend, would have known James- and Kel as a child-well and she knew Lily had introduced her parents, but she wasn’t sure how her father had come into the whole story. She was certain that her father was still very much against the idea of her pursuing anything, temporary or permanent with Kel.

     Their waiter took away her plate and replaced it with the Southern Bell cake. Her mother interrupted her thoughts by asking her what her work schedule would be like for the next few weeks.

     “I’m meeting them in New York tomorrow, and then I go back to Newport. I’m going to do an interview with some of Kel’s polo team, write about some of his more notable architectural projects and cover a charity event Lily is hosting. There will be a debate in Boston, and then I guess they work on the convention.”

     “Have you toured Kel’s own personal house?  It was written up in every decorating and architecture magazine when it was first built.”

      “I have. It’s beautiful. Different from most of the houses in Newport.”

      She and her mother spent the rest of the time they were at the restaurant talking about Newport and Julia’s friends there.

     When they got back to her parents’ home, she went upstairs and laid out her clothes for the next morning and packed up what she wouldn’t need before she left. She sat on the upholstered window seat where she had daydreamed so many times as a child and looked out the window. She was looking forward to seeing him the next day. Things were so much clearer when they were together.

     She got to New York very early in the morning. Kel was opening the stock market and then talking on CNBC about economic issues. She took her own photographs, as Mary Katherine was starting another chemo treatment the next day. The shots wouldn’t be as creative, but they came out well enough. Finally, he had a chance to talk about some things that were important to the campaign and to voters- not one of the questions was about her or his own health. From the interview, he went to speak to an educators conference and then to a mid -day town meeting event. They were joined for lunch by campaign contributors and then, finally, the campaigning was over for the day. John had learned to build in some down time; Kel’s hospital visit had changed their strategy on scheduling.

     He took her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was fairly empty of visitors and they strolled through the galleries virtually unnoticed and talked about the works hanging on the walls and any other subject that came to mind. It was only after they were leaving the museum two hours later that the paparazzi caught up with them as they came down the front stairs holding hands. Unlike when they were in Newport, the photographers got alarmingly close, annoying even Kel who usually took them in stride. They ducked into a cab and considered just going back to the hotel and calling an end to their afternoon together, but Kel changed his mind and they went to Central Park instead. He took her hand as they got out of the cab and said, “Let them take photos. I planned to spend this afternoon and evening with you  and I’m going to.”

     They managed to evade them for a while but they were clearly being followed and it did take away from Tara’s being able to totally enjoy her first time walking through Central Park. Each time she had come to the city it had been too cold to enjoy the outside attraction. He stopped a couple of times as they walked to kiss her, and except for the photographers no one else seemed to pay any attention.

     After a while he suggested they go back to the hotel and hailed another cab. It surprised her that a handful of the reporters still followed them, but didn’t go inside the hotel itself. He walked her to her room and said, “I’ll pick you up at 6:45. You’ll want to be dressed up.” He gave her a slow romantic kiss and went to his own room. When she opened the door, she was greeted with a bouquet of multi-colored roses. She didn’t need to read the card to know they were from Kel, but she opened it anyway. The card read “Look to the rainbow.” Then a thought occurred to her. He’d said she needed to be dressed up. She had brought nothing with her for a dressy date. She looked at the clock. She had less than two hours to find a dress and get ready. She called the concierge for a recommendation close to the hotel and hurried across the street to a unique boutique with several dresses in her size to choose from. She settled on a form fitting cocktail dress in a shade of purple that accentuated her lavender eyes with a deep V in the back and beaded applique scattered over it in  random pattern. On a whim she also bought a beaded evening bag, a jeweled clip for her hair and a pair of to die for black heels with purple jeweled butterflies on the toes. Excited, she went back to her room, took a bubble bath and got ready for her date.

     She looked at her reflection and was pleased with how her hair turned out, in a French twist held in place with the clip and tendrils curling about her face, and added a diamond necklace her mother had given her before she left, in case she needed it for any event in Newport. Kel knocked on her door at little before six forty five and the expression on his face was worth the effort of going to get the dress at the last minute.

     “That’s some dress,” he said, twirling her around so he could see the back.

     “Just something  I threw together at the last minute,” she said, noticing that he also looked very nice in his tux.

     “Where are we going?”

     “It’s a surprise,” he said as they went downstairs. They went to a lovely restaurant where they were ushered to a table in the back without waiting. After dining by candlelight, they left the restaurant and Kel said, “I hope you’re a Phantom fan.”

     “We’re going to see Phantom of the Opera?” She loved the show and said so.

     “I wanted something romantic,” he said. “And for some reason, I knew it would be a show you’d want to see.”

      As the cab stopped outside the theater, Kel said, “I’m pretty certain we’re being followed, so smile pretty and let them get their shot. At least they can’t follow us into the theater.”

     As soon as they stepped on the side walk the flashes from camera started popping. She took Kel’s arm and he led her inside and to their orchestra level seats on the third row center. The show was every bit as beautiful as she remembered and they both enjoyed it. The paparazzi had given up waiting on them by the time the musical was over and Tara was glad that the end of the evening would be between just she and Kel.