In the master suite of his luxury LA home, curled into a ball on her side, hugging his pillow, she watched as he dressed. “So, that’s it, huh?” she called out. “Just leave me behind, all alone in your messy bed, nothing to do, no one to play with?”
He waited until most of his clothes were on before going to her. He bent down to kiss her quickly; his night was done, the dawn of a new day dividing them. “Breakfast will be ready in half an hour.”
“Okay if I lock the doors while I shower?” June said. “Or is that breaking some sort of security rule in His Majesty’s castle?”
“There’s two security staff inside the house, and two more outside,” he told her while tying his necktie. “They’re all here to protect you too.”
“I’ll be locking the door anyway.”
After showering and dressing in clothes she had left there on previous visits, June found Jack outside sitting at the garden table in the middle of the patio. The morning was bright, sunlight peeking through the heavy green leaves of a rubber tree growing in one corner of the courtyard. On the table rested a tray with a pot of coffee, two cups with sugar and cream servers. Jack was busy reading through pages of documents, his never-ending task during the days they spent together.
On her way out, June smiled a greeting to one of the private security agents, barely a nod in return. She found the other guard loitering close to the breakfast table, keeping a close eye on his charge. Jack didn’t seem to notice, or mind.
“May I live in your bathroom?” June asked, sitting down. While she drank her orange juice, he poured her a cup of coffee. “I promise I’d be quiet and never cause any trouble. Just toss a little mat on the floor for me to sleep on, and maybe a coffee maker and toaster oven, and I’d be a happy girl in there.”
Jack smiled. “What is it with women and bathrooms?”
“Clean bed sheets, a clean bathroom, and lots of space to spread out all our crap is all we ask for.” She looked up as the cook, a portly Hispanic-looking man, brought out a plate of toast, hard-boiled eggs, and fruit cups. June poked around for the most burnt slice of toast and bit into it. “That, and a dirty-minded man.”
Jack cleared his throat, apparently a little embarrassed, and glanced in the direction of the security guard.
“You really have to leave this morning?” she asked. “When will I see you again?”
“Not until the conferences. Have you been to Seattle before?”
June nodded. “Once, a long time ago for a modeling job. It was a little weird wearing ski clothes in the spring. Hotter than heck in down parkas. They ended up dumping styrofoam snow under the trees anyway, just so it would look like winter. Probably still there.”
Jack took a sip of coffee. “I’ve got someone new looking after security. After last time, I figured it was time to get some outside help.” He ate some of the toast she had buttered for him. “The guy owes me a favor or three, so I’m lobbying for time away, all on our own.”
“Like a real date?” June said, brightening into a gasp of mock disbelief. “You mean mommy and daddy won’t be coming with us? What if…”
“Something happens?” he interjected, his eyes glued to the papers in his hand.
“Yeah, as in some sex-crazed female fan pulls you into the bushes in a park somewhere?”
He looked up at her. “What?”
“We have the whole weekend together?”
Jack nodded. “From Thursday evening until Sunday morning. I need to be back in D.C. by Sunday evening for a meeting.”
June finished her coffee and poured more for both of them. “Never get enough meetings?”
“This is the most important time.”
There it was again: the elephant in the room. Even though Jack was a California native and owned a Los Angeles home, he had become a denizen of the Washington D.C. set. His whole world revolved around getting into the White House, a task he had almost accomplished once before. Nothing was stopping him this time.
June couldn’t imagine leaving Los Angeles behind. If they were to stay together, she’d have to pack up lock, stock, and barrel for Washington D.C. She could be on staff at Bethesda, but would likely be in name only. Joining politicians’ wives for tea in a rose garden each day held no appeal. It would be a major change in her life, and required a massive decision.
“Jack, how do I fit into all of this?” she asked, not sure she even wanted to know the answer.
“Half of America wants to know that too. Not to mention the media.”
“Along with my mother,” June said. “I’m stuck in a hard spot here, Jack. This isn’t an ordinary relationship, and the usual rules don’t apply. As you said, the media is beginning to notice the same woman with you, and they’re going to want answers. Before America gets some kind of official status report, I’d like to know where I stand with you.”