He reaches across his desk to grab something, and his wingspan is enormous. I wonder idly where he buys his suits. They must be custom-made, though who could afford such a thing on our paltry salary? It’s a mystery.
“Thanks so much for fitting me in,” I begin, conveniently ignoring that he kept me waiting.Ooze that southern charm.“Your schedule seems a bit intense.”
“Sorry about that. There’s a lot going on with the tax plan right now.”
Senator Hammond is chairman of the Finance Committee, so I suppose it makes sense that Ben would be working on tax reform. Still, the mental image of this muscle-bound behemoth hunched over a calculator is so incongruent, I want to laugh.
“Huh. That makes more sense now.”
“What makes more sense now?” He plugs in his laptop and sets it off to the side.
“Why you couldn’t meet for three weeks.”
His pause lasts just a beat too long. “We’re meeting now, aren’t we?”
Ooh, we’ve got a live one here.I sit up a little straighter. “That we are.”
“So, Ms. Adams,” he says, back to digging in his bag. “You’re here about the child care bill?”
“Ms. Adams is my mother. So please, call me Kate.”
He glances up at me, casting a boyish grin in my direction. It’s transformative, his smile, the kind that takes a face from serious to mischievous in the blink of an eye. I wonder how old he is. I’d pegged him as midthirties, but I mentally revise that downward.
His eyes move over me as if I’m familiar. “Okay, Kate,” he says, still smiling like he’s amused by me. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re here.”
“I’m here on behalf of Senator Warner to discuss the Child Care and Education for Working Families Act we introduced a couple months back. I wanted to give you a brief synopsis of the bill, answer any questions you have, and see what we can do to get Senator Hammond on board.”
“So this is the Democrat proposal for subsidized child care?” He sinks heavily into what must be an industrial-strength chair.
I cringe at his characterization. “Well, kind of, but there’s a lot more to it than that. The goal of the bill is to provide families with additional resources for—”
“I’ve read the bill, I know what it’s about. I also know it has no chance of passing.”
Record scratch.
I smile tightly through clenched teeth.So this is how it’s going to be.“If it didn’t have a chance, I wouldn’t be here.”
Something in my voice must get his attention, because he finally quits organizing all the crap on his desk and looks at me properly. His eyes flick over me from head to toe, lingering briefly on my heels. This pair is one of my favorites—turquoise suede with an asymmetrical toeline and a tiny row of pearls dotting the back heel. They’re the mullet of footwear: business in the front, party in the back.
He squints at them for a moment as if mystified, then drags his eyes back up to mine, a small frown settling on his mouth. “That bill is going nowhere. You must know that. And Hammond would never vote for it.” He speaks slowly, his tone patronizing, like I’m some sort of simpleton who doesn’t understand English.
My face heats. “How about you listen to my pitch for thirty seconds before you shut me down?”
“Why, when I know what the answer will be?”
“Doyouspeak for Senator Hammond?” It’s a challenge—and the politest way I can think of to neuter Mr. Big Swinging Dick.
His eyes narrow. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
I narrow mine in a mirror image. The moment stretches.
“Well,oh-kay,” I say, interrupting our impromptu glaring contest. “Thanks for keeping me waiting for thirty minutes, thennotgiving me the opportunity to discuss the legislation. I’ll be sure to let Senator Warner know that herfriendHank Hammond wouldn’t give her the time of day.”
I slap my presentation folder shut in preparation for a dramatic exit. I think I’ll knock over one of his stupid skyscraper stacks while I’m at it.
“I’m sorry, have I offended you?” He seems genuinely confused.
“How could you tell?”
