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“Thank you, Harold.” Sam trudged up the red-carpeted stairs to the residence, overwhelmed with exhaustion after the long, difficult day. She looked in on the twins and Scotty, all of whom were asleep, before heading for her and Nick’s suite to change into pajamas. She was on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand when Nick came in, looking as stressed as she’d ever seen him.
Had something happened with his mother?
“I’ve got two minutes to tell you what’s going on before I tell the rest of the world.”
His hastily spoken words further spiked her anxiety, which was already out of control after the situation with Shelby.What now?
As he told her about Juan and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, she almost couldn’t process what he was saying until he called it anattempted bloodless coup d’état. That she understood. She put down the wineglass, stood and went to him, wrapping her arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Nick. You must feel so…”
“Betrayed. I feel betrayed.”
“And rightfully so. What will happen to them?”
“They’ll be arrested and charged with plotting to overthrow the government of the United States, treason, sedition and numerous other things. Whether or not a case can be made that will stick remains to be seen.”
“Wow.”
“It’s going to be the biggest story to ever come out of this White House, and I’ll be smack in the middle of it, right where I don’t want to be.”
“This is no reflection on you.”
“Of course it is, Sam. My top military officers were plotting to remove me from office. It’s a reflection of what they think of me and my presidency.”
“Or maybe it’s just a reflection of their own craven desire for power.”
“Either way, the fact that it’s happening on my watch is humiliating.”
“Don’t be humiliated. You had nothing to do with it. You were asked to serve your country when Vice President Gooding fell ill. You stepped up to fill that position and the presidency when Nelson died. You’re doing what was asked of you, which is all anyone can do.”
“Maybe I should say that when I share this news with the world in…” He checked his watch. “Six minutes.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, you’re all ready for bed.”
“I can change in two seconds. Wait for me.”
“Hurry.”
She ran into her walk-in closet, grabbed the first dress she saw, which was a rich navy blue, and put it on. Then she went into the bathroom, quickly applied the bare minimum of makeup before twisting her hair and pinning it up. Before she left the bedroom, she grabbed her diamond engagement ring and slid it on over the matching band. She took two seconds to tell Celia that she and Nick were heading downstairs for a bit.
Celia wrote back to let her know she still had her monitor on for the twins.
Thank you so much!Sam replied.
“Three minutes,” Nick said when she came out of the bathroom. “Not bad.”
“I like to think of myself as low-maintenance.”
“You’re super low-maintenance,” he said, kissing her, “and I love you for that and a million other things.”
She wiped lipstick off his bottom lip and took his hand as they left the room. “I love you, too. Remember what we always say—if we have each other, they can’t touch us.”
“Thanks for the reminder. I needed it after this day.”
“And here we thought your mother’s shenanigans would be the headline.”
“Is it weird that I’m suddenly nostalgic for this morning, when I thought she’d be my biggest headache of the day?”
