“I think we’d be okay,” Caroline said. “You can give me a job with your charitable foundation. I’m good at spending other people’s money.”
Jack threw his hands up in frustration, but he was smiling. “The polite thing to do would have been to tell me about this before I got down on one knee and proposed. You caught me a little off guard.”
She stifled a laugh. “I know. But I really hadn’t made a final decision until a couple of days ago. I hadn’t gotten up the guts to tell you. I told Kathleen earlier today and she dropped her phone. At least, she says that’s what happened. It sounded a lot like she threw it across the room.”
“You have a habit of hiring people who are way too much like you.”
“Indeed I do. Are you hurt that I told her first? I only did it to run it past someone who could theoretically be objective.”
“That depends. What did she say?”
“She spent about a minute trying to talk me out of it but discovered she was fighting a losing battle.” Caroline grinned at him. “Katie figured out I was serious a lot quicker than you did.”
“Is she upset?”
Kathleen was hard to read sometimes. Caroline suspected she’d done a lot more than throw her phone once their conversation ended. “Maybe a little. She’s concerned about how Jen will take it, particularly when I tell her that I want her to run in my place.”
Jack looked at her intently. “Are you sure you really want to do this?”
“Yes,” she said. “The Commonwealth needs you, Jack. You have a strong business background, with both private executive and public sector experience. You’re persuasive. You have a strong work ethic. You know how to make hard decisions.” She smiled as he squeezed her hand. “The door is open. You just have to walk in.”
“I don’t want to go through it unless you’re by my side.”
She scooted into his arms. “That’s where I’ll always be. You’ll have an equal partner who’s willing to tell you when you’re on the right track or when you’re wrong. And believe me, you’re wrong a lot.”
Jack looked a little offended. “I’m not wrong that often. You’re just saying that because you don’t agree with my economic policies.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him about tax cuts just yet. Maybe after the wedding. “Pennsylvania needs you more as governor than Congress needs either one of us. You need to do this, and you need to do it now.”
“A statewide campaign will be hard. I don’t know if it’s worth it.”
“For God’s sake, Jack. Just run. Don’t overthink it. I’m not.” Caroline straightened up, trying to look as dignified as possible. A difficult task, since she was wearing an old Villanova t-shirt and a pair of beat up Notre Dame women’s basketball shorts. “I want to be First Lady of Pennsylvania,” she declared. “Which means I want you to be Governor McIntyre. I think I could be good at literacy campaigns and benign blog postings.”
“What if you get bored?”
“I shall dedicate myself to a life of contemplation and reflection. Or I may engage in a passionate affair with the state’s highest elected official in the hope that he’ll appoint me to a judicial vacancy.”
“I’m sure there’s no conflict there.”
“We can figure that out later.”
Jack trailed his fingers down Caroline’s neck, leaning toward her ear. “What about filling the role of good natured concubine?”
He nipped her earlobe and she shuddered. She’d missed his touch. “I guess I could be that too.” Caroline pushed away from Jack and sighed dramatically, looking down at the small box he was still holding in his hand. The brilliant diamond ring sparkled in the dim light from the fireplace. She grabbed at the box and gave him a cheeky grin. “After all,” she said. “Jewelry doesn’t earn itself.”
Jack pulled it out of her reach. He started laughing and didn’t stop for a while. “You’re off the wall, sweetheart. You know that? You’re gonna charm the pants off the electorate.” He paused. “Are the girls really okay with this?”
“They are,” Caroline said. “I might have had to promise a summer camp upgrade, but they’re actually quite excited about the entire thing. They love you and they’re ready to move on from the difficulties we’ve had over the past year and a half. They think this sounds like a grand adventure.”