Madame President - Tara Sue Me Page 0,79
thought we might lose her forever. I’ll forever be grateful she beat it.”
“She’s definitely something else. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a thirteen-year-old so full of joy or high on life.”
That’s my sister, and I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure she never changes. “She mentioned earlier today she was thinking it might be fun to be President.”
Anna snorts. “Fun?”
I walk over to one of the bookshelves and drag a finger across several of the volumes there. “Do you think anyone’s ever read all these books? There are so many.”
Anna’s forehead wrinkles. She has no idea where I’m going, but at least it looks like she’ll go along with me for now. “I doubt it,” she says. “Are all of these in English?”
“I don’t think so,” I say. “All these books, and yet each one is different. They share some of the same words, but they’re arranged differently. And every word is made from a set of twenty-six letters.” I chuckle. “Well, the English ones are, and when you think about all the books that have ever been written, it’s a pretty amazing thing, isn’t it?”
“I suppose it is,” she admits. “But to be honest, it's not a matter I’ve put a lot of thought into.”
“I would be more surprised if you had.” I turn away from the books and when I do, all I see are the numerous questions in her eyes. “That day in the Oval Office, when I told you I wanted more than the weekend? I shouldn’t have done it. Not then. Not at that moment. You were right.”
Tears shimmer in her eyes because I know she blames herself for everything, and I’d give everything I owned to take that guilt from her if it worked like that. But it doesn’t, so I’m doing the next best thing.
“This is your moment,” I tell her. “You are in a position to make change that matters. That people will benefit from for decades to come. But you were right. You can’t do it with distractions, and that’s all I’ve been.”
She starts to protest, but I stop her. “I am and you know it. Just because I didn’t plan to be one doesn’t mean I’m not one. I pushed you too hard and had you thinking about things you don’t need to worry with right now.”
“Why are you saying all this?” she asks. “You’re making it sound like you’re going away and never coming back. You’re taking the easy way out.”
“No, I’m not. Believe me when I tell you this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It would be easy for me to stay. To stay and keep you company, to take you to bed every night.” I swallow. I can’t tell her it’d be too easy to love her because I already do. “I’m doing the hard thing, but it’ll be the best thing, I promise.”
“Best thing for who?”
“For you. For the country.” I pause and close the distance between us. I want nothing more than to take her in my arms and comfort her, but I don’t because I fear giving her mixed signals. “For us.”
Her eyes are wet, but I see the strength and determination underneath. “There is no us.”
“Not yet.” But there will be. I keep that last bit to myself.
“Navin.” She sighs. “Maybe we should take this as a sign the universe doesn’t want us together. First law school and now this.”
“Are you really going to let the universe beat you that easily?”
“Why fight the inevitable?”
“What?” I ask. “Why fight the inevitable? Is this the same woman who said during her campaign that nothing and no one would deter her from leading the righteous charge?”
“I’m not sure which shocks me the most, that you used my own quote against me or that you can quote it in the first place.”
“Some months ago, a smart woman implied I might need to brush up on my Anna Fitzpatrick knowledge.”
Her jaw drops, but only for a second. “I didn’t occur to me you’d actually do it.”
“I can’t believe you think I’d blow off a Presidential Order so easily.”
“Presidential Order, my ass,” she says. “I didn’t order you to do anything.”
“I know. I just like to tease you.” Which is the truth.
“You seem to be the only one who does that.”
“Does what?” I can’t remember what we were talking about before my mind wandered off.
“Tease me,” she says. “It’s crazy, isn’t it? That sometimes you’re the only one who gets me?”
I want to tell her that