his explanation and welcomed him with open arms. Hers was a minority opinion, one she usually kept to herself. The very moderate Hendricks selected him to placate the evangelical and conservative wings of the GOP but the decision rubbed Caroline the wrong way.
Fortunately Governor Hendricks was relatively young and healthy. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen if Santos became president. Caroline pulled a chair out from behind a nearby table and sat down, tempted to sulk. This was not how she thought their meeting would go. She should have known better.
She had to stand up again immediately when Governor Hendricks returned with the vice presidential nominee. He shook Jack’s hand first, then turned to her. His eyes were dark. Very dark. As if there were just one giant pupil with no iris for contrast. Like something out of a horror movie. It creeped Caroline the fuck out. A petty observation, but part of the whole unsettling package.
“Ms. Gerard,” he said, extending his hand.
Oh, for God’s sake. She bit back the words she wanted to say, deciding to behave herself. “It’s Caroline.” Maybe she could be charming. “You know that.”
He seemed insulted by her amiable admonishment. “Of course.”
Political small talk was excruciating, especially when you were surrounded by people with whom you disagreed, but Caroline managed to slog through the next twenty minutes. Hendricks was a strong, qualified candidate yet he let Santos dominate much of the conversation, which was not the way to Caroline’s voting heart. She remained mostly silent until Santos made a comment about a series of possible constitutional amendments, including one defining marriage as between a man and a woman. She couldn’t let that slide.
“Governor Hendricks has never made that part of his platform,” she said, turning to the older man. “Have you?”
He looked uncomfortable. “I haven’t. But we do what the people want.”
“It’s a non-issue. The judiciary has already resolved it. And polls have consistently shown the vast majority of Americans in favor of marriage equality.”
“Interesting phrase,” Santos said. “Not everyone has an equal right to be married. It isn’t a civil right.”
“It is when you confer certain social and economic benefits along with it. Sacramental and civil marriage are not the same thing. A contract with the state should not be discriminatory in nature, and the courts have ruled as such.”
“The courts were wrong.”
Ah, some enlightenment as to his appreciation of the judicial branch. “So you’ve decided the best way to express your disagreement is to amend the Constitution? Because the Supreme Court made a decision contrary to your personal beliefs? Isn’t that a backwards approach to representative government in a republic?”
Santos turned to Jack. “Seems like your wife misses the bully pulpit a little.”
Could he be any more condescending? He didn’t even have the guts to speak to her directly. “One doesn’t need to be in a position of power in order to have an opinion on something.”
“I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
The hell he didn’t. He didn’t like strong women. He’d made enough snide comments about female candidates from both parties to make the veracity of his statement questionable at best. Jack and Hendricks were standing back, willing to let them duke it out. Jack loved watching her get self-righteous. Hendricks always relished a good political battle, and appeared to enjoy her unwillingness to back down.
“If you have to amend the constitution just to implement your platform, doesn’t that say something about the constitutionality of your agenda?” Caroline asked Santos. “Doesn’t it seem contrary to the Rule of Law and two hundred years of precedent to amend timeless documents on a whim in order to suit a temporary goal? Wouldn’t it make more sense to embrace change, welcome compromise, perhaps even realize that, in fact, you may need to adjust your worldview?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jack hiding a smile behind his hand. She’d aimed well.
Santos crossed his arms over his chest. “I just think it’s time for this nation to return to traditional Christian values.”
“And whose values are those?” Caroline asked. “The deists who founded this nation, the Puritans who came over on the Mayflower, or the modern Pharisees who seem hell bent on misinterpreting the words of Jesus?”
When Santos spoke again, his face was red. She’d pissed him off. “I see you still have all your secular liberal talking points.”
“I’m Catholic,” she reminded him. “A desire for social justice influences all my talking points.”
“Ah yes, a Catholic of the cafeteria variety, picking and choosing the