He was assuring me that he had everything under control.” She threw her napkin down on the breakfast table and stood up. “Fool. He’s probably lying to me. Does he think I don’t have my hand on the pulse of the situation out there?”
Her husband, George, looked up from his newspaper. “I’m sure that Pierce won’t make any more mistakes. He’ll be careful. He has too much to lose.”
“Not as much as we do.” She gave her husband a contemptuous glance as she headed for the French doors. He was as much a fool as Pierce. Lazy and foolish and unable to function properly in a world where every step was watched and criticized. Why couldn’t she have married a man who had brains as well as money? “I’m going to the carriage house to see Rick. Remember that we have an appointment with the campaign publicity manager at ten.”
“I know.” He was reading his paper again. “You reminded me an hour ago.”
Because she had to be the one to keep all their ducks in a row. They were close, united in purpose, but she wouldn’t allow him to pull her down after all her hard work. “We need this campaign manager. He’s the best in the business. Be charming.”
“Tell that to Rick. That’s not my job.” He glanced up at her. “I’m the moneyman.”
There was a distinct coolness in his expression that made her hesitate. Had she pushed him too far? She forced a smile. “You can be charming. Why else would I have married you? And Rick may be totally charismatic, but you have a steadiness and sophistication that he’ll never possess.” She opened one French door. “If you don’t want to be involved in the campaign, I’ll take care of it. You’re such an asset that I wanted to show you off.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Nelda,” George said. “I’ve never felt good about this, but I just let you do what you wanted because I love my son. But it’s getting dirtier and dirtier, and I don’t like being in this deep.”
Because he was a coward and couldn’t see that you had to risk everything if you wanted to reach your goals. “You say you love Rick. We have to fight for him, don’t we? He can climb so high. That’s what we both want for him. How many parents can give the Oval Office to their sons? But we have to protect him.”
George wearily nodded his head. “Yes, I guess we do. I’ll meet with this campaign person.”
“I knew you would.” She gave him a brilliant smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll do most of the talking. You’ll only have to deal with him on a minor level.” She left the room and headed for the carriage house.
Ken Spoder, Rick’s bodyguard, was lying in a lounge chair by the pool and smiled at Nelda as she approached. Muscular, tanned, and completely assured. “Good morning. You don’t look as if it’s a good day for you, Mrs. Avery. Maybe I can brighten it up for you. The town-hall meeting went great last night. Everyone loved Rick.”
“Everyone always loves Rick,” Nelda said. “That’s not one of his problems.” She paused. “How has he been, Ken?”
“Good. I told you that I could take care of it. I don’t let him make any missteps.”
Because she paid him a small fortune to make sure that he watched Rick like the proverbial hawk. “You’d better not. I wouldn’t like that. I haven’t come this far to have him brought down now.” She met his gaze. “I’m not pleased about a situation in California. I may need someone I can trust to take care of it.”
“Trust. You? I’m flattered. But I can’t watch Rick from California. Since his wife took off for Florida a few weeks ago, I’m the only one who can keep him … stable. And we both know that it would only take a few hours to blow everything.”
He was right. Rick was the most important part of the entire equation. She thought about it. “It might not take long, and I can control Rick if I’m with him. I’ll have to see if I think—”
“Mother, what are you doing here?” Rick strolled out of the carriage house. He was dressed in bathing trunks and looked fit and handsome, and his smile was as bright and warm as the sunlight. She felt a surge of love as strong as it was fierce as she gazed at him. He had been the center of