Reappearance of Summmer Page 14

  “Make this quick, Ryan,” Summer said as she walked into the building.

  The first person Summer saw upon entering was an older woman who wore a pricey skirt suit. She walked over to Summer and stretched out her hand. “Colonel Hawkins, it is a pleasure to meet you, and we’re glad you chose to call our building home. I’m Veronica Mosby, and I own and manage the property with my husband.”

  Summer gave the woman’s hand a quick shake. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  Mrs. Mosby’s smile remained plastered on her face, and Summer tried not to roll her eyes as the woman continued. “If you need anything, day or night, I have told Mr. Olsen to reach out to me or Robert, and we will take care of it.”

  “I appreciate that, ma’am,” Summer said with a forced smile on her face.

  Fortunately, she wasn’t forced to make idle small talk much longer. Ryan walked in and said, “Mrs. Mosby, I see you have met the infamous Colonel Hawkins. I told you she wasn’t as intimidating as she looks on the news.” Summer scowled at him. Her head of security was a jackass at times. “Now, if you will excuse us, I have to show the colonel her new apartment.”

  Mrs. Mosby nodded. “Of course you do.” She smiled at Summer. “Like I said, Colonel, if you need anything don’t be afraid to contact us or have Mr. Olsen give us a call.”

  Summer gave the woman a gracious nod before she, Ryan, and two other people from her security detail made their way to the bank elevators. As they waited for the lift Summer murmured, “Flirting with older women again, Olsen?”

  “No, Colonel.” He paused. “Not while on duty.” Summer turned her head slightly and caught the smug grin on his face.

  The elevator came, and as they stepped onto it she said, “I have not missed you, Ryan.”

  “Oh, but I have missed you, Colonel. The last few days have been rather dull.” He clicked his tongue and asked, “Do I want to know why the United States government took you from your hotel in France?”

  Summer grunted. “It tends to happen when your ex-wife is the president.”

  “I know people who would love to hear that story,” Ryan said in a tone that made Summer glower. Over the last two years, Ryan had grown on her and Summer had come to find his glib remarks and inappropriate jokes entertaining. During their first meeting he had stopped Summer’s tirade, and shoved his hand down the front of his pants. When she had asked what he was doing, he said he was checking to make sure he still had his balls. Before this stint at the White House, Ryan had been the only person to call her colonel in the last two years.

  Summer elbowed him gently in the gut as the elevator reached the fifth floor, and Ryan grunted. They walked down the long hallway, stopping at a door near the end of it. Ryan unlocked it and said, “You have one neighbor on this floor, an old man who used to be a photo journalist back in the day. Emergency evacuation plans are a bit easier since we’re in D.C. and can use the Secret Service.”

  “We’re not using them,” Summer said as she walked into the apartment and began to look around. Nina had only gotten her the main pieces of furniture, and other than those, the apartment was bare.

  “I will relay the message, but I’m certain the director’s boss does not care what you want, Colonel,” Ryan stated in a matter-of-fact tone because they both knew who the director’s boss was.

  She scowled. “Fine. Is there anything else?”

  “There is one thing,” Summer glared at him, but Ryan only grinned at her. “I need to staff your detail properly, and in order to do that I need to know if I have to bring in more people, but I can’t bring in people until I know how long we’re going to be in D.C. for.”

  Summer walked over to the balcony doors and opened them. “I have something in motion, but it isn’t finalized yet.” She turned to face him. “Plan for six months at the moment.”

  Ryan nodded. “Six months it is.” He smiled and said, “I’m off to go set up the team’s accommodations, but if you need anything, let me or somebody on the crew know.”

  “Thanks, Ryan.” She smirked a little. “I missed your obnoxious ass.”

  His smile widened as he pointed at her. “Ah, so you did miss my ass.”

  “Leave,” Summer ordered, and Ryan gave her a quick salute before leaving the apartment. Summer walked onto the balcony and released a deep breath as she leaned against the rail. The view wasn’t too bad. She could see the park and White House from the balcony. She released another breath as she went over her plan once more.

  What she wanted to do scared the hell out of her, but it needed to be done. There was no way she would continue to be a person she was not. Somewhere inside of her laid the colonel, and she would get back to being that person, but the demons haunting her were what she feared the most. They had an impressive hold on her, and Summer believed they were stronger than she was, but she wouldn’t know if she never tried to conquer them. A soft breath slipped passed her lips. It was going to be one hell of a fight.

  ~~~

  Val chewed on the tip of her pen as she read the dossier on the prime minister of Iraq. So far, nothing suspicious had jumped out at her, but she knew there was something there, and she continued to read the document as she reached for the glass of wine sitting on the end table. Taking a long drink from it, Val realized this would be as relaxing as her evening would get; sitting in the Oval Office, curled up in a corner of the couch trying to find dirt on foreign leaders.

  Val sighed, and once she had set her glass back on the side table, she let her head drop back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling. The day had been a long one, for so many reasons, and tomorrow wasn’t shaping up to be any better.

  The treaty talks with Hasem and Basara were the first thing on her schedule for tomorrow. Val knew Hasem wouldn’t sign the treaty, and that, along with the soldiers being captured, would escalate tensions between the two countries making it the perfect recipe for an unavoidable war.

  Val squeezed her eyes shut and mumbled, “It’s a hell of a week to declare war.” She mulled over the other meetings and events that were on her agenda for tomorrow while reaching for her wineglass. Opening her eyes and lifting her head, Val took a drink from it. Tomorrow would be considerably light, since she would be heading to California the next day.

  Val would have called Addison to see if she was still in her office so they could talk about the treaty, but the two of them were not on speaking terms at the moment. For some reason, Addison disagreed with her decision to let Summer leave and had lost it on her earlier. Their conversation had ended with Addison saying she had a meeting and leaving the Oval in a fit of anger. A weary sigh escaped Val before she finished off her wine. No matter which way she turned, Summer had managed to infect every part of her life, and Val could only blame herself.

  Her thoughts regarding Summer were all over the place, and Val’s feelings about her were in a similar state of disarray. It was obvious Summer wasn’t stable and refused to seek treatment, but she also seemed lost, and that had Val wanting to go find her and force her to get help. Val ran a hand through her hair and blew out a frustrated breath. Getting up with her glass, she walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured herself some more wine. She went over to her desk, and stood behind it to stare out the window.

  She took a small sip from her glass as she continued to think about Summer. Val knew she wasn’t the same woman she had fallen in love with nine years ago, and she had no idea what to say or do that would make her seek treatment. For a fleeting moment, Val believed saying no to Summer’s program would be the thing to give her the kick in the ass that she needed, but she laughed at the thought inside her head and dismissed it, knowing it wouldn’t be. Saying no to the mental health program had spared them both in Val’s mind, but it seemed to have deepened the bottomless chasm between them. Loneliness mixed with sadness enveloped Val, and she tried to take a deep breath to rid herself of it, but the emotions had a tight hold of her.

  A knock on the door saved Val from the darkne
ss wanting to consume her. She cleared her throat and called out, “Come in.” She turned as the door opened and watched Addison enter the Oval Office.

  “I’m headed out for the night,” Addison said. “I came to see if you needed anything before I left.”

  Val gave her head a slight shake. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  The tension hovering between them wasn’t hard to miss, and Val just wanted her to leave so she could get back to wallowing in thoughts of Summer and how she had lost her forever.

  “Are you okay?”

  Val stared at her for a long moment. She took a drink of wine, and after swallowing it she sighed. Then, in a surprisingly calm voice, she said, “We’re going to war.”

  Addison started, and her eyes grew. After closing the office door, she moved further into it. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Val moved closer to her office chair and rested her forearms on the back of it. “We’re going to war.”

  “Please tell me you’re joking,” Addison pleaded. “If so, this is a horrible joke.”

  Val gave her a small smile. “I’m not joking, Addison.” She lifted the glass to her lips, and lowered it once she had taken a long drink from it. “Our soldiers along with the Alliance’s have been captured by Iraqi insurgents,” she said as she began to explain her line of thinking to Addison. “Iraq wants no part of this nuclear disarmament treaty, and let’s not forget the mounting tensions between them and Kuwait.” She sighed. “Once news about the troops gets out, and the world hears about Iraq not signing the treaty…”

  “Shit,” Addison muttered.

  Val nodded. “Yes, and any inaction by the U.S. would be seen as cowardice, and will not put us in a good light globally because I couldn’t get Hasem to sign the treaty. It would also put the Alliance in the spotlight, because it would be its first big conflict since forming almost fifty years ago.”

  “But you can’t be certain Hasem won’t sign the treaty. Unless you found something in the information I got you,” Addison said, and Val could hear the challenge in her tone.

  Val chuckled. “I’m still trying to get through all of it, but it isn’t the information, it’s his behavior. He comes to the meetings, argues every point, and offers very little input.” She met Addison’s gaze and held it. “Does that sound like a man who is going to sign a treaty?”

  Addison blew out a breath. “When do you think the announcement will be made?”

  Val moved from behind her chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of it. She leaned back against it and crossed her legs at the ankles while taking a drink from her wineglass. Instead of lowering it from her lips, she pressed the rim against them and exhaled as she stared down at the presidential seal in the middle of the sitting area. Some days, she wished she had become a doctor.

  Val moved the glass and looked at Addison. “Basara and I will speak once Hasem has officially declined to sign the treaty. Basara will have to tell the other Alliance leaders about his refusal to do so, and they will have to determine if they want to go to war or not.” Val pointed at her. “I will stress the importance of rescuing our troops first. I’m not going to have them stuck in hostile territory.” She stopped, then quietly added, “They wouldn’t make it back alive.”

  A heavy silence settled over them for a couple of minutes before Addison said, “I have prodded some members of Congress about where they stand on war, and none of them have an opinion about it one way or the other. The consensus is that it would take something major for them to be in favor of it.”

  Val sighed. Not knowing where Congress stood made her job that much harder. “When we get back from California, we’re going to need more than that. I’m certain everything will begin to play out after we return.”

  Addison nodded in agreement and silence settled over them again. “And there’s nothing else bothering you?” Addison asked after a long minute had passed.

  Val chuckled quietly and shook her head. “I know what you’re doing.” Her voice was barely a whisper when she said, “She left, came back, and now she’s gone again.”

  “You can’t say this isn’t affecting you, Val” Addison said as Val walked over to the liquor cabinet to top off her wine. “How many glasses of wine have you had?”

  Val rolled her eyes as she retrieved the bottle of wine off the cabinet and poured some into her glass. She held it up and replied, “This is only my second one.” The small lie was needed since Addison wanted to have this conversation now. There was no way Val could have this discussion sober, and Addison wouldn’t relent until they talked about what happened, especially after their heated conversation earlier. Val took a sip from her glass as she waited for Addison to say something. This wasn’t her choice of conversation, so she wasn’t going to be the one to start it.

  Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long. Addison crossed her arms over her chest and asked, “Why did she leave?” The question wasn’t entirely unexpected, but Val had yet to determine how much she would share with Addison considering the way she had gone off on her earlier. Before Val had settled on a response Addison continued. “I thought the two of you had come to some sort of impasse and decided to play nice with each other?”

  Val nodded after taking another drink, and as she walked over to the couch in the sitting area of the office she said, “We had, but then lunch happened.”

  “What happened at lunch?”

  Val sat down on the couch and her gaze met Addison’s. Telling her the whole story would be beneficial for the both of them. Addison knew how Summer operated, making it easier for Val to talk to her, and Addison would know that her departure wasn’t due to them being at odds. Carefully swirling the wine around in her glass, Val replayed the conversation with Summer in her mind and exhaled through her nose. She took a steadying sip of the dark red liquid. “Summer requested to be first spouse again.” Addison’s eyes widened, and the astonishment on her face caused Val to smirk. “Believe me, I had the same response.”

  Val took another drink of her wine, and the first question Addison asked was the same one she had asked Summer once she had recovered. “Does this mean she wants to remarry you?”

  Val gave her head a slight shake. “No. The reason why my lovely ex-wife dropped that helluva bomb on me was because she wants to partner with the White House for some mental health program she’s starting at the foundation.” Hours had passed, and Val still found the idea to be a ridiculous one. She released an irritated breath. “I told her I didn’t have the staff to dedicate to something of that nature, and that she would have been able to do it had she not left me. That‘s when she volunteered to do the program as well as resuming her duties as first spouse.” Val took a long drink from her glass. Just thinking about Summer and her absurd scheme caused her to drink.

  Addison walked over to the couch and sat down, and when Val lowered her glass Addison took it, taking a long drink from it. Val glared at her. Once Addison had finished, she took back her glass.

  “I’m starting to see why Summer left, but as your chief of staff I have to point out the White House being involved in a program like that would be great for your administration.” She grinned. “You told her no, didn’t you?”

  Val grunted lightly. “You’re damn right I told her no.” She got up from the couch and moved to the open space on the other side of the coffee table so she could pace. “Addy, she isn’t mentally stable and is refusing to seek treatment. Having her involved in a high-profile project would be more than disastrous, and not just for the administration, but for her.”

  “I understand where you’re coming from, Val, and I’m behind your decision a hundred percent,” Addison said, and Val saw her nod as she glanced at her. “But was it worth telling her no?”

  Val came to a sudden stop, turning as disbelief took over her face. “Are you telling me I should have told her yes?”

  Addison quickly shook her head. “No, that is not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is, you also need to look at this from a
numbers perspective. This partnership would have given your approval rating a boost, and if you add in Summer, it could possibly double. She has always been good for your numbers. Despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she’s always struck a chord with everyday Americans.”

  Val continued to stare at Addison, still not believing what she had said. The numbers didn’t mean a damn thing to her, and she cared even less about them when Summer was involved. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I am in my last term as president, the numbers mean nothing to me. What I do care about is Summer tormenting herself in order to prove something.” Val scowled as she took a moment to get her emotions under control.

  The conversation provoked feelings that she kept locked up for this very reason, and laying out her emotions with Addison wasn’t a good idea at this hour, but there was one more point Val wanted to make. “I let her do this before she left. I put everything in her court, and allowed her to do whatever she wanted to, but I’ll be damned if I let her do it again.”

  Silence filled the Oval Office and Val walked over to the liquor cabinet to place her glass on it. The wine wasn’t helping, and she found Addison’s perspective more than ridiculous. How she could think about Val’s numbers with Summer’s mental health on the line, Val couldn’t understand, but it didn’t matter, she had told Summer no.

  “When are you going to actually fight for her, Val?”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Val asked as she turned around, and her brows furrowed as she tried figure out what Addison meant by the question.

  Addison rose from the couch. “I asked you, when are you going to fight for her?” She gestured towards Val. “Despite everything she has put you through, not once have you ever stopped loving her, and even now you still put her needs before your own.” Val went to go argue the point, but Addison held up hand, stopping her. “No, I get it. You’re worried about her mental health, but even before that, Val, you barely tried. The crash happened, and I know you were giving her space to recover, but then you allowed her to get away with shit you never would have allowed before it.”