Reappearance of Summmer Page 23

  Val smirked. “Then there is our funding, but we won’t say anything about it until after the bill has passed.”

  Addison chuckled. “It should pass with little complication. Other than deferring five percent from the defense budget to the health fund and extending taxes on corporations that do business in certain sectors, there are no major changes.”

  Val nodded in agreement. Since the economy was doing better and the country wasn’t fully involved in conflicts causing it to hemorrhage money, the budget honestly didn’t need to have any significant changes to it. Even with the conflict in Iraq, Val still felt confident about decreasing defense funding by five percent.

  Before she could bring up the wage bill currently moving through the House, Addison said, “It was brought to my attention by one of the staffers that the annual White House governors’ dinner is in two months. We need someone to plan it since Harriet is on maternity for the next year.”

  Val groaned. Harriet had given birth more than a month ago, and she had reminded Val about her impending leave at the time, but finding a temporary social secretary had slipped her mind. A newly appointed secretary wouldn’t be able to tackle the dinner on such short notice. Val grimaced and said, “I forgot. Please tell me you have someone, Addison.”

  Addison bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “I’ve been buried under legislative work and trying to get answers about the retrieval of the bodies.”

  An aggravated growl came from Val as she glanced down at her desk and tried to figure out what to do. This wasn’t the greatest time for her to throw a dinner for the governors of the country, but it was tradition, and she couldn’t cancel it. Val frowned and looked at Addison. “I guess we could call my mother and have her plan it?”

  A loud guffaw escaped Addison’s mouth, and her hand flew up to cover it. Val scowled. She wanted to know why recommending her mother was so funny. After another second, Addison lowered her hand and a sheepish smile played on her lips. “Sorry, Madam President, but do you really think it’s wise for your mother, Rebecca Hawkins, the queen of ‘my way or the highway,’ to plan the governors’ dinner?”

  Val wanted the scowl to remain on her face, but Addison did have a point, and it was a big one. There would be no way Val could tolerate her mother’s planning. She would want to get her involved, and Val did not have the time to worry about some dinner. She sighed. “I hate it when you’re right, but what the hell else are we going to do?”

  Addison shrugged, and the two of them were quiet as they tried to rack their brains for an answer. A sharp gasp broke the silence. “I have a suggestion.”

  “Well, have at it,” Val said as she gestured for Addison to continue.

  A slow smile came to her chief of staff’s face. “We do have a pretty good option. certain someone who has been making themselves a frequent visitor at the White House; five eight, jet black hair, and devastating blue eyes that made you swoon at first sight.”

  Val groaned so loudly she knew those outside the Oval probably heard her. Reaching behind her head, she took out the clip her hair was in, freeing her long silky tresses from their confines. She had put off going back to her natural hair because the upkeep of the wild, textureized curls would be too much for her at the moment.

  Val stared at Addison in annoyance. “I am not involving Summer in this. Not only would she hate it on every possible level, but it would also be too much for her.” Val ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. “She can’t do the White House right now.”

  Addison cringed. “So this would be a bad time to tell you I called Nina and told her to have her think about it?”

  “Addison!” Val cried. She pressed two fingers to her forehead and shook her head. Everything between her and Summer existed in place she didn’t have a label for, but she knew asking her to plan a White House dinner would obliterate the peaceful gray area they had been in the last few months. “I can’t believe you did this.”

  Summer had given Val a reprieve from the hectic days she had been experiencing lately, and they had fallen into a comfortable routine. Summer would call her during the day to check in and they would talk awhile, and in the evening Summer would show up and cook dinner while the two of them did or didn’t talk. When they didn’t, the silence was companionable, but also heavy because of the things they needed to talk about, but avoided. After dinner, Val and Summer would share a nightcap before she left for the night. Val sighed. In some ways she had Summer, but in reality, she didn’t. The situation between the two of them was perplexing to say the least.

  A thought came to Val, and her eyebrows furrowed when she looked at Addison. “Has there been any press on Summer lately?”

  Addison shook her head. “No, none at all. I mean, there were articles about her visits to the families of the three soldiers last month, but nothing outside of that.”

  This was another thing she had noticed about Summer. All of a sudden, her wild ex-wife had become docile, and Val didn’t know what had caused the change. A part of her wanted to believe it was because of her, but she wasn’t crazy enough to believe such fantastical thinking. The door to the Oval Office opened, and Val looked at it, confused as to who would barge in without Manny or Addison telling her first.

  “Manny, you have been working as Val’s secretary for almost six years, and have yet to get this through your head,” Summer said. “I am the colonel. I make the rules, not follow them. I especially don’t follow them when the president and I share the same last name.”

  Manny huffed in exasperation and gestured towards Summer. “President Hawkins, Colonel Hawkins wanted to see you.”

  “Again, I do not need an announcement to see my ex-wife,” Summer said with a grin.

  Val tried not to chuckle at Summer’s antics. It just made them worse. “Thank you, Manny,” she said after gently clearing her throat to keep herself from laughing. He sighed and left the office. Val got up from her chair. “I like how you think you can just waltz in here anytime you want.”

  Summer pointed at the door and said, “I checked to make sure you weren’t in a meeting.” She grinned. “Plus, being your ex has to get me some perks somewhere.”

  “You mean other than the alimony?” Val walked around the desk and leaned against the front of it.

  Summer laughed. “Don’t pretend like you’re paying me alimony. We both know I make more than you do.”

  Val shook her head as Addison commented, “The fact you make more than the president is a little disconcerting.”

  Summer held up a finger and smiled. “This is why politicians can be bought. Right, Val?”

  “I have no idea what you’re alluding to, so you can stop.” She folded her arms over her chest. “What do you want, Summer?”

  “I came to get you for an early dinner,” Summer answered with a grin.

  Val sighed. “I wish I could, but I have a lot to do. I don’t have time for dinner.”

  “Nonsense,” Summer said as she walked closer to Val. “You can spare an hour to recharge, and once you’ve eaten and had the chance to relax, then you can go back to running the country.”

  She glanced at Addison. “You can spare her for an hour, can’t you?”

  A stunned expression came to Addison’s face as she looked between Val and Summer, and she wasn’t the only one surprised by the question. Val couldn’t believe Summer had actually asked for clearance to interrupt her day.

  “Sure, yeah,” Addison answered, sounding a little lost about how she should respond.

  Summer looked back at Val. “You have been cleared, Madam President.” She gestured towards the door with her head. “Come on.”

  Val chuckled and walked over to Summer. As much as she didn’t understand this new version of her, or how long the personality change would last for, Val planned to enjoy it as long as she could. They left the Oval and as they walked out of the West Wing, Summer asked, “How has the day been?”

  Val blew out a long breath. “I wish you had asked me
another question. It has been a long, exhausting day and it isn’t over with yet.”

  Summer hummed. “Then I shall avoid all loaded topics until we are alone.” She smirked at Val. “I spoke with the governor of California today, and several of the cities that had complete power failure and damage to their water and gas lines went back to being fully operational as of this morning. Eros, you know the company that has been advancing the way such resources are delivered, used some of their technology, and my goodness is it quick and sustainable.”

  Val chuckled and commented, “Eros’s technology hasn’t been approved by many zoning committees in the country. How were they able to get such quick approval in California?”

  “I’m not certain, but it may have something to do with a foundation that wants to see the state back on its feet,” Summer said in a tone that was supposed to be nonchalant, but all it told Val was that she did something to help the company in California.

  Val couldn’t be too mad about it, because it meant the people of the state could go back to living their lives. As they reached the main floor of the Residence, she asked, “What are you doing here at this hour?”

  They began to climb the stairs, going up to the private floor of the Residence. “I got out of my meetings early, and since I found myself with some time to kill, I thought we could have an early dinner.”

  Val stared at Summer’s profile out the corner of her eye for a long moment. With everything going on in Iraq and with the Alliance, she hadn’t put much thought into what was happening in her actual life, but in this moment, she realized how grateful she was to have Summer there for her. Val may not have thought too hard about everything occurring between them, but she appreciated the fact that she came to the White House every day for her.

  They reached the second floor of the Residence and walked to the kitchen. Val walked over to the island and sat in one of the chairs in front of it. “What are you making?” She asked as she watched Summer gather the ingredients needed to make dinner.

  Summer went over to the fridge and pulled out a medium-sized chicken. “I am making my specialty.”

  Val chuckled. “Well then, it’s a good thing I said yes. It has been a long time since I’ve had your chicken.” Summer’s specialty was a sinfully good herb-roasted chicken. Not even the White House chef could replicate it, and she had tried several times at Val’s request. She continued to chuckle as she remarked, “I do believe that particular meal is what got me to marry you.”

  “No, we both know my devilish good looks and charming allure is what got you to marry me,” Summer countered with a laugh, and Val joined her. The two of them calmed down after awhile, and Summer asked, “You gonna tell me about your day?”

  Val blew out a breath and said, “Honestly, it hasn’t been that bad, but…” She sighed. “I can’t keep placating people’s feelings because of some treaty. Our soldiers were killed over there, and we have yet to get their bodies back. Summer, that’s absurd, and it shouldn’t take this long. These families should have gotten closure by now.”

  Summer nodded as she prepared the chicken. “It is ridiculous we haven’t gotten them back yet, and the way the Alliance has been twiddling their thumbs makes me suspicious as to why.”

  “Yes, thank you!” Val almost shouted. It felt nice to have someone who thought the same way as she did, or at least had the same suspicions, and it felt even better because it was Summer. Typically, they had different lines of thinking when it came to politics, but this was a refreshing change of pace. Another reason why Val liked having Summer around was because the two of them could have little to no conversation and Summer would know what she was thinking just by looking at her. Val was grateful for Addison being her sounding board all these years, but goodness did she miss this.

  Summer laughed, and Val smiled at the sound. “I’m guessing Addison doesn’t feel the same way?”

  Val scoffed. “She thinks I’m too emotional about everything because we haven’t gotten the bodies back, but that isn’t the case. We should have had those bodies two weeks after everything happened.”

  Summer nodded. “I agree with you, but if you’re thinking along the same lines as me, then we both know it’s not going to happen as fast as we want it to.” She met Val’s gaze and arched her eyebrow. Val wanted to say something, but there were things she could and could not tell Summer due to national security. “Ah, so we are thinking about the same thing,” Summer said after a minute of them staring at one another.

  Val shook her head. “I am not confirming anything for you, Colonel.”

  Summer grinned. “You don’t have to, Madam President. I know how you think.” She turned her attention back to the chicken.

  Between the easy conversation, banter, and comfortable silence, Val started to think things were getting back to how they used to be, but she knew it wasn’t possible. Summer wasn’t getting the help she needed. Before Val could bring up their peculiar circumstances, Summer said, “Nina told me about the call she had with Addison earlier.”

  Val covered her face and groaned. “I am so sorry, she shouldn’t have done it. You are more than welcome to say no. I don’t want you to do something that will make you feel uncomfortable.”

  Summer shrugged. “I’ll do it, but I have a few stipulations.”

  Taken aback by Summer’s willingness, Val said, “I’m sorry, what? You’ll do it?”

  “Yeah,” Summer replied as she glanced up from the chicken. “Do you not want me to?”

  Val stared at her then said, “I only want you to do what is comfortable for you.”

  “If I can set up guidelines, then I have no problem planning the governors’ dinner for you,” Summer said as she went over to the cabinets. “I know you have your hands full with the Alliance and Iraq, so you don’t have the brainpower for it.”

  Val couldn’t help but to be stunned, but after a few second a slow smile formed on her face. “Thank you, Summer. I really appreciate it.”

  Summer chuckled. “You shouldn’t be thanking me. You have yet to hear my stipulations.”

  “And what are those?”

  Summer began to season the chicken. “First of all, during the planning there will be no press, and secondly, I do not want to attend.”

  Val laughed. “What am I supposed to say when people ask who planned it?”

  Summer winced as her mouth screwed up. “As much as it pains me to say this, I recommend saying your mother organized it.”

  Val couldn’t help but to laugh again. She shook her head. “You and my mother have vastly different tastes.”

  “This is true,” Summer said as she nodded in agreement. “But I’m sure I can balance both our styles so it won’t look extremely different from your mom’s.”

  Val thought about the suggestion. There had to be a catch. Summer was being too agreeable about planning this dinner. “How can you plan the dinner if you’re busy running the foundation?”

  Summer rubbed some herbs on the chicken and replied, “The foundation is a self-operating organization. Taking a few weeks to plan for the dinner isn’t going to take me away from it.”

  Val decided to point out an obvious fact. “If you plan this, it means you will be in the White House more than you already are.”

  Summer stopped preparing the chicken and gave Val a pointed stare. “Do you want my help or not, Val?”

  “I do, but—”

  “But nothing,” Summer interrupted. “Stop scrutinizing it and just accept my help.”

  “I can’t just accept it, Summer, and I will keep scrutinizing it, because you are not in a good place,” Val countered pointedly. “I can’t have you start something, and then turn around and disappear when it becomes too much for you.” Summer glowered at her, and Val felt bad about being so brusque, but it was a possibility. If making Summer see the truth of their reality made things worse between them, then so be it. She sighed. “I’m sorry for being defensive about it, but these are things I need to consider, since
this does affect me as president.”

  Summer stared at her for another brief second before going back to work on the chicken. Silence surrounded them, and Val wanted to say something to alleviate the tension, but her concerns were there for a reason and she refused to mollify Summer’s feelings when her own were valid.

  Summer sighed. “I know it has an effect on you, almost anything I do has an effect on you, but I told you I was here as long as you needed me, and if you need me for this then I will be there, Val.”

  “What about afterward?”

  Summer stopped what she was doing and stared down at the counter. Her eyes tentatively met Val’s as she raised her head. “I don’t know.”

  Val slowly let out the breath she’d been holding in, relieved to know she wasn’t the only one who felt lost in this weird dynamic. She was certain Summer probably felt more lost than she did because of her mental health and the tumultuous emotions she carried. Reaching across the island, Val placed her hand on Summer’s forearm and gave it a gentle squeeze. The two of them stared at one another for a long moment, then Val broke the gaze they shared and pulled her hand away. “Did you need help with anything?”

  Summer shook her head and said, “It would be for the best if you didn’t help. The only thing you’re good at in the kitchen is making fires.”

  Feigning offense, Val made an indignant sound, but a wide smile appeared on her face. “I did that once, and it was like forever ago.”

  “Still don’t want you in the kitchen while I’m cooking.”

  Val chuckled and shook her head. “Fine,” she said as she got off the chair, “I’m going to go take a shower since you don’t need my help.”

  Summer smiled at her. “That sounds like an excellent plan, Madam President.”

  Val lingered in the kitchen, a smile still on her face, then she turned to leave. The dark gray cloud hovering over her and Summer would release a torrential downpour on them at any moment, and there was high chance of it happening soon. All Val wanted was a little warning before it did. As much as she enjoyed the amicable place she and Summer had come to the last few months, it didn’t overshadow the constant reminder of the last two years which told Val Summer was still unpredictable. She blew out an explosive breath and ran her hands over her hair as wondered how her life had become such a mess.