Situation Room Read online

  Candace smiled. “I’m not passing anything. This is her project and her decision. She can speak to it without my two cents.”

  “That might not work forever.”

  “Well, we’ll deal with it then.”

  “Candy—what aren’t you telling me?”

  “I wouldn’t know where to begin that list,” Candace admitted. “Let them roll with this drama they want to create.”

  “You’re worried about something?” Dana observed.

  “I’m always worried about a lot of things,” Candace said. “Worrying doesn’t solve anything. Don’t look at me like that. We both knew what we were signing up for when I decided to campaign for this office. Now, we have it—good, bad, and ugly. Trust me; when I think it’s best that you know what I know, I will tell you.”

  “I do trust you. I also know you.”

  “Then you know I have a reason for saying this.” Candace reached over and squeezed Dana’s hand.

  “Do you want me to let the flames rise from this story, or do you want them extinguished?”

  Candace grinned. “Let them flicker a bit.”

  “Maintain.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  “God help us all.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “You’ve been quiet,” Marianne observed.

  Candace smiled.

  “Mom?

  “It feels good to be quiet, Marianne.”

  “Not a lot of time to yourself these days, huh?”

  “No.”

  “Missing JD?”

  “Always.”

  “I get the impression something else is on your mind.”

  “There are so many things on my mind, Marianne. I don’t know how to sort through them at times.”

  “Regrets?”

  “None.”

  “Worried about JD?’

  “I am. Not because of the move to Washington.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Candace sighed. “I suspect you already know the reasons. There is only one person Jameson confides to as much as she does to me—you.”

  “Maybe, but she doesn’t tell me everything.”

  “I know she doesn’t. She holds a lot inside. That’s part of who she is.”

  “She doesn’t want you to worry about her.”

  Candace laughed. “I know. It’s one of the issues in our marriage.”

  “Issues?”

  “Oh, we both know that every relationship has its challenges. Sometimes, we expend our energy trying to shield the other and cause more upset in the process. We both know it. We still do it.”

  “Mm. That’s the mother in you both.”

  “Probably so,” Candace agreed. “And, that’s what I suspect is bothering her lately.”

  Marianne nodded.

  “It’s funny. I think Jameson is a bit relieved that the decision was made for us about having a baby. I also know that it hurts her at the same time.”

  “What about you?” Marianne asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s a question mark we will always confront. I never thought I would want that again—certainly not at my age. Cooper changed that for us both. Watching Jameson with the kids—I—”

  “I get it, Mom. I do.”

  “I know you do.”

  “That’s not all that’s on your mind,” Marianne guessed.

  “Lately, it’s been difficult to find any balance.”

  “Maybe you need to step away.”

  “I wish I could.”

  “Mom, far be it from me to tell the president what to do—”

  Candace laughed. “Is that how you see me?”

  “Sometimes,” Marianne admitted. “I don’t think where you are will prevent anyone from getting you the information you need.”

  “No.”

  “So? Come home for a week. Work from there. You’ve done it before.”

  Candace groaned. She’d considered taking a week away from Washington DC. Like it or hate it, optics did matter. People didn’t deal in fact. People dealt with perception. There were too many corners Candace knew would see a trip back to Schoharie as weakness. She could not afford to appear weak—not now.

  “You’re traveling abroad next month. Why not come home for a week before you leave?”

  “You have no idea how much I would love to do that.”

  “But?”

  “It is different.”

  “How so?”

  “Because people believe it’s different. I need to engender the confidence of the American people, Marianne.”

  “They seemed confident when they elected you.”

  “Did they?” Candace chuckled. “Confidence wavers in an instant. There are people invested in undermining the confidence I have enjoyed. A little time—I need a little more time here.”

  “At what cost to you?”

  Candace’s smile failed to reach her eyes. Everything worthwhile in life came with compromise. “There’s always a cost.”

  “I wish you would think about yourself a little.”

  Candace laughed. If you only knew, Marianne.

  “Go find Mom,” Jameson’s voice echoed from just beyond the doorway.

  “Mom!” Cooper’s voice blared.

  Candace laughed. “Goodness. What’s got you so excited?”

  “Momma says we’re going to the museum to see the planes.”

  “I think someone might have mentioned that.”

  “Are you coming?” Spencer asked his Nana.

  “I am.”

  “How did you manage that?” Marianne asked.

  “Oh, I have my ways,” Candace replied. “Not until this evening,” she told the boys.

  “When were you going to tell me about this plan?” Marianne asked.

  “Well, I had planned to tell you over coffee, but you were busy telling me to take a vacation.”

  “Do we get to go inside them?” Cooper asked.

  “Oh, I think there are a few things you’ll get to crawl inside,” Candace said. “Most of them you will have to enjoy looking at.”

  “Cool,” Spencer said. “Come on, Coop! Let’s go make a plan!”

  Jameson shook her head. “You just gave those two Christmas, Easter, and Halloween all at once. How did you pull this one off?”

  “It wasn’t that difficult,” Candace said. “I made a request. Security is an issue. It’s always an issue.”

  “Aren’t you worried people will think it’s a bit—elitist?” Marianne asked.

  “Not really. I would have been happy to make the trip during regular hours. That idea was pummeled before I’d finished a sentence. I was offered the chance to bring the boys after hours. I asked if we could extend that invitation. There will be students there from two of the local elementary schools, Nate and his family, and Kirsten and her family.”

  “Nice move, Mom—inviting the Secretary of Education. No publicity?”

  “No.”

  “Shell would be proud,” Marianne noted.

  “Shell will be pissed she missed it,” Jameson chimed.

  “No, she won’t,” Candace disagreed.

  “Come on, you know Shell—”

  “I know that Shell and Melanie will be here in about two hours,” Candace offered.

  “Shell’s coming here?” Marianne asked.

  “Surprise!” Candace said. “If I can’t go home, I thought I’d bring you all to my home.”

  “Did you know about this?” Marianne asked Jameson.

  Jameson chuckled. “Nope.”

  Candace pushed out her chair and grabbed her coffee mug. “I’m going to wrap a few things up so that I can enjoy this afternoon. I’ll see you two in a bit.” She kissed Jameson on the cheek.

  “You don’t seem that surprised,” Marianne noted.

  “I’m not—not really. She misses you all. And, you know Shell, she couldn’t refuse your mom if she tried.”

  “I tried to convince Mom to come home for a w
eek before you two leave for Europe.”

  Jameson nodded. “I don’t think it’s the best time.”

  “I get the feeling something is going on that she isn’t telling us.”

  “Probably because something is going on that she hasn’t told us about—I think that’s to be expected.”

  “She hasn’t told you?”

  “Some. Not everything. Some.”

  “How about you? How are you handling everything?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Really?”

  “Promise.”

  ***

  Candace massaged her eyes as she listened to Alex. Nothing was ever easy. As a rule, Candace gave trust until she saw a reason to withhold her confidence. Now, it seemed she needed to reverse that strategy. “What do you think?” she asked her friend.

  “I don’t know what to think at this point. Claire will be able to get closer than anyone I know. And, Candace? There aren’t many people I would trust to do that. She can do it.”

  “How much risk are we talking?”

  “Don’t ask me that.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t like it either,” Alex admitted. “We don’t have a choice. Someone is baiting you, Candace. That’s obvious. What isn’t obvious is what they hope you will do or if they are simply seeking to see what you will do. Either way, it destabilizes your administration. Someone is leaking information from your cabinet meetings.”

  “One of my secretaries?”

  “Maybe. It might be more than one someone. We have to figure out who or whom is responsible.”

  “Suggestions?”

  “Jonathan is putting together some intel. I’ll share it with Tate. If all goes as it should, Tate will bring it to you, and you will plant the seed.”

  “Do you suspect Joshua?”

  “No. But Tate’s circle has changed, Candace. He’s not in a vacuum where he is now.”

  “Do you think appointing him as National Security Adviser was a mistake?” Candace wondered.

  “No, I don’t. If I’m right, he’ll know what I am doing, and he will plant his own set of seeds.”

  “With his people?”

  “Yes.”

  “And, you want me to share this information with my cabinet?”

  “Jonathan will develop a few different scenarios—similar but nuanced. I want you to share them strategically with the members of your staff and cabinet. Start with the top.”

  “And, what about the intelligence we do need?” Candace inquired.

  “We’ll work on that at the same time. Right now, I think the priority is identifying the leaks.”

  “I understand. I hate it. I understand.”

  “About Kapralov’s initiatives at the border—”

  “Yes?”

  “I think we need to keep our eyes on Kaliningrad.”

  Candace closed her eyes. Alex’s revelation was hardly a revelation. Kaliningrad was a Russian strategic port situated between Poland and Lithuania on the edge of The Baltic Sea. It was a small stretch of land that posed enormous threat to the Baltic States’ sovereignty. It was a place that few Americans had heard of, much less had any concept played a meaningful role in national security. It did. Kaliningrad had been a Nazi stronghold that was annexed to the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Now, it provided a gateway to Poland, Lithuania, as well as Sweden, and Finland across the Baltic Sea. The European Union played close attention to military buildup in the area. Russian movement and military exercises often commanded attention from European news outlets. Kaliningrad was barely mentioned in American news. Candace shook her head. She wondered when America would understand that its security was directly tied to its allies across the sea.

  “Any particular reason?”

  “Every reason,” Alex said. “It’s not sexy enough for mainstream news. Hell, it doesn’t entice most of the intelligence services in a meaningful way. That’s the reason we need to pay attention. It’s exactly the kind of place that Kapralov will look to utilize.”

  “To exploit our allies.”

  “Yes. This is not my specialty, Candace. At least, it hasn’t been for years. I can tell you that Kaliningrad is a center of planning in Russia. They’ve basically coerced Ukraine and Moldova into the Russian fold. Accessibility.”

  “So, do you think that the information we’ve been given that the Russian government is withholding resources from villages at the border is deflection?”

  “Partly. Maybe. I still think they want to gauge your response. It will help them plan their next move. If we can determine what that might be, and if we can find your leak—”

  “We can use them,” Candace surmised.

  “That would be ideal.”

  Candace huffed.

  “I’m sorry, Candace. I wish I had better news.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I asked for this job.”

  “That never makes it easier.”

  “That’s the truth. Be careful, Alex.”

  “I will be. You too. Don’t underestimate anyone—anyone, Candace.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good. I’ll be in touch.”

  Candace disconnected the call and leaned back in her chair. The world seemed to expand and contract before her eyes. Thousands of miles did little to separate one country from another—not any longer. Instability in one country impacted its neighbor, then its region, and soon the entire globe. Any policy Candace enacted, any action she directed would serve as a domino, clicking through countries and continents as its mission and message grew. She was tempted to pour herself a glass of scotch. “Eleven in the morning, Candy. Don’t start now,” she admonished herself. She chuckled. “If people realized the truth is stranger than a spy novel.” She shook her head. If people only knew.

  ***

  “Does Mom seem—I don’t know—off to you?” Michelle asked her sister.

  “I think Mom has a lot on her mind, Shell. Any move is a big adjustment. This move is something I don’t think any of us can really fathom—even Mom.”

  “I guess.”

  “Don’t worry so much.”

  “This coming from you?”

  Marianne sighed. “She can be herself with us, Shell. She might not be able to tell us everything—maybe not even anything about what’s bothering her tonight. She doesn’t have to pretend that she’s fine. Most of the time, she has to play a role. She can show concern. She can’t show vulnerability. You know that better than anyone.”

  Michelle looked ahead to where Jameson was helping Candace into her coat. She’d spent long hours on the campaign trail with her mother. She’d worked beside her into late evening in the Governor’s Mansion. She’d witnessed stress and concern on her mother’s face many days. Candace never looked defeated. Michelle wasn’t sure if there was another way to describe the way her mother moved. Candace looked almost beaten—tired. Michelle couldn’t imagine what could have affected her mother so profoundly that Candace’s gait slowed.

  “Shell, Mom is okay.”

  “Maybe.”

  ***

  “Mom!” Cooper screamed with delight.

  Candace jumped and then fell into a fit of laughter. Spending an evening amid excited youngsters and with her children was exactly the tonic she required. Cooper was running full-tilt toward a lunar module. She was sure that he and Spencer would start playing astronaut the moment they got home—possibly sooner. “I see it,” she called out to her son.

  “You seem a little—I don’t know, lighter—than you were earlier,” Michelle observed.

  “That’s because I feel lighter. This was the best decision I’ve made in weeks.”

  “Not what you expected?” Michelle inquired.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Candace said.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Candace offered her daughter a smile and looped her arm around Michelle’s. “Worried about me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t be,” Can
dace said flatly. “I’m all right, Shell. I need to step away when I can—even for a few minutes. Being here tonight has helped more than I can explain.”

  “How so?”

  Candace chuckled at her son and her grandson. Spencer and Cooper seemed to think they were the Commander and Captain of the evening’s adventure. The pair were leading a crew of children close to their age through the museum. She shook her head affectionately at the scene. Jameson was following dutifully behind and talking with Melanie. Jameson jostled Amanda on her hip. Melanie struggled to keep hold of Brody as he wiggled. Jameson reached over and took Brody from Melanie’s grasp. “The Pied Piper herself,” Candace mused.

  Michelle followed her mother’s gaze and laughed. “JD is such a kid magnet.”

  Candace sighed.

  “Oh,” Michelle commented. “That’s what’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

  “No,” Candace replied truthfully. “It passes through my mind at times, but I think both Jameson and I have come to accept that we won’t be the ones adding to this circus.”

  Michelle finally laughed. “You sound almost relieved.”

  “Do I?” Candace shrugged. “No. I’m not relieved. I think I was more disappointed than Jameson.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Why is that surprising?”

  “I don’t know. You’ve had three of us plus Cooper. I mean….”

  “You have the twins.”

  “Sure do.”

  “I’ll bet that it feels just a little bit different watching Melanie carry this baby,” Candace guessed. She grinned at the twinkle in her daughter’s eyes. “Ah-ha.”

  “I think I get it,” Michelle said. “I remember JD telling me that once.”

  “Telling you what?”

  “How she wished she’d been there to see us born.”

  Candace took a deep breath and nodded. “She does.”

  “Weird.”

  “Why is it weird?”

  “I don’t know. I think Marianne is more like her sister than her step-kid.”

  Candace let her eyes track to Marianne and Scott who were across the expansive exhibition hall.

  “You don’t think so?” Michelle asked.

  “I can see why you would think that.”

  “But you don’t.”

  “Jameson has a unique relationship with each of you.”

  “True. Jonah is like her kid, and I am like her buddy, Marianne is like her sister.”