Madame President - Tara Sue Me Page 0,3

without thinking and Oliver can’t seem to suppress his grin. “I mean, that’s what I’ve heard.”

Chapter Three

Him

GBNC Offices

New York City, New York

Two days after the election, I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around the results. The fact we have a female president is not the cause of my unease. Frankly, I’m thrilled a woman will finally be our Commander in Chief. It’s about damn time. It’s the fact that I know her. Granted, it’s been twelve years since we spoke, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of the knowledge.

I haven’t told anyone at work I knew Anna once upon a time. When I first started at GBNC five years ago, Anna was in Congress and at the time I didn’t think it was important. Those people who always make a big deal about who they know annoy the hell of me, and I refuse to become one of them. Besides, I never felt as if my personal life was anyone’s business expect for my own, much less my personal life of years past.

Then Anna announced her intention to run for president, and I found myself in a quandary. Did I tell everyone I knew Anna then? That would’ve been optimal compared to someone finding out on their own and the GBNC execs hearing it from them and not me. Yet, I reasoned with myself, I’m the last person Anna Fitzpatrick would think of and there was no need for me to bring it up and make it bigger than it was. So I decided to stay as far away as possible from her.

But, she won. I don’t know how much longer I can just happen to be somewhere else when she’s being interviewed or acting distracted when her name comes up.

Which is why I’m in my office, trying my best to keep away from everyone by telling them I’m doing emergency research for a segment the network has asked me to do. It’s not a total lie. They did give me a segment and I do have to research it, just not quite as quickly as I may have said. But it gives me something to at least pretend to do instead of obsessing over the fact that the President Elect is in New York today, like everyone around me is doing. It’s a bit unreal seeing all these seasoned professionals mooning all over her like she’s royalty or something. I understand she’s the closest thing we have, but it makes my avoidance tactics harder.

Gabe walks to my office door right as the front desk buzzes my phone. He stands just outside as I answer on speaker.

“Yes?” I ask, waving Gabe to come in.

“There’s someone here to see you, Navin,” Gerald, the security guard, says.

I glance at my calendar to make sure I’m not forgetting an appointment. I’m not. “I don’t have a meeting scheduled,” I tell Gerald. “Who is it?”

“It’s… uh… the President Elect,” Gerald stutters.

I do my best not to let surprise show in my voice. “Of course. President Elect Fitzpatrick is welcome whenever.”

Gabe’s looking at me in shock, a sentiment I feel acutely. I find I’m not able to say anything, but it doesn’t matter because Gabe has plenty of words. Unfortunately, they’re all in the form of questions I have no answers for.

“What the hell?” he asks when I hang up. “She wants to meet with you? Why?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, thankful it’s the absolute truth and I’m not having to lie. I still can’t look at him in the eye. “I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”

“You don’t even know her. I’m the one who always interviews her,” Gabe says and I wince at the reminder that I’ve been lying to one of my best friends. And it’s true, I ensure I’m always unavailable whenever she’s to be interviewed.

I hear her approach more in the silence descending upon those she passes than I do from any noise her group makes. Though there are only four agents with her today, two in front and two behind, their appearance holds everyone spellbound. Conversations stop mid-sentence. No one moves.

As they continue toward us, Gabe and I step into the hallway without a word, allowing her security team to search my office before she enters. I take a deep breath and prepare myself to come face-to-face with a memory from my past, one I’ve avoided as much as possible. I see now it was inevitable and childish for me to behave this way.

She’s walking toward