Read Online Choppy Water by Stuart Woods - Free Book Online

restaurant debut at Patroon, with Dino, Viv, and me, at eight o’clock.”
    “Well, I guess it had to come sometime. Will there be photographers and all that?”
    “Not unless some staffer squeals,” Stone said. “I think it will be pretty quiet.”
    She looked at her watch. “I want an hour’s nap. Then I’ll freshen up, change, and be ready at a quarter to eight.”
    “I’ll be upstairs in time to change. I’ll wake you up.”
    “Be gentle, I’ve had a long day.”
----
    —
    They arrived at Patroon on time, to be greeted by the owner, Ken Aretsky, who led them to a corner table, through a standing ovation from the other diners, many of them with phone cameras.
    “Well,” she said, “ that’s never happened before.”
    “Get used to it,” Dino said.
    Viv demanded a recounting of her day’s events, so Stone and Dino had to amuse each other until the women had finished.
    Stone was signing the check when Bill Wright appeared. “Ma’am, we’ll be leaving by another door,” he said.
    “Is anything wrong?” Holly asked.
    “No, ma’am, it’s just that the second seating is arriving, and the front vestibule is very crowded with people checking their coats.”
    Holly and Stone exchanged a glance. “All right,” she said. “Let’s go.”
    They rose and were led to the rear of the restaurant, then through the kitchen, and out a door where deliveries arrived. Their cars were waiting there, so they said good night to the Bacchettis and got into the Bentley.
    The agent shut their door, then got into the front passenger seat. “Go,” he said, and they drove away faster than Stone had expected.
    “All right, Bill,” Holly said. “What’s happened?”
    “We’ve had a tip that something might have been planned for this evening.”
    “A tip from where?”
    “It was anonymous, a woman, who said we should be very careful this evening.”
    “Were you able to trace the call?”
    “Only partly. It was made from somewhere in northern Virginia, and they had Mr. Barrington’s private number.”
    Holly sat back and exhaled. “Home, please.”
    Fred managed to get the garage door open at the moment they drove in, then quickly closed it.
    “That’s a relief,” Holly said.
    “It was probably nothing,” Bill said, opening her door, “but we won’t count on that.”
----
    —
    Holly came to bed in a flimsy red nightgown, which Stone made disappear.
    “I thought about this while I was having my hair and nails done,” she said, receiving him.
    “Well,” Stone said, “there was nothing else to think about, was there?”
    “Tomorrow I’ll start thinking about saving the world,” she said.

15
    Holly arrived at her new transition office at nine AM sharp. Her key staff were gathered around a plywood conference table in a back room. They stood and gave her a round of applause.
    “All right,” Holly said. “It’s time to put aside the golden memories of all those halcyon days during the campaign and get to work.” She took a file folder from her large purse, then extracted a single sheet of paper and handed it to a volunteer. “Make a dozen copies, pronto, then distribute them.
    “Now, before we start the process of staffing up, let’s talk about the inner circle. That would be all of you.”
    The volunteer returned with the copies and distributed them. “Each of you will find your name on this list and, beside it, the position on the White House staff you are beingoffered. You and I have been having this discussion, off and on, since before I announced my run, so there should be no surprises. That list is comprised of my final decisions. If you want the job, write me a brief letter accepting, and don’t get mushy about it. At the bottom of the page is a list of key jobs as yet unfilled. I want recommendations for those slots before the day is out.
    “Now, let’s turn to the cabinet.” She found another sheet of paper in her file, handed it to the volunteer to also be copied, then