Lizzie would confide in him unless it was a client’s privileged conversation. He jammed his hands in his pockets as he paced around his living room, then into the den, which was lined with books and a huge 106-inch television set mounted on the wall. His enormous custom-crafted rocking chair, which matched the one in his office, beckoned him. He tried to remember how many times he’d slept the night through in that very chair. He finally gave up when he realized that more often than not it was where he slept. His day lady was forever chiding him for not sleeping in his bed.
Cosmo watched the digital numbers change on his watch. Whoever Lizzie was talking to was either very verbose, or he or she was trying to convince Lizzie of something. He wondered whether, if they ever got married, Lizzie would still answer calls in the middle of the night. If they ever got married. Why hadn’t his thought been, when we get married?
Cosmo closed his eyes. First he had to ask Elizabeth to marry him. He admitted to himself that he was afraid to pop the question for fear Elizabeth had had second thoughts and would say no, she just wanted to keep the relationship the way it was. Fear was such a terrible thing.
In the next room, Lizzie paced, too, as she listened. “No, Martine. I can’t give up my life to help you. No. Why would you even think I would consider much less accept your offer to be your White House counsel? You can’t buy me; you could pay me my weight in diamonds, and I would still tell you no. Do I have to remind you that you made the decision to live in that fishbowl? I just helped you achieve your goal because I believed in you, and you’re my friend. I owe you nothing more.” Lizzie listened, her eyes growing wide with shock. “No, Martine, you can’t do that! I know you’re desperate, but you cannot infringe on my life. I will not allow you to do that.” She listened again. This time her jaw set into hard lines and her blue eyes sparked with anger. “Don’t ever threaten me, Martine. If you do, you’ll regret it. I don’t give a good goddamn about your Secret Service or the FBI or the CIA or the IRS or any of those other stupid alphabet-soup organizations. I know people who will chop those people up and spit them out. I’m going to hang up now, Martine, before either one of us says something even stupider than what has already been said.” Lizzie snapped the phone shut and ran into the living room, where Cosmo was waiting for her.
“If your phone rings, do not answer it! The president of the United States is going to be calling you to ask if you want to be White House counsel. Oh, my God, Cosmo, you don’t want that job, do you?”
“Whoa! Whoa!” Cosmo said as he struggled out of the rocker. “Were you just talking to the president of the United States? Why in the world would I want a job like that?”
“Yes, that’s who I was talking to, and she’s going to call you. The only time she can call is the middle of the night.”
The words were no sooner out of Lizzie’s mouth than Cosmo’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket and looked at the unknown name and unknown number that showed on the screen.
“She’ll leave a message if you don’t answer,” Lizzie hissed.
“Elizabeth, I do not have to return her call. I do not have to answer this phone either. It’s that simple.”
“She damn well threatened me. I won’t tolerate that, Cosmo. Did you hear me? The president of these United States threatened me! Me! We’re friends. I helped her get into office. I cannot believe she threatened me. She did. With the Secret Service, the IRS, and all those other crazy ABC organizations. I hung up on her! I did, Cosmo, I hung up on the president of the United States! I can’t believe I did that.” All the while she babbled on, Cosmo’s phone kept ringing. It finally stopped.
Cosmo laughed. “Do you want me to throw away the phone? I will.” Without waiting for Lizzie to respond,
Cosmo watched the digital numbers change on his watch. Whoever Lizzie was talking to was either very verbose, or he or she was trying to convince Lizzie of something. He wondered whether, if they ever got married, Lizzie would still answer calls in the middle of the night. If they ever got married. Why hadn’t his thought been, when we get married?
Cosmo closed his eyes. First he had to ask Elizabeth to marry him. He admitted to himself that he was afraid to pop the question for fear Elizabeth had had second thoughts and would say no, she just wanted to keep the relationship the way it was. Fear was such a terrible thing.
In the next room, Lizzie paced, too, as she listened. “No, Martine. I can’t give up my life to help you. No. Why would you even think I would consider much less accept your offer to be your White House counsel? You can’t buy me; you could pay me my weight in diamonds, and I would still tell you no. Do I have to remind you that you made the decision to live in that fishbowl? I just helped you achieve your goal because I believed in you, and you’re my friend. I owe you nothing more.” Lizzie listened, her eyes growing wide with shock. “No, Martine, you can’t do that! I know you’re desperate, but you cannot infringe on my life. I will not allow you to do that.” She listened again. This time her jaw set into hard lines and her blue eyes sparked with anger. “Don’t ever threaten me, Martine. If you do, you’ll regret it. I don’t give a good goddamn about your Secret Service or the FBI or the CIA or the IRS or any of those other stupid alphabet-soup organizations. I know people who will chop those people up and spit them out. I’m going to hang up now, Martine, before either one of us says something even stupider than what has already been said.” Lizzie snapped the phone shut and ran into the living room, where Cosmo was waiting for her.
“If your phone rings, do not answer it! The president of the United States is going to be calling you to ask if you want to be White House counsel. Oh, my God, Cosmo, you don’t want that job, do you?”
“Whoa! Whoa!” Cosmo said as he struggled out of the rocker. “Were you just talking to the president of the United States? Why in the world would I want a job like that?”
“Yes, that’s who I was talking to, and she’s going to call you. The only time she can call is the middle of the night.”
The words were no sooner out of Lizzie’s mouth than Cosmo’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket and looked at the unknown name and unknown number that showed on the screen.
“She’ll leave a message if you don’t answer,” Lizzie hissed.
“Elizabeth, I do not have to return her call. I do not have to answer this phone either. It’s that simple.”
“She damn well threatened me. I won’t tolerate that, Cosmo. Did you hear me? The president of these United States threatened me! Me! We’re friends. I helped her get into office. I cannot believe she threatened me. She did. With the Secret Service, the IRS, and all those other crazy ABC organizations. I hung up on her! I did, Cosmo, I hung up on the president of the United States! I can’t believe I did that.” All the while she babbled on, Cosmo’s phone kept ringing. It finally stopped.
Cosmo laughed. “Do you want me to throw away the phone? I will.” Without waiting for Lizzie to respond,
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