Read Online The Phoenix Campaign (Grace Colton Book 2) by Heidi Joy Tretheway - Free Book Online Page A

account.”
    “Twelve,” my mother corrects. “You can have a little time. I’m staying in Washington until Friday.”
    My eyes widen. “Where?”
    “Oh, I got myself a nice room at the InterContinental. I’ll have them send you a bill.”
    “Mother! You cannot just go spending money and borrowing from neighbors and expect I can pay for it.”
    She has the temerity to look wounded. “Why not? I see Senator Conover’s nice house, and your chauffeurs and limos and things, and I know where the vice president is going to live. It’s practically a mansion. I think it’s time for a little trickle-down.”
    “Shep’s house is something he earned with his family business. And my chauffeurs are Secret Service—they follow me around to make sure I don’t get shot or kidnapped, not to give me a sense of privilege.” I close my eyes and squeeze my fingers on the bridge of my nose, willing myself to take a deep breath and avoid saying the million things I want to.
    “Then you’re not giving me much choice here. I’ll call that nice reporter Gloria back and do her show.”
    My eyes snap open. “Gloria Alton?”
    “Yep, that’s the one. She wants to talk about your childhood. It took some digging, but I’ve got pictures in boxes. They were really interested in that.”
    “Don’t do this,” I beg, because while putting my mother on national television to be labeled Poor White Trash is one thing, the kinds of questions Gloria is likely to ask will bring up answers that I never want to see the light of day.
    What was Grace like as a child? As a teenager?
    Was she a troublemaker? What did she do?
    What were her friends like?
    Was she promiscuous?
    Why did she get suspended?
    I’m sure my mother could concoct answers that would bring a tear to Gloria’s eye. She’d sell the story perfectly, selling me out at the same time. And if she was asked a damaging question, well, my mother’s bound to tell the truth, isn’t she?
    A tap on my office door rescues me. Sasha pokes her head into my office, her eyes bouncing between my mother and me.
    The tension is thick in the room.
    “Grace, you have an appointment that you can’t keep waiting, but I thought maybe I could treat Mrs. Garcia to coffee.” She turns to my mother, a sweeping gesture like she’s welcoming royalty. “It’s such an honor to meet you. I’m so pleased you could come see the office.”
    My mother warms to Sasha’s invitation, preening as she extends a hand from the couch. “It’s Marilyn.”
    Sasha doesn’t miss a beat, taking my mother’s hand for a shake.
    “Just give me a little time,” I plead again, my meaning dancing between her going for a coffee break with Sasha and me needing a few days to scrape together money.
    “Don’t take too long, Gracie.” She shoves herself up from the couch, grabs her handbag and then pulls the cigarettes from within. She turns to Sasha. “Let’s go. I’m dying for a smoke.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

    So much of a political campaign happens in sterile hotel ballrooms with a teleprompter that it’s a relief to do something unscripted for a change.
    Jared and I are alone in the back of a Secret Service SUV as we drive to a suburban neighborhood in Silver Spring, Maryland, where a nice nuclear family and our campaign ad specialists are waiting. Sasha set up the video shoot to give my persona “dimension” but ducked out at the last minute.
    Instead of letting a junior campaign manager fill in for Sasha, Jared’s here.
    “How’d you draw the short straw and get saddled with me today?” I ask Jared.
    “Saddled? I like the sound of that.” Jared’s chuckle suggests several dirty things he could do with horse tack and leather.
    I roll my eyes. “I can’t say ten words without you going straight to innuendo.” I pull back from him and sit primly in my seat, crossing my arms and ankles, but my eyes spark with mischief.
    “Sometimes I think you exist to torture me.” His hand snakes over to my knee.
    I