Chapter XXXI

“Hello?” Brianna yawned into the phone as she blinked her eyes open, glad for the darkening shades in her bedroom.

“Brianna?  Did I wake you up, Sweetheart?”  The voice on the other end of the phone caused Brianna to shoot up into a sitting position.

“Mama O??” rubbing her eyes and trying to force a wakefulness she simply didn’t feel even with the rush of adrenaline hearing Okasa’s voice had caused.  She pushed her hair off her face and rubbed the back of her neck.  “Is everything okay?” yawning again.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.  What’s going on down there?  I got the strangest phone call from my daughter last night....”

Brianna blinked rapidly.  “Um....”

“I did wake you up, didn’t I?  I’m sorry, Little Bri,” the nickname bringing a smile to Brianna’s face.  “I didn’t stop to think that you might have had a late night last night.  I know about some of those parties and things that go on down there, you know,” with a hint of a smile in her tone.

Brianna yawned and shook her head even though Okasa couldn’t see the motion.  Then she slid from the bed and headed towards the kitchen.  “Oh, Mama O – it’s nothing nearly that exciting.  I’ve been working really long hours here trying to catch up on all the stuff I’m supposed to be working on either in committee or just generally speaking.  I’m actually taking the day off today.  A friend invited me over for lunch with her and her partner.  That’s why I was still in bed when you called.”

“And I messed up your sleep-in,” Okasa tsked.  “I’m sorry, Brianna.”

“Don’t be, Mama O.  It’s good to hear from you.”

“The phone does work both ways,” she replied tartly, drawing a chuckle from Brianna and smiling in response.  “However, I do understand you’re still settling in so I’ll forgive you this time as long as you promise it won’t be too long before you call me.”

“I promise, Mama.  You know I’m good for it.”  She flipped on the coffee maker and started dumping things into her cup as she waited for it to brew.  Then she snagged a banana for breakfast.

“I do indeed.  Now what is going on down there... really?  Charisma called me last night.”

Brianna waited but when nothing more was forthcoming, she felt the need to prompt Okasa.  “All right... and this is unusual how?  Okasa, she’s your daughter.  Surely you talk on the phone occasionally.”

“No one likes a smartass,” Okasa muttered, “especially this early in the morning.”  Brianna arched an eyebrow and snorted.

“Then you shouldn’t have called so early, Mama O.  You know what a smartass I am after coffee.  Why would you think a lack of caffeine would make it better?”

“Good point,” Okasa agreed with a hint of light laughter in her voice.  Then she cleared her throat and Brianna could hear the worry in her tone.  “I’m... concerned, Brianna.  Charisma sounded upset.”

Brianna frowned.  “Did she say anything, Okasa?  Give you any idea what she was upset about?”

“No.  She didn’t say anything – seriously.  We talked about absolutely nothing – the weather; the traffic; Kent’s new show.  That’s part of the reason I’m worried.  There is always something real for us to talk about – her work; my work; the family.  Her daddy thinks I’m crazy... insists that I’m imagining things.  But I’m not; a mother knows when something is wrong... especially when....”

“Especially when what, Okasa?  You can’t just stop there.  And doesn’t Kent count as family?  He is her husband and Adam’s father after all.”

“Yes, he does and yes he is.  But we didn’t talk about Kent... just his show.”

“Especially when what?” Brianna prodded again when Okasa didn’t continue.  “If you want me to try to give you answers, Okasa, I need to know the whole truth.”

“Last night was the first time we had heard from her since you arrived in Washington.  There was something different – her voice... her attitude.”  Okasa sighed.  “It’s hard to explain.  Paddy would have recognized the difference if he’d been on the phone with her.  Instead he thinks I’m a lunatic.”

“That’s not fair, Mama,” Brianna heard across the wire and the gentle brogue brought a smile to her face.  “That’s not what I said at all,” Patrick protested, making Brianna chuckle.  Okasa huffed.

“Little Bri, you’re on speaker now.  I’m not going to play go-between while Paddy argues his case.”

“Hi, Brianna,” Patrick offered a touch sheepishly.

“Good morning, Papa,” she returned cheerfully, pouring her coffee into her cup and relishing her fist sip after she’d stirred everything in.  “Why do you doubt Mama?”

“He doubts, Little One, because the only thing he said to Charisma was ‘I love you’ and because if he agrees with me it means there is something wrong with his baby girl that he didn’t catch.  That is bad enough.  The fact that she hasn’t come to us about it just makes it worse.”

“Papa,” Brianna scolded gently.  “You do realize Charisma is a grown woman?  A United States Senator?  You can’t expect her to come running to you when something goes wrong in her life hoping you can fix it and make it all go away.”

“I know, but....”

“But,” Brianna cut in, “she did call you.  Trust that Mama knows that she called because she needed you.  Now you have to figure out what she needs from you.”

Patrick frowned.  “Why exactly are you a lawyer?  And how did you get into politics?  You’re much too smart for that, Brianna.  You shoulda been a doctor.”

Brianna laughed.  “Um... NO.  Too much drama.  Haven’t you ever seen those medical shows on television?” drawing laughs from the Taghertys.  “So that’s why you think something is wrong?  Because Charisma called you last night and she sounded... what?”

“Disconnected.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Okasa sighed.  “I’m not sure I can explain it well enough to make you understand.”

“Try, Mama.  You wouldn’t have called me about this if it wasn’t important.”

“This is true,” Okasa admitted.  “You have to know that Charisma and I talk every Sunday as a matter of course.  She calls in the evening so Paddy and I can talk to Adam before bedtime and then she and I generally spend a little time catching up.  You know… like I told you earlier.  We talk about the family; she shares some stories of her work and I do the same.  Kind of like when you and I talk,” hearing Brianna’s hum of acknowledgement.

“So the fact that she called last night....”

“Rang all kinds of alarm bells.  The fact that she didn’t have anything to talk about....  I decided to call you.  If anyone might have an idea of what was bothering her....”

“Okasa....”

“Brianna – discounting the fact that you’re Charisma’s best friend, you’re the only one there where she is.  You’re the only one who might have an inkling of what happened to throw her off her stride.”

“First of all, Okasa – I’m not Charisma’s best friend... not for twenty years and you know that.  Please don’t try to bullshit me.”

“Brianna....”

“No, Okasa!  I don’t....”

“Brianna, listen to me a minute,” hearing Brianna huff impatiently before she fell silent.  “Brianna... despite everything, you’re the only best friend Charisma ever had... still.  Now I’ll grant you that your situation could in no way be considered normal, but it is what it is.  And until and unless that changes....”

Brianna sighed.  “Mama O,” she said resignedly.  “Is there a point here?”

“You two make me crazy, you know that?” Okasa groused, then continued before Brianna could offer a response.  “Even considering the fact that you and Charisma haven’t been part of one another’s lives for twenty years, no one knows my baby the way that you do.  That plus the fact that you’re actually in the same place....”

“Did you ever stop to think that might be her problem, Okasa?  That us being in the same sphere for the first time in twenty years would be enough to shake her up?”

“Then why wait so long to call, Brianna?  Why not call and vent as soon as you accepted the appointment?  Or the first time you met again? Something must have happened to have caused her to call home just to babble.”  She paused.  “What’s going on there, Brianna... really?”

“I met Adam,” Brianna offered into the well of silence between them.

“All right,” Patrick finally said after exchanging long stares with Okasa.  “Did it go poorly?  God knows the first few days with his father could be considered horrific.  He screamed every time Kent got near him.”

“Oh no,” Brianna reassured them swiftly.  “Nothing like that at all.  In fact....”  Brianna trailed off and Patrick and Okasa let the silence go on until they wondered if their connection had been severed.

“Brianna?”

Brianna started and looked at the phone stupidly a moment before replying.  “Sorry, Mama O.  I was just thinking.”

Patrick chuckled.  “Still takes you that way, does it?”

Brianna laughed, especially when she heard Okasa backhand Patrick in the belly.  “Papa, some days I count my blessings that it can still take me that way.  It beats not being taken at all.”

“So tell us, Little Bri.  What happened when you met our precocious grandson?”

“Nothing I would consider special... at least I didn’t until....  Let me start at the beginning.”  Brianna told them of her encounter with Adam in the hallway.  “Now in fairness, I haven’t had to deal with many kids in my life except of course your other grandchildren.  And you know how they are – very outgoing and friendly... kind of like your kids.  So I just figured Adam was the same way.  Except when we went for ice cream later, Charisma wanted to know what kind of a spell I put on her son.”

The Taghertys laughed.  “And what did you tell her, my dear?”

“I told her that I didn’t do anything but talk to him at his level.  He... it’s funny – he looked at me for a long moment, then declared me to be ‘good.’  After that it was just a matter of taking him back to his mom.  Apparently being ‘good’ was reason enough for him to trust me.”

“He’s actually an astonishing judge of character given his age and background.  Especially when you consider his natural shyness.  It took him several visits with his cousins before he actually decided to play with them.  Now of course he runs off to play with them the minute they arrive.”

“I can’t picture a child of Charisma’s as quiet and reserved.  He certainly wasn’t with me.”

“Brianna?” Patrick asked when their chuckles wound down again.  “What else happened?”  He paused, then pushed forward.  “I think something else must’ve thrown her off.  Otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed to go get ice cream with you.  Unless... was that the first time you’d been alone together since your arrival?  Or have you been rebuilding...?”  Brianna’s indelicate snort caused his words to trail off.  He waited and finally Brianna spoke.

“We’re not rebuilding anything, Papa.  She basically told me flat out that the only interaction we’d ever have together would be professional.  The only reason we went for ice cream together was because of Adam.  He didn’t want to let me go back to work after I found him.  Ice cream in the afternoon was our compromise.”

“Brianna?” Okasa spoke up.  “When Adam declared you ‘good’, what was Charisma’s reaction?”

“Aside from accusing me of witchcraft on her son?  I don’t know, really.  I wasn’t looking at her either time he said it; I was looking at Adam.  He has her eyes, you know.”

Okasa laughed.  “Yes, I had noticed that.”  Then she sobered.  “Can you think of any reason...?”

Brianna sighed.  “Yeah,” she said casually – more casual than her speech had been since high school.  In her business, informality wasn’t acceptable most of the time even in casual conversation.  People expected more.  So Okasa knew the minute the slang fell from Brianna’s lips, they were finally getting to the crux of the matter.

“Can you share?”

There was another heavy sigh and the Taghertys heard the sound of another cup of coffee being made before Brianna spoke again.  “Charisma mentioned my eyes – said Adam was another sucker for green eyes.  Then she took Adam and hightailed it out of the dining room like her feet were on fire.”

“But that’s wonderful!” Okasa exclaimed and Brianna could hear the smile in her voice.  “That means she feels... she still....”

“No, Okasa.  It means she’s still unwilling to feel or to acknowledge the possibility of... well, anything really.  She’s not even willing to feign friendship.”

Okasa snorted.  “So what are you going to do about it, Brianna?”

Brianna shook her head, even though Okasa couldn’t see her.  She chuckled sadly.  “Nothing, Mama O.  Not a damn thing.  Nothing has changed as far as Charisma is concerned, and she made her choice years ago when she let me walk away without looking back.  Despite what it could be if given a chance and as much as I’d like for things to be different....”

“That’s bullshit, Brianna Walker!  Tell her how you feel!  Fight for her!”

Brianna sighed.  “I’ve been fighting for twenty years to make sure she was happy – to make sure she got what she wanted out of life even while I knew that what she wanted was never going to include me.   I’m tired of fighting.”

“Then start fighting for something instead of against it!”

“Was there anything else you needed to know, Mama?” she asked respectfully while completely avoiding Okasa’s argument.  “I still need to get ready to go out.”

Okasa bit her lip and relaxed back into Patrick’s body when he put his arms around her.  “I think that’s all for now, Little One.  Remember you promised to call me soon.”

“I know, Mama O.  I will.  You and Papa say a prayer at Mass for me this morning.  Maybe God will listen to you.”

“Oh Sweetheart.  God listens to all his children.  He just doesn’t always answer in our time.”

“I’m not sure I have enough life left to wait on His,” Brianna said wryly.  “I’ll call next week.  I want to tell you about the new friends I’ve made here.  You’d like them.  They think like you do... that Charisma and I should be together.”

“Really?  How long have you known them?”

“Only since I arrived in the capital although Charisma has known at least one of them for a while.  She’s the custodian on our floor of the Senate office building we’re in.” 

“That wouldn’t be Esmeralda, would it?”

“Yes, it would,” Brianna affirmed with a smile.  “She and her partner Saphira helped me out the night I got here and ended up completely lost and they’ve become good friends since then.  I wish you could meet them, Mama.  They have something together that is so rare.  But they have fought to be together... given up everything for one another.  That’s why I know....”  She trailed off.

Okasa cleared her throat.  “We’ll look forward to hearing all about them.  I wanna hear what you think about some of your colleagues as well.  Given some of the tales Charisma has shared, it could make for a fun conversation.”

“I’ll just bet.”

“All right, Brianna.  You go get ready for your day out with your friends.”

“Thanks, Mama.  Love you.  Love you, Papa.”

“Love you too,” Okasa and Patrick assured Brianna before hanging up their phone.  Then they turned to look at one another.

“Are you satisfied now, Papa?”

“I’ll agree something is definitely up with our daughter,” he agreed reluctantly.  “But I’m not sure I know what we’re supposed to do about it.”

“We’re gonna go to church and light a candle and say a prayer.  Then I’m gonna go to the post office tomorrow and mail Charisma a package she shoulda gotten years ago.  Maybe we could’ve avoided this whole mess.”

“Mama?”

“Trust me, Paddy-me-love.  I shoulda done this a long time ago.  Now go get ready for church.  We’ve got some praying to do.”


Chapter XXXII

“Knock, knock,” Brianna called out even as she knocked on the door of the address Esmeralda had given her.  She smiled when Saphira opened the door almost immediately.

“Brianna... welcome!  Please come in,” gesturing her into the narrow foyer.  Brianna held up her hand.

“Hey, Saphira.  I um... I actually brought some stuff with me,” motioning to her car.

“Brianna, you didn’t need to bring anything.”

“I know.  But I couldn’t not.  My mother might make an appearance to give me a lesson in manners and deportment.”  She shuddered dramatically.  “I’d rather give that a miss if you don’t mind.”  Brianna turned back to Jas who stood beside the car awaiting her orders.

“Well, let’s grab your stuff before Es decides I got lost bringing you to the kitchen.”

Brianna handed Saphira a couple bags, then she and Jas hefted a small cooler between them and followed Saphira back towards the house.  By this point Esmeralda had wondered at their delay and she met them at the door, eyebrows high on her forehead in puzzlement.

“Did I miss a memo?” she asked as they passed her on their way into the kitchen.  “I thought we invited you over to have lunch with us, not for you to bring it with you,” Esmeralda offered with a grin.  “Thanks, Jas,” she added when Jas turned to leave.  Jas gave Esmeralda a snappy salute, then turned to Brianna.

“Is there anything else, Senator?”

“No,” Brianna replied, shaking her head.  “I’ll call you when Saphira and Es are ready to throw me out.”

“Yes ma’am,” she acknowledged, then went out the door and back to the car.  The rest watched her go, following the sound of the car until it faded away.  Then they looked at one another and laughed.

Esmeralda opened her arms and offered Brianna a hug that she readily accepted, then Saphira did the same.  “Welcome to our home,” Esmeralda said.  “We’re really glad you’re here, Brianna.  But um... why all the stuff?” gesturing to the things that had been brought in.

Brianna cleared her throat.  “Well, my mother taught me that you never go anywhere empty-handed.  But I forgot to ask what we were having today so I brought a few things hoping something would fit in with whatever you were preparing.”

Esmeralda smiled gently.  “All you needed to bring was yourself, but I’m sure we can probably use any number of things you brought along with you.  I’ve learned to be flexible in my menu making.  Besides, we wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with your mother, would we?”

“I knew you’d understand.”

Esmeralda snorted.  “I have a mother too,” was her only comment, making Brianna laugh and Saphira snicker.  But the awkwardness was broken and they put things away.  Saphira fixed them drinks and they crossed into the living room to visit.

“If it was warmer, we could sit out in the backyard.”

“It would have to be a lot warmer, Es.  There’s no reason for you to catch a chill, and I’m pretty sure we’d get frostbite if we stayed outside for too long today.  As pretty as the sunshine is, it’s not very warm.”

“And come mid-summer, we’ll be wondering where the cool air has gotten off to.”

Brianna smirked.  “True.  I guess we’re never really satisfied.”  She groaned and twisted her neck, sighing when she felt it pop back into place.  “This is wonderful.  Thank you both for inviting me.”

“We were glad you could come.  Most wouldn’t, you know.”

“Their loss,” Brianna stated emphatically.  “Can I ask you something?  It’s been bugging me for... well, since it happened.”  Saphira and Esmeralda exchanged glances and shrugged, then nodded at Brianna.  She looked at Esmeralda.  “How do you know Jas?”  She chuckled when Esmeralda’s eyes widened and her brows flew into her hairline.  “You do know her, right?  As more than just a casual acquaintance?”

Esmeralda smiled.  “I’d call us friends though I can say the same about a lot of the sewer rats.”

“Excuse me?!  What the hell is a sewer rat?” green eyes sparking fire.  “And you better not be talking about yourself!!”

“Brianna, it’s all right.  It’s what all the big wigs refer to the common working class as when they think we’re not listening.”

“That’s not right!”

“No,” Esmeralda agreed sadly.  “But it doesn’t make it any less true.  The non-public tunnels we use also house the pipes that carry the sewage and waste out of the building.  So we’re sewer rats.  We come out of hiding when the building goes dark... in theory anyway.”

Brianna grit her teeth and took a deep breath to try and center herself.  When she felt the rage calm to a tolerable level, she spoke again.  “So you met Jas...?”

“The drivers share a lounge with the custodial crew downstairs... between the entrance to the lot where the cars are kept and our cleaning closets.  So when they’re on a break or we are, we get a chance to talk.  I think I know every driver for every senator in the building; of course I know most of the cleaning crew; and even though they’re never down on our level, I chat with every staffer on my floor.  It’s quite a mixed bunch of folks.”

Brianna laughed.  “You should have gone into politics, Es.  You’re obviously a master of understatement.”

“Oh no... no thank you.  I have trouble enough keeping up with the truth.  I couldn’t manage the lies.”

Brianna offered her a wry look.  “I think I should be insulted.”  She snorted.  “Actually I would be insulted if I didn’t already know that for the truth.”  She paused.  “So tell me how you convinced my driver to do what you asked instead of her job... especially considering the kind of trouble that could have landed her in.”  Brianna didn’t sound angry... merely curious.

Esmeralda sighed and looked at Saphira who held her gaze for a long moment, then squeezed her hand in support.  Es lifted the hand to her lips and brushed a light kiss over the knuckles before turning her attention back to Brianna to find her watching them in fascination.  “What?”

Brianna shrugged and shook her head.  “Nothing.  I’ve just never seen two people communicate the way you two do.  It’s always been more like something you’d find in a novel – lovely to think about but not a genuine possibility in real life.”

“Do you doubt our sincerity?” Saphira asked without a hint of malice in her tone.

“Not at all – that’s what makes it so amazing.  But that doesn’t answer my original question,” turning back to Esmeralda.

“It was easy, Brianna; I asked,” holding up her free hand to stop Brianna’s speech before she could form her first thought.  “Remember... I have been doing my job for a long time and I have known Jas for most of that.  She knew something was wrong so she was willing to give me a shot at helping even if that meant she risked her position.  Jas is one of the good guys, Brianna.  She cares.”

“So you help a lot of folks then?”

Esmeralda shrugged.  “I do what I can.  I’m a firm believer in what goes around comes around, and if I have the chance to help someone out, I try to do that.  I figure eventually, it’ll all come back to me in a good way.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“What have I lost except the chance to do the right thing?”

“I don’t know if I could be that selfless.”

“Haven’t you already, Brianna?  Didn’t you give up your own opportunity at happiness with the one who meant the most to you in the whole world to insure her well-being and peace of mind?”

Brianna sighed.  “That was different.”

“How do you figure?” Saphira asked quietly. 

“Because I loved Charisma.  I needed to do it for me as much as I needed to do it for her.  Esmeralda doesn’t love me or anyone else she helps... at least not like that.  It’s one thing to sacrifice your happiness for one you love – you know that... you did it for each other.  But it is something else again to do it for someone who is a mere acquaintance or even a stranger.”

“Greater love hath no man than this....” Saphira quoted.

“Maybe,” Brianna conceded, “but I don’t think so.”

“So what are you gonna do about her... Charisma, I mean?” Saphira asked when the silence started to draw out too long.  Brianna shook her head and sighed.

“Nothing,” she admitted holding up her hand in an effort to quell their questions.  “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this.  I had all kinds of ideas; things I could do to get Charisma’s attention; to make her realize how much I’ve missed her and her friendship in my life.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing,” Esmeralda approved.

“On the surface, it really doesn’t.  Except Charisma can’t stand to be alone with me long enough to do more than exchange platitudes.  I don’t see a reason to make us both miserable.  Besides, my feelings for Charisma are still as real and deep as they were when I first realized I’d fallen in love with my best friend.  The only difference is now she’s a married woman.  And whatever else I am, I am not now nor have I ever been a home wrecker.”

“You think allowing the friendship you shared to resume would somehow destroy her marriage?  That’s not a very high commentary on your perception of the state of her marriage.”

“Saphira, please don’t put words in my mouth.”

Saphira’s eyes widened.  “I wasn’t trying to.  I’m trying to understand your thinking.”

Unexpectedly Brianna chuckled.  “Good luck with that.  My mother swears she needs a map and a GPS to follow my thought processes.”  Saphira and Esmeralda laughed at Brianna’s words and wry expression.

“Will you explain what you meant?  I really am trying to understand.”

Brianna sighed.  “So am I really.  When I first accepted this appointment, my goal was to just get through it.  I had avoided Charisma for twenty years; surely I could manage two in close proximity, right?”  She chuckled wryly.  “Of course I didn’t realize how close that proximity was going to be or I might have rethought the whole thing.  However, once I got here I was committed to two years and I figured... how hard could it be?”

“Harder than you thought?”

“Impossible.  Being here... seeing her again – it made me understand how much I missed her.  And after talking to Es I thought maybe we could just be friends again, you know? I mean, we’re both reasonable adults, right?  Only she shot me down before I even got out of the gate.  She doesn’t want to be friends; she doesn’t want anything to do with me beyond what is required of her professionally.”

“So you’re just giving up?”

“I’m just accepting the inevitable.  Besides, it’s probably for the best; maybe I can find someone for me now instead of holding on to an impossibility.”  Brianna sighed and looked at both women before settling her eyes on Esmeralda.  “I’m tired of fighting, Es.  There comes a point when you just have to say no more.”

“Okay,” Saphira conceded, “but that doesn’t explain your home wrecker comment.”

Brianna rubbed her forehead hard enough to leave crease marks.  “That had nothing to do with Charisma or the state of her marriage particularly.  In my book married women are off-limits.”

“Lesson learned the hard way?”

“Something like that,” Brianna muttered.  “It would have been ugly for me if I hadn’t found out before anything happened.  Besides, who needs that kind of drama in their life??  I’ve got enough going on without someone else’s issues crowding my plate.”  Her voice was sardonic.

Esmeralda grinned.  “Don’t we all?”

Brianna laughed for a long moment before she sobered.  “I will miss getting to know Adam and watch him grow up though.  He’s a firecracker and I’m betting he’ll be a heartbreaker some day.”

“I have to say that as much as Saphira and I would like to be able to have children, I’m not sure the world is ready for what our offspring would be.”

Brianna cocked her head.  Saphira just chuckled and nodded her affirmation to Esmeralda’s words.  “Why do you say that?” she queried, looking between them.  “Do you think they’d be born with super powers or something?”  She paused in thought a moment.  “That could actually be kind of cool as long as you got super powers too – preferably better ones.”

Esmeralda snorted.  “Trust me, Brianna, even having super powers wouldn’t help.  Our kids would be hellions.”

“You say that so factually... like you already know.”

“Brianna,” Esmeralda said in her driest tone.  “Saphira and I grew up together.  We know what we were like as children.  Putting all that mischief into a single body....”  She shuddered.  “Not a good idea.”

“Maybe,” Brianna agreed with a grin.  “But you have to admit they’d be adorable.”

Saphira snorted.  “Yeah... this planet needs more of that; brats that some people find adorable that the rest of us want to strangle on principle.  I get enough of those in my day job.  I sure wouldn’t want to come home to them.”

Brianna grimaced.  “Ew... good point.  Kind of a shame though.  You two would make beautiful children together.”

“What about you, Brianna?  You ever thought about having kids?”

Brianna’s eyes widened.  “Me??  Um... no.  Not really.  Not at all actually.  I wouldn’t know how to raise one.”

“Isn’t it all learned by trial and error?”

“I can’t say, but I do know I’d prefer to skip the trial so I can avoid the error.”  Saphira and Esmeralda chuckled at Brianna’s matter-of-fact statement and she smiled at them.  “So tell me more about the two of you,” she asked.  “Es said you grew up together.  What was that like for you?”

Before either of them could answer, Ruby stuck her head in the living room.  Esmeralda motioned her in.  “Brianna, this is Ruby, a dear friend who came to help us out while I’m recovering.  Ruby, please meet Senator Brianna Walker.”

“How do you do, Senator?  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Ruby, and I’m Brianna out of the office.”

“I’m sorry to intrude, ladies, but I was gonna get started on lunch.  Only I’m not quite sure what lunch is supposed to be now,” she added ruefully.

Esmeralda grinned and looked at the other two women in the room.  “What do you two say to moving this party to the kitchen so we can take a look at what we’ve got to work with?”

“I think that sounds like an excellent idea,” Saphira said as she rose from her spot.  “Besides, I could use a refill,” holding up her empty glass.  “How about you, Brianna?”

“I’m doing good actually, but I never turn down a chance to be in the kitchen.  I have yet to not learn something while I was there whether it was a new recipe or cooking method or just the latest gossip.”

Esmeralda smirked at Ruby, knowing she would go along with the tease.  “See, I told you the kitchen was better than those rag mags you like to read in the checkout line.”  Ruby hip-checked her and they laughingly made their way into the kitchen.  A hand on Saphira’s arm made her hang back with Brianna and she arched a brow in silent question.

“How is Es really, Saphira?  I gotta tell you – she scared the lot of us on the floor the other day when she missed work.”

Saphira sighed.  “She scared me too, but we’re taking it one day at a time.  It’s all we can do at this point.  But thank you for asking, Brianna.  It’s nice to know that folks care.”

Brianna smiled.  “I think you’ll find that Es has a lot of friends that care.  Now c’mon,” she instructed, linking her arm with Saphira’s.  “We better get in there before Es decides we’ve gotten lost again.”

“Too late,” Esmeralda said with a soft laugh as they stepped from the living room.  “I’ve already figured out that the two of you are working on some sort of government conspiracy cover-up.”  She narrowed her eyes at them.  “But I’ll figure it out.”

Saphira leaned forward and brushed Esmeralda’s cheek with her lips.  “Just remember to have mercy when you discover we’re plotting to take over the world by means of ice cream infiltration.”

Her words and deadpan delivery got her laughter and Saphira grinned in response.  Then Esmeralda swatted her on the behind and shook her head.  “Ice cream infiltration indeed.  Maybe you should see if Ruby needs some help.”

“Yes, Dear,” Saphira and Brianna chimed in sync, bursting into giggles as they crossed into the kitchen.  Ruby just looked at them; Esmeralda shook her head and went to follow them when a knock sounded on the front door. 

She frowned but called out, “I’ve got it.”  Then she stepped to the door and looked out the peephole.  “Oh boy,” she muttered.  “This could get interesting.”


Chapter XXXIII

Charisma groaned as the early morning light from the partially open curtains landed squarely on her face.  She wiped her eyes, blinking furiously at the burning sensation she felt coursing through them.  She pulled a pillow on top of her head, hoping the world would pass her by for a little while so she could grab a little more sleep.  Then she heard Adam stirring and groaned again.  This time however, she flung the pillow off her face and rolled to the edge of the bed, mumbling and cursing under her breath about her stupidity the night before.  There wasn’t one part of her not protesting, and most parts were doing so on a number of levels.

She shifted slowly, wincing as her body snapped and popped with every movement.  When she was finally in an upright position, she twisted her back, realigning her spine bone by bone.  Then she turned the other direction and the album caught her eye.

With a sigh she pulled it towards her and let it fall open of its own volition.  Not surprisingly it fell naturally to the page she’d spent the better part of twenty years and a good portion of the prior evening simply staring at.  Reverently she slid the photograph from the book and gazed at it, gently tracing her fingers over it.

Charisma took a shuddering breath and blinked the tears from her eyes when she heard Adam’s footsteps running down the hallway in the direction of her bedroom.  Carefully she eased the picture back into its protective plastic sleeve and closed the album just in time to turn and catch her son as he leaped in her direction.

“Oof!” she gasped though the sound was lost in Adam’s laughter. 

“MAMA!” he squealed, holding her face in his hands and pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek.  Charisma held Adam tightly and brushed a kiss over his hair.

“Good morning, Adam! How is mama’s big boy today?”

“GOOD!” Adam confirmed as he leaned back lo look his mother in the eye.  “Hungry,” he added with an impish grin, knowing Charisma would return his smile.

“Oh, you are?” she queried, a smile turning up the corners of her lips even though she could still feel the tears burning in the back of her throat.  “Well maybe we should see about getting breakfast then, hmm, Little Man?”

“PANCAKES!” Adam voted loudly and Charisma winced as he had determined to cast his vote right next to her ear.  She had a passing thought to wonder why it was kids in general and her offspring particularly felt the need to shout to be heard.  Putting it down to a desire to ensure they were heard, she shook her head and set Adam on his feet.

Before she could move to stand, Adam’s attention was taken by the album still resting on the bed and he naturally gravitated towards it.  Adam grabbed for it, but Charisma quickly moved it out of his reach.  “No Adam,” she commanded firmly.  He looked at her and moved towards it again.  “NO, Adam,” she reiterated, her voice firm and her eyes sharp.

Adam’s blue eyes watered and his bottom lip quivered.  Charisma sighed.  There was a reason she had a nanny, and right now she was wondering why Ame wasn’t a live-in employee.  She sat back on the bed, setting the book to one side of her body and lifting Adam up to sit on the other, groaning silently as her body protested her treatment of it.  He cuddled into her and she hugged him gently.

“Adam?” she said softly.  He looked up at her and stuck his finger in his mouth.  Charisma just shook her head.  She was fairly certain she could blame this on the ‘Mother’s Curse’ her own mother had imparted to her numerous times during her childhood.  “Honey, would you like to see Mama’s pictures?”

Adam grinned and nodded his head vigorously.  “YETH!” he lisped around the finger still embedded between his lips.  Charisma shifted her hand around until she was able to gently grasp it and pull it from his mouth.

“If you’re mama’s big boy, you can’t keep your finger in your mouth.”  She paused, but his eyes never left hers.  “Okay?”

“KAY!” he answered loudly again and she winced again.  She was going to have to talk to Ame about teaching Adam to use his inside voice.  Otherwise she was going to need a hearing aid before she had another birthday at this rate.

“A little softer please, Son... Mama’s sitting right here and you only need to use your inside voice.  I can hear you just fine, all right?”  Adam nodded his head seriously.  “All right then,” tickling him and making him squeal.  “Now let’s go fix some pancakes.”

“Bring book?”

Charisma rolled her eyes out of sight.  She’d been hoping he might forget about that little detail, but she nodded her head.  “We’ll bring the book, but we have to eat and clean up before we can look at it.  These pictures are very important to Mama and I don’t want anything to happen to them.  So you’re not allowed to touch them or look at them without me, okay?”

“Okay,” Adam said agreeably, standing up and tugging on Charisma’s hand until she did as well.  Then with a smile, she scooped up her photo album, took Adam by the hand and together they headed for the kitchen to make breakfast.

************

It took a little longer than Charisma had anticipated – mostly because there had been a fight with the flour that she and Adam had sorely lost.  So after eating, she wiped the sticky from Adam’s hands and face and gave him a book to read while she tackled the disaster area that her kitchen had become.  She just hoped it was clean enough that none of her staff would notice anything tomorrow.  Because she knew that while most of her office staff was afraid enough of her that they minded their business, most of her home staff had been with her since she’d come to Washington.  They wouldn’t hesitate to speak up.

“It’s my house,” she grumbled to herself as she wiped the counters for the third time.  “It shouldn’t matter that I made a little mess,” knowing there was no way she was going to explain the missing five pound bag of flour.  “I’m a United States Senator for God’s sakes!” wondering who exactly she was trying to convince.  She shook her head and gave a wry smile.  “Time to go clean up the people involved in this debacle,” muttering to herself.

Charisma lifted Adam from his chair and he immediately wrapped his arms around her neck.  “Mama?” his voice rising in question.  “Book?” pointing at the album that had been carefully wiped clean and now sat resting on the kitchen counter.

“After we clean up, Honey,” she promised him.  “We don’t want to mess the pictures up,” shaking her head and smiling when he gurgled in laughter as flour dusted down from her hair.

“You funny, Mama.”

Charisma hiked an eyebrow at him.  “Oh you think so?” shaking her head at him again.

“Yes!” he chortled with childish glee, shaking his own head at her in return.

“All right then, let’s go get a shower.  I think it will be the quickest and most effective.”  And with that they headed upstairs and disappeared into the master bathroom.

************

When they came downstairs again, Charisma was happy to note that it was almost a decent hour of the morning and she felt a lot better having stood under a hot shower for a few minutes.  Adam held her hand as the slowly made their way back to the kitchen, then waited for her to pick up the album.  Without hesitation she grabbed the book and moved down the hallway to her study.

Adam looked around carefully – he wasn’t allowed in this room unless his mama was with him.  He had his own corner for the very rare times he had to be here, but there were too many things in Charisma’s home office that could get him and Charisma into trouble if Adam messed with them.  So it was easier just to keep him out of this room most of the time.

But today was a little special, and Charisma felt better about sharing her pictures with Adam in the privacy of her study even if they were the only ones home.

She took a seat on the small couch in the room and Adam scrambled up beside her.  She placed the book on her lap, letting him caress the soft leather cover.  He looked up at her and smiled.  “Soft,” he proclaimed, stroking it again.

“Very soft,” she agreed.  “Would you like to see the pictures?”

“Yes,” he said determinedly.  She smiled and slowly opened the book.  She had no idea they were no longer alone in the house.

************

When Kent had finished at the theatre the previous evening, he realized he had missed another call from Charisma.  It troubled him though he was confident nothing was wrong with Adam.  Charisma would have had no compunction about disrupting his show if something had been wrong with their son.  Still the fact that she had called him a second time in a week was enough to get his hackles up.  The fact that he couldn’t divine a legitimate reason for the contact made him uneasier than he cared to admit.

Kent Rockwell had long ago figured out that he was a convenient prop for Charisma Tagherty.  Not that he believed she didn’t care about him – he was fully convinced that she did.  But she didn’t love him... she never had.  He’d known that when they’d discussed marriage, but he was willing to overlook that one glaring flaw in what was otherwise a pretty perfect picture.  After all, Charisma was beautiful, smart, powerful, wealthy in her own right and his mother adored her.  Coupled with their compatibility and her desire for a child and his for an heir, it seemed like a perfect arrangement to agree to marriage when she’d proposed it.

Now however, he wondered more and more frequently if they had both given up too much with far too little return.  He wouldn’t change anything if it meant losing Adam in the process.  For despite their rocky start, father and son adored one another and Kent doted on his son at every given opportunity.

So with every nerve ending screaming in discord, he arranged for his understudy to be available over the next couple days and he headed home to see if he could figure out what the hell was going on.

************

Kent arrived home and given the earliness of the hour crept into the dark kitchen with the intent of fixing himself a cup of coffee.  Then he noticed the plates and a light dusting of flour in the sink and surmised that Charisma at least was already up for the day.  He smiled grimly and bypassed the coffeemaker, only to be brought up short by the photo album that still sat on the countertop.

His curiosity got the better of him and he opened it… only to find himself staring into the face of his wife twenty years prior.  He studied the photograph carefully, noting she looked happy.  He realized as he gazed at it that he’d never seen that expression on her face since he’d known her.

Kent flipped through the pages slowly, recognizing this was a part of his wife he wasn’t privy to, and never had been.  He studied the woman who was Charisma’s companion, thinking she looked familiar but unable to place her immediately.

He continued to look until he heard footsteps coming from the stairs.  Without missing a beat, he closed the album and situated it on the counter just like he’d found it before disappearing into the mudroom.  He waited until he heard Charisma and Adam moving away from him, then he made a move to follow them down the hall.

Kent carefully avoided the floorboards that squeaked as he approached Charisma’s study, somewhat surprised that she had taken their son into her private room.  As indulgent of a parent as she was, she was highly protective of the one private space she had.  So Kent was intrigued that she brought Adam into her sanctuary with an album he’d never seen until today.

He stood out of sight, but close enough that he would be able hear Charisma’s voice as she spoke to Adam.  Then he waited.

Kent heard Adam speak.  “Soft,” the boy stated and Kent wondered what exactly Adam was describing.  Then he heard Charisma’s agreement.

“Very soft.  Would you like to see the pictures?”

“Yes,” came Adam’s determined answer.  The next sound Kent heard was the gentle creak of leather and the rustle of plastic pages when Charisma opened the book.  He didn’t need to be close to hear what happened next.

“BR’ANNA!” he yelled enthusiastically, grinning up at his mother as he pointed to the picture.  Charisma put a gentle finger over Adam’s lips.

“Remember your inside voice please, Son,” she admonished, biting her tongue when his smile fell.

“Mama,” he proclaimed in a softer tone.  “Br’anna.  Br’anna good.”

Charisma’s smile was both pained and reflective.  “Brianna’s very good,” she agreed.  “She was Mama’s best friend a lifetime ago.”  Charisma shook her head and turned back to Adam.  “Would you like to see the pictures with Mama and Brianna?”

Adam nodded vigorously and Charisma put her arm around him and snuggled him up next to her.  Then picture-by-picture they started going through the album together.

Kent couldn’t hear the words they exchanged now, but he really didn’t need to.  At least he finally knew why the woman in the pictures looked so familiar to him.  Of course that only gave him more questions to be answered.  Mainly, what had been between them and what had happened to keep them separated for twenty years.  It occurred to him that Brianna’s reemergence in Charisma’s orbit might also go a long way towards explaining Charisma’s recent behavior.

The sound of Charisma closing the album and sliding it carefully onto the table brought him out of his brown study and back to his immediate surroundings.  Then he realized he could hear Adam and Charisma talking again and he returned his attention to their conversation.

“Mama?” Adam asked softly.

“Hmm?”

“I like Br’anna.  Br’anna good.”

There was silence for an eternal moment after that, then Charisma sighed.  “Would you like to go see Brianna?” smiling when his whole countenance lit up.  “She’s visiting with Esmeralda and Saphira today and Esmeralda invited us over.”  She paused, grinning at his energetic nodding though the smile never did quite reach her eyes.  “Would you like to go visit?”

“YES!!” and she couldn’t even chastise him for his loud enthusiasm.  She had known, after all, what his answer would be before she’d even voiced the question.  Charisma smiled and rose from her seat, watching Adam slide from the couch so quickly he ending up sitting on the floor.  He stared at her, his expression a mixture of befuddlement and amusement.  Charisma laughed and Adam joined her.  Kent decided to take the opportunity to disappear.

Charisma put in a call to Turq, then the two of them walked back upstairs to find suitable clothing for their outing.  It wasn’t long before Charisma had herself and Adam bundled well in preparation for their venture into the cold outdoors.  Then they went outside to wait, knowing Turq wouldn’t be very much longer.  Besides, Charisma wanted to give Adam the chance to expend a little of his somewhat frantic energy before they arrived at Esmeralda’s and Saphira’s.

So they were running around the front lawn when Turq pulled up.  She exited the vehicle and stood waiting for them to trek over to her, keeping her smile to herself when Adam leaped into Charisma’s arms and almost knocked her to the ground.  She maintained her neutral façade though she couldn’t keep her eyes from twinkling when Charisma drew nearer breathing heavily.  Turq opened the door and Charisma put Adam on the ground so he could crawl in himself.  She bent over at the waist for a moment, trying to catch her breath.  Then she straightened and looked Turq in the eye.

“Not one word, Turq.”

“No ma’am,” Turq agreed without even the faintest hint of a smile gracing her lips.  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”  Charisma held her stance for another moment before allowing her own smile to split her face.

“I am getting too old for this,” she muttered in an aside to Turq.  “Dammit,” she mumbled as she stuck her hand into her pocket and came up empty.  “Can you watch Adam for a minute?  I forgot to grab the address we need.”

“Yes ma’am,” Turq said with a nod. Charisma raced back up the stairs and into the house.

Kent had been watching her play with Adam from the living room window, and he ducked into the coat closet when Charisma ran up the stairs.  Then he cursed – hoping beyond hope she wouldn’t look in there.  He had no desire to explain why he was hiding out in the coat closet of his own home... especially since he was supposed to be in the City. 

Fortunately Charisma bypassed the closet and went straight into her study, shuffling through the things on her desk for a moment before triumphantly proclaiming ‘Aha!’.  Kent heard her return footsteps and he waited for her to reset the alarm and close the door before he took a semi-deep breath.  Then he strained to listen, hearing the limousine engine start and after another moment or two head down the long driveway.  Still it was another full minute before he ventured to stick his head out the door.

He stepped back into the foyer and shut the closet door softly, leaning his head on it and taking a deep breath. He had a lot to consider, and the first thing he wanted to do was get another look at that photo album.  Then he could sit down and maybe figure out what it all meant.

************

Charisma handed the folded paper to Turq as she slid into the car and Turq closed the door behind her.  Then she unfolded the slip, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head when she recognized the address.  She climbed behind the driver’s seat and turned to Charisma who had not raised the privacy screen.

“Is this correct, Senator?  This part of town isn’t really....”

“It’s correct, Turq.  It’s Esmeralda’s address.  She invited Adam and me over to visit today.  You can drop us off and then come back and pick us up later.  I’m not going to ask you to wait there for us.”

Turq nodded, wishing she had a way to let Esmeralda know what was coming down the pipeline, but unless Charisma chose to utilize the safety screen, there wasn’t going to be an opportunity before they arrived at the house.  So she drove through the relatively non-existent Sunday traffic, clenching the steering wheel until they arrived.

“Don’t get out,” Charisma instructed as she reached for the door handle.  “Wait until I’m sure we’re welcome – then you can have the day until I call you, all right?”

“Yes ma’am,” Turq replied and waited for Charisma to wave her off as she and Adam entered the house.  Turq had a feeling there were going to be some stories to tell tonight.


Chapter XXXIV

Esmeralda took a deep breath and opened the door to find the woman standing in front of her rapidly rubbing her hands together to stimulate some warmth.  Esmeralda cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly.  “Mal, is there a good reason you’re standing on the front porch in Washington without your gloves instead of in the City with Kent?”  She paused and frowned.  “And why did you knock anyway?”

Mal stuck her hands under her armpits and jerked her head towards the door.  “Can I come in? I didn’t realize it was going to be so cold here or I’d have made sure my gloves were in my coat pockets before we left the City.”  Esmeralda opened the door wider and gestured Mal into the house.  “As for why I knocked, I wasn’t sure what was going on today.  I thought I saw a limousine leaving the neighborhood and I didn’t want to chance barging in on something.  At least knocking means I can be a friend who stopped by to check on you.”

Esmeralda nodded.  “Good thinking, Mal.  But it still doesn’t explain why you’re here instead of the City with Kent.  Do you have the information we need?” reaching out to help Mal remove her coat.

“I dunno,” Mal shrugged.  “I’ll tell you what I know and you can make that decision.”

“Okay,” Esmeralda agreed.  “Go into the bedroom and wait for me.  I need to let Saphira know you’re here and then I’ll join you and you can tell me what’s going on.”

Mal nodded and slipped into the hall.  Esmeralda hung up Mal’s coat in the closet, then stuck her head into the kitchen.  She watched unnoticed for a moment.  She didn’t know what the joke was, but it was heartwarming to see old friends and new bonding so well.  After a moment she shifted just slightly, knowing that any movement on her part would garner Saphira’s attention.

“Es?” she invited, holding out a hand.  “Who was at the door?”

“It was Mal,” watching two sets of brows hike into hairlines.  She arched her own brow.  “She came to see how I was doing, but she forgot her gloves and can hardly move her fingers.  So I’m gonna go help her warm her hands slowly and then I’ll bring her in.”

“Go,” Saphira commanded.  “Ruby and I can entertain Brianna for a few more minutes.”

“She’s right,” Ruby agreed.  “We have lots more diner stories to share.”  Esmeralda saw Brianna nodding her agreement and smiled.

“All right.  We’ll be out in a few minutes,” she said with a slight wave as she disappeared around the corner of the kitchen.  It was quiet long enough for them to hear a door down the hall close softly, then they returned to their conversation.

Esmeralda looked around the bedroom and realized that Mal had already moved into the bathroom and was running cold water over her hands.  She nodded approvingly.  “Good girl.  I told them I was going to help you get your hands warmed up.  Now talk to me – what’s going on?”

Mal sighed.  “Do you know what’s been going on between Kent and Charisma with the phone calls and everything?” waiting for Esmeralda to nod.  “When he realized she’d called him again - and in the middle of a show, no less – he made arrangements to leave the City for a couple days to come back to Washington and find out exactly what was going on.  Unfortunately by the time he decided to do this, it was very, very late last night.  And I didn’t want to leave him unwatched until I was sure he got home safely.”

“I can understand that, Mal.  So you’re here now because...?”

“When he arrived home, I found Jade keeping watch over Charisma and Adam.  She agreed to keep an eye on Kent so I could come over and give you the lowdown on what was going on.”  Mal winced when Esmeralda made the water lukewarm, sucking in a breath and then relaxing again under Esmeralda’s tender ministrations.  “You could have been a nurse, Es.”

“No thank you,” Esmeralda declined firmly with a shudder.  “I don’t like the sight of blood.”

Mal bit her lip, knowing she had wandered into a hornet’s nest with her comment.  “Sorry, Es,” she whispered.

Esmeralda leaned forward and brushed a kiss over Mal’s forehead.  “No harm, no foul, my friend,” offering her forgiveness in the touch.  “Now what can you tell me about what else is going on up there?  Does he have a lover or significant other?  Or are his interests purely business related?”

“From everything I’ve seen and been able to find out, his interests are legitimate.  He has his theatre gigs and he has that restaurant/bar combo that he’s invested in.  He goes into the theatre around four-thirty or five every afternoon, and he’s there until the show is over.  Then he goes over to the restaurant for an hour or two – has a meal, talks to his partner....”

“Tell me about the partner.”

Mal studied the running water thoughtfully, almost smiling this time when Esmeralda turned up the temperature on the water.  “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to forget my gloves,” she mumbled.  “I know better.”

“Yeah, but it’s easy to forget when you’re not in the habit of needing them,” Esmeralda commented lightly, knowing Mal wasn’t ignoring the question as much as she was trying to determine what to say.

“Kent’s partner is a couple – a man and wife he went to school with.  As far as I can tell, they have been friends for almost twenty years.”  She paused and Esmeralda waited silently.  “From what I have been able to gather....”  Here Mal broke off and looked directly into Esmeralda’s green eyes.  “You know, this would all be a lot easier if we had access to the heavenly files.”

“I know,” Esmeralda agreed softly.  “But I can’t ask for that, Mal.”

Mal heaved a deep breath.  “I know,” she grumbled.  “But it would’ve made things easier.  However,” she continued without pause, “from what I’ve be able to put together, Kent and the male – whose name is Doug, by the way – were roommates in college and had talked about this whole business idea off and on during that time.  Doug and Carolyn met in his junior year – she was a freshman.  He went into the Army after college and she stayed to finish her degree, but they eventually got married.  Kent was Doug’s best man, but after the wedding they drifted apart.”

“Like Charisma and Brianna?”

“Oh no... not at all.  They still wrote once in a while – Christmas cards, newsletters – or made the occasional phone call, but life kind of got in the way of their friendship.  Doug was overseas as well as being newly married and Kent was trying to establish himself in the theatre world.”

“Okay so then what?”

“After Doug’s stint, he was tapped for a teaching position at NYU where he is still a professor.  Carolyn is a nurse manager at NYU Medical Center.  And when Kent was working on some production or other, they stumbled across one another again... literally.  They got to talking and one thing led to another and they decided to try and make that college dream come true.”

“How long did it take before they made the dream come true?”

Mal paused thoughtfully when Esmeralda turned off the water and passed her a towel.  “A little while, but I can’t say for certain how long it took.  I know that Kent and Charisma used it for their reception, but I don’t know if she knows why.”

“You don’t think Charisma is aware of this part of Kent’s life?”

Mal shook her head.  “Would she need to be?”

Esmeralda’s focus went inward for a long moment before she looked at Mal again.  “Given what I know of the two of them, I’d be surprised if she is actually aware of this venture.  The only thing they seem to have in common is their son.”  She paused.  “Does Kent talk to both Doug and Carolyn or just Doug?”

“Mostly just Doug.  Even though Carolyn is a nurse manager, a majority of her time is still wrapped up in the hospital.  Doug, on the other hand, can put the hours into the business now that he’s tenured.”

“What do they talk about?”

Mal scrunched up her brows in confusion.  “I’m not sure I understand the question.”

Now Esmeralda furrowed her own eyebrow.  “What’s not to understand, Mal?  What do Kent and Doug talk about when they sit down together?”

“Um... the business mostly.  What’s going right; what needs work; sometimes they throw menu ideas back and forth to each other.”  She turned a little green.  “I’m glad they have a trained chef,” her wry comment and screwed-up facial expression causing laughter to bubble up in Esmeralda’s chest.  Mal chuckled sympathetically.  “Once in a while they talk about their kids or sports.”

“But not their wives?”

Mal shrugged.  “Doug does... especially if Carolyn hasn’t been there for a while.  Kent tends to be noncommittal and changes the subject pretty quickly.”

Esmeralda remained thoughtful for another moment, then motioned to Mal.   “C’mon... we still have company, and I’m gonna need time and space to process this.”

“You want me to stay?”

“Unless Jade notifies you that Kent is suddenly leaving, yeah.”  And together they exited the bedroom and headed back down the hall towards the kitchen.

The sound of hilarity and the scent of meat cooking hastened their steps and three sets of eyes turned to greet them as they reached the threshold.  Esmeralda tugged Mal by the elbow until they were standing side by side.

“Mal, you remember my mate Saphira,” introducing her as though she was a friend as she was purported to be and not part of the household.  Saphira offered her hand though her eyes twinkled in mischief.  Mal accepted it and shook it briefly, then waited for Ruby’s introduction and did the same.  When Esmeralda reached Brianna, however, Brianna held up her hands.

“Are yours all right now?” flexing her fingers to show Mal what she meant.  Mal blushed and nodded.

“Yeah, thanks.  I forgot how cold it can get here and just walked off without my gloves.”

“Bet that doesn’t happen again,” Brianna teased.

“No bet,” Mal muttered.  “Pretty sure I’ve forgotten them before and I’m guessing it wouldn’t take much for me to do it again.  Not enough working brain cells, you know.”

Brianna laughed.  “I feel like that some days.  So what do you do if you don’t mind my asking?”

Mal didn’t miss a beat.  “Surveillance,” she replied candidly.  “It’s dirty work, but it pays the bills.”

Brianna snorted.  “I feel the same about politics,” she confessed, garnering her laughter from around the kitchen. 

“What about the law?” Saphira inquired.  “Do you ever feel that way about the law?”

Brianna scratched the back of her neck and frowned.  “Sometimes,” she answered.  “Like when I know we’re going to lose a case because the evidence isn’t there even if we know the person being tried is as guilty as sin.”

“Does that happen a lot?” Ruby asked from her spot at the counter.  Brianna shrugged.

“Not as often as you’d think, but more often than I’d like to admit.”  She turned and looked at Esmeralda.  “Are you sure there isn’t something I can do to help?  Despite the nature of my current job, I promise I really am quite proficient in the kitchen.

Esmeralda was standing beside Ruby, currently helping prepare lunch when Brianna voiced her question.   She turned and smiled.  “It’s not a matter of proficiency, Brianna – it’s a matter of logistics.”  She motioned around her.  “There’s really not room but for one or two of us to be doing anything constructive like making a meal.”

“But you’re still recovering....” with concerned eyes.

“I know, but trust me... you don’t want Saphira to cook.  I love her dearly, but there’s a reason she waits tables at the diner, and it’s not because she’s overly fond of screaming kids,” she said tenderly.  Then Esmeralda laughed, forcing Brianna to turn and catch Saphira crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue at the sentiment.  “Besides,” she added a moment later, “you provided lunch.  Least we can do is prepare it.”

Brianna held up her hands in surrender.  “All right,” she conceded.  “I’ll just sit here and look pretty,” making the same face the Saphira had.

Esmeralda shook her head at the three women sitting at the table currently trying to outdo one another making ridiculous faces.  She crossed to the cabinet that held the dishes, but before she could grab a stack of plates, Mal jumped up and slapped at a pocket of her pants.  The rest just looked at her in astonishment.

“Stupid phone,” she muttered for Brianna’s benefit, knowing full well the others would understand.  “Sorry,” she said to Brianna.  “I always forget about it til it vibrates.  And unfortunately it means I have to go back to work now.”  She extended her hand to Brianna.  “It was nice to meet you.”  She turned and looked at Ruby.  “And you as well, ma’am,” knowing that would get her butt kicked later.  Mal turned to Saphira who had risen to stand beside Esmeralda.  “It was good to see you both again.  Es, I’m glad you’re doing better.”

“Let me walk you to the door,” Saphira offered.  “You’re gonna need some gloves if you’re going back out into this weather, and I think I’ve got an old pair in the hall closet you can take with you.”

“I’d appreciate that, Saphira – thanks.”

Mal waved once more and then followed Saphira to the foyer.  Esmeralda grabbed the plates and put them on the table in front of Brianna.  “Now you can help if you wanna,” Esmeralda offered.  “The table needs to be set,” putting the silverware and napkins with the plates.

“I can do that,” Brianna said enthusiastically.  “And can I just say how glad I am not to have to worry about the number of forks?”

Ruby laughed.  “I never quite got that myself.”

Meanwhile Saphira had opened the hall closet and extricated Mal’s coat.  Mal slipped into it and began fastening it up when Saphira dug around for gloves.  With her head still in the closet, she spoke quietly over her shoulder. “You wanna tell me that was all about?  Because you know and I know and Es and Ruby both know it wasn’t a cell phone buzzing that made you jump like that.”

“It was me,” Jade spoke.  “I stepped into the hall where she could see me.”

Saphira frowned.  “What are you doing here?” she hissed.  “You’re supposed to be watching Charisma.” 

“I’m aware,” Jade agreed drolly.  “However, Charisma is getting ready to leave her house – I heard her put in a call to Turq.  So I figured I’d better let Mal know she needed to get back to keep an eye on Kent.”

Saphira rubbed her forehead and blew out an impatient breath before she met Mal’s eyes.  “I’m gonna take a real leap here and assume Es can explain all this to me later when we don’t have company?”

“Yep.”

“All right.  Go then... both of you.  And be careful.”

Jade and Mal both nodded and shimmered out of sight.  Saphira took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then turned her footsteps back towards the kitchen.  Hopefully this would start to make sense soon.  She was getting a headache.

Brianna had the table nearly set when Saphira crossed back into the kitchen and Ruby was beginning to put the food on the table.  “Everything all right?” Esmeralda asked, noting that Saphira was rubbing her forehead.

“Yeah.  It just took me longer to find those gloves than I expected.  You want me to refill the drinks?”

“Would you mind?” watching as Brianna and Ruby took their seats.

“Not at all,” Saphira agreed, pulling out Esmeralda’s chair.  “Why don’t you...?”  A knock at the front door stopped her words with a sigh.  Saphira’s chin dropped to her chest and she looked out at Esmeralda from beneath thick bangs and lashes. Esmeralda just smiled and patted her forearm.

“You finish fixing the drinks – I’ll be right back.”

“You two seem pretty popular today,” Esmeralda heard Ruby comment before she moved out of hearing.  Then she stepped up to the door once more and looked through the peephole again.  “Oh boy,” she muttered, feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu.  “This day just keeps getting better and better.”


Chapter XXXV

Esmeralda took a deep breath and opened the door, smiling brightly at Charisma and Adam who waited her reaction nervously; or in Adam’s case, with great anticipation.  She opened her arms when Adam grabbed for her, glad for swift reflexes.  Charisma lunged after him, keeping her arms around his middle even as his arms wound around Esmeralda’s neck.  Esmeralda held Adam tightly with one arm while she steadied Charisma with her other.  Then she smiled.

“Hello, Charisma.  Welcome to our home,” opening her arms and briefly embracing them both.

Charisma chuckled as she pulled back from the hug, her face flushed pink.  “Thank you, Esmeralda.  It wasn’t quite the impression I hoped to make.  I hope you don’t mind us taking you up on your invitation and just dropping by.”

“Of course not, Charisma; it was an open invitation.  We’re very glad you’re here.”  She glanced at Adam.  “Why don’t you let me take him and we can move indoors where it’s warmer?”

“Oh God... I’m sorry, Es,” suddenly noting Esmeralda’s lack of cold weather clothing and detecting her slight shivers.  She released her hold on Adam and turned to wave Turq off before she crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her.  Esmeralda had already put Adam down and had knelt to help him remove his coat.  When she stood Esmeralda extended her hand to Charisma, taking her coat and motioning towards the kitchen as she turned to put both coats in the closet.  She idly noted that Adam took Charisma’s hand, but neither of them seemed inclined to move.

When she had the outerwear taken care of, she extended her hand to Charisma.  It took a minute, but finally Charisma put her slightly shaky hand into Esmeralda’s, then they made their way down the short hall that led to the kitchen.

Saphira had long since stuck her head out the kitchen door to try and discover what was delaying Esmeralda.  When she got a glimpse at the reason, she simply grabbed two more place settings and put them on the table.  Ruby and Brianna looked their question at her and Saphira shrugged.  “Pretty sure we’re fixing to have a couple more join us for lunch.”

Then Esmeralda entered the kitchen with Charisma and Adam following.  It could have been awkward except Adam caught sight of Brianna and pulled his hand free of his mother’s.  Then he ran around the table and jumped into her lap without hesitation.

“BR’ANNA!” shouted as he threw his arms around her neck.  Brianna had long enough to be thankful for fast reflexes before she had to wince at the volume screamed directly in her ear.  Still she wrapped him in a tight hug when he squeezed and gave her a sloppy kiss.  Then she released him and waited to see what he would do.  And more to the point, what his mother’s reaction would be.

Adam leaned back slightly... just enough to allow his arms to release their hold so he could cup her face in his hands.  He stared at her for long moments, moving close enough to touch their noses together, then tilt his head back with a laugh.  Adam repeated this several times, laughing louder when Brianna crossed her eyes to keep him in view without moving her head.  Finally he hugged her around the neck again, then patted her face with tender hands.  “Br’anna good,” he proclaimed and snuggled down into her lap.  Brianna kissed his forehead and lifted her eyes to take in the rest of the room.

Meanwhile Charisma started when Adam jerked his hand free of hers, then she watched his interaction with the woman who had once meant more to her than anyone else in the world.  Charisma took a deep, shaky breath and wrenched her eyes away from Adam and Brianna when he bumped their noses together and then laughed.  That was something that had always been theirs – something they hadn’t shared with anyone else... even Kent – and now he was making Brianna part of their ritual.

Charisma turned at the light touch on her back, tilting her head just slightly to look into Saphira’s blue eyes.  When Saphira opened her arms wide, Charisma gave an almost audible sigh of relief and stepped into the hug she needed.  Esmeralda released her hand and Charisma embraced Saphira fully for a long moment.  Then she withdrew and turned to Ruby, hand extended.

“Hi.  I’m Charisma Tagherty.  And the wild man across the table is supposed to be my son Adam though I don’t actually recognize him at the moment.  He’s usually much more reserved.”

Ruby laughed and accepted Charisma’s hand.  “I’m Ruby.  And I wouldn’t worry about it – he’s just being a kid.” 

“I guess,” Charisma agreed hesitantly.  “It’s just so different from what I’m used to.”  She paused, unable to find a good way to phrase her question but wanting to know.  “So how do you know Esmeralda and Saphira?”

Ruby laughed, her good humor coming to the fore.  “I’ve known Es and Saphira forever, it seems like.  I came in to help out while Es is recovering.”

“Good,” Charisma said firmly.  “I’m glad.”

Ruby patted the hand resting on her arm.  “Me too, Charisma.”

“You too, what?” Esmeralda asked and Charisma realized the rest of the room had gone silent waiting for Ruby’s answer.  She felt Brianna’s eyes on her and she turned to meet them, wondering at the emotions she could see swirling in their depths.  So she nearly jumped when Ruby spoke unexpectedly.

“I’m glad I’m here, Es.  Aside from being able to help you and Saphira out, I’m enjoying being here.  Meeting your friends is a bonus because they are interesting people.”

Charisma smirked at Brianna.  “At least we are considered interesting.”

Brianna held her gaze steadily.  “I was happier to be considered a friend.”

Charisma bit her lip and looked away from Brianna.  “Maybe this was a bad idea,” she mumbled, turning to look at Esmeralda.  But before she could say anything else, Esmeralda cut in.

“No, Charisma – it wasn’t.  C’mon... let’s sit down and eat before all the hard work Ruby did with the food Brianna provided goes to waste.  Besides,” she continued without giving Charisma an opportunity to object, “I want Saphira to meet Adam.  I have a feeling they will get on splendidly.”

Charisma wanted to balk at Esmeralda’s suggestion, but one look at the contentment on her son’s face made her acquiesce with grace.  She nodded her agreement to Esmeralda and was soon seated between her and Ruby.  She met Brianna’s eyes, watching her thoughtfully.

“Would you like me to take him?” she offered softly while motioning to Adam.  “It can get quite difficult trying to eat and feed him.”

Brianna’s lips barely quirked, but Charisma recognized the gesture as swiftly hidden mirth.  She took a deep breath to release the flash of anger she felt at being laughed at, then cocked her head in question.  Brianna read her expression perfectly.

“I’m not laughing at you, Charisma.  I’ve dealt with far worse than Adam in my life.”  She paused.  “Lawyer, remember?”  Brianna leaned forward and whispered in Adam’s ear.  He clambered over Brianna’s lap and into the chair next to her, waiting for her to tuck his napkin into his collar before reaching for his plate.  Esmeralda stopped him with a hand on his.

“We need to say grace first, Adam.”  His eyes widened, but he didn’t move. Everyone else bowed their heads.  “For that which we are about to receive, the Lord has made us most truly thankful.  Amen.”

“Amen,” the rest murmured.  Adam looked around and nodded.

“AMEN!” he declared, drawing chuckles from around the table.  He smiled, well pleased with the reaction he had garnered, then turned his attention to Esmeralda.  “Eat now?” he asked.

“Eat now,” she assured him with a smile.  “What would you like?”

Adam climbed up on his knees so he could see the table better.  Brianna naturally placed a hand on his back and held on even as she continued to serve herself from the food being passed around the table.  Charisma chanced to wonder where she’d learned her behavior because Charisma distinctly remembered her own steep learning curve. 

Once Esmeralda had taken care of filling Adam’s plate, she sat down in her seat, only to find that Saphira had taken care of preparing hers.  She smiled at her mate.  “Thank you, love.”

Saphira pointed a finger at her.  “Just make sure you eat.”

Esmeralda stuck out her tongue and then found it caught by chubby, mashed potatoed hands.  “MINE!” Adam chortled.  The laughter that followed that pronouncement was loud and long.  It took a few minutes before they were able to settle down without bursting into another wild gale of laughter by simply looking at each other.  Esmeralda reclaimed her tongue from Adam’s grasp and wiped his hand clean.  He grinned.

“Es good,” he stated confidently.

“Well,” Esmeralda agreed without missing a beat.  “Es is something all right.”

Unexpectedly Brianna turned to Charisma.  “You mentioned the other day that Adam was in school,” waiting for Charisma to nod.  “He seems a little young for that,” she commented, hoping Charisma wouldn’t perceive it to be an accusation but an interested inquiry instead.

“He is a little – at least for regular school.  It is more than daycare and less than school.  But the people who oversee the kids are certified teachers so we call it school.  He enjoys it and he’s learning a lot.  He’ll be more than ready for school when it’s time for him to go off to kindergarten.”

“Is that a good thing?” Ruby asked, eyes widening when Charisma turned burning blue eyes in her direction.  “Wait – I don’t mean the being ready for kindergarten part.  I think all children should know their letters and numbers and colors – you know... the basic stuff.  But is it really fair to a child to make them start learning math and science and reading when they’re so young?  Is it so wrong to let them simply be kids?”

“I don’t think it’s wrong,” Charisma replied softly.  “I just think it’s impossible.”

“I don’t understand,” Saphira stated.  “If it’s not wrong for a kid to be a kid, why is it impossible?”

Charisma sighed.  Though she’d had no clear course of action in mind when she’d decided to try this today, she certainly had never expected Adam to be the main topic of conversation.  On the other hand, his presence had managed to break the ice in more ways than one.  And in fairness she understood that it was curiosity and not condemnation that drove the current line of questioning.

But before she could speak, Brianna presented a response.  “From my observations it’s impossible because society had declared it to be.  These days your kid has to be faster, better, brighter and as a parent, you’re required to do whatever you have to in order to have your child seen as such.  No one wants an average child; everyone wants them to be exceptional.”

“Well that seems somewhat unrealistic,” Ruby commented with a frown.  “If there’s no average, how can you tell who’s exceptional?”

“It’s assumed,” Charisma’s disdain could be clearly heard in her tone, “that breeding will eventually out and their natural genius will assert itself as the child grows into school.  But it’s an accepted fact that without an early start, a child will never blossom into brilliance.”

Ruby snorted.  “That has got to be the stupidest idea I have ever heard.”

“It is, really,” Charisma agreed.  “But it is also the way of things.”

“And it didn’t occur to you to try and change it?” Brianna asked, a hint of challenge in her tone.  Charisma gave her a sharp look, then took a deep breath to keep from replying in the same manner.

“If I had been able to figure out a way without messing up his chances down the road perhaps.”  She looked around at the table.  “It’s not as bad as it sounds.  The school Adam is in isn’t so strictly structured that he isn’t allowed to be a child at all during the day.  It’s one of the reasons Kent and I decided to send him there as opposed to any number of schools for young children that function strictly to teach.  And it allows him time to play and be with children his own age.”

“He doesn’t get that interaction any other way?” Esmeralda asked even though she knew the answer.

“Not as often as I’d like,” Charisma replied while watching Adam eat.  “My family... my parents and brothers... all live in the same part of my home state.  And since they’re there and we’re here....”

“That must be hard,” Brianna said softly.  Charisma cut her eyes over and raised a brow in question.  Brianna just shrugged.  “I just remember going to visit and the fun we had.  If I miss it, having had it for only the four years we were in college together, I can’t imagine how you must feel.”

This time Charisma turned and met Brianna’s eyes with her own, and she held them for the longest time searching.  Brianna never flinched or backed away and finally Charisma dialed down the intensity of her gaze.  She shrugged.

“It is hard sometimes,” looking around at the rest of the table.  “Are any of you from a large family?” watching Esmeralda, Saphira and Ruby all nod.  Charisma chuckled.  “Then you’ll understand what I mean.”  She turned back to Brianna.  “I do miss it and them, but at the same time sometimes I’m glad to be far enough away that they can’t just stop by on a whim,” seeing Brianna’s eyebrow go up in query.  “C’mon, Bri... don’t you remember the times we had to duck out on the boys to keep them from driving us crazy?”

Before Brianna recovered from her surprise at the familiarity of Charisma’s address, Adam decided it was time for his presence to be acknowledged again.  “Mama!!” grinning through the food that covered his face.  Every head swiveled in his direction and Saphira laughed out loud at the sight.

“My word, Boy – are you somewhere under all of that?”  Adam laughed and made as if to jump down from his chair, only to find himself caught and held by Brianna’s hand.  “Br’anna!!” he complained, twisting to see if he could find what was holding him in place.  Before he could complain any more, Charisma and Saphira both stood.

“If you could just point me to the bathroom....” walking around the table intending to remove him from the chair.  She idly noted that Brianna’s grip didn’t loosen despite Adam’s best efforts.  Saphira reached for him and he lunged when Brianna let go of him at Saphira’s nod.

“If you’ll trust me, I’ll clean him up.” 

“Are you sure?” Charisma asked.  “He can be a handful.”

“More than Es is?” blue eyes twinkling.  And though she knew what Saphira was doing, Esmeralda couldn’t let the remark pass unchallenged.

“I know where you live, Warrior, and you have to sleep sometime,” seeing Saphira’s eyes widen in response.  “Don’t think I don’t know this is just a ploy to get you out of dish duty.”

Saphira tried to protest, but could only sputter incoherently as laughter rippled around the table.  Even Adam, who had no idea what the joke was, laughed uproariously.  When things calmed marginally Charisma held up her hand.

“If you really want to try and clean him up, I have another outfit in his bag in the closet.”  She looked around the table at the rest of the women.  “Lesson learned the hard way.  It might be easier than trying to get all the food out of what he’s wearing now.”

Saphira nodded.  “That’d be fine, Charisma.”  She looked at Adam.  “C’mon, Buddy – what say you and I go get clean and then we can go play.”

Adam threw his arms around her neck.  “Go, Horsie!!” he cheered, causing more laughter.  Saphira took it in stride and galloped off towards the bathroom.  An awkward silence settled in the room, and Esmeralda felt compelled to break it.

“Well, since our chief bottle washer has managed to skip out on her duty for the moment, I’m thinking maybe we should adjourn back to the living room and leave this for later,” glancing around at the untidy kitchen.  Brianna and Charisma traded looks and then shook their heads in tandem.

“Mama would kill us,” Brianna murmured.  Charisma nodded her agreement.

“No kidding – and she can find us,” smiling when Brianna snorted.  Esmeralda crossed her arms and tilted her head in question. 

“What are you two muttering about?”

“You remember the mama thing we were talking about earlier?” waiting for Esmeralda to nod her head.  “If we leave the kitchen looking like this, her mama will find us and do something drastic to all of us.  And she CAN find us, you know.”

“How would she know?” Ruby asked.  “It’s not like she’s here and none of us are going to tell her.”

Brianna and Charisma both snorted.  “You don’t know my mama,” Charisma volunteered after a moment’s hesitation and Brianna nodded her agreement vigorously.  Ruby and Esmeralda exchanged looks, then shrugged.

“All right,” Esmeralda relented. “Um....”  But Brianna broke in before she could even finish her thought.

“Es, if Ruby wants to put the leftovers away, I can wash while you dry and put the dishes away.”

“What about me?” Charisma demanded.

“I thought you needed to get Adam’s clean clothes to Saphira.”

Charisma rolled her eyes.  “It won’t take that long. I’ll be back before you get started.”

Brianna bit her lip.  It wasn’t supposed to be this hard or this awkward.  Then Esmeralda’s voice cut in.  “Charisma, if you’d like to dry, I can put the dishes away.”  Charisma nodded and Brianna sighed in relief. 

“I’ll be right back,” Charisma said before leaving the room.  No one saw her lean against the wall for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she headed down the hall towards the coat closet.

“You okay?” Esmeralda asked Brianna when she saw her grab onto the back of a chair and close her eyes.  Green met green and slowly Brianna nodded.

“Yeah,” she said softly.  “I didn’t realize....” she started, then stopped speaking.  Instead of encouraging her to continue, Esmeralda simply squeezed her arm lightly in understanding.  Then she turned to find Ruby emptying out the refrigerator and threw up her hands in exasperation.

“RUBY!!”

Ruby turned around and looked abashed at being caught but didn’t stop what she was doing.  Brianna looked between Ruby and Esmeralda and then settled her gaze on Esmeralda.

“Should I even ask?”

Esmeralda shook her head.  “C’mon and let’s get started, and I’ll explain it.”


Chapter XXXVI

Kent made his way down the hallway to Charisma’s study.  He felt a little weird going into her sanctuary without an invitation. After all, it wasn’t like he had any business in that room except to snoop.  But his curiosity had been raised by what he’d witnessed earlier and he knew himself well enough to know he’d find no peace until he got an answer to some of the questions he suddenly had about a great many things.

He realized that the door was unlocked – something unheard of when he was home.  He wondered if it was locked against him specifically or if she hadn’t bothered because Adam was with her and there was no possibility of the child getting into places he wasn’t allowed.  Kent figured that was most likely the reason, but it still served to niggle at the back of his mind nonetheless.  Then he pushed the door opened and crossed into Charisma’s private study.

He took a good, hard look around the room he seldom entered more than simply to bid Charisma goodnight.  So he took the opportunity to really check out the one place in their house that represented Charisma Tagherty more than any other.

The desk was neat... clean – a large monitor taking up one side of the desk and a custom made set of mini-shelves that held the different documents she was reviewing on the other.  In the center was a blotter, but it was free and clear of any writing – not even the hint of a doodle on it.  Between the monitor and the shelving was a single picture of Adam in a silver frame.

His glance moved on, noting the eclectic art that hung on the walls – pieces she’d had since before they had met.  Kent wondered at their significance, but since he didn’t recognize them he figured they might have been the work of a starving artist she’d stumbled on when she’d traveled to Europe after college.  He didn’t know much about that trip; only that she’d gone and spent three months touring around before returning to Washington to begin her political career immediately.

He continued his visual tour, recognizing the painting over the fireplace as the one he’d given her on their wedding day.  He thought back on that with a wry twist to his lips.  Would he, knowing what he knew now, still have married her?  He liked Charisma... loved her even, and he admired many things about her.  But aside from the son that they shared, did they have anything in common anymore?

Kent moved over to the sofa and dropped onto the cushions, sighing in soundless relief as his body automatically relaxed into its decadent softness.  He hadn’t realized he was strung so tightly.  He let his eyes travel around the room again, grateful for the soft muted colors that allowed him to unwind a little more.  There wasn’t much else remarkable about in the room – a few file cabinets that had been crafted to fit the décor and the furniture.

The furniture was plush, but sturdy – a change from the formality that had previously occupied this room.  Now the furniture could be considered rough and tumble - stuff that was comfortable for any guests Charisma needed to entertain here and yet sturdy enough to survive hard use by a young boy.  Only the coffee table that was placed between the long sofa where he was currently ensconced and the two chairs that sat opposite him didn’t fall into that category.

That, he remembered clearly, had been his mother’s gift to his wife.  It was a family heirloom and befitting a United States Senator.  Charisma had been thrilled to accept it and had immediately made it part of her home office. It was quite the talking point, and many of her colleagues had commented on its history at one time or another.

Now though, the only thing he could find interesting about it was the leather covered photo album he’d glimpsed at very briefly earlier.  This time, however, he wasn’t quite as anxious to open it and delve into its secrets.  In the back of his mind Kent knew that unwrapping this particular mystery would probably change his life.  There had to be a reason Charisma kept this locked away from the light of day.  He wondered if it tied in to her recent sadness and decided it most likely did.

With a sigh he leaned forward and reached for the book, hesitating only briefly before scooping it up in his hand. He caressed the cover just like his son had, noting that it was very soft and very smooth – a testament to the age of the album at least.  Then he opened it once more.

The images were definitely his wife taken at least twenty years prior.  Aside from the look of the photographs themselves, he knew when she had graduated from college – the diplomas she displayed in this office as well as on Capitol Hill prominently stated it.  And the very first picture in this album was of her and another young woman who he now knew to be Senator Brianna Walker on what must have been their graduation day.

Kent studied the picture carefully, wondering again what had happened between the two women to keep them apart for so long.  They were posing for the camera – arms wrapped around each other and cheeks pressed together as they held up their diplomas and laughed with delight in their accomplishment.  The next few pictures were similar though Charisma’s family and what he supposed were Brianna’s parents joined them in different groupings.

He tilted his head in thought and let his gaze go inward for a few minutes. Then he carefully set the album aside and rose, making his way to the other side of the house and the family room.  This was the most comfortable room in the house in his opinion.  It was the one spot that looked lived in with the magazines and TV Guide; the entertainment center with the gaming consoles; and the shelves of DVDs.  It also held the largest assortment of family photos... the kind snapped on outings together and not done in a professional studio.

Kent took a moment to look around at them.  Many of them were taken at the various family functions they had attended at Okasa’s and Patrick’s home.  In those there was always a variation of who got grouped together, and he smiled when he realized just how often his mother was included as well.  Okasa had made it a point to adopt them both into the family when he and Charisma had gotten married and he hadn’t even noticed it consciously until right then.

Still as much as that made him smile, it wasn’t the reason he’d come in here looking, and he took his time studying each and every single picture.  He remembered when he’d initially met Charisma’s brothers.  They had been cool and less than welcoming and he’d put it down to the natural protectiveness of older brothers towards a baby sister even when that sister was long since grown up and a US Senator besides.  Now he wondered.

The pictures didn’t reveal anything, really other than the fact that Charisma never smiled in them like she was smiling in her album.  After a few more minutes Kent shook his head and went back to Charisma’s office.

He picked up the book again and moved past the graduation pictures and onto...  He squinted his eyes trying to look harder.  Then he flipped through a few pages to confirm his guess – this was the extended European trip Charisma had taken after college.

The first picture was them waving goodbye at the airport and Kent could only assume Okasa or Patrick had snapped it for them.  And from there the photos told their own story of two college girls touring their way across Europe.

Some of the pictures made Kent smile or laugh out loud.  Some of them brought a tear to his eye.  But all of them were bringing him to the realization that Brianna Walker meant far more to his wife than he ever had.  Then he found the picture of them in front of the Trevi Fountain.

He paused for a long moment and simply stared.  Charisma and Brianna were standing with Trevi Fountain lit behind them in the darkness.  Their foreheads were leaned together and their eyes were closed.  If he didn’t know any better, he’d have sworn they had just kissed one another senseless.  The shot was just that intimate.  However, the very next picture had them wrapped up in the same hug he’d seen in their graduation pictures with the same crazy, giddy smiles on their faces.

Kent was tempted to close the book then.  He’d found what he needed to know and really didn’t want further confirmation.  Still he was only a few pages from the end and figured he’d never get a better chance.  So he slowly turned through the last few photographs the album held.

There was nothing remarkable - nothing that stood out like Trevi did until the last picture.  The very last photo in the album was a picture of Brianna alone.  They were obviously in an airport and Brianna was waving to the camera.  But it wasn’t the waving or the airport background that caught his attention.  It was instead the sad smile on her face and the hint of tears in her eyes.

Kent stared at that photograph for a very long time.  Then his stomach growled, reminding him that not only had he missed his dinner after the theatre the previous night, but that he never had managed to get his coffee fixed that morning. A glance at his watch showed him it was well past a normal lunch hour too.  He glanced back to the book he held once more, then carefully closed it and put it back on the coffee table where he’d found it.

He rose and stretched, wincing when he heard his bones popping back into place.  Then he turned and walked out of Charisma’s study, closing the door behind him without ever looking back.

************

Okasa looked at the box of unopened letters she held and bit her lip to hold in the sigh she wanted to release.  The letters were separated by year and tied with ribbon and still she’d had to invest in a mid-sized Rubbermaid container several years before.  Now she stared down at the box with a pensive expression on her face.  She had been so sure sending them to Charisma would solve everything.

“Second thoughts, me love?” Paddy drawled as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.  She leaned into him and tilted her face up to him so gauge his seriousness.  When she recognized the genuine concern in his expression, she nodded slowly.

“I think we should send them, Paddy – I really do.  Charisma has a right to know how Brianna feels... how she’s always felt.”

“But...?”

“But I’m not sure it’s right to betray Brianna’s trust this way.  If it backfires – if Charisma will not accept Brianna’s feelings for her even if only to herself – Brianna will see it as a betrayal... my betrayal.  And I couldn’t live with driving her out of our lives like that.  The boys would never forgive me.”

“Then why take the risk, Okasa?” Patrick asked playing devil’s advocate.  “Surely they can figure it out on their own.”

Okasa snorted and turned in his arms.  “Oh no you didn’t.  Please tell me you didn’t just say that.”  She huffed at him.  “Patrick Tagherty – those two young women have had twenty years to figure things out on their own and they’ve refused to do so.  I don’t think leaving it to them is a prudent course of action anymore.”

“Neither is buttin’ in where you’ve no business being.”  Patrick sighed and leaned his forehead into hers.  “So what do you want to do, Sweetheart?  You’ve basically eliminated your choices.”

Okasa crossed her eyes to keep him in focus and grinned.  “How do you feel about a road trip?”

Patrick pulled away just slightly so he could uncross his eyes.  “What are you thinking, Mama?”

“I think I need to go talk to Brianna.  And we could go visit our daughter and grandson as well.”

Patrick raised his eyebrows at her.  “Been thinking about this a little have you?  Did you actually hear a word that Father Ross spoke in mass today?”

“I got the essential bits,” she smirked.  “Now can you be ready in an hour?”

“Can you get the time off?”

“I’m waiting to hear back from Nancy now.  As much time as I have saved, it shouldn’t be a problem... especially since I am supposed to be partially retired at this point.”

Patrick just stared at her for the longest moment, then he started chuckling silently.  “You’re something else, Mama... you know that?”

Okasa snorted.  “I had to be to keep up with you lot.”  The phone rang and she moved to answer it.  With a little luck they’d be on their way to the Capital shortly.

************

Charisma walked back into the kitchen just a few minutes after having left it and looked at the stack of dishes with a frown.  “Did they multiply while I was gone?  Someone forget to separate the boys and girls?”

Esmeralda laughed.  “Nothing so dramatic,” she replied as Ruby stirred a big pot on the stovetop and Brianna shut off the running water.  “Whenever Ruby doesn’t have to wash the dishes, she cleans out the fridge.  And then she’ll make a soup or macho nachos... depending on what’s in there.  That way the leftovers don’t go to waste and she doesn’t get stuck washing the containers.”

Charisma cut her eyes at Ruby who gave her a serene glance in return.  “That’s pretty clever,” she admitted as she accepted a towel from Esmeralda.  “But can I ask what macho nachos are?”

“Leftovers on a bed of nacho chips and smothered in cheese and jalapeños.  That way even though you’re never quite sure what’s under there, you’ll eat them anyway.”

“Seems kind of risky.”

“Kind of like asking for trouble isn’t it?”

Esmeralda snorted at their dual response causing laughter to ripple through both Charisma and Brianna.  “Well,” she conceded as she took the first dry dishes out of Charisma’s hand, “you can end up with some pretty interesting dreams if you’re not careful.”

“I’m not sure that’d be a good thing in this town.  I’m not sure I’m ready to dream about naked congressmen flying kites on the Mall or something.”

Esmeralda scrunched up her face in distaste.  “That’s not interesting; it’s downright scary.  Thank you very much for that visual.  I don’t wanna know where that came from.”

Brianna laughed.  “Me either although I have to admit I’m going to have a hard time keeping a straight face when I have to talk to any of those people now.”

“Me too,” Charisma muttered, her face flushed pink.  She turned to Esmeralda.  “So what would you call interesting?”

“It was actually more on the side of bizarre.  I was being chased by a sneezing feather duster who kept kicking at me and insisting – ‘NO SPREADSHEETS!!’.  I still don’t know where it came from or what it was about... at least as far as the spreadsheets go.  I never use spreadsheets. The duster on the other hand....”  She laughed at their expressions.  “I did warn you it was bizarre,” she added with a shrug, taking the next batch of dry dishes and putting them away.

Charisma and Brianna exchanged looks.  “Not sure I want to be chased round by my work either.”

“Oh God no!  We’d end up being flattened by some of those tree killer bills.”

“Do you actually read them... word for word, I mean?” Ruby asked as she continued to stir the pot.  A squeal from Adam brought all four heads up and around facing the kitchen door.  Then they heard Adam’s laughter follow and smiled....

... only to laugh when the naked boy streaked through the kitchen with Saphira hot on his heels.  He didn’t even pause, but just kept going into Saphira and Esmeralda’s bedroom, shrieking again when she pounced and wrapped him in a bath sheet.  Then Saphira tipped him over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry and marched them back down to the big bathroom without a word or explanation.

The other four looked around at one another and just shook their heads.  “I did warn her he was a handful,” Charisma said as she offered Esmeralda a stack of plates.

“She knows – it’s why she let him run.  But I guarantee you he’ll go to bed when you get home this evening and you won’t hear from him again until in the morning.”

“Wow,” Charisma muttered.  “We don’t usually have those kinds of outings.  Even school doesn’t usually do him in like that.”

Esmeralda smiled.  “Saphira is special.  Kids love her because she not only plays with them, she plays like them.”

“She should be in charge of a daycare; she’d make a fortune.”

“No,” Esmeralda disagreed.  “She likes the interaction of one on one or one on two.  She couldn’t stand trying to deal with a roomful.  She couldn’t give them each the attention she’d want to.”

It didn’t take them long and they were done with the dishes.  Ruby shooed them out, promising fresh cookies and milk later.  They went into the living room only to find Saphira and Adam on the floor playing together.  The three curled up to watch and attempted to make conversation.  They talked about their work and Esmeralda shared some of Saphira’s experiences at the diner.  But so much was off-limits, it was a little stilted and a little awkward.  Still each of them was trying so it never quite became an elephant in the room.

After a while they could smell the scent of cookies and Ruby was coming into the room with a platter of warm sugar cookies and tall glasses of milk.  They all smiled and sighed in relief.  It meant the day was coming to a close.  And for whatever else it had been – even though most of it had been good - it had definitely been exhausting for everyone.  But it was especially apparent on Esmeralda’s face.

Charisma went over and claimed her son, much to his dismay.  “MAMA!” his voice loud and unhappy.

“Son,” she admonished.  “What have I told you about your inside voice?”

He looked down at the floor.  “Sowwy.  Like it here... wanna stay.”

“Well we can’t stay today, but maybe we can come back and visit again.  But not if you’re rude; Esmeralda and Saphira won’t want to have us here.”

“Come again?” he pleaded, blue eyes wide.  Saphira and Esmeralda nodded and he smiled.  “Br’anna too?”

“Brianna too,” they agreed.

Soon everyone was bundled against the weather and waiting for their cars to arrive.  Brianna had insisted that Esmeralda keep the extra groceries she’d brought, insisting she had nowhere to store them.  Charisma surprisingly backed her up, having stayed in the same apartments when she’d first moved to Washington.  They each carried a small packet of cookies however, at Ruby’s insistence.

It was on that note that the little gathering broke up and Saphira took Esmeralda’s hand and led her back to the kitchen when both limousines were out of sight.

“So?” Saphira demanded as soon as they were seated in the kitchen once more.  Esmeralda held her eyes for a long moment before shaking her head.

“I don’t know, Phira.  I really don’t know.”

Part 7