Page 57 of Incisive

As I wait for the call to connect I rehearse in my mind what I want to say. Maybe this is a mistake but with my mood already lousy I’d rather complete this chore now so I can relax later with Jordan and Leo.

I hate that my stomach tightens even more when I hear her voice on the line. “Elliot?”

“Hey, there.”

Her tone whiplashes from cautious to syrupy sweet. “I wasn’t expecting you to call me.”

I dive right in. “I don’t have long. I’m between meetings and wanted to deal with this now.”

“Deal with what?”

“Stop asking me about coming to the White House to help. I appreciate the offer but it’s not needed. We have everything under control.”

I know the pause is her calculating a response. “Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Stella, we’ve had preparations underway for months. I’m not letting you bulldoze in here and piss off my staff. Stop asking. It’s not happening. I’ll make sure Jordan coordinates with you and Dad and Mom about Christmas.”

“Hold on.” The fake cheer is gone and she sounds cranky, moody. “You’re blowing me off?”

“I’m not blowing you off, Stella.”

“Well, who’s going to handle the White House stuff for Christmas?”

Actually, everything really is planned months in advance. It doesn’t hurt that I kept most of Chris’ East Wing staff. I knew if they were good enough for him they’re damned sure good enough for me. It’s a bonus that most of them had been in their jobs for eight years at that point, so they knew their way around and didn’t need time to get acclimated. Jordan coordinates with them for me.

“That’s not your concern. It’s handled.” Damn, it feels good standing up to her. I should do it more often.

“Elliot you can’t just freeze me out!”

“I’m not. You and Mom and Dad will be here on Christmas Eve.”

“You’re single! What’s that going to look like?”

And thus we hit the true crux of her mission. “It’ll look like I’m a man who can multi-task, delegate, and make sure shit gets done while keeping the free-world, you know,free. And while we’re at it stop playing matchmaker. Anyone you try to pair me with willalwaysbe an automaticno. Period.”

She drops all pretense of being nice. “What the hell iswrongwith you? Why are you so adamantly against me helping you find someone?”

“Because I’ve damned sure never needed your help getting laid before. Don’t need it now, either. Ihavea relationship, Stella. And it’s none of your goddamned business.”

That shuts her up. This might end up bringing me more grief but after letting it slip yesterday at lunch with the Speaker, best I get ahead of this now in case he does decide to tell someone.

“Who is she?” she finally asks.

I laugh. “Like I’m really going to tell you. Do Ilookstupid?”

“Why would you keep it a secret? Don’t you want to introduce her to your family? The press would eat that up.”

Of course she’s worried about public perceptions. She doesn’t care about anything but the optics. “My relationship isn’t in a place where they’re comfortable being paraded in front of the press. They value their privacy.”

She lets out a disgusted sigh. “We’re your family, for fuck’s sake, Elliot!”

Not that she’s acted like it at any point in my life. “And I still have a right to my privacy. I know you. If you have someone’s name you’ll make their life a living hell trying to run them off so you can try to ‘introduce’ me to someone you’ve picked out. You’re ass-deep in lobbyists. I’m not getting caught up in that. So you and Ellis can knock it the hell off. I wouldn’t date someone you fix me up with if they’re the last other person on Earth besides you and me.”

She literally gasps. “You have no right to talk to me like that!”

“When you refuse to take a hint, yes, I do. I have to go. If you don’t want to come for Christmas Eve dinner, that’s your call. I’ve already informed my staff if you try to worm your way into anything other than the social functions you’ve officially been invited to, you’re getting banned from the White House. You and Ellis both. Good-bye.”

I hang up on her.