Page 13 of Small Sacrifices
"The best decision for you, you mean," Everett drawls. Reid folds his hands in his lap so that he doesn't ball them into fists.
"I mean the decision that they think is best. I don’t speak for them." He's looking at the photo on the wall behind Mr. Swayne's head. No, those might actually be whiskers on his face. Why is a picture like that up in his office?
Everett snorts again, but then there's a sound of fabric being touched, and he squeaks.
When Reid looks back at him in surprise, he's got a scowl on his face.
Mr. Swayne, behind him, is smiling apologetically.
"Everett likes to play devil's advocate.
Don't mind him, he means well. Do you have any other questions? I'm sorry I can't tell you more."
He runs a hand over his face, rasping over his three o'clock shadow. "That's the thing that I've said the most since Sunday. This situation is so frustrating. If we were still in Chesterton, we'd probably have it halfway resolved by now."
Still in Chesterton? What does that mean?
Everett explains before Reid has even asked the question.
"Elijah here has been with my father from the very beginning.
And he's also an incorrigible optimist. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my coursework.
" And with that, he pushes himself off from the desk and leaves in a gust of smugness and what Reid assumes is either expensive aftershave or his shower gel.
Which is probably also expensive. Either way, it's way too nice a smell for the type of person he is.
Mr. Swayne only answers his questioning look with a shrug and a "Don't ask me. He's always been like that."
On his way back to his desk, Reid wonders what could have made Everett so jaded.
The guy is living a very privileged life.
From all accounts, he's grown up in a loving, financially secure environment.
Why is he so dead set on assuming the worst?
Not just of the system, but of his father, too.
And of Reid as well, presumably by extension.
Reid gnaws on his lip. Aren't they supposed to be on the same side in this?
This is about Everett's father, his father's career and the general perception the public has of him.
Whether Everett wants it to, it will affect him as well.
Does he want people to believe he's the son of a sellout who—either knowingly or negligently—poisoned elementary school children?
Especially because it clearly isn't true.
Everett knows his father, so he should know best of all that Governor Mackenzie is a man of principle.
All his policies are based on humanistic values.
He would never have wanted this to happen.
But for all Reid's admiration, he's still just a person, and people make mistakes.
So, while public interviews might not be in the parents' best interest right now, they're necessary to help preserve the political career of a man who has much good left to do.
And Reid won't lie to them. He won't try to persuade them based on false assurances.
But with the information he has, he can't convince anyone of anything, especially if he's not willing to lie.
That means he has no choice but to go to Mr. Wright, after all. Damn it. If there is nothing happening that would convince these parents to cooperate, then they need to make something happen.
Marisol, when he asks her about this in a hushed voice, agrees. "It's not your fault that the circumstances are so dire right now. He needs to give you something to work with. You can't just pull something out of thin air."
Well, no. He can't. Except… "That's exactly what he told me to do. He said to tell them what I need to, what they need to hear."
She scrunches up her nose. "He's smart enough to know that isn’t a long-term strategy.
Does he want those people to freak out on camera when they find out they've been lied to?
No. Does he want them to go on tirades on social media about how they think the governor is a liar?
Methinks not. He just needs to understand that they're not stupid. "
"Why would he think they were stupid in the first place?"
Marisol gives him a blank look. "Well, considering that he apparently thought you wouldn't be bothered if he took credit for your work, maybe that's an assumption he makes about everyone. Or maybe it's just pure brazenness."
Sadly, the latter makes more sense. But it feels wrong to even just think about it.
Then he'd be doing it on purpose. Someone working in the governor's office should not be doing that sort of thing on purpose.
And if Mr. Wright is doing it on purpose, then isn't Reid an accomplice now?
He didn't complain—at least not to anyone who could do anything about it.
Does that mean it's going to be his fault, too, the next time Mr. Wright does that to someone?
Fingers snapping in front of his face rip him out of his thoughts. "Hey! You aren't even listening to me," Marisol complains. Reid catches himself thinking that her frown is kind of adorable and immediately feels guilty. That's not right. She's his colleague. She's a grown woman.
"I'm sorry," he says.
Marisol snorts. "It's alright. I was just telling you to go to Wright ASAP. Even with the right arguments, it's gonna be a bitch to convince even half of those people to do what we want them to do. You're gonna need all the time you can get."