Page 116 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

Terry came in a few minutes later. “How’d it go?”

“Apparently, I’m naïve and don’t understand how things work in this town.”

“I hope you told him you’re fully aware of how things work, and by now he ought to be too.”

“I told him he has until five to submit his resignation. I told him we’ll include him in the group of secretaries who’ve tendered their resignations.”

“I’m already working on replacements for all of them. We have Senator Sanford coming in.” Terry checked his watch. “In ten minutes. After that, we’re meeting with the economic and budget team and later with the congressional leadership.”

“This place is a nonstop good time.”

“You already knew that, sir.”

“Give me a minute to review the vetting on Sanford before she gets here.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be back with her when she arrives.”

He sat behind the Resolute desk to go through the files he’d been given about Sanford and Henderson. The other potential candidates on their list had indicated they weren’t interested in the position for a variety of reasons, such as family concerns and hesitation about round-the-clock security, which had narrowed their field to two.

Sanford’s illustrious career began as a prosecutor in Chicago, followed by two terms as attorney general of the State of Illinois before she ran for the Senate ten years ago. She was an influential member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, and her knowledge in both areas would be useful to him.

His party held a slim majority in the Senate, which made him somewhat reluctant to tap that body to fill the vice president opening and risk losing a seat. Which was why he was leaning more toward Gretchen Henderson, who didn’t currently hold office. She would be the far less complicated choice, not to mention she was a firebrand, popular within the party and had a bright future. The one drawback, other than the messy personal life Derek had mentioned, was that she was only five years older than him, which would make her the second-youngest vice president—after him. However, he planned to meet with both women before he decided anything for certain.

Terry returned a few minutes later, escorting Senator Sanford into the Oval Office.

Nick stood, buttoned his suit coat and went around the desk to greet her with a handshake. She was tall, with short brown hair and green eyes that were complemented by the dark green jacket she wore over black pants. “Welcome, Senator.”

“Thank you for having me, Mr. President.”

As she stepped forward to shake his hand, he caught a whiff of her perfume and had to stop himself from recoiling from Chanel No. 5, the scent his mother wore.

“Ah, please.” He desperately tried to recover from the visceral reaction he always had to that scent. “Have a seat.”

“Thank you, sir.”

One of the White House butlers came in with a tea service. He poured coffee for Nick and tea for the senator.

The White House photographer was also in the room, subtly capturing the meeting for history. Nick wanted to tell them all never mind. Though it was completely unfair to her, the scent was so triggering to him that he wasn’t sure he could bear to be around it every day. But since he couldn’t discuss that with her, he went through the motions of polite small talk as they enjoyed their beverages and the pastries the butler had brought.

“I was flattered to hear you wished to meet with me so soon, Mr. President,” Sanford said. “You must have so much on your plate.”

“I do, and at the top of my to-do list is naming a vice president.”

“Oh, I see,” Sanford said, smiling. “Does this mean I’m on your short list?”

“You are. If you wish to be, that is.”

“Again, you flatter me.”

“Having recently served in the position myself, it’s important to me that the candidates fully understand the pros and cons of the job.” He gave her a high-level view of his perspective on being VP, having been the most recent one to hold the position, and answered a number of questions she had about how he would want to work with his vice president.

“As a senator, you’re able to move about somewhat freely, which would change as vice president. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Senator. Being surrounded by Secret Service takes some getting used to.”

“I’m sure it does. Let me make this easy for you, sir. I’d be delighted to be chosen and would fully commit to supporting you and your agenda to the best of my ability.”

“That’s nice to hear. Thank you. And your family would be willing to accept the presence of the Secret Service?”

“I believe they would be in order for me to accept this incredible opportunity.”