Page 121 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

Apparently, Nick didn’t need that. He was perfect just the way he was. His olive-toned skin was made for prime time.

Wagner shook hands with both of them. “Mr. President, Mrs. Cappuano, thank you so much for doing this. I’m honored to be your first interview in your new roles.”

Sam had been prepared to automatically dislike him, but he didn’t seem totally awful. She set a low bar for the media, and most of them lived up to her expectations, with few exceptions, such as her friend Darren. Not that she’d ever let him know she considered him a friend.

When the cameras were rolling, Wagner recited a prepared opening. “I’m honored tonight to have landed the most-sought-after interview in the world this week, with America’s new first couple, President Nick Cappuano and First Lady Samantha Cappuano. We’re so honored to have you here with us tonight.”

“Thank you for having us,” Nick said, gracious as always.

“The first thing I want to talk about is the question that’s on everyone’s mind. What was it like for you to get that call from the White House on Thanksgiving night?”

“Needless to say, it was shocking on a number of levels. Separate of what it meant for us and our family, we were saddened by the president’s death. I’d been with him the day before, and he was fine. President Nelson was still a relatively young man, and his premature death is a tragedy for his family and our country.”

“Indeed, it is. Has there been any more information about what might’ve happened to him?”

“We learned today that President Nelson died of a pulmonary embolism. Mrs. Nelson will release further details when she feels ready.”

“It’s no secret that you’ve had your challenges with President Nelson and his son Christopher, who’s in prison awaiting trial after targeting you both and murdering Mrs. Cappuano’s ex-husband, Peter Gibson. How does your history with the Nelson family color your impressions of the events of the last few days?”

Jeez, Sam thought. What’re we supposed to say to that?

“It doesn’t really. President and Mrs. Nelson assured us that they had no knowledge of what Christopher did, and we believed them. As parents ourselves, we felt their anguish over what happened and weren’t interested in doing anything that would make that worse for them.”

Leave it to Nick to know just how to handle a question like that.

“Mrs. Cappuano, you recently led the investigation into the murder of President Nelson’s mistress, Tara Weber. Was that investigation made more difficult by the stakes involved for your husband?”

Yes, she wanted to say, but didn’t. “Every homicide investigation is complicated for different reasons. There was an intense level of interest in that one due to the president’s previous involvement with the victim, and of course there was a back-burner concern for how it might impact Nick and our family if the president had chosen to resign or had been forced to do so. At the time, though, one hundred percent of my focus was on getting justice for the victim, her newborn son and the rest of her family.”

“During that investigation, it was learned that Mrs. Nelson had secretly undergone treatment for ovarian cancer at the same time the president was engaging in an affair with a campaign staffer. Two questions—one, did you know at the time that she was ill, and how did you feel when you heard about the timing of the affair?”

Yeah, that one is all Nick’s.

“We did know that Mrs. Nelson had been ill, and like many others, we felt compassion for her at that difficult time. And like most Americans, we have the utmost respect and admiration for Gloria Nelson. She’s been nothing but welcoming and gracious to us while seeing her family through the shocking loss of her husband and their father and grandfather.”

“Mr. President, just over a week ago, you released a statement indicating you didn’t plan to run in the next election. I’m sure you can understand the concerns of the American people about the possibility that they now have a reluctant president. How would you address those concerns?”

“As I said in my remarks Friday night, when I accepted President Nelson’s invitation to become his new vice president, I did so with the full understanding and appreciation for the fact that I might have to step up should the need arise. After receiving the news about President Nelson’s death, I took the oath of office with the intention of giving the job and the American people my very best effort for the remainder of President Nelson’s term. I never said I didn’t want to be president. I said I didn’t wish to spend the better part of eighteen months away from my young family campaigning for the job.”

“Will you run for reelection in the next cycle?”

“While everything in our lives has changed in the last few days, the one thing that hasn’t changed is we still have a young family. The thought of months away from my wife and children isn’t at all appealing to me. But I’m not thinking about campaigns or elections at the moment. I’m entirely focused on completing the transition to a new administration, with an eye on critical national security and defense matters, as well as continuing the work President Nelson began in the areas of infrastructure, immigration, economic policy and finance, while helping my family to make a smooth transition to our new home.”

“Mrs. Cappuano, you’re a lieutenant with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, and the American people are interested in your intentions as first lady regarding your current position.”

“My intention is to keep my current position and continue my career during my tenure as first lady.”

“I can’t help but wonder how that’s possible with the public nature of your position.”

“I’ll go to work the same way I did as second lady, and I’ll do the job the taxpayers in the District pay me to do.”

“From a security perspective—”

“I’ll be accompanied by a Secret Service detail while on the job.”

“Which was not the case when you were second lady, correct?”

“That’s correct.” Sam refused to give him any more than she absolutely had to.