Fried apples? No, bacon. Fried apples, bacon, biscuits and coffee. Hmm, he must still be dreaming. The smells were the same as from his childhood on Sunday mornings before going to Sunday school and church with his parents. He sniffed before opening his eyes. It wasn’t a dream, the scents were real. The realization prompted him to not just open his eyes but to sit up. Looking around he noticed Tracy was not in bed. He threw the covers back in a huff and wondered who was in his kitchen cooking. He loved Tracy more than life itself, but he knew there was no way the scents coming from downstairs were from her.
As he descended the stairs he wondered if his mother was supposed to come over this morning and he forgot. Oh, Ashley, his sister must be over. She cooked just like their mom. Thinking it must be family; JD didn’t bother to put on a top to his pajamas before going downstairs. The heavenly smell was so strong at the bottom of the staircase he rubbed his stomach, anticipating the feast that was awaiting him. As he turned the corner, JC’s laughter could be heard over Tracy’s voice. “Daddy,” his son called out.
“Hey big man,” he said as he reached around his wife’s waist and pulled her backside to him. “Good morning beautiful,” he said before his lips captured hers in a sensuous kiss. He broke away quickly and moved towards the stove. “Where’s momma?”
“At home I guess,” Tracy replied as she continued cleaning up behind JC.
“Where’s Ashley?” JD asked as he continued to pile his plate.
Tracy stopped and looked at him with a bit of confusion. “With her husband, I would think. Why?”
JD knew he was treading on dangerous grounds here, but he was an honest man and did not know a way around his next question. He bit into the biscuit, which literally melted in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he savored the wonderful flavor that assaulted his taste buds. “Mum, this taste better than you babe.” He said without thinking. When he opened his eyes his wife was standing with her hands on her hips and a not so great look on her face.
“Well, let them sleep beside you tonight.”
“Too crumby,” he replied with a smile. “Who cooked?”
“I beg your pardon,” Tracy questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Babe, I love you, but you did not cook these biscuits.” He put a fork of apples in his mouth and the flavor was rewarded with a groan. “Nor these apples mum mum.”
“I’m glad you are enjoying them,” Mrs. Gordon laughed as she came out of the laundry room with Jasmine on her shoulder. Shocked to see her, JD immediately put the dishtowel over his naked shoulder and looked to Tracy. “Oh boy please, don’t’ act shy around me. I’ve seen all you got to offer and some when you were in the hospital. Ain’t nothing for you to be ashamed of.”
Tracy tried to hide her laughter, but couldn’t. “Jeffrey, you remember Mrs. Gordon from the hospital.”
“Of course I do. Hello Mrs. Gordon. Would you excuse me for a moment?” He asked as he rushed upstairs to change clothes. Mrs. Gordon had helped them through a rough time. What he didn’t understand was why was she in his house on a Saturday morning, cooking and apparently washing clothes.
After putting on his sweat-shirt and pants he returned to the kitchen to find Mrs. Gordon outside sitting at the table on the patio with JC and Jasmine. Tracy was at the table waiting for him drinking a cup of tea. He retook his seat and continued to eat. “When-ever you are ready I’m listening.”
Taking a deep breath, she sat forward and exhaled. “Mrs. Gordon has agreed to work for us to help out with the house, cooking and the children. Now when we have to go out for one of your many functions or work we don’t have to worry about who will be home with the children.”
“We’re back to that again.”
“Jeffrey, I miss working, meeting with clients, developing reconstruction plans and most of all I miss Ashley.”
“Ashley is not there anymore, Tracy. She’s home with her children. If that’s enough for her why can’t it be for you?” He stood, walked over to the sink and rinsed his plate before putting it into the dishwasher. He turned, leaned back against the counter top and folded his arms across his chest. Looking at her he could see the disappointment in her eyes. That light that was there earlier was now gone. He did not understand why she didn’t see that he was trying to protect her. Didn’t she remember? The thought of her being harmed nearly killed him before. He could not take a chance on anything happening to her or his children. Telling her that would cause her to be frightened and he didn’t want that. Sighing, he knelt down in front of her. “Tracy,” he took her hands and she looked away. “Tracy, look at me.” She did and it hurt him to see the sadness there, but not enough for him to take a chance on her life. “I love you. I would do anything in the world for you, but, I don’t want a stranger raising our children.” Tears were building in her eyes, but she held them back. “I tell you what. What if we let Mrs. Gordon stay? That way you could work from home part-time.”
“Jeffrey, it’s not the same as going into an office and being around people.”
“Tracy with the caseload at the office and the campaign about to began, we will be busier than ever. Eventually, you would have to stop working again anyway. Besides your company according to Black Enterprise Magazine, is one of the top in your field and is doing quite well. It’s practically running itself. You don’t have to be there.”
“When did you decide to run for office again Jeffrey?” she asked perplexed. “Did you consider talking with me about that, before you committed yourself to another cause?” She pulled away and stood at the window watching JC talking happily to Mrs. Gordon. He stood and put his arms around her waist, “I haven’t talked to anyone about my decision yet. I told James to tell Covington to give me a few days before I decided.”
“It sounds like you’ve decided to me.”
He turned her around to him and placed his hands on both sides of her hips. “That depends on you. If you tell me not to do this I won’t. When this term is up I can walk away. Calvin and I can start a law firm and defend people that break the law.”
She frowned at him. That was the last thing he would ever do. She knew it and he did too. “Who knows, I might be good at it,” he smiled.
“You would be good at anything,” she replied to the smile that warmed her insides. She sighed, “Is this what you want to do, run for Governor?”
“Yes I do.”
That determined look, she knew very well entered his eyes. If he ran, he would win and their life would never be the same. As he accomplished his dreams, she would be letting hers go. “Have you considered the impact this decision will have on our family, life will never be the same.”
“I thought about that. It’s one of the reasons you need to be home, Tracy. Our twelve children will need someone to guide them and keep them grounded,” he grinned.
“I’m not having twelve children. That I will not compromise on. You get five and no more.”
He kissed her on the side of her mouth. “Well, since Mrs. Gordon is here, we can go upstairs and start working on number three.” He captured her lips with his and slowly felt her disappointment slip away. Just as he began plunging deeper into the recesses of her mouth, the telephone rang. Reluctantly, he pulled away and answered it, holding her close to him. “Time got by me man, I didn’t know it was this late. I’ll meet you there.” He hung up the telephone.
“You have a nine o’clock court time with the boys,” she said as she pulled out of his grasp.
“I can cancel Tracy and stay here with you.”
“No. You go ahead. You would just keep me from doing what I need to do around here.” The time alone was needed to get over the two blows he had dealt her in a matter of minutes. Not only was she not going to have the opportunity to go back to work, but she also was going to have to endure another campaign. That meant dealing with her step-sister, Carolyn Roth-Roberts, and the likes of her.
JD stepped outside and spoke to Mrs. Gordon. When he returned, he took her hand and pulled her up stairs with him. “What are you doing Jeffrey?”
We are going to spend the day together. That will give Mrs. Gordon a chance to get to know the children a little better and you and I sometime out of the house, together. He turned towards her while walking backwards up the steps. “I need time to beg your forgiveness.” He waited until she stepped up to him and he took her in his arms. “I love you Tracy and I realize it seems like I’m being selfish, but I know, I can’t and don’t want to do this without you. Please baby, just listen to my thoughts on the election and if you can’t handle it, I will call Covington and tell him today, I can’t do it.”
“Oh, you want to say my wife said no,” she said in jest.
“No I will tell him the love of my life will not allow me to serve at this time.” He touched her lips with a very delicate kiss. “Let’s get dressed before we end up spending our free day in bed.”
♡♡♡♡
The two spent the day at one of Tracy’s favorite places, The Renaissance Club, shooting pool, having lunch, and enjoying having her husband to herself. This was something she had not experienced since he decided to run for office a few years ago. As long as she could have moments like this, she could support him in anything. However, her experience with his previous campaign had left a lot to be desired. For Tracy, the campaign had been intimidating. The crowds were huge and everyone seemed to want to touch or talk to JD. With the exception of James and Ashley, Tracy felt completely out of her element around most people. There were political advisors and consultants that seemed to be at odds with Tracy at every turn. One way or the other they considered her to be a hindrance. Some felt she was a distraction for JD. There were times when they wanted or needed his undivided attention on an issue, but his first concern was where was Tracy or how did Tracy feel about a particular issue. At one point an advisor suggested to Tracy “you would serve JD much better if you remain at home.” Of course the suggestion was made in private and JD never knew why Tracy was not on the campaign trail with him. There was no point in denying the inevitable; Jeffrey was going to run for Governor and eventually President of the United States. She needed to take steps to be in a position to support him in every way she could. The idea of going back to work really had to end. “What are you thinking about?” He asked on their way home.
“Can we pull over for a minute?”
Checking the traffic to his right, he put his signal on and pulled over into the first parking space he reached and turned to her curiously. “What is it Tracy?”
She took his hand and looked into his eyes. “Jeffrey, this decision is not just about the Governor’s race. Once you become Governor then the DNC is going to ask you to run for President. This is a major life change you are asking us to make. There will be an impact on our children as well as our marriage. Their safety and welfare is my number one concern. I don’t want their lives interrupted by anything you or I chose to do with our lives.”
“I don’t want that either. We will have to decide how we can make sure they are not dragged into this political circle. What about you Tracy, will you be a part of this?”
“I will be your biggest supporter, from here to the White House.”
Staring at her, he wondered what he’d done to deserve her unconditional love and support. Whatever it was, he thanked God for brining her into his life. “I guess we need to talk with James, Ashley and Momma.”
“She is going to be so proud of you. I don’t know how we are going to keep her from exploding with pride.”
“Yeah I know. Well at least she can take out the “my son for President” buttons she has stored away.”
Tracy smiled then looked out of the window. Now they had to touch on a subject that had been avoided for a year. They had to talk about Senator Roth. “Jeffrey, how are we going to handle the situation with Senator Roth? The press is going to have a field day if this isn’t handled right. I know Carolyn does not want anyone to know about this. Just speaking from my experience, it’s better to put the truth out there, before it blows up in our faces.”
JD knew she was referring to the way he handled the situation and there was nothing he could do to change the past. He used his finger to bring her eyes up to him. “I am so sorry things happened they way they did. Please know I did all I could to keep you from being hurt.”
She stared at him with an intensity that he had not experienced from her before. “You did everything except tell me who my father really was. It was the same when you found my mother. In fact, it was around that time that you and James knew, but you didn’t bother to share that information with me. It’s the same with Turk. To this day, I don’t know where he is incarcerated. But just like with the other things, you believe you know what is best for me. For some reason you believe I’m too gullible to think for myself. In some things you may be right, but there comes a point when everyone has to take off the rose colored glasses and face life as it truly is. My time has come harshly, but it’s here.” She turned away and JD’s heart slumped along with her smile. “I’m not willing to allow another person to be hurt by deceitful acts. We should meet with Gavin, Carolyn, Senator Roth and my mother to determine the best course of action.”
“Tracy,” JD spoke softly, “I did not deceive you. I simply did not tell you for fear of Carolyn’s retaliation.”
She never looked up, “Whatever the reason, a number of people were hurt, Carolyn being the main victim. We have to find a way to handle this that will not hurt her any deeper.”
“What about our children Tracy? We have to consider their part in this.” The look she gave him warned him to tread lightly. “Babe, technically, Senator Roth is their grandfather. Are you going to willfully deny them the chance to get to know him as such? Other then when he comes by with your mother? You haven’t spent any time with him to allow him to explain his reasons for wanting to keep this a secret. It seems you are holding him responsible for what happened and he is as much a victim as you are.”
She snapped, “I have no reason to spend time with him. And why are you saying he is a victim here, Jeffrey?”
JD exhaled, “Yes babe you do have a reason. He is your father and the children’s grandfather. And remember, he just found out about you a few years ago. He didn’t know he was your father.”
“You need to make up your mind. First you didn’t want me to know the man is my father, now you want to force me to accept him as such. You can’t have it both ways Jeffrey.” He could hear the hurt, anger and confusion in her voice and knew there wasn’t anything he could do about it, except to listen. “This isn’t even about Senator Roth, Jeffrey, and you know that.”
“Then what is it about Tracy?”
“You’re an intelligent man, Jeffrey. I don’t have to tell you this is about a man keeping something important from his wife. How do I know you aren’t keeping other things from me?”
That cut was deeper then she could have imagined. This woman, who he would give his life for, had lost trust in him. “What do I have to do to gain your forgiveness? Tell me Tracy and I will do it. I don’t ever want you to doubt me. How can I expect the public to trust me if my own wife doesn’t?”
“That’s just it; you seem to have this strong sense of integrity when it comes to everyone except me.” She sighed and shook her head frustrated. “I’m sorry Jeffrey. This isn’t what we were supposed to be discussing. Let’s just go home, okay.” Tears welled up in her eyes and tore at his heart. A feeling of doom seemed to enter the interior of the vehicle just as a flash from a camera caught his attention. He started to get out of the car and take the camera from the reporter, but Tracy’s hand on his arm stopped him. “Please Jeffery, let’s just go.”
He turned the key in the ignition and pulled off. “This conversation is a year late Tracy. We should have talked about this when it first happened. I should have told you about the DNA testing when that first happened, I know that now. I can’t change the past. The call on how to handle this from now on will be yours and only yours. I refuse to allow this to continue to grow between us. I love you too much to lose you over a mistake that was made years ago.”
♡♡♡♡
When JD pulled into the garage, neither had spoken a word since the reporter showed up. As they got out of the car Tracy stood by her door and waited until JD came around. She immediately went into his arms, “I’m sorry.”
He held her tightly against his chest. “I’m sorry too. But it’s apparent you haven’t forgiven me yet. Things aren’t going to be right between us until we deal with this.”
“I just need some time.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Take all the time you need. Just don’t shut me out.” She looked up at him and he kissed her lips. “Let’s go see if Mrs. Gordon survived the kids.”
They walked in through the kitchen door to find Mrs. Gordon cooking. “Well how was your day out?” she asked while wiping her hands on a towel.
“It was time needed. Did our children run you crazy?” JD asked as he checked out the pan on the stove.
“No, they are angels, both of them. Jazzy is asleep in the basinet and JC went down for his nap about an hour ago.” She looked at JD whose attention was now in the oven, then turned to Tracy, who was clearly upset about something. “You alright baby?”
“Yes. I’m fine. I see you cooked dinner.”
She checked out the two and knew something was amiss, but she had just started this job and it was not her place to speak on the goings on between husband and wife. “Yes I did. You had a fully stocked refrigerator so I put some of it to use. If it’s all right with you, I’m going to take my leave now.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to work for us?” JD asked as he watched Tracy. “Tracy wants to start a new business and will need the time away from the children to get it going.”
Tracy looked up at him and smiled, “Actually,” she sighed, “Jeffrey has decided to run for Governor, and there will be times when both of us will have to be out of the house.” She turned to Mrs. Gordon. “I will feel so much better if I knew they were with you and not being dragged between Ashley and Mrs. Harrison’s house.”
It was apparent the two were trying to work out something here. “Well, I’m a woman of my word. You got me as long as you need me. Now that my daughter and her children have moved to Atlanta, I have plenty of time on my hands. So how is Monday through Fridays – six to six and you call me when you need me on the weekends. Now I’m going to have to charge you extra for overnight stays. You know I do have a social life.”
JD and Tracy both smiled at the woman. “Name your price.”
“All right now, ya’ll children take care and I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning.”
When the door closed behind Mrs. Gordon, JD looked at Tracy, “I love you.”
“I love you more,” she replied. As she took a step to walk into his arms, his cell phone chimed. She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her as if he had all the time in the world. Breaking the kiss, she looked up at him, “Take your call.” She smiled and walked up the steps.
♡♡♡♡
Samuel sat on the sofa, with his wife in his lap asleep. Life was certainly full of surprises. No one could have told him The Wizard of Oz was going to become one of his favorite movies. Yet, now it was.
“I can’t believe a grown man is watching this—much less my big brother.”
“How long have you been here?” Samuel asked his brother that had an uncanny knack of appearing out of thin air. Occupational habit, he supposed, since he worked for the CIA, he had to be invisible more times than not.
“Since the damn witch was melting,” Joshua Lassiter said as he took a seat across from where his brother sat with his sleeping wife. He smiled at the scene, “You look happy man.”
Samuel returned the smile as he rubbed his wife’s protruding stomach. “I can’t begin to explain it, but I would kill the first man that calls me back into service if it meant leaving my wife.”
“Ha. That’s funny coming from you. You realize if you are called it will be from the President, a man you swore to protect with your life.”
“Now, that would be a damn shame, because I like the brother.”
Joshua laughed then sat forward. The man was always impeccably dressed. Tonight it was an Armani suit, tie, shirt, and shoes. At six-four, the man could be a walking billboard for the Tall, Dark and Handsome Weekly magazine. “I did a little research on Franklin Stafford, the prison guard that was killed in the traffic accident. He was on Munford’s payroll. You need to take precautions with your man.” He put a piece of paper on the table next to him. “This person needs to be watched 24/7. The Harrison’s are at risk.”
“We have them covered.”
“No you don’t. He was out earlier today with his wife and there was no coverage. Neither the man nor his wife should be anywhere without a body on them.” He stood, “I’ll be around for a minute if you need anything more.”
Samuel looked down at his wife, who looked like an angel, then looked back up to see his brother had disappeared as quietly as he had arrived. Leaving his wife when she was so close to her due date was not a pleasant thought, but he had a job to do. JD Harrison was the future for this country and he had taken an oath to protect him and his wife with his life. Picking up his cell phone, his first call went to his mother. One of his eleven brothers or sisters was going to need to move into his house until this threat was over or Cynthia gave birth. The second call went to his boss, Brian.
♡♡
Brian sat in a booth at Maxie’s social club waiting for Donovan Tucker to arrive. Meeting with Tucker meant things were about to heat up. The first time was because a contract had been put on Tracy’s life. The last time, it was because of Cynthia. The information from Tucker was appreciated, but damn if he wanted to be there. A look of amazement appeared on Brian’s face when Tucker walked through the door. The man was impeccably dressed, in a tailor made suit, French cuffed shirt and Italian leather shoes. “Damn man. What in the hell has come over you?” Brian grinned.
“Well, you know, a brother has to clean up his life sooner or later,” Tucker replied as he ran his hand over his neatly groomed beard.
“You look like a high priced lawyer coming through the door,” Brian teased.
Tucker frowned, “Man, you ain’t going to the other side are you?”
Brian frowned, that’s the second time today someone had asked him that question. “Hell no. There are too many women out here that need a hard working brother like me,” they both laughed.
“I know that’s right. I’m trying to get my life right. So, man—what’s up?” Tucker asked as the waiter arrived with the drinks Brian had ordered.
“The breach at the prison last night was Munford’s doing. The guard was one of his men and so is this man. We need him covered, but it can’t be any of us. He’s a detective and will recognize my people.”
Tucker looked at the information and nodded. “We’ll cover him.” The two finished their drinks, wished each other well, and left the bar.
♡♡♡♡
The unmarked vehicle Samuel had been following for the last few hours came to a stop a block away from JD’s house. The upscale neighborhood did not have many cars parked on the street, because most of the homes had at least a two car garage. Each block had approximately six homes on each side of the street, giving each home an acre or more between them. Having one parked vehicle on the street might have been inconspicuous, but two would not have been. Samuel decided to park on a side street and walk through the back where the security house sat on the property. Fortunately, the property was in the middle of the block with other homes on both sides making it easy for him to go unnoticed. Since it was late on a Saturday evening, he did not expect anyone to be on guard. When he unlocked the door to the security house, he noticed the computer was up, a cup of coffee was on the desk, and monitors were positioned on the unmarked vehicle he had been following. Whoever was in the office had observed the vehicle and was curious. “That was good,” he said while taking a seat. The chair was low and had to be adjusted to fit his height, before he could get comfortable. Reaching over he adjusted one camera to scan wider around the vehicle until he noticed a figure standing off to the right. “Ryan, my girl,” he smiled. The two met while he was on protection detail for the woman who was now his wife, Cynthia. Ryan was watching over Cynthia the same as he, just for another purpose. The two began working unofficially together. Once the case ended, Samuel convinced the woman to come over to his side of the law. Now she was in training to become a part of the Thompson Protection Agency. Her instincts in Cynthia’s case were on point then and seemed to be intact now. The zoom on the camera did not reach the inside of the vehicle, but it did make out the license plate number. He pushed a button and captured the still picture. The record button was still capturing the live feed.
A vehicle pulled around the corner and the figure in the vehicle slouched down in an effort not to be seen. He saw Ryan duck back between the houses as Tracy’s vehicle turned into the driveway and stopped. She was about to get out of the vehicle when the garage door opened and Ryan stepped out. Samuel smiled, at the woman in her signature jeans and spiked boots. Her actions let the figure in the unmarked vehicle know someone was at the house. Samuel let the camera continue to record while he walked into the main house.
“Hello Tracy,” he said then picked up JC. “lil man,” he joked.
“Hi, Samuel. How is Cynthia?”
“She is glowing. Where’s Ryan?” he asked looking around the house.
“She took Jasmine upstairs to the nursery.
“I’ll take JC. All right lil man, you want to walk or do you want a shoulder ride.”
“Ride,” JC beamed up at the man who was bigger than his daddy.
“Ride it is,” Samuel picked the child up giving another two feet to his six-six frame.
“Watch his head,” he heard Tracy say as he was walking up the steps. He saw Ryan standing at the window in the upstairs foyer. “Is he still there?”
Ryan never turned around, but answered. “Yep. Do you know who he is?”
“Not, sure, but Brian wants eyes on him 24/7. Your people will be handling that end for us.”
She turned and glared at him. “That’s an unmarked police car. Munford’s at it again?’
“Looks that way. I’m going back to the security house to keep an eye on him. You stay in the house with Tracy and the children.”
“Potty Uncle Sammy, potty,” JC cried out and began to squirm.
“I’ll take him,” Ryan offered.
“I’ll take care of him. You keep an eye on that car.”
Tracy walked up the steps to find Ryan leaning against the wall by the window in the foyer. The archway to the alcove she’d made into her home office was near the area where she was standing. “What are you looking at Ryan,” she asked as she stepped into the hallway.
Ryan looked over her shoulder and sighed, “Just looking out the window.” Tracy extended her a glass of wine and carried a cup of tea for herself. “Thank you.” Ryan smiled and took a sip. “Hmm, that’s good. I don’t know if I’ve said this, but you have a lovely home.”
Accepting the compliment, Tracy smiled. “Thank you. It’s still a work in progress,” she stated as she took a seat at the desk in her office.
“I would have never thought of putting an office there. The openness would keep me from working. I’m easily distracted.”
“I doubt that Ryan. You’re having a conversation with me, but your eyes are on whatever is happening out that window. Is there something I should be concerned about?”
Ryan liked Tracy from the first time she met her. If she had to come over to this side of the law, she was glad it was to protect someone worthwhile. When the time came, Tracy was going to be her protectee and that pleased her. The woman was reserved, welcoming, and a lot wiser than people gave her credit for. Not one to sugarcoat anything, Ryan shrugged her shoulders. “We have a suspicious vehicle parked out front.”
“Is he a threat to us?”
“I don’t know. But I’m keeping my eye on him until we know for certain.”
Tracy tilted her head to the side and displayed that signature smile. “I’m sure you will,” she almost laughed as she sipped her tea. “Ryan is an unusual name for a girl.”
“My father wanted another boy, as if five wasn’t enough.” She rolled her eyes heavenward. “My mother said when the doctor told them it was a girl; my father told him to put me back and bring the boy out.”
She smiled, but Tracy got the feeling there was a little contempt in the statement. “Is that why you chose this profession, to prove to your father you are just as good as your brothers?”
“You don’t pull any punches, do you?” She laughed then became thoughtful. “I guess you could say that. But, this job, sort of fell in my lap when your friend was in trouble.”
“That’s right. Brian said you helped Samuel protect Cynthia. Thank you for that.” Tracy sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Are you now here to protect me?”
“To some extent.”
“Why?”
“It’s not so much for now, as it is for later. Your husband is an important man for a number of reasons. Especially since so many people see him as the future for our country. Some people are uncomfortable with his stance on a number of issues and the fact that he can’t be bought. So they have to find a way to control him or they will have to eliminate him. Brian and Samuel’s job is to keep him from being eliminated and my job is to keep him from being controlled. Anyone that knows JD, understand the role you have in his life. You are not a trophy wife. You are the woman he loves and those children are his life. If someone got a hold of you or them, they have control over him.”
“Jeffrey does love his children,” she smiled and turned to her computer.
Something in the way Tracy replied made Ryan wonder if the woman did not know just how much her husband loves her. Anyone with eyes could see it whenever the two were in the same room together. Sensing the discussion was over Ryan retook her vigil over the vehicle parked out front. Moments later, she heard the sound of the computer coming on. Observing the vehicle, she heard the subtle gasp from the office. She glanced over for a second, “You okay?”
The hesitant weak reply came. “Yes,”
Accepting, but not believing the response, Ryan turned her attention back to the window. A few minutes later, Tracy walked out of the office and into the master bedroom down the hallway. The view of her face was only a split second, but Ryan was sure she saw tears in her eyes. When she heard a door close, Ryan walked over to the computer and moved the mouse around to clear the screensaver. On the screen was a story on the internet with a picture of JD and a woman. Examining the image, it looked as if the two were sharing a private moment. Ryan learned long ago to look pass the surface and concentrate on the content. A closer examination of the picture showed the woman was smiling up at him; he was looking at something over her shoulder. If you did not know what to look for, it could appear that something was going on between the two. “Hmm. Someone is trying to cause problems.” Ryan stepped away and resumed her place at the window. Her job was to protect Tracy from harm. The woman in the pictures intent was to cause her harm. To her way of thinking, it was her job to keep that woman on her radar.
Tracy washed her face and composed herself the best she could. The constant barrage of pictures hitting the media with this woman and JD was getting to her. Although she and JD had spent the day together and she really believed he loved her, there was always that little doubt that crept into her mind. She understood the woman worked for the campaign, but did she have to be around Jeffrey all the time? There was something about the woman that bothered her even though they had never met. Tonight when Jeffery got home, she was going to talk to him about it. With that decision made, her heart began to beat rapidly. She closed her eyes and prayed she was not about to lose her husband.