What is taking so long?” Tara moaned, pacing back and forth across the Roosevelt Room, where the political affairs staff had set up computers to monitor the election returns.
“I’m sure Fran is checking all the numbers one last time and making sure none of the states from the last round of calls is close enough to demand a recount, right, Melanie?” Charlotte said.
“I guess so, but the networks called the election twenty minutes ago, so I’m not sure what Fran is seeing that no one else is,” Melanie said, scanning the returns from Ohio while Ralph pored over the returns from Florida and Nevada.
Michael had called half an hour earlier to say that Fran was calling within the hour to concede. Melanie’s phone finally rang.
“Hello,” she said, with a hundred pairs of eyes on her. “Yes, the president is right here. Thank you. Yes, you, too.” She handed Charlotte the phone and mouthed “Fran.”
“Fran?” Charlotte said. “Thanks so much for calling. Yes, you are kind to say that. It was a very spirited debate, indeed. Yes, of course. Tara and I look forward to working with you as well. God bless you and your family.”
She hung up, and the room erupted in cheers. Charlotte pulled the twins toward her. Tara and her husband hopped up and down in a celebratory embrace.
“We did it,” Charlotte said to Melanie. “I could not have done it without you.”
Melanie wiped tears from her eyes and hugged Charlotte and then the twins and Brooke and Mark.
“You did it, baby cakes,” Mark said to Charlotte. “Four more years in this place.” He popped open a bottle of champagne.
Penelope handed Charlotte her cell phone. “It’s Dad,” she said.
“Peter, Peter, hi,” Charlotte said, plugging her other ear so she could hear over the noise in the room. “Yes, it’s official. Fran just called. Thank you, Peter. You, too. Give my best to Dale.”
She handed the phone back to Penelope to take a call from the British prime minister on the secretary of state’s cell phone.
The congratulatory calls continued for thirty minutes.
“Madam President, it’s time for the speech to our supporters,” Ralph said. “Tara, why don’t you ad-lib an intro for the president and then, Madam President, you should thank supporters and praise Fran and talk a little bit about the next four years.”
“Actually, Melanie wrote something already,” Charlotte said, looking around the room for Melanie. “Where did Melanie go?” Charlotte asked Annie.
Annie’s eyes were red, and Charlotte knew the answer.
“She said she had to meet someone. She said to tell you she’ll be watching,” Annie said.
Charlotte nodded knowingly.
“Penelope, Harry, Brooke, Mark, Tara, I want all of you standing with me,” Charlotte said. “Let’s go.”
She clutched the speech Melanie had drafted earlier in the day as she walked out to the South Lawn to make her first remarks as the newly reelected president.