The Convenient Wedding: a contemporary romance (The Rosa Legacy Book 3) (14 page)

“My marriage is fine. Now if you will excuse me, I would like to go and change.” Lucia had the momentary pleasure of seeing a surprised look come across his face.

Lucia let her hand skim the top of the banister as she walked up the stairs with a straight back and a heart full of hope. She thought Anderson wanted to end their marriage but now she realized that he was going against the advice of his campaign manager in deciding to keep her around.

Lucia decided not to go down to the campaign headquarters, instead she called her staff and asked them to come up to the loft.

After ordering in pizza and glancing through the newspapers; Lucia answered the door and lead Mealy, Will and Lisa into the living space.

They made placed their notebooks on the table, and Lucia asked them if they would like something to drink. 

Even though it was mid-afternoon, they sat for several minutes making small talk before Lucia decided to begin. She looked around the group and it hit her for the first time that while extremely talented and idealistic that they were all barely out of college and in need of some direction from her. Instead of side-stepping the recent scandal, Lucia openly discussed it with them and asked for their input.

At first they seemed reluctant to say anything then Mealy said, “If you had your cell phone on then I could have warned you.”

Instead of becoming defensive, Lucia looked at each of them and said, “You are right. I’m sorry. I should have stayed in contact.”

After a moment, Will said “Lucia, if you let us know when you are feeling exhausted or stifled then we could protect you or make changes to your itinerary.”

“I’m expected to get out and meet people, smile – whatever. The realities of the campaign can’t be changed. And I’m beginning to worry that the recent story will turn the public against me.” Lucia argued.

“Are you kidding? You are like a fairytale to them. Almost royal.” Mealy joked.

“People think that coming from California that I don’t understand them. Women’s groups think that I shouldn’t have changed my name when I married Anderson. Some people think that I married Anderson for his money and position. They have no idea how hard it is to campaign day after day.” Lucia revealed her insecurities to her staff.

“Lucia, it doesn’t matter what some people think. You will not be able to please everyone so just be yourself.” Will said.

“I did. I took off to California for a spontaneous trip and now I have some people saying that I’m unfaithful because I had coffee with an old boyfriend. It seems as if I will have to watch over my shoulder at all times so an innocent encounter is not turned into a tainted activity.” Lucia argued.

“What we are saying is let us protect you. If you need a break then we can arrange for your parents to fly in and meet you at a private place for the weekend.” Lisa offered.

Lucia understood where they were coming from and felt instantly more at ease. Why had she kept them at arm’s length before instead of trusting them to protect her?

They talked for almost two hours and came up with a game plan for shifting their roles and responsibilities within the campaign.

It was decided that they would limit her time with wealthy socialites to evenings when Anderson was with her. She would have to develop a thicker skin so insensitive comments would no longer be able to wound her to the point where she felt foolish or unworthy. She replayed many of the events in her head, and began to realize that she was looking for their approval instead of showing confidence.

Lisa and Will lead a discussion on how to subtly shift away from the money in the party and concentrate on community involvement where she could meet average families and college campuses where she could energize the idealists. And instead of volunteering her to speak at lunches where the press was everywhere, they would organize private discussions with the local party in each town.

Lucia realized that she didn’t need Anderson’s campaign staff to approve the changes in her schedule. They had left it up to her and without voicing an opinion, her staff was trying to organize their part of the campaign without much help from her.

Lucia looked around the table and said, “Did you really think that I didn’t care what I did or where I was sent?”

Mealy was the first to laugh and say, “Yes, you always seemed to be so detached somehow.”

“I was scared. You were sending me all over and I had no idea what to expect when the limousine pulled up to an event. You have to remember that this is my first campaign.”

“We are all new. I know I have been terrified of making mistakes.” Lisa acknowledged.

“Unless I’m traveling, I would like to meet here at the loft each morning from nine o’clock to ten so we can map out our day before joining the rest of the staff. Also from now on, I will have final say over my schedule so don’t write anything in ink without checking with me. My final change is that I want to spend more time working on speeches for Anderson. It’s what I do well and I plan to take that back.” Lucia advised them.

“Do you think that might ruffle a few feathers?” Lisa asked.

“Yes. At first it might seem inconvenient to them but they will adjust. And we need to organize ourselves before we can contribute substantially to the campaign. I’ll talk to Anderson tonight and at our next staff meeting, I will outline our new roles and responsibilities.” Lucia elaborated.

Lucia noticed they were listening intently and nodding their heads so she ventured further by saying, “I think we should adjust everyone’s role now that we have had a chance to see how we fit together. Mealy, you should be the point person to coordinate with Anderson’s team. You are friendly and approachable so it should be an easy fit.”

Mealy smiled and said “okay.”

“Lisa I would like to see you as the scheduler because you easily multi-task but you also have the ability to say no.” There was some good natured kidding among them for a moment then Lucia continued “Will, I would like you to handle the press because I think your interest in journalism could be better utilized and you are quite savvy about what to say when.”

Lucia could tell that they were pleased that she recognized their talents and decided to end the meeting before it got too late. She stood up and said, “You had better head home for dinner.”

“Yes, and before the local news so you can lick your wounds in private.” Lisa ruefully guessed.

Instead of getting defensive, Lucia said “Yes, you are quite right” and ushered them out of the loft.

A short while later, Lucia sat sipping some tea wondering if the media had forgotten all about her trip to California. The local news hadn’t reported the story until the very end of the newscast and gave it less than twenty seconds of air time. Lucia saw herself outside the airport taking questions and realized that she looked quite natural. She was smiling and even seemed relaxed.

The reporter briefly covered Lucia’s trip to California and cut to a video clip of her standing next to Anderson at a dedication ceremony.

Lucia breathed a sigh of relief and switched the news off.

Lucia unpacked her bag from California, went through the mail then cleaned a few items out of the refrigerator. It was nearly eight o’clock and Lucia became increasingly nervous waiting for Anderson so she headed down to the campaign headquarters to find him.

She opened the large glass door, she noticed the place seemed deserted except for the conference room where she could see six members of his team sitting around the conference table eating take out Chinese. The large glass wall provided a complete view of the entire room. Her eyes immediately went to Anderson and she noticed he was not eating, instead he looked pensive and a pang of guilt assailed her until she reminded herself that he had been rather unforgiving that afternoon.

When she opened the conference room door, the conversation came to an abrupt halt but instead of becoming self-conscious, Lucia said, “The evening news barely mentioned it.”

A few of the staff were kind and said, “You did a great job.” But the tension was still evident and Anderson was being strangely silent.

Lucia decided to tackle the issue head on. “As I explained to Anderson earlier, I decided on the spur of the moment to visit my parents for a few days. Anderson’s schedule was rather packed but mine was quite light so with Brian’s blessing, I went to California for a few days.”

All eyes immediately went to Brian, who said “How can anyone deny her anything?”

“I realize that it was a complete mistake not to rely on my own team for coordination and not to allow security to set some reasonable parameters. I won’t make that same mistake again.”

Anderson’s Public Relations Coordinator, Mark Rothberg, spoke first, “Lucia, I appreciate your frankness and even though I don’t like unplanned interviews, you did a fabulous job.”

After a few similar words of encouragement, Anderson stood up and said, “If you will excuse us, Lucia and I are going to get a late dinner.”

He placed his hand at the curve of her back to gently guide her out the door that he held for her and then led her to his office. Lucia could feel the warmth of his hand emanating through her thin t-shirt and a wave of desire surged through her entire body.

Anderson pulled her into his embrace and said, “What would you like for dinner?”

“Something simple.” Lucia said.

She had wanted to talk to him about the campaign and the role she wanted to play. Watching him gather a few papers from his desk, she felt lost. Instead of being able to tell him how much he meant to her and that she was sorry about the trip, she held back. 

“I can make something for us at the loft.”

They headed home and he discussed some of the challenges the campaign was facing. Anderson opened a bottle of wine and she made a large salad and grilled chicken to serve on top.

After the light meal, Brian called and Anderson went to his office to take the call.

She reminded herself that they were married and if nothing else, he would have to deal with her on some level. Could she survive going through the motions of a lifeless marriage in such a public way? All of a sudden, she realized that she loved him. And a myriad of emotions were overcoming her. She wanted him to be triumphant in his bid for the Congress not for the prestige or honor but for his fulfillment.

But she decided that she wouldn’t hound him or make him feel guilty for feelings that he didn’t return. Instead she would put aside her own feelings and help him find happiness in his professional life. Almost two hours passed as she sat writing a new speech for him. She translated the raw emotion that she was feeling into a stump speech that would energize his base of potential voters while challenging undecided voters to cast their votes for him. Before she could change her mind, she emailed the draft off to Brian, Mark and the rest of his team for review.

Just as she was about to go upstairs, she heard him leave his office. She could feel the tension in her back and shoulders.

“I thought you would already be asleep.” Anderson said.

“I was working on a new speech for you.” Lucia said.

“I thought you were concentrating on campaigning and leaving the writing to others.”

“It’s what I’m good at and makes me feel that I am contributing something. I also wanted to speak with you about some changes that I want to make within my team.” Lucia explained.

“Run with it, you don’t need my blessing. But if you want my input then I would like to leave it to tomorrow, I’m exhausted.” Anderson said.

Lucia wasn’t sure whether she should be relieved that he trusted her or upset with his disinterest.

She studied him for a moment and realized that he looked worn out. His suit was presentable with his tie neatly fastened but she saw faint lines along the crease in his eyes and missing was the energy that usually radiated from him.

“Goodnight, then.” Lucia softly said.

“Aren’t you coming upstairs?” She noticed how he avoided saying to bed.

“In a few minutes, I need a snack.”

Lucia glanced through the refrigerator but nothing appealed. She made herself eat a banana with some cereal and milk.

Later, she quietly climbed the stairs. She found Anderson in bed and she looked across the room, she had the image of a tough warrior contemplating his next move.

Lucia went into the bathroom and had a shower and brushed her teeth, not even bothering to brush her hair so she wouldn’t lose her nerve.

She moved slowly across the room and stopped within a few inches of the bed, standing over him. Even in the darkness, she could see his smooth skin covering his chest and with his arms linked behind his head, the muscles on his abdomen were drawn tight. The sheet covered him from the waist down and Lucia waited for him to acknowledge her presence, wondering if he would reject her again.

She could tell by the rigidness of his muscles that he was awake but waiting for her to make the first move. She hesitated, her body betrayed her nervousness by trembling slightly and she stood not uttering a sound.

In a slow movement, she slipped the robe from her shoulders and let it gracefully fall to the ground. She stood there, a feeling a peace settled over her similar to when she swam naked back at her parent’s house.

For the first time, she experienced complete confidence in her ability to seduce a man. She knew that when he reacted to her that he would not deny her. She waited for him to open his eyes, her hand slipped over her belly in an unconscious attempt to ease the tension forming deep within her. Her body no longer felt peaceful but heightened with excitement at the promise of Anderson’s powerful male body.