Chapter 204

Miles pauses, considering my words. His frown deepens with each passing heartbeat. “You spoke with Daphne?”

“She wanted to see me, to warn me,” I explain. “Hugo helped arrange it.”

“Of course he did.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Miles. Please.” I step closer to him. “I know you just want to protect me, and I can appreciate that. But it’s not going to work. And if Edward is going to come for me anyway, I’d rather be of help to you and the campaign. I don’t want to just sit here and wait.”

“My security can protect your person, Esther, but they can’t shield you from the scandal if Edward releases those juvenile records he has on you. If the world believes all those negative things about you…”

“I was a kid then,” I say. “I was acting out. I stole a few things, and failed at lighting a fire. I didn’t hurt anyone. And if Edward wants to paint it like I did, he’ll have to say that it was his orphanage that I wanted to escape. That leaves the door open for people to ask questions… Maybe look deeper into Edward and that orphanage.”

“You shouldn’t have to go through any of this,” Miles says.

“But I already am going through it, and I have been since I was a child,” I tell him. “This past has haunted me for years. Hiding away from it is not going to make it go away. Trust me, I know. I’ve tried.”

Miles turns in the doorway, fully facing me now. “I’m imperfect, Esther. I’ve never wanted to protect anyone as fiercely as I do you. But I can’t help it. It’s like a core part of me. I’ll never be able to relax while you are in danger…”

“I’m still in danger, Miles,” I tell him, taking another step closer. “Nowhere is safe for me. Not now, and certainly not if Edward becomes president. You have to let me help you take him down. Please. I deserve the right to try.”

The hardened façade over Miles’s face begins to crumple somewhat. Beneath, I see his displeasure warring against his affection and respect for me. It’s a complicated expression.

I take another step, bringing myself right up against his chest. He looks down at me.

“If anything happens to you, Esther, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

“I understand, but you can’t keep me in a cage. You have to let me help you protect us both.”

I’m breaking through his walls. I can tell by the way the corner of his mouth quirks ever so slightly upward. “We have always worked better together.”

“Then let’s keep working together in this.”

Miles wraps his arms around me. He smiles a little wider. “I’ll never win an argument with you when you are like this…”

“Stubborn?” I ask.

He lowers his lips to mine. It’s there, half a kiss, that he says, “Naked.”

Reaching up, he tugs at the towel I tied around myself. It falls down to the ground, leaving me entirely bare. He leans back to glance down, looking his fill.

“This isn’t fair,” I tell him, and start undoing his buttons again.

“Apologies,” he says and helps me.

Before long, we fall onto the bed once more, naked and tangled together. We do not leave it again until the morning.

I return with Miles to work the next morning to find the office in chaos. One of the volunteers tried to step up in my absence, but as unprepared and inexperienced as they were, they couldn’t manage to hold things together even for two days.

The immediately look relieved to see me walk through the door, and pass off everything to me, abandoning my desk.

They haven’t done much, it seems. Not even scheduling events.

Quickly, I learn that the fault does not rest with that individual. With how low the poll numbers have gotten, all but the most loyal volunteers and staff have quit.

“It’s good to have you back,” Crystal says as she comes into my newly reclaimed office for our morning meeting. “Everything has gone to heck since you’ve been gone.”

“We need to get Miles’s poll numbers up out of the gutter,” I tell her.

“We thought of running a smear campaign,” she says.

“That won’t work,” I explain. “Edward will just turn it around and claim Miles is a bully.”

“But Edward Zimmer made those ads about you…”

“Yes, but not Miles,” I say. “Trust me, I know it’s a double standard and I’m mad as hell about it. But Edward will find a way to shift everything around. We have to find a way to lift Miles on our own, without relying on Edward at all.”

Crystal and I both take a moment to think.

“Miles’s reputation has soured since the debate… incident,” Crystal says. “Is there some way we could help convince the public that while he’s passionate, he’s not a villain?”

“We could get him some photo ops, helping people,” I say. While that is a good idea, it won’t be enough. Miles could help out at a food kitchen every day for the rest of his life and the public will still think he’s being disingenuous. “Some interviews would be the best way. Miles is charismatic. If the camera loves him, the public might too.”

Crystal nods. “We’ve been trying, but most news sources have blacklisted us after Miles cursed on live television.”

I could call in a favor with Hugo, but… I’ve been depending on him too much lately. Besides, I have contacts outside of Hugo, many of which owe me favors garnered over the past few years.

One of which might just come in handy now more than ever.

I’ve been saving this favor for a rainy day. Right now, I don’t see how it could ever be rainier than this.

“Call channel 12,” I tell Crystal. “Get Maxine Handover on the line.”

Crystal’s eyes go wide. “The anchor?”

I expected her surprise. Maxine Handover is a legend in this town. She’s in her sixties now, mostly retired, but still delivers the news once a week as she has for forty years. Her voice is most trusted among the people, and has been for many years. She has a wall of her house entirely dedicated to her trophies.

Her grandson goes to school with Iris. In pre-school, his apple costume fell apart in the middle of the spring pageant. Thanks to the sewing kit I always keep in my purse, I was able to fix it enough for it to last the rest of the pageant.

Maxine shook my hand after and said, “I owe you one.”

I brushed it off at the time. What I did wasn’t any big thing, but she was insistent, not even letting go of my hand until I understood.

“A favor from me goes a long way,” she said. “Do not forget that.”

I saw her a few times since then, at various charity events or at the golf club.

Every time I saw her, she asked the same question, “Ready to call in that favor yet, Esther?”

“Not yet,” I replied each time.

Crystal calls channel 12 for me, then transfers the call to me.

“So, Esther Owens,” Maxine says. “I take it you are finally ready to call in that favor.”