Page 100 of Power
“I wanna be you,” Hope says as she stares at me like she’s seeing her first rainbow.
“You can take my place right now if you want.”
“Oh no. I’ll wait until all this bullshit dies down, then I’ll have a turn with the president.”
“What about River?” May asks. “I don’t think your husband would be too happy with that.”
“Pffft.” Hope flicks her hand dismissively. “He knows I eye-fuck anything that’s hot.”
“Emily? Breakfast,” I call down the hallway.
“I’ll get her,” Hope says as she’s already heading toward the guest room.
“Follow me to the dining room.” May stands and slowly shuffles with her cane. I place the hot frypan down on a trivet and wait to be told where I should sit. Emily and Hope appear, and they’re happily talking about something.
“Are we having juice?” Hope asks everyone. “Do we have juice, old lady.”
“Call me old lady again, and you’re no longer welcome here.” May pointedly looks at Hope.
“You’re getting a bit touchy, aren’t you? Haven’t been getting any lately?”
I purse my lips together as tightly as I can to stop me from laughing. Emily scrunches her forehead and stares at Hope. “What do you mean?” she innocently asks.
May smirks and looks to Hope. “Yeah, Hope, what do you mean?”
It’s at this point a lovely shade of red slowly drifts from Hope’s neck all the way to her face. She clears her throat and widens her eyes. “I’ll just get the juice.” She lowers her head and disappears into the kitchen.
“Mom, can I stay and read today?”
I look to May for guidance, after all this is May’s home. She gives me a discreet nod. “You can, but, if May asks you to leave, come straight back to the retreat.”
“Okay.” Emily smiles like her entire world is complete.
“Juice.” Hope places a pitcher on the table, followed by a stack of glasses. “No iced tea?”
“No iced tea,” May confirms.
We all sit and have breakfast, but I notice Emily shoveling it in like it’s her last meal. “May I be excused, please?” She looks to me with hope once she’s finished. I’ve barely even touched mine.
“Go for it.”
“Thanks for breakfast,” she calls as she rushes back to the room to read.
“Are you sure she’s okay to stay here?”
“I’ll probably forget she’s in there.”
“She’s a quiet one, that’s for sure.” I pick at the food on my plate, worried and concerned about our future.
Hope reaches over and places her hand over mine. “It’ll be okay. All of this is hard right now, but it’ll all work out.”
I look up and feel my eyes sting and my throat close. “I’m trying to be strong for Emily, but inside, I feel like I’m two breaths away from drowning.” I lean my elbow on the table and bring my hand up to shield my face. “I don’t know. It’s overwhelming, and frustrating, and now I need to think about where Emily is going to go to school.”
“School is the least of your problems. Seriously, this is going to blow over,” Hope says as she rubs her hand up and down my back to comfort me.
“I’ll forever be known as the President’s Prostitute.”
“This shit, right now, will all pass. Besides, look at it this way.” May draws an evil smile. “You’ll go down in history for going down on the president.”
