Page 123 of Power
She answers virtually immediately. “Hello?”
“Is this May?”
“Who’s this?”
“My name is Bennett Adams, ma’am.”
She huffs into the phone. “How can I help you, Mr. President?” her voice carries no enthusiasm.
“I’m looking for someone and I’ve been informed you may know where they are.”
“They?”
“Yes, Reece Maxwell and her daughter, Emily. They’re in Hope River, and I’m trying to find them.”
“Why?”
I lift my brows and smirk. “Because I need to speak with Reece,” I admit openly.
“About?” Yeah, she knows where they are.
“Personal matters, ma’am.”
“Personal matters? I do believe your and Miss Maxwell’s personal matters are quite public.”
Closing my eyes, I scrub my hand across my forehead. “Yes, they are. I need to speak to Reece. Would you be able to assist me with her location?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but even if I did know where she was, it would be a betrayal if I gave you that information.”
“I just...” I swallow the lump in my throat. I shouldn’t have made this call, it feels fruitless. “I need to tell her I’m sorry, and I shouldn’t have abandoned her when I did. I’m...” This is harder than I thought it was going to be. “I’m...” I open my eyes and sit forward in my chair. “I let her go when I should’ve protected her. I let my job get in the way of how I feel, and now she’s gone.”
“Perhaps she’s gone for a reason.”
“She can’t be.” I take a breath while shaking my head. “This can’t be the end of us. I can’t let it end like this.” Placing my hand to my heart, I struggle with the words I’m trying to convey. “If you do know where she is, ma’am, could you tell her that...” I pause as I stare at the laptop, trying to form some kind of coherent sentence. “Tell her...” Why can’t I express how I’m feeling?
“Perhaps I might be able to reach her.”
Suddenly, excitement bubbles through me. “Ma’am, I’ll leave you my direct number in case she’slost it.” By “lost” I mean, Reece has deleted it because she wants nothing to do with me any longer. “All I want to do is apologize to her.”
“You can give me the number,” May says seriously. “I may prank it a few times.”
She brings a smile to my face. “It’s a federal offence to prank people, especially the president,” I quip.
I hear a small chuckle. “I’m going to be honest with you, Mr. President. I like you, and I think you have the potential to do good things for this country, but I’m also going to say if, when things get tough you drop the ball, what confidence should I have to vote for you again?”
It’s my turn to laugh. “Ma’am, with all due respect, I doubt I’ll have that chance again. I don’t think there’s anything I can do to win the public. And, I think I’ve come to terms with that, but what hurts me more is that I’ve lost Reece too.” I lift one shoulder as I shake my head. “Thank you for your time today, and I’m sure if you know where Reece and her daughter are, you’ll tell them I called. Can I ask just one more question?”
“You’re on a roll, son, so why not?”
“Are they okay?”
There’s a pause. “You should’ve led with that. But, yes, Reece and Emily are quite fine and healthy.”
May absolutely knows where they are. “Thank you. If you do see her, please let her know I’m about to give a press conference about our...relationship.”
Again, there’s another long break before she says, “If I happen to cross paths with her, I’ll let her know. Have a good day, Mr. President.” She hangs up, leaving me to stew over my intense feelings for Reece. Jamie opens the door and returns with my second coffee, taking the first, untouched one to dispose of.
Liam waltzes in as Jamie is walking out and looks at the speech on my desk. “It’s a good speech,” he says.
