The Longer The Fall by Aviva Gat (best new books to read txt) 📗

wine and went to bed. Madeline had spent the night tossing and turning until light shone through their window and she could get up. She tiptoed downstairs to their home gym, where she ran on their treadmill for an hour before going back upstairs to shower and head to the office, all before Brandon and the children were awake.

At the office, Madeline had immediately started making phone calls. She liked getting up and starting her day early, Brandon even joked with her that she lived on “East Coast time” when in California. It was convenient for her, meaning that at 6:00 am, when most people on the West Coast were still in bed, Madeline could be in meetings with her colleagues on the East Coast where it was already 9:00 am. She had spoken with three other senators who supported the SAVER Bill all before Jane had arrived at the office. Jane’s arrival was like a hurricane, disrupting the calming morning that Madeline had had. But the disruption was necessary, as no one was a better chief of staff than Jane. She could juggle events, crises, constituents, and Madeline’s schedule with her two hands and not one thing would fall to the floor.

Madeline had then spent the day in strategy sessions with her team who had analyzed the chances and the necessary moves to pass the SAVER Bill. She had lunch with a group of CEOs who supported her and spent the afternoon reviewing and redlining speeches that she believed should have been in better shape by the time they reached her office. After a quick trip home to have dinner with Brandon and the kids, she was picked up by a car taking her to the airport for her red eye to Washington where she would finish the week.

“What did you hear last night?” Madeline responded to Jane who was looking at her like a child with a secret ready to burst out.

Jane looked around the first-class cabin. It was mostly empty as most business and first-class passengers seemed to avoid redeyes. Madeline preferred them, they seemed the most efficient use of her time, ensuring she didn’t waste any working hours. Jane leaned in closer to Madeline before parting her lips.

“Someone is vetting you for Vice President,” Jane whispered, the words leaving her lips like bubbles floating into the air.

“What? Who?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Jane responded. “I have to do some asking around.”

“Then how do you know?”

“Someone is polling about you,” Jane said. “My neighbor’s grandma, she always gets those telemarketer calls where they ask surveys about all kinds of things and she answers. Most people who answer the surveys are the elderly, you know, because who else wants to waste time talking to a stranger? Anyway, she got a survey about different politicians and whether she would vote for them. They asked about you, Mark Raymond, Kent Fein, and Jim Holloway. Mark and Kent and Jim have all been open about their interest in running for president in the next election. That means someone is trying to find out which candidates people like and which could help them win. Someone either thinks you might run for president and thinks you’re competition or they think you could help them win if you are on their ticket. I’m not sure anyone would expect you to run for president. I mean, you’re a 38-year-old first term female senator. You’d be one of the youngest candidates yet! So that means someone thinks you are a potential vice.”

Madeline’s heart rippled with the thought of running for vice president. She had always hoped that being a senator was just a step for her, a way for her to prove her worth as she moved on to a bigger platform where she could effectuate bigger change. She had always known she was meant to leave her mark on this world, that she could make the country better, the world better. Being vice president would give her more opportunities to do that.

“So now what?” Madeline asked Jane, her eyes closing but her ears still very much awake.

“Well, I’m going to find out who it is,” Jane responded. “We’re going to do whatever we can to make sure you are chosen as a running mate. I mean, whoever it is, you will up their chances to win hugely. For one, you’re a woman, so many women would vote for you just because. Two, you’re young and beautiful. And let’s not underestimate the importance of looks in politics. No one can forget the 1960 presidential election. Kennedy won on looks alone! And on top of all that, you’re moderate, even liberal if I am allowed to use the ‘L’ word to describe a republican. You’ll get all the undecideds and even central democrats on your side. Wow, the more I talk, the more I’m convinced you should be president. Why waste you being the vice of some old white man?”

“All in good time,” Madeline said with a smile. It was too early for her to think about the presidency. She needed a few more years, a few more accomplishments to ensure her candidacy was a shoo-in. She wouldn’t run unless she knew she could win. If she ran and lost, that was the end. Losers never turn into winners. She needed to wait until she was sure she was a winner.

“I wonder if it is Joe Hamlin who was vetting you, or Ben Townsend,” Jane continued rambling on. “When Ben was out in the last primaries he swore to run again…” Eventually Madeline dozed even with Jane’s train of thought chugging through her ears.

But sleep did not provide Madeline with an escape. In her dream she found herself in a hotel room. She wasn’t alone and she could feel herself aching to be touched by the man in the room with her. In her mind, she knew the man was Brandon, but he