Welcome to romantic fiction serial White House Rhapsody. Love in the White House? Who would have thought. Join us as President Mark Jerguessen and his aide World Affairs Advisor Sharon Wheatly try to navigate a relationship. Click here to read a synopsis of the whole story that’s been blogged so far.
President Jerguessen met every Tuesday and Friday morning with his Advisory Board, a collection of experts in a wide variety of fields. The idea was that everything inter-related. Dr. Eddie Cooper, professor of economics, might know how the price of corn would affect the stock market and the larger economy, but Social Welfare expert Dr. John Whitesand, who probably didn’t know the current price of corn, would know how that would affect the need for housing in various places.
As World Affairs Advisor, Sharon’s area of research was anything that happened elsewhere in the world. That Tuesday after Mark and Beverly’s run together, Sharon almost wished for some turmoil domestically. Anything to get away from the social media storm that her friend and fellow board member Dr. Karen Tanaka was covering at the meeting.
“Now, here’s the actual interview with Ashley Whitcomb,” Karen said, turning on the television in the conference room.
Whitcomb was a retired beauty queen with strong ties to the political opposition, in particular the Moral Americans Caucus. The night before, she was a featured guest on a late-night talk show, pushing her latest book. In the process, she’d made fun of Beverly’s heavier form and wondered why Mark wasn’t dating anybody thinner.
“Isn’t her book supposed to be about being nice to people?” Gus Guerrero, media specialist, asked.
“Being nice to puppies and children,” Karen said. “Just like the first one. The nice thing is that social media has picked up on the discrepancy. Here are some of the memes that are supporting Whitcomb’s perspective. The good news for us is that there isn’t a lot of wit. For example, this meme that lists Lady Beverly, Mackie, and Dr. Mary Karpati and their respective estimated weights. Then there’s the response meme here, with the weights exed out and their degrees and accomplishments written in. I’ve also seen a whole bunch of memes condemning fat-shaming and focusing on a woman’s body, as opposed to her intellect or other qualities, and they seem to out-number the memes in support of the fat-shaming.”
“That’s nice to know,” said Mark, after shooting a quick glance at Sharon.
Sharon sighed and swallowed. At least, she hadn’t been included among the larger-sized women attached to Mark. Karen pointed out the same to her as the two went to lunch that afternoon.
“I don’t know why you’re worried about it,” Karen said as they perused the menu at a nearby restaurant.
“Maybe because I have gained some weight over the past few months.” Sharon sighed. “I’m right at the same age my mother was when she put on some extra pounds.”
“You’re exercising and eating right, aren’t you?” Karen grinned.
“Yeah…” Sharon shook her head. “It’s not like my mother is fat, by any stretch. But she is comfortably rounded and I don’t doubt I’m going to end up the same. It’s everything about being famous that I don’t want to deal with.”
Karen laughed. “Who says you’re famous?”
“I only work for the President of the United States, and an insanely gorgeous single man, at that.” Sharon bit her lip, suddenly realizing she’d said more than she should have. “You’ve already been linked to him. It’s only a matter of time before someone picks on me.”
Karen shrugged. “It may be. But, come on. You’re a big girl. There’s no reason why you can’t handle it.”
Sharon shuddered. Karen was right. There was no reason why she shouldn’t be able to handle it. Yes, it had been awful when the video she’d made for her brother had been released. But she was fifteen at the time. She had to believe that she’d grown up and developed some confidence since then. Besides, there were also Mark’s frequent reminders to take criticism for what it was, merely an opinion usually expressed by someone with no clue who he – or she – was.
Sharon glanced again at Karen, who had endured plenty of bad press the summer before during the custody battle for her two daughters. Bad press, as Mark also frequently pointed out, was inevitable. But he’d promised to be there for her, and she trusted that.
Mark sat in the Oval Office, finishing his lunch and emailing Lady Beverly his apologies for the social media blitz. And worrying about Sharon. He’d noticed the pained look on her face as Karen Tanaka had gone over all the memes and posts.
All the reasons Sharon did not want to be famous. And yet, if they were going to stay together, her fame was inevitable.
Which Mark pointed out later that afternoon, as she briefed him for that evening’s dinner with the Chinese foreign minister.
“We’ve had this discussion,” Sharon grumbled. But then she took a deep breath. “And I certainly knew what I was getting into when I took this job, let alone got together with you. But what’s the alternative? Not being with you? That sucks worse than anything.”
She glared at her laptop from the couch in the Oval Office. Mark sat next to her, his arm around her shoulders.
“I just hate that I’ve put you in the position of having to make that choice.” Mark tried to hold in his sigh and failed.
“Oh, right.” She smiled. “Like you knew I was going to come into your life and be ruined when you ran for president.”
Mark chuckled. “Maybe not.”
“Look, I’m following my pattern. Falling for a high-powered famous guy. Even without you, I’d probably have ended up as someone’s famous wife.” She paused and swallowed. “Or partner.”
“Yeah.” Mark’s gut did a loop the loop. “Let’s leave it at partner.”
“I know you don’t want me to promise that I can handle it,” Sharon said. “But as Karen pointed out at lunch today, there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to. I’m a lot older and more confident than when I was a kid. And I’ll have you.”
“Yes, you will.” Mark squeezed her again.
“So, I may as well start getting used to being in the public eye.” Sharon shrugged. “In the meantime, Katie is going to translate for you tonight. Her Mandarin is better than mine.”
Katie Minor was Sharon’s Asia expert, and spoke not only Mandarin, but two other Chinese languages, Japanese and Hindu.
“I’m sure it is,” Mark answered with a touch of skepticism.
“It is.” Sharon let out her breath. “Okay. Maybe I’m also trying to delay the inevitable.”
“You know what?” Mark shuddered as well. “I think I’m good with that.” He paused. “Are you sure you want to go public?”
“No. But what else are we going to do?”
“True.” Mark breathed in, then squeezed her shoulders again. “Alright. It’s going to be tricky, but I’ll find a consultant. We’ve got to get the right one.”
Sharon rolled her eyes. “Good lord.”
“Honey, it’s necessary. This kind of attention is not easy to deal with. I had a miserable time, and not only was I was asking for it, I had the best image and media consultants working with me.”
“I understand that. I remember what a hard time you had last year. And you’re right.” She shut her eyes for a moment. “But a consultant. It just seems so… I don’t know, manipulative or something. No giggling with a girlfriend over the awesome guy I’m in love with. Just a press conference.”
Mark couldn’t help chuckling. “You’ll get your chance to giggle with your girlfriends. Not that I see you as much of the giggling type.”
“I have my moments.” Sharon made a face, then held up her hands. “I still say you’re right about that consultant. After what Karen went through last summer.”
“Wait a minute.” Mark grinned. “I’ve got it. I know how to get you groomed without letting on why. We’ll have a media strategy and image class for all the women in the White House, and the official dates as well. Hell, the way Beverly’s gotten hit, we should.”
“Hm.” Sharon’s brow creased slightly as she thought it over. “So, we get to keep some semblance of control over the story. But if it breaks before we want it to, we’re ready to deal with it.”
“Exactly.” Mark grinned. “And we’ll get to test the consultant, too. See how discreet they are. So assuming best case scenario and we get to make the announcement on our terms, we’ll have someone we can work with to craft the message.”
Sharon rolled her eyes again. “I know. It’s necessary. Still. Crafting the message? I’ll get used to it. But it’s a little hard to think of talking about my personal life in that way.”
“It’s pretty counter-intuitive, but it’s really about keeping our personal lives personal.” Mark pressed his lips to the side of her head. “This way, we control what we want to share with the public and what we want to keep special between us.”
“Oh. That makes sense.” Sharon took a deep breath, then shut her eyes. “I’ll get used to this.”
Mark pulled her even closer. “You will. It won’t be easy. But we’ll find a way.”
Later that late afternoon, Sharon got ready for the dinner with the Chinese foreign minister with a great deal of relief. She would be there, but not in any official capacity. Katie Minor, her Asian expert, was the one sitting in the salon chair trying to get just a little bit more work in while someone did her makeup and hair.
But as Katie and Sharon met outside the Blue Room before Mr. Wen Ma arrived, Katie giggled.
“I don’t know why you complain about getting all glammed up,” Katie whispered to Sharon. “I sent Tyler photos. He loved them.”
Tyler was Katie’s husband and why she didn’t travel with the president as often as Sharon did. Katie was Chinese, raised in the U.S., then had gone to university in Beijing.
Katie’s black hair hung in soft curls around her round face. Her heels gave another inch or so to her short stature, and the beaded blue gown enhanced her curves.
“Well, you look great,” Sharon said.
She looked up to see Mark walking toward them, dressed in white tie and tails, as befitted the occasion. Sharon couldn’t help the way her heart fluttered when she saw him. She checked her phone to see who had pinged her, grateful for the chance to hide the slight flush on her face.
“Sir, Katie?” Sharon looked up. “You should head for the Entrance Hall. The front gate just texted that Mr. Wen Ma’s car is pulling up. I’ll make sure everything’s ready here.”
The introductions and the photo op took several minutes. Sharon was glad not to be there for a change. As the guests filtered into the Blue Room, Sharon saw Mark accept a glass of pink bubbly. She was pretty sure it was a California label, but couldn’t remember which one. The party eventually moved to the State Dining Room, Sharon took her seat with some of the minister’s staff, with Mark two tables over and in her direct line of sight.
Later, as the Chinese party and the rest of the guests left, Sharon slid away and upstairs to the private residence. It took Mark a good hour to arrive in the president’s bedroom, but Sharon didn’t mind the wait. She did mind that he looked exhausted and said as much.
“I am.” Mark pulled off his white bow tie and slid out of the tail coat. “You looked like you were having fun.”
“I wouldn’t know about fun.” Sharon watched with a fond smile as Mark laid his tie, tail coat and other clothes on a nearby chair. “But it was a lot less stressful than normal.”
“That’s good.” Mark sank onto the side of the bed. “And I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get any feedback on the evening, won’t I?”
Sharon sat down next to him. “And since when is foreign policy considered pillow talk?”
“It isn’t.” Mark pulled her close to him. “But it is nice getting the jump on these things before we get involved in more, shall we say, interesting activities?”
“It’s way too early for Katie to send me a report.” Sharon, nonetheless, licked his ear. “But I’ll get it first thing in the morning and I’ll email you with the information.”
“Or I can get a briefing.” Mark chuckled suggestively.
“We’re not doing it in the offices. Remember?”
Mark’s sigh was overly pained. “I do, indeed. And you’re right. It is too distracting. But, damn, I wish we were.”
“Oh, come on. We’ve got the President’s Bedroom. That’s plenty good for me.”
Mark laughed.
The next day, Sharon got the report that Katie’s performance had been spectacularly successful with the Chinese. But then, Karen Tanaka, the popular culture expert, showed up in Sharon’s office with the bad news.
“Oh, for crying out loud!” Sharon groaned loudly. “Katie’s Mandarin is better than mine. That’s why she translated last night.”
“Are you sure you weren’t trying to dispel some of the rumors about you and Jugs?” Karen asked, using the more familiar nickname for the president.
Sharon winced. “Okay. Maybe there was a little of that. But Katie’s Mandarin really is better than mine. And the reports from the Chinese say that she rocked it.”
“I’ll tell Jean to go with that.”
Jean was Jean Bouyer, the president’s press secretary. Jean went with Sharon’s description of the event. Still, the social media rumors continued that Sharon had sat out for other reasons than an aide with better skills than her.
Two days after the dinner with the Chinese foreign minister, June flew to Washington, DC, from New York, where she’d been focusing on her successful clothing design business. And trying to be kind and compassionate with her friend Douglas Lee, a highly in-demand hair stylist. Her former friend, she decided as the plane touched down at Ronald Reagan National Airport. That much she was sure of.
Both Sharon and Karen were at the baggage claim late that afternoon when June rolled through. June smiled, trying to keep the tears from running down her face. It meant so much that both Sharon and Karen had taken time from their packed schedules to be there for her.
There was a Secret Service limo parked just outside and after solid hugs, Sharon and Karen led June to the car.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Karen said, as they settled on either side of June in the back seat.
June sniffled and grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “Remember last fall when I thought Douglas Lee had something to tell me? I thought we were going to ramp up our relationship.”
“Only he wanted to find himself,” Sharon grumbled.
June nodded. “He wanted to travel around, see the world.”
“And didn’t want you waiting for him,” Karen added.
She glanced over at Sharon on June’s other side and saw Sharon’s face twitch.
“Well, Doug’s brother called me this morning.” The tears rolled down June’s cheek. “He’s been in his apartment in New York this whole time. His brother asked me to go over there since no one can get Douglas to leave the apartment.”
Karen groaned. “So, no world travel.”
“No!” June sobbed. “He told me today that he was just too chicken to have a relationship with me. He was hoping that I’d forget him and move on.” She gasped. “I tried to be sympathetic. He really is messed up and it’s not fair to jump down his throat because he’s a mess.”
“I’d say it’s fair,” Sharon said. “What is wrong with him?”
“Besides the OCD? I don’t know.” June wiped her nose. “It’s not as though he has a lot of healthy people in his life. I’m just feeling so lost right now.” She took another deep breath. “And the weird thing, even though it still hurts like crazy that he’s been lying to me all these months, I’m almost relieved.”
Karen patted her hand. “Then I guess it’s time to embrace the single life.”
“Easy for you to say,” June said. “You’ve got a boyfriend.”
“Not as of this weekend.” Karen shrugged.
“What?” Sharon gasped. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Karen looked out the limo windows at the streets flying by.
“I don’t know,” she said finally. “It wasn’t that big a deal. Hideo was great during the custody hearing, and we were getting really close. But then he got busy with his work, and I was busy. And we both realized that while we liked each other, we didn’t want to be partners. Then he got a new job in Chicago and I’m staying here.” Karen made a face. “The girls are okay with it. And I’m going to embrace being single. I think I’m happier that way. But the only way to find out is to be single for a while. I’ve always managed to have a boyfriend since I left George. I need some time without one.”
“I’ve never had a boyfriend,” June said. “I’d like to try it before assuming I’ll be happier without one.”
“Well, of course,” Sharon said. “But the best time to find a boyfriend is when you don’t want one.”
“True.” June blinked, then wiped her nose again. “And you know what? I don’t really want a man in my life. That may be why I was so willing to put up with Douglas’ nonsense. But I do want a family. You know, kids.”
“You don’t need a partner for that,” Karen said. “Yeah, it’s supposed to be easier with one, but even with Hideo around, it wasn’t that big a help. Another reason I’m not that upset about him being gone.”
June thought it over. “I don’t know.”
“You might want to check out fostering a child,” Sharon said. “You know better than most what that commitment means.”
“In the meantime, we enjoy being single,” said Karen. “In fact, why don’t we go out tonight? Just the three of us.”
Sharon bit her lip. “I suppose.”
Mark was supposed to go over to Sharon’s townhouse in Georgetown to make dinner with her. Sharon looked over at June, then smiled. June’s need was greater at the moment.
Across town, Paul Marley swiped his phone off after getting his mother’s voice mail yet again.
“It’s just weird,” he told Matt Jerguessen over the video chat link.
Matt was in his dorm room at the all-boys St. Ignatius Prepatory School. Paul sat in the living room of the apartment he shared with his mother, Senator Janet Marley.
“I know.” Matt shrugged. “Uncle Mark said he’d call me when he could. But he hasn’t yet.”
Paul frowned. “That’s, like, the third night this week that you couldn’t get a hold of him while Mom’s been gone.”
“Well, Uncle Mark had that big dinner last night.”
“Yeah. And Mom was there. She got home really late, too.”
Matt made a face. “I know Uncle Mark likes her as a friend, which is kind of weird.” Mark and Janet were on opposing sides of the political spectrum. “But you know what’s really weird? I’ve got a feeling that Uncle Mark has a girlfriend.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know.” Matt looked away from the screen. “He just seems happy. What are the odds he and your mom are seeing each other?”
Paul felt his stomach flip flop. “I don’t know. I’ve been wondering if they are. You think you could ask him?”
“Why can’t you ask your mom?”
Paul rolled his eyes. “She won’t say anything. She keeps pretending for the public that she and Dad are still married, and they’ve been divorced since Mom got her Senate seat. Besides, she doesn’t want to upset me by having a boyfriend. Only I know she’s had one or two.”
“Well, Uncle Mark won’t say anything.” Matt winced. “I don’t know why. I figure he’s got a good reason, given how messed up my family is.” Matt looked away again. “DeDhawn and Tony are coming in.”
“We’ll talk about this later.” Paul stayed on the chat just long enough to say hi to Matt’s roommates.
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