Do You Want to Know a Secret? by Mary Jane Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

animated face which the high school and college cheerleading squads had recruited. A face that had been selected as college homecoming queen. That face had worked in attracting the promising Haines Malcolm Wingard Jr. And, according to Nate Heller, that face was still working for her, this time in attracting the American voting public.
    Tonight, the eyes were very sad.
    The brass clock on the fireplace mantel read 9:15. The special would be on at 11:30. Joy undressed and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower full blast. She stood there and let the hot water rush over her. It always made her feel better.
    How am I going to get through this?
    She dried herself, carefully patting a spot on her upper thigh where she had recently had a mole removed. She wrapped herself in a silk robe and twisted a monogrammed towel around her hair. Another look in the mirror and she applied a creamy moisturizer to her face. Only 9:40.
    Joy pulled back the heavy coverlet on the king-size bed and climbed in. Two thick folders were on the bedside table. The first was labeled CRIME. Ugh, she thought. Although an extremely important subject, influencing in one way or another almost every man, woman and child in the United States, crime and violence in America was debated ad nauseam and Joy was not in the mood to grapple with it tonight.
    The other folder was marked AIDS. Nate Heller had come up with a plan which Win was going to announce in New York during the primary campaign there. Something called the AIDS Parade for Dollars . Joy scanned the papers.
    Not tonight, I can’t deal with this tonight, she thought. Instead, she got out of bed and went over to her closet, which was the size of a small bedroom. Inside, grouped according to color, were dozens of blouses, skirts and slacks. There was a separate rack of suits, beginning with a white wool Valentino and, traveling through the color spectrum, a camel-colored Calvin Klein, a yellow Sarah Phillips, a red Bill Blass, all the way to several black Donna Karans. Joy had been sticking to the American designers lately, not choosing to wear any of the foreign ones at campaign appearances.
    Daytime dresses were another sizable grouping. A collection of short and long evening frocks had a wall to themselves.
    If we don’t win, I can always open a clothing consignment shop, Joy thought, shaking her head. She loved beautiful, well-made clothing. It provided her with confidence derived from the knowledge that she was cared for. Yet tonight, as she looked at the rows of neatly arranged leather shoes and tried to decide what she would pack for the trip next week, Joy couldn’t concentrate. None of it seemed to matter.
    Bill Kendall. That last time she had seen him was three months ago. Win had just finished out front in the New Hampshire primary. The press coverage intensified unbelievably when Wingard distinguished himself from the rest of the pack. It was then that Joy had realized that Win had a very good chance of becoming the next president of the United States.
    The morning after the primary, Win was interviewed by each of the network morning programs. The KEY location had been in front of a covered bridge. She remembered Win complaining before the interview about being outside. It was freezing. Nate Heller reminded Win of the importance of KEY coverage. “Just be glad you’re the guy they want to talk to out in the snow this morning,” Nate had remarked.
    Eliza Blake had conducted the interview for KEY to America . Bill Kendall arrived at the bridge location while Win was on the air.
    Joy remembered Bill coming up behind her and saying softly, “Looks like you’re in the big leagues now.”
    “Looks like it, doesn’t it?”
    “How does it feel?”
    “It changes some things. And other things have to end.”
    Joy didn’t get a chance to say more. Win’s interview was over and he and Nate Heller were walking toward them. Bill had smiled and congratulated Win. There had been some small