Madam President by Nicolle Wallace Read Free Book Online Page B

sure he’ll call you back,” Peter assured her.
    Charlotte nodded and lifted the speech closer to her face.
    “Did Brooke and Mark schedule their visit for this week in hopes of landing cameos in your ‘Day in the Life’?” Peter asked.
    At this, Charlotte laughed. She’d sent Brooke and Mark off to the Kennedy Center to see a Sondheim play so they wouldn’t bother her. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”
    “Thank you for sparing me from participating in your big production.”
    “You have Dale to thank for that. I didn’t even see a request for any filming of us together.”
    Peter raised an eyebrow and smiled at his wife of twenty years. “That was nice of her.”
    “I suppose.”
    “What else does a day in the life of the most powerful woman in the world entail?”
    “You mean my made-for-television day?”
    “Yes, your perfectly presidential made-for-television day.”
    “There’s this speech, which I’ll deliver at the Women’s Museum.”
    “That’s what the protest is about out front?”
    “Yes.” Charlotte sighed. “Warren warned me that it will cost me any remnant of support I had with the base, but I can’t expect Maureen to go along with my agenda without doing these sorts of things.”
    “Look on the bright side, Char. You might even turn your daughter into a supporter. You know, she wanted to march on the mall with NARAL last year on the anniversary of Roe . I convinced her that she’d hurt her cause by overshadowing the march with coverage of her participation.”
    “You never told me that.”
    “It was the middle of the Tara fiasco, and you had your hands full.”
    “I still want to feel like a part of this family.”
    Peter nodded and looked down at his papers.
    Over the years, Charlotte had ceded much of the parenting to Peter. She hadn’t had a choice. Her career path hadn’t left her much flexibility, but that didn’t make it any easier when she thought about everything she’d missed. There would never be another chance to be there for soccer games and field hockey matches, the colds and flus, the breakups and dates, or the family dinners and family vacations that she’d either skipped or ruined by being on the phone the entire time. She didn’t care what anyone said. Working and being a good mother were mutually exclusive in certain lines of work. Being president was one of them.
    Peter had taken it upon himself to be twice the father most men were, and the kids rewarded him with affection and loyalty. She knew the twins had always felt loved, but that didn’t make it any less painful when she felt the distance between herself and their children, especially Penelope.
    “Honey, please call Penny and tell her not to post anything outrageous on her Facebook page tomorrow.”
    “She wouldn’t do that,” he promised.
    “Have you seen her Facebook page lately?”
    “Not lately, but I happen to know that you aren’t one of her Facebook friends, so how would you know what was on it?”
    “I get a printout once a week. Are you one of her Facebook friends?”
    “Of course. She’d be thrilled to know that you’re spying on her. Maybe that’s part of the problem.”
    Charlotte wanted to protest that there wasn’t a problem with her relationship with her daughter, but she knew he was right. She decided to do what she always did. “If she ends up in the news tomorrow, I’m going to hold you responsible.”
    Peter was so accustomed to Charlotte’s defense mechanisms that he didn’t even look up. “I know.”
    Charlotte sighed loudly. Only Cammie looked at her with concern. “This dog loves me more than my children do,” she added.
    “The dogs love you a lot,” Peter agreed.
    “The last point on the Facebook page, Peter, seriously, and I know you agree with this. If she thinks she’ll make me squirm, she’ll post something provocative tomorrow, just to show me that she isn’t under my thumb, and it might be a good strategy for you to gently suggest