become like him. Doesnât that seem likely? What do you guys think?â
âWeâd never let that happen,â Billie said. âWould we, Sherise?â
They both turned to Sherise, who wasnât paying either of them any attention. She was looking at the television screen, which was showing the U.S. Senate voting on President Matthewsâs nomination to replace the vice president. It was House Majority Leader Leonard McGarry. The House had already voted, by majority, to elect him vice president. With this vote in the Senate, it would be a done deal. The country would have a new vice president.
âSherise!â Billie yelled at her.
She swung around. âWhat? What did I miss?â
âErica needs our advice,â she urged.
âNever mind,â Erica said. âShe hates Jonah more than anyone. She canât be objective.â
Sheriseâs expression went grim. âFuck Jonah Nolan. Fuck everything about him.â
She saw Ericaâs mouth open and pointed directly at her. âSay one word!â
Erica quickly shut her mouth, but she let a smile escape as she looked at Billie, who just shook her head.
âYouâre both ridiculous,â Billie said.
âI donât like this choice,â Sherise said. âMcGarry.â
âHeâs harmless,â Billie said.
âHe has no interest in national politics,â Sherise indicated. âHeâs only serving for the rest of this term. Heâs not going to be on the ticket for the second term and itâs an election year. We need to know who weâre fighting.â
âYouâre not fighting anyone right now,â Billie said. âWeâre united under our president right now.â
âYes, but itâs all a waiting game.â Sheriseâs tone expressed extreme agitation as she glanced down at the phone in her hand. âI hate waiting. Itâs a position lacking power.â
It was someone elseâs job to find out who the most likely candidates would be, people with stronger connections than her own. She scrolled her e-mails and saw no new updates. She needed to call and check in.
âI have to make a call,â Sherise said as she slid back her chair. âItâs too noisy in here.â
As she stood up, Sherise felt a sudden rush to her head and the room started to spin. She grabbed the edge of the table as she felt the phone drop out of her hand. She heard one of the girlsâshe couldnât tell whichâsay her name before everything went black.
3
âJ ustin!â Billie yelled his name the second she saw him enter the hallway at George Washington University Hospital. When she got his attention, she waved him over.
Justin rushed over to her like lightning. She could see the look of pure anguish on his face as he reached her.
âWhere is she?â he demanded. âWhere is she?â
âCalm down.â Billie placed her hand on his arm to try and calm him, but he jerked away.
Things were weird concerning Justin and the girls. From his end, he knew they learned about Sheriseâs affair with Ryan and the possibility that Cady might not be his daughter before he did. He knew that they would have never told him, as long as Sherise asked them not to.
From their end, both girls still knew about Sheriseâs affair with Jonah. They knew they could never tell Justin, although there was a part of them that believed he deserved to know. It all made for awkward interactions; but right now, all anyone was thinking about was Sherise.
âWhere is she?â he repeated.
Billie pointed to the room just a few feet away, where Erica was standing, trying to see through the small window in the door.
Erica jumped aside just in time as he reached the door and swung it open. She snuck a quick peek and noticed Sherise was awake and sitting up in the hospital bed with the doctor standing beside her. That was a good sign, wasnât it? When the