Dissident Read Online Free Page B

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    Caroline turned down the covers as Marguerite and Sophie snuggled into bed. She crawled onto the mattress and shifted in between them, kissing their foreheads in turn.
    “Have you had a good week?” she asked.
    “It’s been okay,” said Marguerite.
    “I ate lots of candy,” said Sophie.
    Sophie was known to shovel food into her face like a champ, a gift she inherited from her mother. And Caroline had indeed done nothing but eat cookies and sweets herself for the past week.
    “Maybe we’ll stay here tomorrow too,” Caroline said. “Then Chrissy and Tom and the girls can follow us back home before the swearing-in.”
    Her children were quiet. She knew what they were thinking. They’d had a nice respite but they’d soon return to the emptiness of their normal lives. Even having Christine with them most of the time hadn’t managed to fill the gap.
    “It’ll be good to have a new year. Right, mom?” Marguerite asked.
    Caroline slid down to lay next to her daughters and hold their hands. “Yeah.”
    “Maybe we should make a wish,” Sophie said.
    “Good idea, Feef,” Caroline said. “What should we wish for?”
    “I want a pony!” she exclaimed.
    “Darling, we’ve talked about that. The backyard’s not big enough. Plus, you don’t get a pony before I do.”
    Sophie looked disappointed but not discouraged. “How about a puppy instead?” she asked.
    “That I’ll consider. We’ll see how the rest of the winter goes. What about you, Mo?”
    Marguerite rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. “I think we should all try to be happy.”
    Caroline squeezed Marguerite’s hand tighter as she fought back tears. “I think that’s a great idea,” she whispered.
    Marguerite propped herself up on one elbow. “Especially you, mom.”
    Caroline caressed her daughter’s cheek. “I’ll try, Mo Mo. I promise.”
    Her eldest daughter leaned in for a hug. “We should all try to be more positive too.”
    Caroline kissed her forehead. “Let’s do that then. No more negativity and maybe a dog. That’ll work. Come here, Feef.”
    Sophie cuddled into Caroline’s other side and they all held on to each other for what seemed like a very long time. Soon Sophie was asleep and Marguerite wasn’t far behind. Caroline removed her arms from around their shoulders and crept out of the room as quietly as she could. She rested her head on the doorjamb, watching her daughters sleep peacefully.
    “I’ll try, my angels,” she whispered. “I will.”
    *              *              *              *              *
    Caroline walked down the hall to the study, which was empty. It was one of her favorite rooms in the Sullivan home. Built-in bookshelves, tons of political nonfiction and history, Tom’s memorabilia from his days at Notre Dame…she loved it. Best of all, it had a fireplace (on the second floor no less) which Caroline considered to be the epitome of hoity-toity. Chrissy and Tom definitely knew how to live a sweet upper class life. She poked the embers and added another log to keep the smoldering fire going, then sat down on the couch facing the fireplace.
    She scrolled through her phone, responding to a few texts from Kathleen and Jen. She took a moment longer to send a message to Ellen Goldman, the junior Senator from California, who was another close friend. They’d been texting back and forth over the holiday recess and Ellen had worked in a couple of jabs about how warm it had been in L.A. over Christmas. Caroline had to find a way to get even after the new session of Congress started. She was contemplating fiddling with the thermostat in Ellen’s office, maybe building a snowman on her desk, but she wasn’t sure she could count on Ellen’s aides to keep quiet. She’d definitely think of something.
    She checked the time. It was almost the end of the year. Caroline had no need to be with the other revelers at midnight.