have any excuse to escape from Tina, I headed for the study, knocking on the door before opening it. “Dad?” I called as I stepped inside.
“Tatum, honey, I’m so glad you’re here.” Dad folded me into a big hug and stepped back to look at me. “You look wonderful. Did you do something different?”
“Just an overdue haircut, Dad. It’s good to see you, too.”
“Tatum, this is Stanford Boyle, my new right-hand man. I can’t tell you what a godsend he’s been.”
I reached out to shake Stanford’s hand and size him up. He was a little taller than I was, but definitely shorter than Reed. His sandy blond hair was cut short, and he reminded me a lot of my first serious boyfriend, Thompson, all moneyed good looks and casual charm that takes everyone for granted. His conservative suit was a clone of my father’s right down to the American flag pin on his lapel, and there was something about him that reminded me of an eager, excited puppy.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tatum,” he said, holding my hand a little longer than was necessary. “Donald has told me a lot about you, and he sure is proud of his baby girl. You’ve recently started with one of the law firms in town, right?”
“I did. It’s exciting and challenging work. Exactly what I needed.”
Dad sat on one of the leather couches. “Have a seat, Tatum. Stanford was just telling me about some of the big hitters we’re hoping to get donations from tonight.”
“You don’t mind if we talk shop for a minute, Tatum? I wouldn’t want to bore you.” Stanford’s expression was all earnest intensity and sucking up.
“No, it’s fine.” I certainly didn’t want to head back out and take the chance of being cornered by Tina.
Stanford opened a manila folder. “So Judge Callaway is not a fan of the current mayor. He’s said repeatedly that the man’s an idiot and needs to be replaced. Donald, tonight is the night to convince him you’re the man to do it.”
“A judge’s salary doesn’t get us very far,” Dad said, shaking his head. “I’m trailing Bowers by millions in fundraising.”
“Don’t worry. My extensive research has showed it always takes a while to build up the war chest when you’re fighting an incumbent. We’re exactly on track according to my projections. This evening’s going to make a big splash, and once people see dollars flowing your way, you’ll see. Success breeds success, and I don’t ever lose.”
I looked over at my dad, curious about his response to such bold words.
“I’ve put a lot of faith in you, Stanford. I hope you’re right.”
“I am. That’s why you hired me. And as far as Callaway goes, it’s not his pittance of a salary that got him invited. It’s his wife’s trust fund. She’s worth more money than you and I will ever see. And he loves to spend it.”
“Now that’s what I like to hear. So I’ll make sure to spend some time with Callaway. Who else should be top priority?”
“Make sure you talk to Jessie Sanchez, too, but make sure her husband is with her. He’s notoriously jealous, and we’re playing up your newlywed status to pull in female votes. She’s been known to ever so subtly trash candidates she doesn’t like on the air, and that morning news slot is still a powerful tool. We want her on our side, more for publicity than for the money. She’ll also help with the ‘ethnic vote.’”
The air quotes seemed a little much to me, but my dad was nodding his agreement.
“Got it. Now is there anyone you want Tina to focus on? She’s great with people, and she ain’t exactly hard on the eyes.”
Stanford glanced my way, and I could sense that he felt uncomfortable. “I thought maybe we could have Tina and Tatum work together. Two gorgeous women can be a powerful thing, and I’m just concerned Tina will … um … slip up and fall back into her older speech patterns or make some sort of social error. While we want to play up her charitable work, we don’t