Dad nudged me after Della had left the room. “Seriously, how’s the planning going? I’m sure you’re glad that Della will be here now to take over the reins.”
“The planning’s going very well, actually, and I’m still going to be involved in it even with Della here,” I said, keeping my tone light but firm. “I’ve already nailed down a menu and put in an order for tables and chairs and something called ‘chair covers’. Laura insisted that they’re very important….”
I trailed off as I saw that faraway look in his eyes that told me that Dad wasn’t listening to me. He nodded absently, then said, “Everything has to go off perfectly. Della’s father and his compatriots will be there, and we can’t afford to screw anything up. Remember! Nothing’s ever just a party or a time to relax in politics. Everything is an opportunity, both to win and to fail.”
Yeah, I was aware. Dad had been lecturing me on that ever since I was old enough to understand him. “I know, Dad. I know what’s required.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “Excellent. You know, I spent a little time talking to the strategist about your future campaign. Our district is ripe for flipping, everyone agrees, we just have to come up with the right messaging.”
Oh God. I could feel my stomach churning. The last thing I wanted to discuss was politics or my career in it. “I’d be happy to discuss this later, but right now, my head is filled with table runners and color schemes and I’d prefer to let Della know about my choices before I forget it all.”
Laura knew all my choices, of course. She’d written everything down dutifully in the little notebook that she carried with her. But Dad didn’t know that, and it was a chance for me to escape.
I found Della out on the docks, dangling her feet in the water.
The last time I’d been with a woman on these docks, it had been with Laura, and I’d been in love with her. But I couldn’t keep her, couldn’t have her, no matter how much I wanted her. Now, I stood here with a woman that I didn’t love, and who I was going to have for the rest of my life, whether I liked it or not.
“Are you cold?” I asked.
Della shook her head. She’d undoubtedly heard me walking up to her, but didn’t turn her head toward me. She just kept staring out over the water. It reminded me of Laura, from earlier in the evening, staring through the windshield and not looking at me. I would’ve given anything for Laura to look at me, but then, Laura looking at me was how I’d ended up kissing her, and we couldn’t repeat that.
“You sure?” I asked.
Della nodded. “I grew up spending time here too, remember? I’m used to i
t. Dad’s place is just over that way.” She nodded in the direction of her father’s lake house.
“Ah. Right.”
I rolled up my pant legs and sat down next to her, dangling my feet in the water. The chill of the water was nice this time of year, with the summer starting to get hotter around us.
“How do you feel about all of this?” I asked.
Della shrugged. “Back in D.C., it was just an idea. Now that I’m here, in the place where we’re going to say ‘I do’, it feels much more real.”
Her voice was measured and soft, as it always was. I could never be entirely sure of what Della was thinking, compared with Laura, whose every emotion I knew—or I once had.
“I understand,” I told her. “And you know that you don’t have to do this.”
Della finally looked at me. “You don’t have to, either.”
She looked like a painting, with her ice blonde hair and pale blue eyes. I felt like I wasn’t looking at a person but an oracle.
“I know what I have to lose,” I pointed out. “And I know who I’ll disappoint, if I don’t marry you. If it wasn’t you, it would be someone else with a powerful father and a good pedigree. But I have to admit…I don’t understand your motivations.”
Della sighed and looked back out over the lake. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of politics, and your father’s ambitious plans for your trajectory could land you in the White House someday.”
I shook my head. “I know that’s what my father wants, he’s made that very clear. He feels it’s too late for him, that he didn’t do things right, and so I think he’s trying to live out that dream through me instead. But I’m not sure I’m cut out for that.”
“I think you are,” Della replied. “And even if you’re not sure, I know I’m cut out for it. I could help you.” She paused. “I want to make a difference and being First Lady makes a hell of a difference.”
This was the first time I’d heard Della swear. I grinned at her, then realized what she was saying. “What about love? You marry me, sure, you might use me to get the career you want and the position of power you want, but what does that mean? Sharing your life with someone you only see as an ally? Or a friend?”
Della shrugged. “I never thought I’d end up in love anyway. I know what I am. I’m rich, I’m the daughter of a powerful man, I’m conventionally pretty. I could never truly know if the person loved me for myself or for my looks and what my father and my money could do for him. I’m willing to give up on love because though it would be nice, we all want someone to tell us that we’re the most important person in their lives, don’t we? But—to me—public service is more important than romance. If I have to give up one of them, I’ll give up falling in love because that was always going to be difficult for me anyway.”
“I admire your selflessness,” I told her honestly. “Even if it…makes me a little sad. But if we have to go through with this, I’m glad I’m doing it with someone like you, Della.”
“Thank you.” Della smiled at me. “I do consider you a friend, Cade.”