I make it home and run into the house yelling for anyone who is home.
“Lilah. What is wrong?” Catalina asks, grabbing my shoulders.
“Luna just called. She said we have to come home. Something about mom being sick and in the hospital. She was crying and… and…” I begin to cry, and Cat wraps her arms around me.
“It is going to be ok, Lilah. We are all going to go home and see what is going on. Mom is going to be fine.” I nod through the tears and try to calm myself.
Yes. The day started off excellently. But now….
Chapter One
LILAH
I Have been back home for three days and already I can feel myself slipping back into my comfortable place. Being in my childhood home is like a warm cup of milk on a cold day. The only drawback is being back in my old bedroom. Our townhouse in N.Y. is spacious and each of us has our own rooms. My twin and I opted to share, but then decided if we began dating it would be awkward.
Seeing my mom, the first day back was a shock. It was clear to all of us that this is not something that is sudden. She has visibly lost weight and I find myself worrying more than I am sure she would like. I stayed at the hospital the first three days, relishing spending time with her, listening to her laugh and cry as she reminisces about our childhood. My heart hurts for her when she begins talking about my dad and how much she loved him. It's clear she still does.
Now, here we are on day five of being home and I am sitting around the table waiting for my two older sisters to hand out the assignments. My mind drifts to Markis as I wonder what he is doing today. He texted me a couple of days ago to make sure I made it. He asked about my mom and reminded me I was his girl. I blushed even though he couldn’t see through the phone.
“Lilah are you listening?” Cat’s annoyed voice snaps me to attention.
“No. I mean yes. I’m sorry.” I say stammering with my head down.
“Your assignment will be Governor Blake Cochran.'' She hands me the paper with the pertinent information on it. I stare at it like she is handing me the plague. The governor? Is she crazy? “Lilah.” she says, shaking the paper in my face. I look up at her in disbelief.
“Me… no…why? Shouldn’t he go to one of you two. I mean me. I don’t… I can’t...”
“Lilah you are only cleaning his house.” Lily says in my ear. She squeezes my hand under the table, and I turn to look at her. I know she can read the worry in my eyes, and I don’t bother trying to hide it. “You can do this.” she says before turning to the table. “She can do this.” I smile a little, laughing at how much nothing has changed. Though I am the older twin by like three minutes, she has always been the stronger of the two of us, often championing me and pushing me to follow my potential. Squeezing her hand once more I take a deep breath.
“I can do this.”
“Excellent.” Margo says before moving on. Once the meeting has concluded I'm walking back into my room, I pull out my laptop and google him. It is not like I don’t know the same things everyone else does, but I am wondering about the stuff not said on the news. Sure, we know he is tough on crime, private and that he has built a relationship of trust amongst our state between citizens and police. We also know he is rough around the edges and was the youngest man ever elected to Governor, but no one knows anything about him.
The whole world knows his family is richer than a Pharaoh. He comes from a dynasty on both sides of his family, but you would never know it by looking at him. He doesn’t flaunt his wealth. “Hey. Are you good?” Lily asks, waking into the bedroom.
“Yea. I am ok. Just…nervous. I mean you know how I am.” I say shrugging my shoulders. I have long ago come to terms with my awkwardness.
“You will be fine, sissy. I got to go. Hooking up with some friends from high school.'' She walks out the bedroom. I wish I had friends I could go see but I was the one with no friends in high school. I was shy and a nerd and had social anxiety. What a combination. It is at a moment like this that I wish my mom was home.
I spend a few more hours completing the never ending unpacking process and doing some more research on Mr. Governor and now I am exhausted. My phone chimes just in time, same time every night from Markis.