Chapter 24

Henry

My morning workout is done, and now it’s time to settle into my presidential duties. I don’t have any meetings until later in the afternoon, but I do have a dozen briefs to read stacked on my desk.

With my coffee in hand, I waltz over to the Resolute desk and sit down in the plush leather chair. I lean back and let the strong smell of my coffee waft into my nose. It makes me smile; there’s just nothing quite like the small of fresh coffee in the morning.

Just as I lift the cup to my lips to take that first swill, the doors to the oval office swing open. Lawrence and Hope both enter with concerned looks upon their face.

“Well, I can tell today is going to start off just peachy, isn’t it?” I put my mug down and sit up in the chair.

“We have a problem with Beatrice,” Hope states.

“The press is all over her, and they are hungry,” Lawrence chimes in.

Well, fuck.

“Alright, well, we need to send someone over there. Get her out of there and bring her here. Press can’t touch her here.”

“Agreed. I’ll go get it set up,” Lawrence says before he leaves.

“I’m going to get started on press release. In the meantime, you should give her a call,” Hope says before she, too, leaves the office.

I lift the receiver from my phone and dial Beatrice’s number.

Halfway through the second ring, she answers.

“Henry?!”

I can hear the panic in her voice. She’s shaken—and still probably shaking.

Before I can answer, she starts speaking frantically. She’s talking so fast that it’s hard to keep track of what she’s saying. The only words I seem to catch are ‘trapped,’ ‘dog,’ and ‘cameras.’

“Bea, relax. You’re talking too fast. I can barely make out what you’re saying.”

“I can’t get out of my apartment, Henry!”

“Yes, I know. Hope just told me.”

“They know!”

“No, they don’t know anything. They just think that they do.”

There’s a pause, and I’m pretty sure I hear her take a drink of something on the other end.

“It’s all going to be okay, Bea. We’re here to help. Are you safe right now?”

There’s a pause and a sigh from her end before she answers.

“Yes.”

I release a breath in relief and nod, closing my eyes.

“Okay, good. Now, tell me what happened. Start from the beginning.”

I sit back down in my chair and listen as she recounts her morning, and the more she explains, the worse I feel.

Having her bombarded and trapped in her apartment by paparazzi is definitely not how I pictured our relationship starting, but it is what it is.

This is all my fault; I should have been more careful, more discreet. There’s nothing I can do about it now, though, except deal with it and make sure she’s alright. We’ve got the ball rolling on this, intentional or not, and now we’ve got to keep it under control.

“Alright, Bea, listen. I know this is all crazy and nerve-wracking, but I’m going to fix this. Everything is going to be fine, I promise.”

I hear her breath shudder, and she takes a deep breath, collecting herself.

“I know. Thank you. I’m just so...”

Her voice trails off, and I take the moment remind her that she’s not alone in this.

“Look, we’ve got this, Bea. I give you my word that it’ll all be fine before the morning is through.”

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Stay so calm in moments like this?”

Despite the situation, I can’t help letting out a small chuckle. “Well, you don’t get to be president without some nerves of steel. Or least a decent poker face.”

“Thank you, Henry.” I can hear the smile on her face as she speaks.

“In the meantime, stay right there in your apartment. I’m going to send a car to come get you. I’ll need you to pack a bag.”

She’s silent for a moment, and I start to think I’ve lost her.

“Bea, you there?”

“Yes, sorry, I’m here. Pack a bag. Okay, got it. But what about Duke?”

“Don’t worry about Duke. We’ll have him brought along shortly. First things first, though, okay?”

“Okay.”

I can tell she’s not happy about that part, but priorities are priorities.

“Do you have anyone who can look after him? Just to be safe?”

“Yes, I do. I’ll call her and have her come by.”

“Good. I know how important Duke is to you, so don’t worry. We’ll have him covered and along in no time.”

“We better. He’s the most important man in my life, you know.”

I smirk and lean back in my chair, happy to hear that her tone has lightened up a bit and she isn’t as frantic.

“Really? More important than even me? The president? I’ll have to change that.”

“You’ve got your work cut out for you with that one.”

I laugh, and she does, too, and we both take a moment to breathe, just enjoying the quiet sounds of each other breathing.

She breaks the silence first, her voice tentative and soft. “Are you going to be with the car that comes to get me?”

“No, I have to stay here and make some arrangements and get a few things ready. I’d be there if I could.”

“Oh, I know, I understand. Just asking.”

She sighs, and I can hear her rummaging around in the background, probably packing her bag.

“I’m sorry about this, Bea. We talked about taking things slow, and then the paparazzi show up at your door and barricade you in your apartment.”

“It’s okay. We both should have seen this coming. At least now we don’t have to go sneaking about.”

That’s Beatrice, always finding the silver lining.

I laugh softly and smile into the phone. “You’re right, that’s true. Now go get packed, and I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

I hang up the phone just as Lawrence and Hope return to the Oval office.

“So, I’ve gotten a permanent security detail set up for Beatrice. They’re already on their way over to her place now,” Lawrence says in anticipation of my question.

“Who’s in charge of it?”

“Scott Grimes.”

I nod approvingly. Scott would’ve been my choice to head her detail as well.

“I’ve also got a couple of different statements prepped for the press as well.”

I turn to Hope with a raised eyebrow. “Already?”

Her lips turn upward into a quirky smirk. “Yup.”

“You really are the best in there is, Hope.”

“Oh, I know. And I know you two would both be lost without me.”

Lawrence and I share a look and a chuckle.

“Once Bea gets here, we can discuss our game plan in more detail. I know she’ll want in on whatever we decide to go with,” Hope adds.

“Agreed. Let’s get to work, people.”