“I don’t think he’s that bad. He takes care of his friends.”
“And how many of those does he have? How many has he had longer than a year?”
I frowned, trying to think. “Camden.”
“Exactly.” Leslie leaned forward on her desk. “Anyone who can make Court think of someone other than himself, I think is a valuable person. It’s why I’ve continued to cultivate my relationship with the Percys. Even though…we’ve not always seen eye to eye, I know that Court sees something worthwhile in Camden.”
“Right,” I said, unsure of where this was leading.
“And after talking to Court this morning, it seems that he believes Sam Rutherford is another one of these people.”
My mouth popped open. “Oh.”
“From what I heard, Sam has had a positive influence on Court.”
“Yes. I mean, I think he has.”
“In fact,” she continued, “he insisted that I couldn’t fire him.”
“What?” I asked in surprise.
“He was quite adamant about it actually.”
“But…I thought you fired him because of how it would look to the campaign for him to be dating a superior. I mean, I just assumed that’s what it was because it would look bad, considering I was in a position of power.”
“I did,” she agreed. “I’m glad that you came to the same conclusion.”
“Then how…”
“I plan to hire him for the Kensington Corporation.” She smiled. “It was Court’s suggestion actually.”
“Oh my god,” I muttered.
“I don’t want to let anyone go who is clearly good for my team.”
“That would be…amazing.”
Leslie stood and smiled. “I’m glad you think so. He’s waiting outside right now. Could you do me a favor and pretend to be thoroughly chastised before sending him in?”
I laughed. “You’re bad.”
“Don’t make me lose the element of surprise.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do what I can.” I reached forward and offered her my hand. “And thank you.”
Leslie shook. “I meant what I said to Shawn. That you are irreplaceable. Let’s win this thing.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, beaming.
Then I turned back to the exit. I had to force the smile off of my face and slouch my shoulders. I didn’t want to oversell it.
I stepped out and found Sam sitting in the waiting area. He looked up when the door opened, and his eyes rounded.
“Lark?” he asked.
“Sam, I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“Yeah, I got a call this morning.” He glanced to Malcolm. “What were you called in for?”
I sighed. “Leslie wanted to talk about what happened.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know. She said to send you in.”
He blew out heavily. “Okay. I’ll just…I don’t know…can you wait for me?”
“Yeah. I’ll wait here.”
He kissed my forehead and then turned to enter the mayor’s office. As soon as he was gone, a smile lit up my face. I had to keep myself from laughing with joy. He was in for the unexpected.
Twenty minutes later, Sam burst out of the mayor’s office. He pointed his finger at me with a smile on his beautiful face. “You!”
I laughed and dashed to him. “You got the job!”
“You tricked me.”
“I did. It was Leslie’s idea.”
He shook his head and then scooped me up. He lifted me clear off of my feet and twirled me around in a tight circle. “I can’t believe this.”
“I couldn’t either.”
“You know…when you said we should use your connections to get me another job, I thought that you were being abstract.”
“I think we both have Court to thank for this. Not my connections. His.”
“Yeah. That seems fair. But damn…”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided me toward the exit. It was a beautiful summer day. The clouds had cleared, and the sun was shining.
“So, can I walk you back to work?”
I laughed and kissed him. “Definitely.”
“It’s going to be weird, not seeing you in the office every day.”
“A little,” I agreed. “I liked having you so close.”
“Me too. So that my boss could objectify me.”
I snorted. “Yeah. Sure. Okay.”
“But it’s better for the campaign to have this separation.”
“It is,” I told him. “And anyway, Kensington Corporation isn’t that far from the office. We could meet in the middle for burgers.”
“You’ve convinced me,” he said.
Then he pressed another kiss onto my lips.
One that meant forever.
39
Lark
The polls were closed.
Ballots were being counted.
We were just waiting on the final numbers.
Everyone stared up at the enormous screen that had been erected inside the grand ballroom of Percy Tower. Newscasters had the tallies up for recorded votes between Kensington and Reyes. It was closer than I’d thought it would be. Closer than any of us had thought it would. We still had so many precincts left to tally, and my nerves were frayed.
Sam put his hand on my shoulder. He had the same edge to him as we waited anxiously to find out whether this was a victory or concession party for the mayor. We’d done all we could for the campaign the last two weeks. We’d laid it all out on the table. If we didn’t win the primary, then it was all over. We wouldn’t even have the general election to see if we could defeat Quinn.
And then it was time.
I squeezed Sam’s hand as hard as I could as the screen put up one name—Kensington.
I screamed. But no one noticed. Everyone else was screaming too. Jumping up and down and throwing their arms around each other. Sam and I embraced as tears ran down my face. I’d barely slept in weeks. I had the beginning of a cold. But I was so happy that none of that even mattered.
“You did it,” Sam said, brushing my hair out of my face.
“We did it. We all did it.”
He smiled. “Don’t be modest. You’re the heart of this campaign.”
I laughed and hugged him again. “I love you.”
It was a few minutes before Leslie appeared. I knew she had been making a phone call to Reyes, thanking him for a good, respectable race. It was tradition and classy. But here she was in a sharp black suit. She stepped up to the microphone onstage before her Kensington for Mayor banners and the American flag.
“My fellow New Yorkers, it is with great honor that I accept the official nomination for mayor of New York City. You spoke out and said that we need four more years. Four more years to continue to make the changes we have seen all across this great city. The work is just beginning. And I want to be the one to see it through.”
I glowed as the mayor continued her prepared victory speech. It was eloquent and energizing. It made me want to get back out there tomorrow and get to work. Of course, I had a few days off and planned to spend them with Sam and his brother, Jake, who was flying in in the morning. He’d never even been to New York. So, I’d play tourist in my hometown. But I was excited to meet part of his family. He promised that, after the election, he’d take me to North Carolina for Thanksgiving, and I could meet everyone. I was looking forward to that too.