Page 5 of Primary Season
“Excuse me?” I cleared my throat. “I’m not following. Arrangement?”
Patrick propped his feet on the coffee table between us and sank further into the couch. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. We don’t have any chemistry beyond the surface. At least, notromanticchemistry. It’s for show. For the voters.”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t heard of this idea before. People in Washington did it all the time. Hell, that town turned out political marriages and relationships the same way Hollywood turned out aspiring actors. Still, I hadn’t considered this could be true about Patrick and Kathryn.
Interesting.
“Kathryn is good at it,” he said. “Convincing. And what I’m finding out is, I’m good at it, too.” He made a wild gesture. “And with this campaign, it’s—” He lifted a shoulder.
“What?”
“This is what we have to do to win.”
“Of course,” I said, finding a noncommittal response as I stood from the chair. “And on that note, I probably should head to bed. It’s late, and we have a full day ahead of us.”
I took a few steps toward the door, but when Patrick grabbed my arm, I stopped.
“I know you’re upset.” His eyes searched my face and I smelled a faint hint of his aftershave. “I get it—it’s strange. But don’t leave yet.”
“This is a lot to take in.” I thought of all the times I’d seen Kathryn and Patrick together in the last few weeks. If it was fake, they’d done a great job of convincing everyone it was real.
“Do you know who finances the majority of my super PAC?”
“Super PACs and campaigns don’t speak to each other.” I gave him a mock frown. “I don’t have any communication with anyone involved in any super PAC.”
Patrick laughed. “Of course you don’t. My good, honest, above-the-board director of communications would never do anything unethical. I still want you to answer the question.”
“Okay, let me take two guesses.” I tugged my arm free from his hold, walked back to the sofa, and sat down. “But I’m sure I only need one. Gordon Van der Loon is the main donor.”
“One of three.”
“And what? His daughter is some kind of bait?” I sank further into the cushions and laughed at the absurdity of that idea. “A bargaining chip?”
“Actually, yeah.”
I blanched. “Really?”
“Really. That’s the way something like this works. Kathryn has an agenda. She wants the…exposure…of being the girlfriend of a rising politician.” He shook his head. “And at the time…I’m sure you can put together the pieces. Someone in my position doesn’t have a lot of options and has to make deals when he can.”
“So you agreed to something like this just so you could win.”
He nodded. “Justso I could win. And I will. This will pay off.”
Patrick sounded so sure of himself and so committed to this idea that it startled me. I expected him to do whatever it took to the win the White House, but I hadn’t expected this. And moreover, I hadn’t expected it to entangle me. But now, it had. I stood up again, not sure how I felt about what he’d just revealed. The clock on the nightstand read one sixteen. God, I was so going to pay for this. We had a long day tomorrow, the first of many.
I studied him for another small beat. “Why tell me this now?”
“Because tomorrow we leave for South Carolina.” His gaze locked with mine. “And you know how it is down there—secrets don’t stay that way. Things come out. I thought you should know. Iwantedyou to know.”
“I probably should go. It’s late, and we’ve got a crazy day tomorrow.” I stood and crossed the room again. When I reached the door, I turned back toward him. “This is a lot to take in right now. A lot to process.”
He was slack-jawed and wide-eyed. “I know. You don’t like it, do you?”
“I’m not sure.” I shook my head. “We live in two different kinds of reality, Patrick, and that part is very clear. You’re willing to do things that most people wouldn’t do just to get what you want.”
“Listen, I don’t expect you to understand all this—I hardly understand it, either.” But I couldn’t go a day longer without telling you.”
“We both need to get some sleep,” I said. “I know that I can’t function if I don’t get at least four hours, and tomorrow morning, we have to hit the ground hard. South Carolina is going to be crazy. No one thought you’d win New Hampshire, and they’re going to bring everything at you in South Carolina.”
