Page 99 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
I shook my head. “No, babe. I’ve got this. Thank you.”
She gave me a cheery smile and kissed my cheek. She checked that she hadn’t left red imprints of her lips on my skin before nodding confidently. “You’ve got this, Cal. I believe in you. I’ll be standing right off stage with Asher.”
Ash was sitting at the office desk, swinging his legs and humming under his breath. At the sound of his name, he looked up and slid off the chair. “Good luck, Dad!”
“Thanks, kiddo,” I said, ruffling his hair.
Lina smoothed it all back into place and clicked her tongue at me. “They’re going to want photos afterward, Cal. It took all morning to get his hair just right.”
I waved my hand at her. “He’s a kid. It shouldn’t be just right. It should be messy.”
Lina sighed. “I can’t argue with that logic.”
The office door opened, and Kelli pushed her way in with her wheelchair. “They’re ready for you in two minutes, Cal. Time to go.”
I’d hired her as my assistant when I decided once and for all that I was going to run for mayor. She was having a hard time getting work with her new condition, and it was creating a lot of resentment inside her. I owed her for how she had helped Lina and how she had put Lina’s needs ahead of her own—unlike me—when times got tough. So, I offered her a job.
I’d warned her that it wouldn’t be easy. Kelli wasn’t the sort of woman to back down from a challenge. I made it crystal clear that there would be high expectations and that shit would really hit the fan if I got into office. She went at it full speed and started running my campaign with more energy and productivity than I ever could have imagined. Without her, I never would have made it this far. Hiring her was the best career decision I could have possibly made.
In all of our pre-election surveys, my name was coming out on top with the voters. I had a good shot at winning this thing. At making a difference.
And that was all I wanted.
I straightened my suit jacket. “All right. I’ll see you two on the other side.”
Asher hugged me tightly around the legs, and Lina hugged me after. She patted my cheek. “Knock ‘em dead. When you’re done, we’ll slip out of here. Maybe go home and order in?”
I smirked. “I have plans for later that don’t involve going home.”
“Oh?” she asked. “You have me curious. You know how much I like surprises.”
I grinned. “That I do.”
“Well,” she said, tugging on my tie one last time. “I have a surprise for you, too.”
“I can’t wait,” I said, giving her one last kiss for good luck.
“Cal, will you hurry up? We don’t have all day here. You can kiss your sweetheart later. Chop chop!”
I followed her out of the office and down the hall to the press room. As soon as I walked through the doors, all the gathered reporters got to their feet. Cameras flashed, and people asked questions in rapid succession.
Kelli held up her hands, and the room fell silent. She had a presence, that was for sure, and nobody seemed willing to disobey her. “Questions will be saved for the end. Callum has made his speech short and sweet so he can address your concerns. Now, I’d like to introduce your soon-to-be mayor of Pittsburgh, Callum Gabriel.”
The room shook with applause. I tugged at my collar as Lina came out of the side door with Asher. She smiled confidently at me, and Asher gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Crowds had never been my thing, but there I was, standing in front of a room full of people, doing it anyway.
“Good afternoon,” I said.
A few people said “good afternoon” back, and I grinned.
A camera flashed.
“Thank you all for taking the time to come out today and give me this opportunity to address you all. I know this campaign has had some trials. There are many worthy candidates, and to be honest, I think the city has a hard decision to make. We all offer our own unique values on our platforms. We all want to make a positive change. That has been refreshing. I want to take this moment to say that no matter what, Pittsburgh will be in good hands. But with that said…” I smiled mischievously. The room chuckled. I had them. I’d had them from the get go. “You should vote for me.”
The chuckles turned into genuine laughter. I shot a glance at Lina, who was standing behind Asher. She had her hands on his shoulders. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“If your vision of Pittsburgh is to make it more family oriented, then I’m the right choice. If you want a city that is rich and thriving with new families and vibrant communities, I’m the right choice. If you want a family man making the important decisions and having the tough conversations, I’m the right choice. However,” I paused for dramatic effect, “if you’re looking for a businessman, a politician, a guy who knows the right things to say versus the wrong things to say, a suave guy, a guy who knows how to work a crowd, well, that’s not me. I’m bound to say something stupid up here. Just ask my partner Lina over there or my son Asher. They know I can be a fool sometimes.”
