Chapter 2
Josh opened the front door, followed closely by Ben, and was nearly
knocked over by Tori and Jacob in their race to see who could get to
their dad first.
"Daddy, Jacob was in your office again and I told him to get out,
but he wouldn't go." Tori, the resident tattletale rushed to get
all the words out. There was nothing like having an observant 5 year old
as your informant. "Then Jenny told him to get out, so he did, but
he touched your stuff first I think."
"Got it." Josh laughed and looked over at Jenny, Donna's
niece and their nanny, who had followed the kids at a more sedate pace.
"Busy day, Jen?"
"It was eventful." Jenny understated.
"Then I have good news for you; Donna and Ally will be home
tomorrow." Josh announced and the kids cheered. Although Donna and
their 8 year old daughter Ally had only been gone a few days, their
presence was certainly missed.
"Grandma is doing better?" Jenny asked.
"Much better." Josh gave her a reassuring smile. "I say we
order some pizza and watch a movie."
"What kind of pizza?" Tori wanted clarification.
"Pepperoni with extra cheese." Ben declared his choice, but Tori
frowned.
"You need to have a vegable too." Tori announced.
"No we don't. Mom's not here." Jacob hit the nail on the
head.
"Besides it's a celebration. We got a new candidate today."
Ben told them.
"We haven't made the decision as a team yet, Ben." Josh
reminded him.
"But you told the D triple C-" Ben started.
"You picked a guy without the team?" Tori frowned again, her lip
coming out in a pout that Josh swore she learned from her mother and
practiced in the mirror.
"Not officially." Josh wondered how he found himself on the
defensive with his five year old daughter. Then he remembered the pout.
"Jenny, let's order some pizza."
"What kind?" Jenny repeated the question.
"Large pepperoni with extra cheese, small cheese with vegetables,
and a couple orders of breadsticks." Josh had learned a thing or two
about plausible deniability. He could honestly tell his wife he ordered
a veggie pizza, although he knew Tori would be the only one who touched
it…well maybe Jenny too.
They had polished off the entire large pizza and most of the breadsticks
when the phone rang and Jenny handed it off to Josh.
"Julie Peterson? Are you taking hallucinogenic drugs over
there?" Lou Thornton demanded to know.
"We're handling it out of our office, Lou. It won't affect
you and the West coast office." Josh sidestepped the question.
"Excuse me, but when Lyman Campaign Consulting, east coast division,
takes on a client- and when did the team vote on this particular
client?" Lou asked.
"It isn't actually an official decision yet. I just-" Josh
was cut off again.
"When the east coast office takes on a client, it most certainly has
implications for our west coast office. Minnesota is considered the
mid-WEST." Lou continued.
"Thanks for that geography lesson." Josh drawled. "I'm
going to bring it up on the conference call tomorrow. You can share some
of your considerable objections then."
"I get why Taylor wouldn't light your fire, but we don't
have to take a client there at all." Lou reminded him.
"We'll hash it out tomorrow." Josh repeated. "When's
Allen going to send me the numbers for the Virginia Senate race?"
"He's putting it all together as we speak." Lou noted.
"You're going to like it, I promise."
"Lou Thornton is optimistic about the Virginia Senate race?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to say `optimistic'." Lou
qualified. "Let's say heartened."
"Fine. We'll get to the rest of this on the conference call
tomorrow when Donna gets back."
"Donna will be home tomorrow? Thank God." Lou muttered.
"She'll be able to talk some sense into you."
"I doubt that. She's the one who pushed Peterson in the first
place." Josh informed her before hanging up the phone smiling.
************************************
"Mommy!" Tori shouted the moment she saw her mother come into
the baggage terminal. Her older sister, Ally was all but ignored by
Tori. Whatever slight Ally might have felt by that was lessened by the
warm welcome she got from her father.
"Hey, Ally cat, I missed you, beautiful!" He told his daughter
as he enveloped her in a hug. At 8, Ally was still young enough to enjoy
her father's compliments and attention without embarrassment. Ben
was holding back a bit physically, but he was grinning. Jacob had wormed
his way in between Tori and his mother. It was a Lyman horde.
"You brought all the troops out?" Donna questioned.
"We couldn't figure out a fair way to decide who got to come to
the airport so we decided we'd all come. You were well and truly
missed." He explained as he gave his wife a kiss over the heads of
their children.
"We're lucky we don't have much luggage or we'd have to
leave one of them here." She quipped.
"Mom!" Tori protested.
"I'm just teasing baby. What have you been doing while I was
gone?"
"Not much." Ben answered simply.
"Jacob went into Daddy's office and touched stuff." Tori
tattled.
"Did not!" Jacob retorted.
"Daddy ordered pepperoni pizza with extra cheese AND
breadsticks." Tori continued.
"Did not!" Josh protested. Donna gave him her `raised
eyebrow' look and he relented. "Well, I did but I also ordered a
veggie pizza."
"But only me and Jenny ate it." Tori countered.
"If we have to leave one behind here, let's leave Tori."
Josh suggested.
"AND" Tori continued unrelentingly. "Daddy and Ben picked a
guy without the team."
"I heard about that." Donna noted. "But I don't think
they picked anyone for sure. They just picked the person they think
would be best."
Tori sniffed and shot her nose up in the air. "Still…." Josh
rolled his eyes and made Donna laugh.
"Let's go home." Donna announced.
Once they'd retrieved their luggage and were happily settled back
home. Donna decided to probe the Julie Peterson situation a little more
while she emptied her suitcase.
"Lou is going to fight you on Peterson you know." She called out
from inside the closet. Josh was stretched out on the bed watching her;
it was still one of his favorite past times.
"She already called to voice her displeasure." Josh admitted.
"Is that going to be a problem?"
"Not for me…or for her either. We'll take the responsibility
in our office."
"But what we do does affect the West coast office too; even if
it's only because of the shared name." Donna pointed out.
"Really?" Josh asked sarcastically.
"Don't be a schmuck, Joshua. She has a legitimate concern is all
I'm saying." Donna replied as she stretched out on the bed
beside him. "I just want to remind you to play nice on the
conference call today."
"You're right. I should practice playing nice. I'll start
with you." Josh decided and moved his hands leisurely over his
wife's body. "Donna, want to play with me?"
"Always." She responded and kissed him, which he returned with
increasing passion until…
"Oh, come on! It's like, 2 in the afternoon. Cut it out!"
Ben complained from the doorway.
"Go away, Benjamin." His father directed.
"Josh!" Donna laughed and pulled away. "You come in our room
without knocking, you get what you get, kiddo. Tell me about Taylor and
Peterson." She got up and resumed her unpacking while her husband
dealt with his disappointment in the turn of events.