this wasn’t cousin Ned, this was the President of the United States for
godsakesl
“So you’re the lucky fellow?@ The President’s smile was immediate and
pleasant. They shook hands. He was as tall as Jack, and Jack admired
that he had kept trim and fit with a job like his.
“Jack Graham, Mr. President. It’s an honor to meet you, Sir. “I feel
like I already know you, Jack, Jennifer’s told me so much about you.
Most of it good.” He grinned.
“Jack’s a partner at Patton, Shaw & Lord.” Jennifer still held on to the
President’s arm. She looked at Jack and smiled a cutesy smile.
“Well, not a partner yet, Jenn.”
“Matter of time is all.” Ransorne Baldwin’s voice boomed out. “With
Baldwin Enterprises as a client, you could name your price at any firm
in this country. Don’t you forget that. Don’t let Sandy Lord pull the
wool over your eyes.”
“Listen to him, Jack. The voice of experience.” The President raised his
glass and then involuntarily jerked it back.
Jennifer stumbled, letting go of his arm.
“I’m sorry, Jennifer. Too much tennis. Damn arm’s giving me problems
again. Well, Ransorne, you look like you’ve got yourself a fine protdg6
here.”
“Hell, he’ll have to fight my daughter for the empire.
Maybe Jack can be queen and Jenn can be the king. How’s that for equal
rights?” Ransomed laughed a big laugh that swept everybody up with it.
Jack felt himself redden. “I’m just a lawyer, Ransomed; I’m not
necessarily looking for an empty throne to occupy.
There are other things to do in life.”
Jack picked up his drink. This wasn’t exactly going as well as he would
have liked. He felt on the defensive. Jack crunched an ice cube. And
what did Ransomed Baldwin really think about his future son-in-law?
Especially right now? The point was Jack didn’t really care.
Ransomed stopped laughing and eyed him steadily. Jennifer cocked her head
the way she did when he said something she thought was inappropriate,
which was most of the time. The President looked at all three of them,
smiled quickly and excused himself He went over to the corner where a
woman was standing.
Jack watched him go. He had seen the woman on TV, defending the
President’s position on a myriad of issues. Gloria Russell did not look
very happy right now, but with all the crises in the world, happiness
was probably a rare commodity in her line of work.
That was an afterthought. Jack had met the President, had shaken hands
with him. He hoped his arm got better.
He pulled Jennifer aside and made his regrets. She was not pleased.
“This is totally unacceptable, Jack. Do you realize how special a night
this is for Daddy?”
“Hey, I’m just a working stiff. You know? Billable hours?”
“That’s ridiculous! And you know it. No one at that firm can make those
demands of you, let alone some nothing associate.”
“Jenn, it’s not that big a deal. I had a great time. Your dad got his
little award. Now it’s time to go back to work.
Alvis is okay. He’s kicking my butt a little bit, but he works just as
hard, if not harder than I do. Everybody has to take their lumps.”
“This isn’t fair, Jack. This is not convenient for me.”
“Jenn, it’s my job. I said don’t worry about it, so don’t worry about
it. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m gonna grab a cab back.”
“Daddy will be very disappointed.”
“Daddy won’t even miss me. Hey, hoist one for me. And remember what you
said about later? I’ll take a rain check on that, maybe we can make it
my place for a change?She allowed herself to be kissed. But when Jack
was gone she stormed over to her father.
CHAPTER FIVE
KATE WHITNEY PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT OF HER building. The grocery
bag clunked against one leg, her overflowing briefcase against the other
as she jogged up the four flights of stairs. Buildings in her price
range had elevators, just not ones that worked on a consistent basis.
She changed quickly into her running outfit, checked her messages, and
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