“It was a pleasure.”
Sylva took Oliver’s hand in hers and said softly, “We look forward to seeing you again.”
Their eyes met. “Yes.”
And Oliver thought, I must be careful.
Two weeks later, back in Frankfort, Oliver was working in his office when his secretary buzzed him.
“Governor, Senator Davis is here to see you.”
“Senator Davis is here?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Send him in.” Oliver knew that his father-in-law was fighting for an important bill in Washington, and Oliver wondered what he was doing in Frankfort. The door opened, and the senator walked in. Peter Tager was with him.
Senator Todd Davis smiled and put his arm around Oliver. “Governor, it’s good to see you.”
“It’s great to see you, Todd.” He turned to Peter Tager. “Morning, Peter.”
“Morning, Oliver.”
“Hope I’m not disturbing you,” Senator Davis said.
“No, not at all. Is—is anything wrong?”
Senator Davis looked at Tager and smiled. “Oh, I don’t think you could say anything’s wrong, Oliver. In fact, I would say that everything’s just fine.”
Oliver was studying the two of them, puzzled. “I don’t understand.”
“I have some good news for you, son. May we sit down?”
“Oh, forgive me. What would you like? Coffee? Whiskey—?”
“No. We’re pretty well stimulated already.”
Again, Oliver wondered what was going on.
“I’ve just flown in from Washington. There’s a pretty influential group there who think you’re going to be our next president.”
Oliver felt a small thrill go through him. “I—really?”
“As a matter of fact, the reason I flew down here is that it’s time for us to start your campaign. The election is less than two years away.”
“It’s perfect timing,” Peter Tager said enthusiastically. “Before we’re through, everyone in the world is going to know who you are.”
Senator Davis added, “Peter is going to take charge of your campaign. He’ll handle everything for you. You know you won’t find anyone better.”
Oliver looked at Tager and said warmly, “I agree.”
“It’s my pleasure. We’re going to have a lot of fun, Oliver.”
Oliver turned to Senator Davis. “Isn’t this going to cost a lot?”
“Don’t worry about that. You’ll go first-class all the way. I’ve convinced a lot of my good friends that you’re the man to put their money on.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Don’t underestimate yourself, Oliver. The survey that came out a couple of months ago listed you as the third most effective governor in the country. Well, you have something that the other two don’t have. I told you this before—charisma. That is something that money can’t buy. People like you, and they’re going to vote for you.”
Oliver was getting more and more excited. “When do we get started?”
“We’ve already started,” Senator Davis told him. “We’re going to build a strong campaign team, and we’re going to start lining up delegates around the country.”
“How realistic are my chances?”
“In the primaries, you’re going to blow everyone away,” Tager replied. “As for the general election, President Norton is riding pretty high. If you had to run against him, he’d be pretty tough to beat. The good news, of course, is that since this is his second term, he can’t run again and Vice President Cannon is a pale shadow. A little sunshine will make him disappear.”
The meeting lasted for four hours. When it was over, Senator Davis said to Tager, “Peter, would you excuse us for a minute?”
“Certainly, Senator.”
They watched him go out the door.
Senator Davis said, “I had a talk with Jan this morning.”
Oliver felt a small frisson of alarm. “Yes?”
Senator Davis looked at Oliver and smiled. “She’s very happy.”
Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad.”
“So am I, son. So am I. Just keep the home fires burning. You know what I mean?”
“Don’t worry about that, Todd. I—”
Senator Davis’s smile faded. “I do worry about it, Oliver. I can’t fault you for being horny—just don’t let it turn you into a toad.”
As Senator Davis and Peter Tager were walking through the corridor of the state capitol, the senator said, “I want you to start putting a staff together. Don’t spare any expense. To begin with, I want campaign offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, and San Francisco. Primaries begin in twelve months. The convention is eighteen months away. After that, we should have smooth sailing.” They had reached the car. “Ride with me to the airport, Peter.”