State of grace, p.6
State of Grace, page 6
Fisher grunted out a noise that didn’t sound amiable.
“Sorry, Fisher,” Andie said, not really meaning it.
“Yeah,” Fisher said, flipping a strand of hair back. “So, we leave first thing in the morning?”
“That’s right,” Lloyd said. “And I want to see a smile on both your faces. We’ve got a new ad running this weekend in some key counties—”
“Which is exactly why this is the worst weekend ever to go away to a place that doesn’t have WiFi.”
Lloyd smiled. “The polling numbers will be there on Monday when we all return. I can promise you that.”
“Is Tina coming?” Andie asked, referencing Lloyd’s wife.
“She is,” Lloyd said. “She’s never one for missing a camping trip.”
“We’ll be in cabins, right?” Andie asked. “The core staff?”
Lloyd laughed. “No. We’re all in tents, like it or not.”
“Because nothing says comfort like camping in Texas in July,” Andie muttered.
Lloyd walked to the door. “You all have packing to do, I’m sure. Now stop complaining and get to it.”
He shut the glass door behind him, leaving Fisher and Andie in the room alone together.
“You have the script for the negative ad yet?” Fisher asked.
“Wrote it the first week I was here,” Andie replied tersely, gathering up her papers. She and Fisher were not getting along with one another. At all. “Here’s hoping we won’t have to use it.”
Fisher grunted again.
“What’s your problem?” Andie asked. “Do you have a problem with me?”
Fisher laughed darkly. “Oh, you know. I’m just not sure how dedicated you are to running this campaign the right way.”
Andie put her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. “And what is ‘the right way’? The way that a straight white man would run it?”
“My being a straight white man doesn’t have anything to do with it,” Fisher protested. “Stop calling me that.”
“Stop calling you what you are? Pass,” Andie retorted. “Stop acting like a straight white man and I’ll stop calling you one.”
And on those bitter words, she walked out of the office, a stack of files in her arms. She had packing to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“What, are we going to sing ‘Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall’?” Tom whispered under his breath, the words heavy with sarcasm. Wendy and Lloyd were giving their best politician-voice speeches while the group of a dozen people stood next to the bus.
Rachel laughed and had to cover her mouth so no one would see.
“So, what we’re going to do, for maximum benefit to both parties, is sit the donkeys with the elephants,” Lloyd said, a goofy smile on his face.
Everyone groaned.
“Oh, come now, it won’t be that bad. I assure you none of us bite much,” Wendy quipped. “There are seating assignments on this clipboard here.”
Rachel’s stomach did a two-step thinking that she might end up paired with Andie. They had barely seen each other in weeks, and even then, it was only in passing.
“Let’s do this!” Lloyd yelled.
The crowd all grumbled as they pushed forward. Rachel saw the back of Andie’s neck and felt a frisson of pleasure at the exposed strip of skin.
God, she needed to get laid and soon.
“Callum, Rachel,” Wendy said, scanning the clipboard. “You are row three. You can fight over the window seat with your partner.”
“Who is—”
But she was cut off by Wendy moving on to the next person behind her. Rachel trudged across the hot asphalt to the door of the bus, her backpack on her back. It was filled with her work computer and a stack of polling numbers. Her camping pack was currently resting under the bus in one of the side storage bins.
She said hello to the driver and saw, to her pleasure, a now hat-less Andie with her nose in a book. She saw that Andie was one row in front of her.
She spun around. “Tom, what row are you?”
“Two,” he said. Perfect. That was Andie’s row.
“Switch with me?” Rachel asked under her breath.
“Why?” Tom asked, deeply confused.
“Just do it.”
“I’m not sure we’re allowed—”
“For God’s sake, for once in your entire life will you bend the rules? Please? I’ll owe you a favor.” Rachel put her hands together, pleading.
“Fine,” Tom retorted. “But tonight, you’re roasting every single one of my marshmallows. To slightly-burnt perfection, I might add.”
“Deal,” Rachel said, grinning. The line had moved up and now that she was closer, she saw that Andie’s book was Karl Rove’s memoirs.
“That’s about the last thing I would be expecting you to read. Maybe that and one of Bill O’Reilly’s books.”
Andie lifted her eyes from her reading. “I have Killing Lincoln in my backpack. I thought it would come in handy in case we ran out of toilet paper.”
Rachel grinned and plopped her bag onto her seat. She unzipped the top major pocket and pulled out her computer and three notebooks.
“I wouldn’t have taken you as a paper person,” Andie said. “I am, too.”
“I like paper,” Rachel said. “It’s tangible and I can remember what I’ve written better if I do it by hand.”
“Me too. It helps my ADHD,” Andie explained, gesturing to thick notebook with ripple-edged paper sticking out of her bag at her feet. “There’s just something about the layout that gets my brain going in all the right ways.”
Rachel shoved her zipped-up backpack into the overhead storage bin and sat down next to Andie. “So, it looks like we’ll be row mates for the next two hours.”
“It does indeed,” Andie replied. She looked back at her place in her book.
“But seriously, why are you reading Karl Rove?”
Andie grinned. “Say what you want to about him, he’s a political mastermind. It never hurts to know what angle the other side is playing.”
“That’s too true,” Rachel said, pulling out her headphones. Her elbow brushed Andie’s and she felt goose bumps trail up her arm. “Which is why I’ll be raiding your tent late at night to grab your notebook.”
Andie laughed. “I’m a light sleeper. So try me.”
Rachel wiggled her eyebrows. “I’ll take that on as a personal challenge.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
They arrived at Enchanted Rock as the afternoon sun was mercifully fading from the sky. It was close to a hundred degrees at the camp. Someone had been sent ahead to construct the canvas tents.
“This is more glamorous than I thought it would be,” Rachel admitted to Andie. She wiped sweat from her brow. “Other than the fact that we’re camping inside of an actual oven.”
Andie laughed. “Welcome to Texas, right? How long have you lived here?”
“Since college,” Rachel said, nearly twisting her ankle on a bit of loose rock. Andie grabbed her arm and Rachel felt her own stomach swoop pleasantly at her touch.
“I was born and raised here,” Andie said. “A diehard Texan to the end, humidity and all.”
Wendy blew a whistle and waved at everyone to come into the center of the circle of tents. “Everyone! Over here for your bunk assignments.”
Andie was hoping against all hope to be in a tent with Rachel.
“Rachel Callum! Tent six,” Wendy called out. “You are with Andie McIntyre.”
Andie felt chills go down her body. “I guess we’re roommates.”
Rachel grinned widely. “I guess we are.” Rachel stepped aside and pointed ahead. “Tent six. Ladies first.”
“Are you not a lady?”
“I guess you’ll find out soon enough, won’t you?” Rachel said flirtatiously.
Andie’s cheeks burned and it wasn’t from the sun.
It turned out that Rachel had underestimated how glamorous the camping trip actually was. The inside of the tents had two twin bed frames made of rough-hewn hickory, complete with mosquito netting, memory foam mattresses, and fluffy pillows. There were two dressers, complete with a top drawer that came with a skeleton key. On the side walls of the tent were two window-shaped holes covered in fine mesh screening. A breeze ploughed through, making Andie’s unbraided wisps stick to her sweaty face.
“I could get used to this,” Andie said, flopping down on her mattress. “I think this is nicer than the one I’ve been sleeping on since high school.”
“You still sleep in a twin-size bed?” Rachel asked, setting down her packs and pulling out the necessities. She began placing her clothes in the bottom drawers, and filled the top locking drawer with her laptop, battery bank, charging cables, and notebooks.
“Yep,” Andie said. “It’s just me, so it’s really not that bad.”
“I have a king-sized Sleep Number that has dual zones to adjust the angle and firmness of the mattress. I bought it with my sign-on bonus when I graduated law school.”
“Sounds like heaven,” Andie said. The unspoken words lingered in the air between them. Maybe someday I’ll get to try it out.
But nobody spoke those words as an iron bell clanged.
“Dinner,” Rachel said. “Either that, or some godawful team-building exercise is about to begin.” Rachel locked the top drawer, pocketed the key, and stepped one foot outside. “You coming?”
“As soon as I unpack and reapply my bug spray,” Andie said. “You go on ahead.”
Rachel left the tent and Andie set about unpacking, placing her notebook and laptop in her own top drawer. After a few minutes and a solid thirty seconds of continuously spraying bug spray on her body, Andie was ready to go.
She’d been dreading this trip. But it was already turning out so much better than expected.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Dinner was hot chili with cornbread, made by their camp host, Michael. Tom, Wendy’s assistant, had organized the entire trip, Andie learned over bites of savory bean and tomato.
“My mother hates camping, but my dad loves it. One year on her birthday, my dad enlisted me for help in getting her the perfect gift. I found Michael’s company and it ended up being a pleasant surprise for both of them.”
“That’s really sweet,” Andie said, munching on a bite of sweet and salty cornbread.
“She loved it. My dad loved it because she loved it. It was a win-win.”
The sun was setting, and Andie saw Rachel talking with Fisher by the dessert table. They were each holding the peach cobbler that Michael had made in cast iron pans. She felt a spark of jealousy as Fisher made Rachel laugh so hard she put her hand over her eyes. She wanted to be able to do that for Rachel.
“Did you hear me? We’re hiking up the rock tonight to take a look at the stars. I hope you brought a jacket.” Tom had apparently been talking, unbeknownst to a distracted Andie.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “What’s that about a jacket?”
Tom tapped the headlamp on his forehead. “Tonight. We’re hiking up Enchanted Rock. Bring a jacket. It’s shockingly windy up there, and with the sun down? It’ll be freezing. Well, it’ll be Texas freezing.”
“Will do,” Andie said, standing up with her empty, biodegradable paper bowl and tossing it in the compost bag. “Hey,” she said to Rachel, but Fisher, who had had several beers, took the greeting as his own.
“Hey yourself,” Fisher said. He had a bit of a smile on his face due to the alcohol. Andie had always wondered if he was even capable of smiling. Now she apparently had her answer.
“How’s the cobbler?” Andie asked, feeling foolish for interrupting them with no conversational lead. Rachel made her feel like that, though. Speechless.
“Fucking delicious,” Rachel replied, taking another bite. “I think everything cooked over an open flame tastes better, though. It’s magic.”
“Did you hear about the hike tonight?” Andie asked. “We’re all going.”
“Not me and Fisher,” Rachel said.
Andie furrowed her brow and squeezed her bowl of cobbler a little too tightly. “Why?”
“We’re swapping strategy secrets,” Rachel said stoically.
Andie tilted her head to the side. “Excuse me?”
Rachel burst out laughing. “I’m kidding, Andie. Of course, we’re both coming. I think Lloyd would kill us both for opting out of the fun-filled schedule.”
Andie felt foolish once again, left out of a joke at her expense. “See you then, I guess,” she grunted, walking back towards the fire.
She heard footsteps behind her. “Andie! Wait up.”
Andie recognized the voice as belonging to Rachel, but ploughed ahead into their tent.
“Andie, hey. What’s up?” Rachel asked, standing in the doorway of their tent.
“You’re letting bugs in,” Andie replied shortly, pulling out a long-sleeved jacket she’d packed at the last minute.
Rachel stepped full into the tent. “We were just joking back there.”
“Yeah, well. That’s more than I can say for Fisher and me.”
Rachel looked confused as she sat on her own mattress. “What do you mean?”
“He’s an asshole to me all the time. But you two looked awfully cozy standing there together. I’ve worked with Fisher for three months and I’ve never seen him smile before tonight.”
“He’s a nice guy,” Rachel said. “Maybe if you just got to know—”
Andie put down the bag she was packing for the hiking trip with a thunk on the wooden platform. “That’s the problem. I have gotten to know him. He’s a dick. But of course he likes you. You’re a pretty girl.”
The words were out of Andie’s mouth before she could stop them from escaping.
“You think I’m pretty?” Rachel asked with a wry smile.
“I—that wasn’t—I just—”
The bell clanged again. They heard Wendy yell. “Hike starts in five minutes! Get your gear and get going!”
Andie took the opportunity to rush out of the tent with her belongings, her heart thudding.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Rachel hurried to catch up to Andie. “Hey, you left your jacket.” She handed her the light windbreaker.
“Thanks,” Andie said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“If it’s worth anything, I think you’re pretty, too,” Rachel said to her, brushing her elbow against Andie’s forearm.
Andie tried to ignore the electricity arcing between them. “New subject, please.”
“Okay,” Rachel said amicably. “Have you ever hiked up Enchanted Rock?”
Andie shook her head. “No.”
“I figured. You’re packed for it like we’re summiting Everest.” Rachel pointed at her water bottle and the long-sleeved tee she had tied around her waist. “I pack light. It’s a pretty easy hike.”
Andie blushed. “I guess it’s painfully obvious that I’m a rookie.”
Rachel bumped into Andie again. The familiar electricity returned between them. “You’re not the only one. Look at Tom. He’s wearing a hat and the sun’s not even out.”
They both laughed. Tom looked like he’d fallen into an R.E.I. sale bin, complete with a bulging Camelbak and a waistband filled with extra water bottles.
“I’m guessing he’s worried about dehydration,” Andie said, still giggling.
“If we were crossing the Sahara we wouldn’t need that much gear.”
They both collapsed laughing.
The night air had cooled considerably in the absence of the blazing sun as they all made their way to the base of the big, pink rock they would be climbing.
Lloyd and Wendy stopped everyone at the trailhead. “Alright, we thought we’d make it a friendly competition. Whoever makes it to the top first wins for their team. It’s Grant versus Thompson. Pace yourselves; it gets steep at the top. Losers do dishes.”
“Is he serious?” Rachel asked Andie.
But Andie was already pushing to the front of the group, clearly eager to get ahead.
“On your marks! Don’t knock over any other tourists! Get set! Go!”
Rachel gripped her water bottle in one hand as she climbed up the pink granite. Most of the team had sprinted in front of her, but she knew better. The climb started out easy, at a low incline, and then became deceptively steep two-thirds of the way up.
She was easily left in the back of the pack, but she didn’t mind. Then she heard footsteps run up behind her.
“Caught you,” Fisher said with a grin.
“Not much of a catch,” Rachel replied. Andie’s opinion of him was bouncing around in her head. “What were you doing back at camp?”
“Helping Michael with the clean up,” he said.
“Nice of you.” She looked ahead. Now was a good time to surge forward and take out some of the group. “We’re having a race, if you didn’t know.”
“Ah. I don’t run races as a general policy.”
“Other than elections, you mean?”
Fisher laughed. “Obviously other than elections. But I’m not running a campaign, either, am I?”
Rachel didn’t have time to read between the lines of his drama. “Our team is so winning. Catch you later, Fisher.”
She sprinted away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Andie was panting but there was no way in hell she was slowing down. She was a good ten yards in front of the group and just beginning to hit the sharp incline. She got on all fours and started scrambling up the face of the rock, the rough granite rubbing her delicate palms.
“I didn’t take you for an athlete,” Rachel said, panting slightly as she came up behind her.
“I like using the elliptical in my house while I read,” Andie said, trying to speed up. She was winded, though.
But a little competition was just what she needed to give her a final boost.
“I’m so beating you up this rock,” Rachel said, climbing closer to Andie.
“In your dreams, Callum,” Andie said, getting off her hands and running as fast as she could to the top. With one final push, she was at the very top, the wind blowing her hair out of its braid.
