Curiosity Killed the Cat
CJ shifted, stamping her feet, trying to get some circulation back into her legs. She wanted to go back inside but Andi didn't seem inclined to move.
"Shit, I really thought I was going to win. Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt had a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"They fought a dirty campaign Andi, bringing up your marriage to Toby-"
Toby Ziegler was the reason CJ was currently freezing her ass off on a park bench trying to comfort a despondent and intoxicated almost-congresswoman. Toby had called her from New York, where he was a speechwriter for the rank outsider to win a city council race. He'd asked her to help with the P.R on a Congressional campaign..."It's Andi," he'd said, "she was ahead in the polls until her opponent started spewing family values, talking about the state of our marriage."
CJ had agreed, she'd taken a vacation from her pointless Hollywood job and hauled half way across the country in order to help a woman she'd only met twice get elected to the House of Representatives. All the while she told herself that she had no interest in the state of Toby and Andi's marriage. The kicker was that Andi really would make a good Congresswoman some day, she was liberal, articulate and principled. She just needed someone to handle the press for her.
"You'll try again. You just need the right campaign staff."
Andi mumbled noncommittally.
Searching for something to cheer the redhead up CJ said, "Toby's candidate lost too, he called just after you left the party."
That seemed to cheer Andi up, she gave a short laugh and shifted closer to CJ on the bench, finally starting to feel the cold. "Well at least we're not missing each others victory parties."
"Why didn't Toby come down?" CJ asked, "it's not like he was the one standing for election in New York."
"Congressman Martin," Andi practically spat the name of her opponent, "was right when he said Toby and I were having problems. He's been staying in a hotel ever since we found out we probably won't be able to have children."
"Andi, I-"
"It's okay, we're going to try and work things out. There's some things we can try."
Andi looked up at CJ, her red hair was falling in her face from where her hairpins had come loose and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. When the results of the election had come Andi had raised a glass of Champagne to the campaign staff and volunteers, thanking them for all their hard work and promising them victory next time. She'd then taken the mostly full bottle of champagne and left the room.
"When Toby called, did he call the office or your cell?" Andi asked.
"My cell, but-" CJ wasn't a woman who was accustomed to being speechless. There was nothing between her and Toby, hadn't she just proven that by spending the last few weeks working her ass off in order to completely fail to get his wife elected. CJ opened her mouth to continue and found it by Andi's.
Andi's body was pressed against CJ's, it was a pleasant feeling if for no other reason than CJ was warmer than she had been since she'd set out on this foolish quest to find Andi. A strand of Andi's loose hair had become trapped between them, and the bitter flavour of Andi's shampoo mixed with the taste of too expensive champagne. Andi's hands, which had been holding CJ in place released and she pulled back.
"I wanted to know what it was that he saw in you," Andi trailed off and shook her head vigorously, as if trying to clear particularly sticky cobwebs from her brain. When she met CJ's gaze again her eyes were clearer and she looked as though she was well on her way to returning to sobriety. She looked more like the Andi Wyatt CJ had been getting
to know over the past few weeks.
"Besides, I don't think any reporters are lurking in the bushes waiting to write about the exploits of failed democratic candidate Andrea Wyatt. C'mon," she offered her hand to CJ, "we have a commiseration party to get back to."