A Fresh Start
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty
Richard walks up to the gazebo. Standing on the side closest to the pound is a young man. He turns around as Richard walks up. "Mr. Harrison." Richard says.
"Yes." The man replies, as Richard holds out his hand
"Richard Winslow."
"Your Highness."
"I'm simply Richard now."
"You said that the mayor recommended me."
"Yes. He suggested you to me after we discussed me possibly running for mayor."
"Have you decided whether you will run?"
"Actually, I have. I had my assistant file the paper work this morning. In fact, she's filing it as we speak." Richard says, as he leans against the rail beside Mr. Harrison.
"Alright, if you're serious about running we have two hurdles to conquer. One is your past history in San Cristobel and…."
"Springfield already knows everything that happened in San Cristobel. I was the first elected President of…."
"That's my point. Some of your opponents are going to question your ability and understanding of American politics, especially since you were appointed to your current position. They'll also imply that you're trying to reclaim your former glory and possibly imply that you're using the job as a stepping stone for larger offices."
"It's my understanding that I can't run for your Presidency."
"That's correct, but you can run for a state or national senatorial seat or a congressional seat as well as governor."
"I'm not even looking that far ahead."
"That can not be your answer. It's vague and indecisive. You have to be direct."
"What about fund raising?"
"Have you raised any money at all? Another question that could come up is your health."
"My health is fine."
Up until a few months ago, everyone in this town including your wife thought you were dead. Speaking of your wife, she will also be a target for your opponent."
"Cassie will not be attacked by this campaign. We addressed every question about Cassie's past while we were in San Cristobel. I… we will not be harassed again about it."
"Whether you addressed it or not, someone will bring it up. You will have to be prepared to face that moment."
"Cassie is a recognized member of Springfield. She's owned the Beacon Hotel for more than five years now. She's Reva's sister. Her past has nothing to do with her life now and she shouldn't have to continue to defend it."
Whether she should have to or not doesn't discount the fact that your opponent will likely bring up her past."
"If he does, we will handle it at that time. What do we do about fund raising?" "Do you have any money on hand?"
"Some." Richard replies. "In your estimation, how much will I need to run this campaign?"
"Probably a couple hundred thousand, five hundred thousand at the most."
"That much?"
"Yes, we need print ads, TV commercials, radio spots and the rest of the staff."
"I can only afford to pay you. Can we run this campaign with a volunteer staff?"
"We should be able too. Although you're communications director may expect to be paid."
"I will handle dealing with the communications director. I already have someone in mind for the job. When can you get started?"
"We'll start as soon as you pay me?"
"How much?"
"Thirty five thousand to start, another thirty five thousand at the end of campaign, if we win."
"That's a lot of money."
"It's incentive to win."
"Did you charge Jeffrey the same price?"
"Yes, but I wasn't paid the last thirty five thousand because technically he didn't win."
"Alright, I'll contact my bank and I'll have a check for you before lunch, will that be a problem?"
"No, that's fine." Mr. Harrison says, holding out his hand. They shake hands before Richard turns to leave.
Jeffrey is at his desk when Stace buzzes him. "Yes." He says, holding down the intercom.
"Sir, Mr. Westbrook is on line one for you." She says,
"Thank you." He replies, reaching to connect the calls. "Wes, I was going to call you if I hadn't heard from you in a couple more days." He says as soon as the calls are connected.
"I'm sorry. I've been playing phone tag with Lizzie's broker."
"Have you spoken with him?" Jeffrey asks, sitting back in his chair.
"Yes, today actually, I just received the paperwork outlining the deal. I'm going to have my assistant fax it over to you. Look it over and if you agree to the terms and the selling price then sign them and fax them back to me."
"I can do that. What happens after that?"
"I'll fax them to Lizzie's broker and once the money's cleared that bank you will have controlling interest in Lewis Oil again."
"What about Alex?"
"There's nothing she can do. Lizzie is of age so she can sell her shares to anyone she wants. The only way Alex could possibly stop this is if you allow her to buy the shares back or she sues to prove Lizzie incompetent."
"Then fax the papers to me. I'll look them over but I'm sure that I'll go ahead and sign them and I'll fax them over to you as soon as I do." Jeffrey says, sitting up
"I'll do as soon as I get off the phone with you."
"Thanks, Wes." Jeffrey says. They hang up and five minutes later, Stace knock on his office door. "Yes." He says, looking up.
"Sir, this fax came for you." She says, opening the door and walking in.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, as she walks over to his desk and hands him the papers. "I'll need you to fax this back as soon as I look it over."
"Yes Sir." She says, turning to leave.
Jeffrey takes the next hour to look over the papers that Wes sent him. When he gets to the end of the contract, he picks up his pen and signs the papers before he buzzes Stace. "You wanted me to see me Sir." She says, walking into his office.
"Yes, fax this back to Mr. Westbrook immediately." He says, handing her the papers.
"Yes Sir." She says, leaving the office. Jeffrey goes back to work on city business until ten minutes later when Wes calls him back.\ "Sir, Mr. Westbrook is on line one for you." Stace says, holding down the intercom.
"Thank you." Jeffrey replies, picking up the phone. "Wes." He says, as he connects the call.
"I've faxed the papers back to Lizzie's broker and he's confirmed delivery."
"I'll make sure the money goes to him." Jeffrey says.
"Have a cashier's check for the purchase price sent to me and I'll forward it to Lizzie's broker." Wes says.
"I'll make sure I get by the bank within the hour."
"Can you bring the cashiers check by the office?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll see you then. The deal is finished and you have controlling interest in Lewis Oil, congratulations."
"Thank you for the help."
"You need anything else you can always call."
"I will. I'll call the bank as soon as I get off this call and take care of the money." Jeffrey says, pulling up his contact list on his computer.
"I'll let you go." Wes says.
They hang up as Jeffrey is pulling up is contacts. Finding the number for the bank, he dials the number. "Thank you for calling Springfield National, how may I help you?"
"I need to speak with Seth Robbins." Jeffrey says.
"Yes Sir." The lady replies. "May I place you on a brief hold?"
"That's fine." Jeffrey says.
After a couple minutes, Seth picks up the phone. "Seth Robbins." He says.
"Mr. Robbins, this is Jeffrey O'Neill."
"Yes, Mr. O'Neill." Seth says, sitting up.
"I need a cashiers check for $250,000." Jeffrey says.
"Of course, can I have the account number?"
"It's 21255-12. The routing number is 14531838." Jeffrey says.
"That's 21255-12 for the account number and the routing number was 14531838, and you need a cashiers check for $250,000 is that correct?"
"Yes. I'll be by in a moment to pick up the check."
"Yes sir, I'll have it ready for you." Seth says.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says.
"You're welcome, Mr. O'Neill." Seth replies. "I look forward to see you this afternoon."
"Thank you." Jeffrey replies, getting up as he hangs up the phone. He walks out of his office as Stace is coming back to her desk. "I'm headed over to Springfield National and then I have to go downtown to Wes's office."
"Yes sir."
"If Sam calls tell her call my cell phone."
"I will, Sir." She says, as Jeffrey walks out office.
Ten minutes later he walks into the Springfield National. Walking up to one of the tellers, he says. "I need to see Seth Robbins."
"His office is right over there, Mr. Mayor."
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, turning and walking over to the office. Opening the door, he walks in as Seth looks up.
"Mr. O'Neill." He says, standing up and holding out his hand.
"Hello." Jeffrey says, shaking his hand before he sits down across from him.
"I have your cashiers check right here. If you will sign this slip confirming that you did pick the check up." Seth says, handing him a slip of paper. Jeffrey signs the paper and then hands it back to him. "Here is your cashiers check." Seth says, handing the check.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, looking at the check as he stands up.
"Please come back anytime, Mr. O'Neill." Seth says, standing up.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, pocketing the check and then shaking Seth's hand before he turns to leave.
Fifteen minutes later, Jeffrey pulls into a parking place downtown. Getting out, he locks his car and then walks across the street to one of the building. Walking in, he walks across the lobby to the elevator. Pushing the button, he gets on with a couple other men. "The seventh floor, please." Jeffrey says to one of the men. He pushes the button.
A few moments later, the elevator stops at the seventh floor and Jeffrey gets off. Walking down the hall, he pushes the door open for Wellesley, Brooks and Nash. The receptionist looks up. "May I help you?"
"I need to see Wes Wellesley." Jeffrey says, walking over to her desk.
"Of course, Mr. Mayor."
"He should be expecting me."
"Yes Sir." The receptionist replies, picking up the phone. She dials an extension. "Mr. Wellesley, the Mayor is here to see you."
"Send him back, Brandy." Wes says.
"Yes sir." She says, hanging up the phone. "Mr. Wellesley will see you now. He's the fourth door on your left." She says, pushing a button under her desk.
Jeffrey hears a buzzing noise as he walks over to the door behind the receptionist's desk. Opening the door, he walk in and then lets the door close behind him as he walks down a hallway. Stopping at the fourth door on the left, he knocks once and then opens it after he hears Wes call. "Come in." Wes stands up as Jeffrey walks over to his desks, holding out his hand. "How are you?"
"I'm good." Jeffrey replies, sitting down across from Wes as he sits down. Jeffrey pulls out the cashiers check and hands it to him.
"Thank you." Wes says, taking the check. "I'll make sure that Brandy mails this before the end of the day."
"Thank you. I wanted to ask about the trust funds that I asked you to look into setting up."
"I'm working on that as well. It should be ready by the end of the week."
"Good, can you fax the paper work to my office when you have everything ready?"
"Yes." Wes says, as Jeffrey stands up.
"When will I have control of Lewis Oil?"
"Technically, the company belongs to you now. However, the paper work has to be filed with the SEC and officially you should have control by the end of the month maybe as late as early next month."
"And Alex can't stop the sale."
"No, Lizzie had controlling interest in the company. She's of age so she's able to sell the stock to whomever she chooses."
"Okay." Jeffrey says, getting up. "I'll tell Stace to expect those faxes."
"And I'll make sure this is mailed out today." Wes says, holding up the check.
"Thank you." Jeffrey says, turning to leave.
Sam is finishing up some unpacking when Megan and the boys come in. "Hi." She says, looking up.
"Hi, Aunt Sam." The boys reply, going over to hug her.
"How was your day at school?" She asks, hugging them.
"It was okay." They say, sitting down beside her.
"How was your day?" She asks, looking up at Megan.
"It was fine." She says, going into the kitchen.
"Who's your teacher?" She asks, turning her attention back to boys.
"I'm in Ms Whitt's class." Mattox says.
"And I'm in Ms. Lansing's class." Madisen says.
"So, you're not in RJ, Zack, and Jude's or Will's class?" Sam asks.
"No, but we played with them at recess. Mom we're hungry." The boys say, jumping up.
"I've got you a snack." She says, walking over to the table. They follow her as Sam gets up.
"Did you want something special for dinner?" She asks as the boys sit down to eat their snack.
"No, I'll fix the boys something."
"I'm going to cook for Jeffrey so you can eat with us." Sam says, going into the kitchen.
Megan watches her for a moment before she turns her attention to the boys. Sam starts dinner while they finish their snack. When they're finished, Megan says. "You can go upstairs and play for one hour and then it's time for homework."
"Yes ma'am." They reply heading for the stairs as Megan walks towards the kitchen.
"You don't have to fix me and the boys anything. I'll fix something for them when they finish their homework." Megan says, standing at the counter.
"It's really no trouble." Sam says, looking up. "Is something wrong?" She asks, watching at her.
"I looked at a couple of places for me and the boys to move in to."
"Did you find anything that you liked?"
"Actually, I did. The boys and I will be moving in this weekend."
"So soon!" Sam says, surprised. "You just got to town."
"I know, but I think it's best if we get our own place. I went by the shop you told me about. They gave me a job and I'll be starting Wednesday."
"That's great." Sam says, smiling.
"I'm going to go help the boys with their homework." Megan says, turning to leave.
"Megan." Sam says, walking around counter as she stops. Turning back to her, Sam asks. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, the boys are waiting on me." Megan says, turning to leave while Sam watches her.
An hour later, Jeffrey walks in the door. Sam's finishing up dinner as he walks in. "Hi." She says, taking the casserole out of the oven.
"That smells good." He says, walking over to her after he puts his briefcase down and hangs up his coat. "Where are Megan and the boys?"
"Upstairs, Megan's helping them with their homework." Sam says, as he slips his arms around her.
"How are you?"
"I'm alright. I finished unpacking the last of the boxes and putting them away."
"I saw that. You didn't do…."
"No, I didn't do too much. I spent most of the afternoon on the couch, sleeping. Then I got up and started on the boxes. Are you hungry?"
"Sure." He says, as she gets two plates down.
"Are they going to eat?" He asks, turning for the stairs.
"No, she said she would fix something for the boys later." Sam says, going over to the table.
"She doesn't want to eat with us."
"I guess not. She's already found a place to live and said she would be moving in this weekend. The boys are enrolled in school and she's got a job at that shop I told her about." Sam says, putting their dinner on the table as Jeffrey sits down.
"She has a place to live already?"
"Yes, she didn't tell me where it's at, but she said that she would be moving in this weekend. What did you do this afternoon?" Sam asks, after she gets some of the casserole.
"Well, I went back to City Hall after lunch and then this afternoon, Wes called."
"What did he want? Did he talk to Lizzie's broker?"
"Yes, he faxed over the sales agreement for the stock. I read it and then signed and faxed it back over to him and then I took him a cashier's check for the amount of the sale. He's going to send the check to Lizzie's broker and as soon as the paperwork for the sale of stock is filed with the SEC, I have control of Lewis Oil."
"So, you'll have HB's company back?"
"Yes, and then I'll give it back to Billy."
"That's great?" Sam says, getting up and going over to him. He pulls her down into his lap as Megan walks in.
"What's going on?" She asks, looking at them.
"Jeffrey just got back controlling interest in his father's company."
"Oh, I'm going to fix the boys…"
"Megan, there's no need for you to fix the boys something to eat. You're welcome to have what I fixed." Sam says, turning to Megan.
"Sam, if she wants to fix the boys something else, she can." Jeffrey says, releasing her.
"I know she can, but I don't see the point. The boy's like my cooking and there's no point in her cooking for them and me cooking for us." Sam says, looking at him.
"If you want us to eat with you, that's fine." Megan says, walking over to the stairs. "Boy's it's time to eat."
A few seconds later, you hear the boys coming downstairs. Sam gets up and gets Megan and the boys a plate and silverware while Megan gets them both a glass of milk. They sit down to eat.
Josh and Reva walks in to Company. DJ looks up as they walk in. He watches as Josh holds out Reva's chair before he sits down across from her and Marina walks up. "Hey you two, I haven't seen you in here in a long time."
"I know." Reva says, looking at Josh.
'It's good to see you together." Marina says. "Reva how's Marah?"
"The last time I talked to her, she was working in Morocco."
"Will she be home for the holidays?"
"I'm not sure. Things are a bit complicated for the holiday's this year." Reva says, glancing at Josh.
"Because of Jeffrey, I guess that would be a bit uncomfortable for them. What about Shayne?"
"He's still in Bosnia. We're not sure if he's coming home either."
"Maybe it might be better if you go to them, this year." Marina says, as DJ holds his hand up to get Marina's attention. "I'll be right with you." She says. "Did you guys need a minute?"
"That'll be fine." Josh says. Nodding she walks away. "That's not a bad idea." Josh says, as Marina walks away.
"What?" Reva asks, looking up from the menu.
"Maybe we could go see Marah and Shayne ourselves for the holidays."
"What about the rest of the family?"
"What about them? Richard and Cassie will probably want to have Christmas with each other and Billy will probably be involved with Stace for the holidays."
"And what about Jeffrey and Sam, or did you forget about them? Neither one of them have any other family here besides us." Reva says, looking at him.
"Jeffrey has Ava. William's up here so they'll probably be invited to Richard and Cassie's for Christmas."
"And what about Thanksgiving, everyone has been invited to Cross Creek."
"I'm sure they would understand if we went to see Marah and Shayne." Josh says, as Marina comes back to their table.
"I'm sorry, what can I get you to drink?"
"I'll have some coffee." Josh says.
"I'll have a cup of the apple cider. Did you realize how cold it's gotten?" Reva says, as Marina writes down their drink orders.
"I know. We might get our first snow fall soon."
"I think we've got a few more weeks, but it is getting cold outside." Josh says.
"Do you know what you to eat?" Marina asks.
"Umm, I'll have the chili." Josh says, handing her his menu.
"Me too." Reva says, handing her menu to her as well.
"Alright, two chili's." Marina says, writing it down after she takes the menus. "If you talk to Marah, tell her to email me. I haven't heard from her in a while."
"I will." Reva says. Marina leaves as DJ stands up.
He walks by them and Josh looks up as he walks by. Reva's watching him and she asks. "Do you know him?" She asks, looking back over her shoulder.
"Umm, yes." Josh says quietly.
"Who is it?" Reva asks, looking at him.
"His name is Dorian Rydal." Josh says, looking at her.
"That's him." Reva says, as she looks back over her shoulder. DJ is already out the door when she looks back.
"Yes." Josh replies, as she moves to get up. "I don't think we should go after him." Josh says, reaching out to stop her.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not sure that he knows who I am. I don't know how much his mother has told him."
"He's your son." Reva says, standing up.
"He's my son. But he's furious at his mother for lying to him all these years and from the encounters we've had, I don't think he wants to know me." Josh says.
"You're going to turn your back on him." Reva asks, sitting back down.
"No, I'm going to let him come to me."
"What if he doesn't do that?"
"Then that's the way it's going to be." He says, as Marina brings their drinks and dinner. "Can we eat now?" He asks, picking up his spoon.
For a moment, she watches him and then she starts eating. They finish eating and Marina brings their check, which Josh pays before he holds Reva's chair as she gets up. They leave a few moments later. "Do you want to go home or maybe take a walk on Main Street?" He asks.
"It's too cold for a walk so let's go home." Reva says
"Alright." Josh says, leading her over to the car.
He opens her door and then walks around to the other side. Getting in, he starts the car and they leave Company. When they get home, Reva goes upstairs for a warm bath while Josh watches the news. When it's over, he goes upstairs. Reva is lying down while she looks through a magazine. "I'll be right back?"
"Okay."
A few moments later the water comes on. Fifteen minutes later, Josh turns the water off. Getting out, he dries off and then wraps a towel around his waist before he opens the door to the bathroom. Reva is still lying in bed looking at a magazine. He walks over to the closet, coming out a few moments later dressed for bed. Slipping under the covers, he asks. "What are you looking at?"
"Just some magazines from work." She says, putting the magazine down.
"You really like working at the Beacon." He says, settling back against a couple of pillows.
"Yes. It's a challenge."
"And everything is okay with Cassie."
"Everything is fine with Cassie. We're closer than ever."
"That's great." He says. "About… I…" They both speak at the same time. "What were you going to say?" He asks.
"I think you should reach out to Dorian." Reva says, looking at him.
"Reva."
"He's your son Josh and maybe you can help him understand what happened that night between you and his mother."
"I'm the man that slept with his mother."
"You're also his father and you're a great father Josh. He deserves to know you."
"This isn't like Jonathan."
"I know that. I don't know this boy but I know you and you should reach out to him, at least try to."
"Why do you want me to do this?"
"I don't know, but I think its right. You might be able to help him understand. You're a minister." Reva says, looking at him.
"I doubt that will win me any points where he is concerned. And I'm not even sure that Leah will allow me to have a relationship with him. And do you realize what that means for you."
"This isn't about Leah. This is about you knowing your son. A son you had no idea existed until recently. It's your right to know each other. I'm not going to hide away and pretend that you didn't sleep with someone else. He should be apart of our family and he should know that."
"You're much more accepting than I was when I found out about Jon." He says, looking at her. "I didn't want him anywhere around you or Marah and Shayne. That's why I insisted that we leave San Cristobel the way we did. I wanted to pretend that none of that happened."
"You had to know that, that wasn't possible."
"Maybe deep down inside, but I tried to ignore it. And then when Jon showed up here in Springfield, I was forced to accept him and what happened with you and Richard."
"I thought you had already accepted that."
"I pretended to, because Jon was out or the picture, Cassie was married to Richard and they were in San Cristobel. And then he was gone, I didn't have to face it."
"Well, you have to face this. And you need to reach out to your son, at least tell him that you'll be there if he needs you. He may not accept it, but at least you've told him."
"His mother…."
"Will have to accept that you're a part of his life. That's the way it is."
"Some people aren't as strong as you are Reva. They can't accept things simply because they have too." Josh says, looking at her.
"I realize that, but you have to make the effort."
"I will think about it." Josh says, looking at her as she nods.
"You were going to say something."
"Yes, about Marah and Shayne, I think we should consider spending the holiday's with them."
"We can't pretend that we don't have other family."
"Jeffrey is a grown man. He has his own family. He has Ava and Sam. He'll have William in a few months. They'll have his new baby and Ava's baby. He'll be tied to Richard and Cassie…."
"He's tied to you and Billy. He should be apart of the holidays."
"Why do you have to include him?" Josh asks, sitting up.
"Why don't you want to include him? I thought you realized that nothing will happen between me and Jeffrey. Why are you still insisting that he be kept out of the family?" Reva asks, as Josh sighs and lies down. Reva watches him for a few moments and then lies down beside him.
Richard walks into the living room after reading Will a story. Cassie's sitting on the couch when he walks in. He sits down beside her. "You look tired." He says, as she moves over to him.
"I am a little bit."
"Is the baby okay?"
"She's fine. I was busy helping the staff plan Ava's wedding." Cassie says, moving over to him.
"Have they worked everything out?"
"Yes, we're going to take the largest ballroom and turn it into a small spring garden. And then after the wedding, the reception will be held there as well."
"You're going to have to let the staff handle more." He says, running his fingers through her hair.
"It wasn't just the wedding. That wasn't so hard. We had a couple hiccups with the Ladies Auxiliary from Laurel Falls. They have never been this demanding before." Cassie says, closing her eyes. "How did your day go?"
"It went good."
His tone gets her attention and she pulls away from him. "What happened?"
"I can change this is you want me too. We talked about it but if you want…."
"Change what?"
"I filed to run for mayor this morning." Richard says, looking at her.
"You did, that's great." She says, throwing her arms around him. She kisses him. "Why would I want you to change that?" She asks, pulling back.
"Because I didn't tell you that I was going to. I didn't decide to until after I talked with the Deputy Mayor. He's running against me, by the way."
"Well, we knew that you would likely have an opponent or two. They haven't figured out that it's a useless battle." She says, leaning in to kiss him.
"This isn't going to be like the race in San Cristobel. I'll have a lot of hard work ahead. And there maybe things that come up that we weren't expecting."
"Like what?"
"Questions about you and me, my health…." He says, looking away.
"And what else?"
"Possibly your past." He says, looking at her.
"Why would my past come up? Everyone in Springfield knows about it. It was settled in San Cristobel."
"It's still a possibility that they'll bring it up."
"I thought all of this was behind me." She says, sitting back.
"Don't get upset." He says, reaching out to her.
"I can't change what I did when I lost Tammy. I had to survive." She says, looking at him.
"And the people of Springfield will understand that. But we may have to explain that to them."
"Again, how many times do I have to explain it?" She asks, as he reaches for her.
"I will handle any questions about your past." He says, wrapping her arms around her.
"You can't be there for all the questions." She says, laying her head against his chest.
"We don't know that they will bring this up. And if they do, then I think we need to point out the condition you're in."
"My condition?" Cassie asks, pulling back and looking at him.
"Yes, we will be in the middle of this pregnancy while all of this is going on. We can be honest about your past. We won't hide from it, but I think it says something about a person who would attack a pregnant woman about something that's been over for more than twenty years. You're a respected member of this community. You're Reva Shayne's sister, for bloody sake. If the town of Springfield can forgive her for all the things she's done then they can forgive you. Not that you need to be forgiven for anything. Tammy's not even here anymore. That's another thing we can point out." He says, quickly.
She lays a finger across his mouth. "You're right."
"I am."
"Yes, it is pretty crappy that someone would attack me with me being pregnant, especially since this is a high risk pregnancy. And I shouldn't hide in shame for something I did so long ago. I owned my past before, I'll do it again. And we're both respected members of this community. You said something about them questioning your health?"
"Kevin…." She looks at him. "He's the campaign manager that Jeffrey suggested. "He mentioned that my opponents might question my health since up until a few months ago, everyone in Springfield considered me dead."
"That's easy to solve."
"How do you figure that?"
"We ask Sam to make a brief statement about your care and you recovery. We can even release your medical records, if the need arose."
"Maybe I should hire you as my campaign manager." He says, leaning over to kiss her. "There's something else we have to talk about." He says, sitting back.
"What's that?"
"The money, Kevin estimates that we'll need between two hundred thousand and five hundred thousand to run this campaign."
"Do we have that kind of money? I know we didn't have any medical cost from when you were in DC, but are we that financially secure."
"I have some of that, but what it means is that we're going be having a lot of fundraisers."
"Back to being in the spotlight again." She says, looking at him with a smile.
"At least the spotlight won't be as big. We won't be running a full country this time." He says, reaching over to caress her cheek. She turns her head and kisses his palm.
"Is there any other questions he thinks we'll have to face."
"Only one." Richard replies, watching her.
When he doesn't say anything more, she says. "Richard."
"Sorry, I was thinking. What was the question?"
"Are there any other questions that he thinks will come up?"
"Ummm, the fact that I'm from San Cristobel."
"Why?" She asks, surprised.
"Even though I can't run for your presidency, some questions may arise about the fact that I wasn't a naturally born citizen to the US. I may not grasp your political system this quickly."
"Oh please. It's not that hard to grasp." Cassie says "I see more of an issue coming up from people fearing that you'll try to run this town like you would've ran San Cristobel. Not that, that can happen because there are things that can be down if you overstep, not that you would.
"And what about the people that believe that I'm using the Mayor's office to jump start my political career?"
"So what if you are, are you?"
"No, of course not. I wouldn't decide that without discussing it with you." He says, reaching for her. She moves over to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he asks. "You really are okay with me doing this?"
"Yes, you'll be a great mayor. And if you want to run for more than mayor then we'll discuss that later." She says, looking up.
He leans down to kiss her. What started out as a simple kiss quickly becomes more heated as he slips his tongue inside her mouth, playing with her. Finally she pulls back. "This is what you were thinking about awhile ago." She says, looking at him.
"You distracted me when you kissed my palm." He says leaning back in.
She doesn't let the kiss get too involved before she pulls back. "Let's go upstairs." She says, pulling away from him.
"We can…."
"Will." She says, as he nods. Releasing her, he helps her up before he gets up. Turning to her, he sweeps her up into his arms and starts for the stairs. "You're that impatient." She asks, leaning up to kiss his jaw. He quickens his steps, taking the stairs two at a time as she laughs.