Sexton.'
The maitre d' felt an unexpected tingle of nerves. Senator Sedgewick Sexton. The senator was a regular here and currently one of the country's most famous men. Last week, having swept all twelve Republican primaries on Super Tuesday, the senator was virtually guaranteed his party's nomination for President of the United States. Many believed the senator had a superb chance of stealing the White House from the embattled President next fall. Lately Sexton's face seemed to be on every national magazine, his campaign slogan plastered all across America: 'Stop spending. Start mending.'
'Senator Sexton is in his booth,' the maitre d' said. 'And you are?'
'Rachel Sexton. His daughter.'
How foolish of me, he thought. The resemblance was quite apparent. The woman had the senator's penetrating eyes and refined carriage — that polished air of resilient nobility. Clearly the senator's classic good looks had not skipped generations, although Rachel Sexton seemed to carry her blessings with a grace and humility her father could learn from.
'A pleasure to have you, Ms. Sexton.'
As the maitre d' led the senator's daughter across the dining area, he was embarrassed by the gauntlet of male eyes following her… some discreet, others less so. Few women dined at Toulos and even fewer who looked like Rachel Sexton.
'Nice body,' one diner whispered. 'Sexton already find himself a new wife?'
'That's his daughter, you idiot,' another replied.
The man chuckled. 'Knowing Sexton, he'd probably screw her anyway.'
When Rachel arrived at her father's table, the senator was on his cellphone talking loudly about one of his recent successes. He glanced up at Rachel only long enough to tap his Cartier and remind her she was late.
I missed you, too, Rachel thought.
Her father's first name was Thomas, although he'd adopted his middle name long ago. Rachel suspected it was because he liked the alliteration. Senator Sedgewick Sexton. The man was a silver-haired, silver-tongued political animal who had been anointed with the slick look of soap opera doctor, which seemed appropriate considering his talents of impersonation.
'Rachel!' Her father clicked off his phone and stood to kiss her cheek.
'Hi, Dad.' She did not kiss him back.
'You look exhausted.'
And so it begins, she thought. 'I got your message. What's up?'
'I can't ask my daughter out for breakfast?'
Rachel had learned long ago her father seldom requested her company unless he had some ulterior motive.
Sexton took a sip of coffee. 'So, how are things with you?'
'Busy. I see your campaign's going well.'
'Oh, let's not talk business.' Sexton leaned across the table, lowering his voice. 'How's that guy at the State Department I set you up with?'
Rachel exhaled, already fighting the urge to check her watch. 'Dad, I really haven't had time to call him. And I wish you'd stop trying to-'
'You've got to make time for the important things, Rachel. Without love, everything else is meaningless.'
A number of comebacks came to mind, but Rachel chose silence. Being the bigger person was not difficult when it came to her father. 'Dad, you wanted to see me? You said this was important.'
'It is.' Her father's eyes studied her closely.
Rachel felt part of her defenses melt away under his gaze, and she cursed the man's power. The senator's eyes were his gift — a gift Rachel suspected would probably carry him to the White House. On cue, his eyes would well with tears, and then, an instant later, they would clear, opening a window to an impassioned soul, extending a bond of trust to all. It's all about trust, her father always said. The senator had lost Rachel's years ago, but he was quickly gaining the country's.
'I have a proposition for you,' Senator Sexton said.
'Let me guess,' Rachel replied, attempting to refortify her position. 'Some prominent divorce looking for a young wife?'
'Don't kid yourself, honey. You're not that young anymore.'
Rachel felt the familiar shrinking sensation that so often accompanied meetings with her father.
'I want to throw you a life raft,' he said.
'I wasn't aware I was drowning.'
'You're not. The President is. You should jump ship before it's too late.'
'Haven't we had this conversation?'
'Think about your future, Rachel. You can come work for me.'
'I hope that's not why you asked me to breakfast.'
The senator's veneer of calm broke ever so slightly. 'Rachel, can't you see that your working for him reflects badly on me. And on my campaign.'
Rachel sighed. She and her father had been through this. 'Dad, I don't work for the President. I haven't even met the President. I work in Fairfax, for God's sake!'
'Politics is perception, Rachel. It appears you work for the President.'
Rachel exhaled, trying to keep her cool. 'I worked too hard to get this job, Dad. I'm not quitting.'
The senator's eyes narrowed. 'You know, sometimes your selfish attitude really-'
'Senator Sexton?' A reporter materialized beside the table.
Sexton's demeanor thawed instantly. Rachel groaned and took a croissant from the basket on the table.
'Ralph Sneeden,' the reporter said. 'Washington Post. May I ask you a few questions?'
The senator smiled, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. 'My pleasure, Ralph. Just make it quick. I don't want my coffee getting cold.'
The reporter laughed on cue. 'Of course, sir.' He pulled out a minirecorder and turned it on. 'Senator, your television ads call for legislation ensuring equal salaries for women in the workplace… as well as for tax cuts for new families. Can you comment on your rationale?'
'Sure. I'm simply a huge fan of strong women and strong families.'
Rachel practically choked on her croissant.
'And on the subject of families,' the reporter followed up, 'you talk a lot about education. You've proposed some highly controversial budget cuts in an effort to allocate more funds to our nation's schools.'
'I believe the children are our future.'
Rachel could not believe her father had sunk to quoting pop songs.
'Finally, sir,' the reporter said, 'you've taken an enormous jump in the polls these past few weeks. The President has got to be worried. Any thoughts on your recent success?'
'I think it has to do with trust. Americans are starting to see that the President cannot be trusted to make the tough decisions facing this nation. Runaway government spending is putting this country deeper in debt every day, and Americans are starting to realize that it's time to stop spending and start mending.'
Like a stay of execution from her father's rhetoric, the pager in Rachel's handbag went off. Normally the harsh electronic beeping was an unwelcome interruption, but at the moment, it sounded almost melodious.
The senator glared indignantly at having been interrupted.
Rachel fished the pager from her handbag and pressed a preset sequence of five buttons, confirming that she was indeed the person holding the pager. The beeping stopped, and the LCD began blinking. In fifteen seconds she would receive a secure text message.
Sneeden grinned at the senator. 'Your daughter is obviously a busy woman. It's refreshing to see you two still find time in your schedules to dine together.'
'As I said, family comes first.'
Sneeden nodded, and then his gaze hardened. 'Might I ask, sir, how you and your daughter manage your
