Rhonda hovered in the background. When it came to a man she wanted, she was like a dog with a bone. Luckily, she found someone else to talk to. Dee hoped she met someone. Everyone deserved to feel as happy as she did tonight. As happy, at least, as she could possibly be after being dumped by the man she loved.
“Ms. Dobson, that was the best speech I’ve heard in years,” Mayor Bowser said as she took Dee’s hand. “So honest and heartfelt.”
She shrugged. “Thank you. I kind of winged it. And call me Dee.”
“Those are the best kind of speeches, Dee. You have heart and you spoke from it. We need people like you in office.”
“I’ll second that,” Ted added.
“So, what are your suggestions for reducing workplace discrimination in Washington?”
Dee’s jaw froze as she prepared for her second, and completely unexpected, speech of the night. “I-I’ll have to give it more thought, but for starters, more workplace education is needed.”
The mayor lifted an elegant eyebrow. “Sounds rather expensive. How would you propose to finance it?”
Next, Dee’s jaw dropped. She’d been halfway watching the TV, searching for the right answers. Footage of a plane crash had grabbed her attention. She only caught the end of the caption streaming at the bottom. Something about southern Louisiana. Wasn’t that one of Breeze’s upcoming tour stops?
And then another caption scrolled into view. It was Breeze’s plane!
Her eyes blurred with unshed tears, making it hard to keep reading the screen, but she caught words like serious injuries and missing and presumed dead.
Ted cleared his throat. “Ms. Dobson will be rolling out the details of her platform in the coming weeks, Mayor Bowser.”
“Oh my God,” Dee exclaimed after nodding and turning away from the mayor.
Who was presumed dead? Rodney? The thought made her want to open her purse and throw up in it.
“You did fine,” Ted said, completely oblivious. “Thinking on your feet is a learned art that takes a lot of practice.
“No, y-you don’t understand.”
“Don’t worry. You were so charming tonight, a few little imperfections will be quickly forgotten.”
“I have to go,” she said through stiff, frozen lips. She was shaking so hard, the chain of her purse rattled.
“But you need to mingle with your constituents,” he said. “Why don’t you collect yourself in the ladies’ room and come back refreshed, hmm?”
“Breeze’s plane has crashed. I have to see if Rodney’s okay. I-I have to go to him.”
His smile vanished. “I thought you said that relationship was over.”
“It is, but I still care about him.”
“There’s nothing you can do for him. It’ll take hours to fly there.”
Fly. Did she really dare to board a plane after watching one lying on the ground in jagged pieces? It didn’t matter. She had to see him, and if Rodney was the one missing, she had to find him. He hadn’t ended it because he’d stopped loving her. Their relationship had been a casualty of circumstances.
Ted gripped her arm. “Well, at least take five minutes to think about it. You could be throwing away a big opportunity.”
“I’ve thought about it, and I have to leave. Sorry. I guess passion has got the best of me.”
“All right. We still made a lot of progress tonight.” His face fell. “I hope you’re not going to drop out of the race.”
She threw up her hands. “I don’t know anything right now. Not until I find out Rodney will be all right.”
He gave her a quick, elegant hug. “Be safe and call on me anytime.”
“Thank you, Ted.”
She’d forgotten about Rhonda until her friend ran toward her.
“What’s wrong? You look like somebody died.”
“Rodney’s been in a plane crash,” she wailed. Remembering where she was, she clapped a hand over her mouth. “I have to see him.”
They hurried out of the room. In the main lobby, she rushed to another TV. This one had the volume on, but it showed a commercial. While she waited for more footage, she searched for flights on her cell phone.
Coverage for the accident finally came onscreen and filled in the missing blanks. The one presumed dead was Jack. Although she felt ashamed for thinking it, she was glad it wasn’t Rodney. But he’d lost a lot of blood, and they said his face was so mutilated he’d need plastic surgery. What if he didn’t survive?
“Will this be the end of Breeze?” the first anchor asked after the newsroom displayed again.
“If Rodney Walker survives, they have a fighting chance,” the second replied. “He’s the life of Breeze.”
He was the life of Dee, too. As she stood there in expensive heels, on the verge of a prestigious political career, something died inside her.
“Find us a flight,” she told Rhonda as she pulled her toward the parking garage.
“You sure you want to fly after watching wreckage from a crash?”
Not really, but it didn’t matter. “We’ll be safe enough flying commercial.”
“If you’re paying, I’m flying,” her friend said.
“Thank you,” Dee told her as she chirped her car unlocked. “Having a bestie really comes in handy at times like this.”
“I’ve got you.” Rhonda gave her one of her famous bear hugs. “He’ll be okay.”
What if he didn’t make it? Picturing Rodney in a casket with his long, golden hair resting on his wide shoulders finally sent her into sobs. What a relief not to break down in front of everyone in the ballroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked as Rhonda grabbed her hand.
“Taking your keys. You are definitely not driving.”
“Fine,” she said, sliding into the passenger seat. “Just get me to the airport. I have to be with him and see for myself he’s really alive.”
* * *
When the man opened his eyes, he
