“Hunter, are you ready?” Jane stepped toward Hunter, ready to push him onto the stage.
Her mind had already made a decision, no matter what she believed she needed to do. She knew that she would deal with the consequences later. She would figure out how to pick up the pieces, no matter where they fell. It was what she did. She had no other choice. She nodded to Hunter.
“I need to hear you say it,” he said.
“I’ll pay,” she whispered to him. “Please.”
Hunter ripped up the paper he had pulled out of his pocket earlier and dropped the pieces to the ground. “It’s the right decision, Maddy. You’ll go far. I’ll have a lot of faith in you, really, I do.” He squeezed her hand and then turned toward the stage where Mark Waldo was waiting for his handshake. He shook the man’s hand and clasped the podium with his large, knuckled hands.
“This country is in need of a revolution,” he began. “There are lots of people proposing how to do this, but very few are looking at the big picture, like Madeline Thomas does. As you probably all know, yesterday an African American young boy was gunned down in my city district. I know you don’t want to talk about that tonight, and I understand that. I also don’t want to talk about it. I don’t ever want to need to talk about these things happening, which is why I am supporting Madeline Thomas.”
The crowd roared and Madeline closed her eyes. She tried to take in a few deep breaths to calm herself before she would be stepping out and giving her own speech. “Oh my gosh! Can we get makeup back in here?” Jane said. “You are sweating! Are you nervous? You don’t usually get this nervous.”
“I’m fine,” she responded as the makeup artists leapt at her and started dabbing her face with powder.
“He’s really something,” Jane said, motioning to Hunter out on the stage. He was something, Madeline thought. His posture, his broad shoulders under his perfectly trimmed suit, he gave off an air of confidence, of assurance that Madeline had loved all those years ago when she used to bring him with her to events in college. She had been so proud of him then, when he spoke eloquently with her peers. He still had that same charm, she thought, watching him leaning over the podium. He had magic in him. “Where did you say you found him?”
“We we’re friends at Columbia,” Madeline responded.
“Oh, he studied with you?”
“Sort of,” Madeline nodded as Hunter was about to finish his speech.
“Now, I know you didn’t come here to see me,” Hunter said with a huge smile on his face. “I’m definitely not the beautiful face you expected, so without further ado, I want to introduce my friend Madeline Thomas!”
The crowd roared as Madeline walked onto the stage waving her hand at the crowd. Her other hand felt empty. Usually at these events Brandon would accompany her. He would hold her hand and mirror her wave to the crowd in front of them. She clenched her empty fist all the way to the podium.
“Don’t disappoint me, or them,” Hunter whispered in her ear as they shook hands. She shone her wide smile and thanked him in the microphone for coming. Then she turned to the crowd.
Chapter 31
“Amazing job!” Jane clapped when Madeline entered back into the wings. “You are on fire! I video chatted with Brandon so he could see you. He gave a thumbs up. Brilliant!”
Madeline was handed a glass of water and her makeup artist again attacked her with a brush as Jane continued talking. “Now, we need to get a photo with Joe Gracias from the local ROTC and I also promised Judith Mandelbaum of the Jewish Republicans’ movement that she could have a few moments.”
“Where is Hunter?” she asked, noticing he was no longer in the wings.
“Oh, he left, but he said to give you this.” Jane handed Madeline a card from a local Holiday Inn with his room number written on it. “Now, Madeline, maybe you should have him come to the office tomorrow for a meeting, I can have a car get him from the hotel if you want.”
“That’s all right,” Madeline responded. She took the card and put it in her lapel pocket. She could feel Jane’s curious stare on her. Madeline had never met anyone at their hotel. She could meet in offices, in restaurants, lounges, but not hotel rooms. Jane gave a short grumble, but got back to business. Jane gave Madeline background about the people she had to meet and what she should say to them. She smiled big for photos, both planned and unplanned, and shook hands until her knuckles hurt.
When the event was coming to a close and there weren’t many more hands to shake, Madeline pulled Jane aside. “I need you to find a Rhonda Williams,” she said to her chief of staff. “Tonight.”
“Williams? As in Hunter Williams? I don’t understand…”
“Jane, this must be kept secret. It’s his ex-wife, I don’t want him to know I’m looking for her. Surely the staff can find her easily.” Jane hesitated while nodding slowly. “Great, then I want you to notify me as soon as you have an address. No matter the time. Shall we keep going?” Madeline turned from Jane and continued to greet the event’s last parting attendees.
It was an odd request from Madeline. Jane
