Divided (The United Trilogy Book 2) (10 page)

“Thank you, Judy. You are too good for words, and I really appreciate you holding down the fort while I’m away. I didn’t have any clue that I was going to be gone for so long.”

“I expected it to take you a few weeks with the staff to go over everything you learned while you were out.” She said looking confused.

Well drat! How am I going to talk my way out of this one? I have used all of my time and energy on what I was going to say to the Council that I completely overlooked what to tell my own staff. Crap! I need to stay as close to the truth as possible without actually telling them anything.

I go shut her door, and she raises her eyebrows, but she waited for me to speak. “This is a rather delicate matter. I’m sure you understand, Judy. I was on a special tour for the Council that is of utmost importance. As such, it can’t be talked about, not even to Wes and Molly. The only one who even knows where I went is Masters, do you understand?” Luckily, understanding is exactly what I see in her eyes. Thank God!

“Oh yes, Miss Roz, say no more. Your job is very important and as such, sometimes you have things you can’t talk about. No worries here, mum’s the word.” The cute little thing mimes locking her mouth and throwing away the key. How I have missed her so.

“Thank you for understanding. This is the hardest part of the job for me. I hate feeling like I’m sneaking around, even if it is for the greater good.” That is the truth too.

“I completely understand that it is very difficult, Miss Roz, but you are doing such a great job and I’m so proud of you! Just tell me anything you are going to need for this next tour and I will make sure it is ready for you.”

“Thank you so much, Judy. You are a true gem,” I tell her.

I go back to my office and start going through all the memos and paperwork. Before long, I realize it is almost time to go home, but I still want to drop in to say hi to Natasha. Masters may not give me the dirt but Tash will, as long as I can catch her before she takes off for the day.

I make it to the Career Department just as Tash is heading out and the night workers are coming in.

“Well, hi there stranger! I’m so glad you made it back in time.” She gives me a welcoming hug. “Looks like the red paid off; you look like a million bucks!”

“Thanks, Tash! And thank you so much for helping Masters with this!” I twirl on my spot for emphasis.

“No problem. I know that something big is about to go down, even though Kevin is so tight-lipped about the whole thing, that big brute!” She says with a huge smile.

“Oh, Kevin is it?”

“Only in private. Here he is still the big bad Masters who will never cuddle,” she says conspiratorially while wiggling her eyebrows.

I burst out laughing. “Oh this is too much. I can’t wait to get a hold of him.”

She pulls my arm. “Hey now lady, listen up. If you embarrass him then he gets mad at me, and when he’s mad at me I don’t get cuddles, and if I’m going to get the silent treatment so will you! Got it?”

“Well once you put it that way, I guess, but that’s some major dirt I can’t even use!” I complain to her. She just smiles. “So, it’s going well then?”

“Yes, it’s going very well. I’ve dated some, but to be honest, my life, well, is my job. The job has always come first and the guys that I dated just couldn’t handle taking a back seat to work. But with Masters, he understands because his job is the same. When our schedules don’t match up, it sucks, but we totally get it and don’t make the other person feel bad for it.”

“Aw, I’m so glad to hear that. I’m really happy for you!”

“Is everything okay with you, girl? Kevin seems way more on edge than usual, and that’s saying something. I thought he was gonna wear a hole in my floor last night and then he must have checked about ten times today to see if I’ve heard from you.”

That big old sweetheart; I knew deep down he cared about me.

“That’s so sweet. I’m fine, really. It’s been a very hard month, and to be honest, it's been amazing at the same time. Let’s head home; I’ll fill you in on the way. "

I’m not sure just how monitored the Ministry is and I don’t want to take any chances. Once we are out of the ministry I turn to her. “I can’t give you any details or even a name, but I met someone.”

“Seriously? Roz, that’s awesome!” she exclaims gleefully, but then asks, “However, why the secrecy? I don’t think anyone is going to care if the President has a boyfriend.”

“I wish I could tell you, but all I can say is that nobody can know, at least not just yet. I won’t even be able to see him for who knows how long…maybe ever again.” At this, my traitorous eyes start to fill up with tears that have started fall down my face before I can wipe them away. Tash instantly pulls me into a hug.

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how hard it must be on you, but don’t give up hope, okay? Never give up hope. Oh Lord, it isn’t a Council member, is it?”

I’m not sure why, but for some reason I pictured Peter and I burst out laughing. “Good heavens, no! He is not a Council member.” Then, I think of how Dex might have been a Council member now if he hadn't left and I try not to choke. Wow, Tash has gotten closer with that than I want her to, so I quickly change the subject.

“If you don’t have any plans this weekend, you and Masters should come for dinner on Saturday night. I am going to cook with Miriam, and her family stays for dinner.”

“Oh fun, I’ll check with Kevin, but we should be down to come, for sure! This is where I turn, but thanks again for seeking me out. I’m so glad to have you back, girl. Remember: chin up and keep the faith! He’s one lucky man. Love ya, girl!” And off she goes.

It is then that I realize at some point it has started raining.
Dang, I need to get my head in the game,
I tell myself. Thinking about Dex has completely thrown me off. I put into effect for Green to be out there for the next two months during the days. I even got him access to the gate in case of emergency. I anticipated that the Council would fight me on it, but they haven’t. Maybe they are going to be much easier to crack than I thought. Maybe I’ll send Green with a letter tomorrow, just to give Dex an update…and to make sure he didn’t forget about me...but mostly the update.

I am the President of United America and I’m such a girl! Like having a country’s problems isn’t enough to worry about, I have to worry about if a guy is thinking of me or not. GAH!

I make it home and go into the kitchen to find Miriam leaning over the oven. The most amazing smell ever coming from the kitchen. “Miss Roz! I’m so glad you are home!”

She gives me a huge hug. “Miriam, it smells amazing in here. Is that pasta?”

“Of course, Miss Roz. It’s your first day back so I had to make your favorite. Wes can get over not having roast today.”  She says with a wink. I just laugh because already she's learned how to keep him under control. Perfect!

“Before I forget, thank you so much for all that food you sent. It was all amazing! I felt bad that you went through so much work, but it was greatly appreciated.”

Miriam lights up at my comment. “Oh good, I’m so glad it helped. Anytime, Miss Roz; you just let me know. I'm always willing to help you.” She’s so sweet.

We all eat together and then go our separate ways. Molly insists that she has to go somewhere even though she won’t say where. I can’t figure out if she is actually having some type of clandestine meeting with Miles or if she is just giving me some time alone with Wes.

I move upstairs after doing the dishes to see if I can find Wes, but he is in his office and I don’t want to interrupt the genius at work.

I decided that this is the perfect time to write Dex, strictly for update reasons only.
Right
, I can't even fool myself.

Dex,

Hey, miss me yet? How did Grace go down tonight? I hope it wasn't too hard on her. Has she been eating okay? Today was crazy. Annabelle was waiting for me as we suspected she would, but the Council wasn’t as defensive as I thought they would be. Of course they defended their actions, but they actually listened to everything I had to say, and I wasn’t taking it easy on them. Samuel, Amira and Annabelle were the most supportive (called that smarty-pants), and I felt horrible that I made Annabelle break down sobbing. I left them with the ultimatum that if things don’t change in a month, they are going to have to find someone else as President. I hope it works! I’m heading out early next week as planned, so I’ll let you know if I find anything. It was so nice to see my friends again, but I’m missing it there so much too. Well, I’m going to be a girl and just say it: I miss you and all your moody, broody, gruffness. Green is going to be taking over day guard shifts and has gate access so if you need anything at all, let him know. Also, you can trust him to pass things along to me. Hope you have a great first night without me! Tell Grace that I love her to the moon and back, and I’ll try to sneak her some of Miriam’s cookies.

Tink (I hate that I’m using this, you’re an evil man!)

I seal the letter and decide to take it to the train station now. We have a few safety deposit boxes there for the trackers to use. Masters let me know the combination to one of them and says that Green will check it daily and leave any responses for me here as well. The train station is only a short walk away so I am able to make it there and back within the hour.

When I reach home again, I take a shower and get ready for bed. When I come out of the bathroom, I find Wesley on my bed.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise!”

“Yes, well I figured there was a reason why you haven’t forced yourself into my bed already. I’m guessing he has dark hair and a sour disposition?” Crap, leave it to Wes to figure it out. “And if it does?” I challenge him.

“Are you happy?” he asks instead.

“With the situation, not at all, but with him? Completely!” He nods like he assumed as much.

“Well, situations change; the person is what matters. I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time.”

“Aw, thanks. You are the best, do you know that? I missed you so much! So do you want to tell me about you and Andi?”

“Definitely not!”

“WES!” I try to argue, but he stops me by saying: “If there is something to tell, I will, but right now we are just friends, Roz. I don’t know if I’ll ever have any more to offer, especially to someone like Andi.”

I give him a big hug, and I don’t care if he likes it or not. “Listen to me, Mr. Sanders. You have a ton to offer to a girl. Andi would be lucky to score a guy like you, and don’t you forget it. You even made a big man like Dex jealous with your dashing good looks!”

He raises an eyebrow at that. “Oh yes, how can I forget being accused of being your lover in a public place?”

“Hey, worse things could have happened, don’t complain now!”

“Ha!”

“You wanna watch a movie?” I ask out of the blue.

“Sure. Go ahead and pick one, I’m going to get the snacks,” he tells me then he goes down to the kitchen.

I pick out a movie at random and jump into bed, grabbing an extra pillow. I may have promised Dex I will not climb into Wes’ bed, but I never said anything about him in mine. I can only grin at my cleverness.

Chapter Seven

For the rest of the week, I try to catch up on everything I have missed and spend as much time with my staff as possible. I also make it a point to devote as much time to my friends as I can. If they find it weird how clingy I am being, I don’t know because they don’t whine about it. It’s just that, if my plan doesn’t work out and I have to leave the Ministry, I don’t want any wasted time with my friends. They can tell that something is up for sure, but they are trying to accept that I have to deal with this on my own.

I have lunch with them almost every day. And most of those days, Andi joins us. I can see now why Molly smells something fishy between Andi and Wes. It is weird because they don’t act like they are dating or even like they are interested in each other, but they oddly just fit. She seems to totally get Wes, and all of his little quirks don’t even make her lift an eyebrow. She is shy, but she can still get along with Molly and me and laugh at our randomness. I just hope she doesn’t end up hurting Wes in the end, but with the way he is refusing to even acknowledge a relationship, who knows, maybe she will end up hurt. And if that’s the case, Wes has to watch out because if I were him, I would not want a pissed off uncle like Masters on my tail, that’s for sure.

I haven’t heard back from Dex which makes me a little nervous. Green assured me that everything is fine with them, but it just makes me worried for another reason.

The best part of this upcoming trip is that I get to see my mom and spend every day with her. That idea helps make everything else bearable. I have arranged for my mother to be my tour guide to all of the different Zones. She is the supervisor in our Zone, but she also travels to other Zones some times to train or to fill in as needed, so she is the perfect person to lead on all my tours. This way, the director will be able to stay and do what she needs to do without having to take a month off. When I mentioned it to my mother, she was absolutely thrilled and said that my dad is going to be so jealous that she gets to spend days with me while he doesn’t. I tell her that we are going to stay with them while we are out on tour and she has almost fallen over from excitement. Masters has offered to stay elsewhere but I will hear none of it. I tell him that he will be staying with me in my parents’ guest room and there will not be any more talk of sleeping elsewhere.

Now that all the plans are finalized and Masters and I know what we have to do, it is just a waiting game. We have a small dinner party with Miriam and her family, Masters and Tash as well as Andi, Wes and Molly on Saturday. It's fine, but I can’t get past the dread of not knowing what to expect over the next month. Masters of course is unreadable and nobody can pick up on anything; well, nobody but Tash. Maybe because she knows us both, she can probably tell that something is up, but I thank her for not asking. Once everyone leaves I go to bed and have a fitful night of sleep.

Since today is my last day before leaving, once I am all packed up and ready to go, I send a message to Green. I know that today is his day off but I just ask if he wants to go for a hike with me. Surprisingly enough, he writes back within minutes to say that he will meet me at my house in 30 minutes. Before I know it, 30 minutes has passed and the doorbell announces his arrival, so I grab my pack that’s filled with water and snacks, and head out the door.

Green is standing on the porch, looking as handsome as ever, but the butterflies I had when I first saw him have yet to make reappearance. I like him a lot; he’s a great friend and even better employee, but we don’t connect on any deeper level at all. He gives me a blinding smiling which I return in kind with a big hug as I come out to greet him.

“Hey there! I was so surprised to hear from you this morning!” he says as he engulfs me in his arms. One thing about being surrounded with such big men is that I always have a feeling of security. Sometimes, it’s nice to be so small.

“You know that this isn’t a summoning, right, Green? It’s your day off. If you had plans or anything, you didn’t have to come.” I tell him, feeling rather awkward. It’s hard not knowing if people actually want to hang out with you or feel they have to because you are the President. I guess I should feel honored; most people would see it as a compliment. However, I don’t like feeling like people only want to spend time with me out of obligation. Green can sense this from how weirdly I am acting and grabs my shoulders and looks down at me.

“Hey, it was a good surprise, Roz. I know it wasn’t an order; even if it was, I would have been just as happy to come. It’s not every day that a pretty girl asks me to go hiking. Shopping, talking, and sightseeing maybe, but a girl wanting to be outdoorsy is every man’s dream!” He has a huge smile on his face and he makes me instantly feel better.

I slap his arm. “Get that silly grin off your face, Mr. Green. This isn’t a date!”

He gives me a mock pout. “Is it the age difference? Because I’ve been told I am rather boyishly handsome for my age, and really not half as mature so we are probably a better match than you think.” I laugh outright at this. I’m glad I asked him to come today. He has a way of always lifting my spirits.

“Aren’t you old enough to be my father?” The look of distain he shoots me is so funny that I crack up.

“Thank God I have no offspring, and if I had that young, there’s no way I’d still be alive today. Nothing scares me more than those little humans.” The fact that he is serious has me laughing so hard that I am gasping for breath.

“Little humans? Come on, Green, don’t tell me a big, strong man like you who deals with criminals is afraid of a small child?” I tease him.

“People don’t give children enough credit. They are much smarter than people think. They have this way of looking at you and wanting only the truth. They freak me out.”

“Oh Sebastian, I think I am finally now understanding why you are single.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault women as a whole are obsessed with the little creatures. I don’t see why you have to ruin a good thing, that’s all I’m saying.”

“You just wait, you’re going to find the one woman that doesn’t want you and it’s going to crush you that she won’t beg you to marry her and have your little spawn.”

He gives me a horrified look and does the sign of the cross. “Don’t you hex me, you evil little woman!”

I just laugh at him and change the subject. “Thank you for coming with me today, Sebastian. It’s nice to just get away sometimes.” I sigh.

“It’s my pleasure. Are you doing alright? Are you nervous about tomorrow?” he asks, concerned.

“I’m a little nervous, but I’m mostly excited. I’m trying to put everything else out of my mind and just focus on what needs to be done. I’m so glad I get to see my parents and spend time with my mom; that should help.”

“Good, I’m glad. Things will be okay. You are doing a good thing, Roz.”

“I need you to tell me the truth. How are they? I haven’t heard back from Dex and I’m so worried about Grace. Have you seen her?”

He smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “The people are fine, Roz; they are the same as always. As for little Grace though, she’s sad. I didn’t know her before, but she’s just a tiny little thing who hides and stays in the shadows. She doesn’t play with the other kids, doesn’t even interact with the adults. Dex doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he is worried. The cookie you sent with your letter was the first time I’ve seen her smile since you left. Her whole face lit up and Dex said she took a tiny bite every day until it was gone.” This is what I was afraid of. I know she isn’t my responsibility but somehow in that month that I was there, I came to see her as mine. It breaks my heart to hear that she isn’t happy.

“Do you think Dex feels like I abandoned her like their parents did? Is that why he hasn’t written back?”

Green lets out a deep sigh. His face is all serious now, none of the joking from before.

“I’ve known Dex a long time, Roz. The Dex I knew, he’s gone. I got a glimpse of him the day I was there and saw you interacting, but I don’t know this Dex anymore. I can’t begin to tell you how he feels or what he thinks. But I will tell you this: I think he cares for you. The Dex that I knew wouldn’t want to lie to you so he wouldn’t write because he didn’t want to lie and tell you everything was fine, but he wouldn’t want to worry you with the truth.”

I stop walking. I look up at him and know exactly what I need to do. “You have new day and night guards now. Are the weekend guards all new too?”

He looks at me for a moment. “Yes, they are all new. You want to go there.” He doesn’t say it as a question. He knows I won't be able to leave for a month while I am worried about Grace and Dex.   

“You don’t have to come. If you don’t mind cutting the hike short, I can go back, grab a few things and make the train. I won’t go inside; I don’t want to tip anyone off. I'll just talk to them through the fence to check on Grace, give her a few things and try to cheer her up.”

Green sighs and mumbles something under his breath that sounds a lot like “Creepy freaking kids.” Then he looks up at me and says, “Let’s go then.”

“Seriously, Sebastian, you don’t have to go. It’s your day off and I will be fine. I can use a meeting with the new guards before I leave as my cover. I’ll even put it in my official report so it won't make the Council suspicious, so I won't need you for anything.”

“And you don’t think showing up out of the blue to meet the new guards without an escort is going to make the new guards suspicious? The old guards know too much; it is good timing that we had to switch out, but we can’t let them see you getting all weepy at the gate. No, I’ll go with you. You’ll go inside after you bring a bunch of crap with you for them. It will look less suspicious that way. But don’t think I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I want a nice home-cooked meal, and apple pie…with ice cream.”

I smile widely and hug him tight. “You got it! Thank you so much, Sebastian, really. I don’t know what I would do without you. I’ll have Miriam make extra food and send you home with plenty for tomorrow’s dinner.”

He chortles at me. “Now you’re talking! Let’s head back already so we can get this done, my stomach is rumbling just thinking about that dinner.” I laugh as we head down the trail. Green seems to be a typical man, all it takes is the promise of food, maybe a few tears, and they immediately become putty in your hands!

We make it back to the house where I fix a quick sandwich for him and then I hurry to change and stop by Molly’s room on my way to mine.

“Hey Mol, would you mind doing me a huge favor?”

She looks up at me from whatever she is doing on her floor. “Anything for you, Miss President!” she says with a smirk.

“Do you think you’d be able to make an apple pie for dinner today?”

She eyes me suspiciously. “What’s it for?”

She looks intrigued but she doesn’t say no, so I know I’ll have her with my next statement.

“A gorgeous single guy…whom I’m not interested in.” I add in case she thinks it’s for me.

She shoots me a brilliant smile. “Of course! I would have done it for an ugly chick if you asked me, but since it’s for a gorgeous, single guy, consider it my pleasure!” I smile at my silly friend.

“Thanks, Molly, and he’s down stairs eating a sandwich right now, you know; just in case you want to keep him company while I go shower really fast.” The look she gives me is so hilarious and when she blows past me before I can talk further, I laugh even harder.

I take the fastest shower of my life and braid my wet hair so I don't have to worry about it. I don’t feel like dressing up even though this is a supposed to be a formal meeting, but I can’t go in jeans either since I am meeting the guards, so I just don my summer yellow dress; it is casual but dressy enough to work. Besides, it doesn’t hurt that it always makes me feel pretty.

I’m glad now that I asked Rose to make me some little girl dresses out of any scraps of fabric she had left over. She looked at me like I was crazy at first, but she still made me a ton of dress-up clothes which I thought of putting in a box to have Green deliver  later. But since I am going with him now, this gives me a wonderful excuse to go in the gate. At the last minute, I pick up Rocco the rock that is sitting on my night stand. He has given me comfort for years, and I think it’s time to pass some of that comfort on now.

I put the box by the front door and make my way into the kitchen. I see Molly pouring a glass of milk for Green as he devours a plate of cookies. He smiles up at me and tosses a wink over at Molly who I’m pretty sure has just melted into a puddle of goo. “Anytime you want to make these little Sunday deals, I’m in.”  I roll my eyes at him and motion for Molly to mop up the drool on her face. She glares at me but quickly turns to a smile when Green turns her way.

“I was just telling Sebastian here that we would love to have him over anytime,” she says sweetly.

“You keep baking like this Molly girl, and you won’t be able to keep me away!”

Great. What have I gotten myself into? She is going to have a mile-wide crush and poor Miles is going to be left in the dust. I go over to the cupboard to grab the rest of the cookies; Green tries to snatch another one but I slap his hand. Once I have the cookies and the dress-up clothes, I am finally good to go.

“I just made a fresh batch of lemonade this morning if you want to take that wherever you're going. I don’t mind making another.” Molly says, still grinning like a fool at Sebastian. That’s not a bad idea. I bet these kids have never even tasted the sweet and tart drink; it will be a treat indeed. I thank her and I go to the fridge to get it.