AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re still holding me accountable, aren’t you?” She leaned against the back of the couch and looked at the first resume.
“I’m not trying to bother you, Ma’am. It’s important to me that you get the best assistant possible.”
Angela laughed and shook her head. “Oh, you aren’t bothering me, and you don’t know how much I appreciate your work ethic.” Angela set the resume aside again. She wanted a distraction for a few minutes. “If I remember correctly, the last time we talked about boys, you had trouble finding one who would stick around for more than one or two dates. How’s that going?”
Penny sucked in her top lip and glanced at Doyle.
He looked up from the magazine. “Oh, don’t worry about me. Pretend I’m not here.”
Angela studied him. He once again missed an opportunity to say something smart. Something was going on with him, and she needed to find out what it was.
“Well, Ma’am, I have met someone. He’s bold, energetic, and smart. He’s handsome and can take control of a room faster than anyone I’ve met before.”
Angela moved to sit next to Penny, tucking one leg under her. “Oh, this sounds exciting. Tell me more.”
Penny lowered her eyes, and the pink on her cheeks deepened. “We met at a Human Rights Protection rally a month ago.”
“He’s an activist. That’s awesome.”
“Well, his name is Alan, and he’s a lobbyist.” Penny’s eyes widened, and she met Angela’s gaze. “I promise I can completely separate my work from my personal life. His activism will not influence the decisions I make for this job.”
Angela laughed again and touched Penny’s arm. “I’m not worried about that. It might not be a bad idea for me to learn more about what Human Rights Protection is fighting for these days. But set aside all that, tell me, is he a good kisser.”
Penny’s cheeks went from pink to red, and she covered her face.
Angela put an arm around Penny’s shoulders and hugged her. “That tells me all I need to know. I’m so happy for you. I hope it works out.”
Penny lowered her hand but would not look Angela in the eye. “Thank you, Ma’am. Now, about those resumés.”
Angela pointed to the stack of papers on the opposite couch. “Is there one that stands out more than the others?”
Penny walked over, picked up the stack, and returned. “Actually, there is. Victoria Spencer comes very highly recommended.” She handed Angela the resume. “She worked with Senator Van Houten for years.”
Angela trusted Penny’s judgment, but too many odd things led back to the Senator. “Why doesn’t she still work for the Senator?”
“I believe she needed to take off briefly to deal with a family issue. Her mother was very sick, and Victoria chose to stay with her.”
Angela scanned the resume. “Family is very important. It looks like she has some very important skills, including speaking three languages. Impressive.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“If you were me, would you hire her?”
Penny inhaled a big breath and let it out slowly. “Yes, yes, I would.”
It wasn’t right to hold her concerns against this woman. If she was good at the job, that’s all that should matter. “Okay, then make it happen, Madam Chief of Staff.”
Penny lowered her eyes and smiled. Angela was happy she had given Penny the chance to shine in this new role. For half a heartbeat, she had the crazy idea of replacing her entire cabinet with women. What would the religious right do with that?
Penny stood. “I will give her a call right now and see how quickly she can start.”
“Perfect.” Angela stayed on the couch and watched her walk out of the office. Then she said to Doyle, “What’s wrong with you?”
He set down the magazine. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“Since we left Camp David, you have been uber-professional.”
Doyle stood up, walked to a side table, and poured himself a glass of water before returning to the couch. “Would you prefer I was unprofessional?”
