Call My Name by Delinsky Barbara

Author:Delinsky, Barbara [Delinsky, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2012-08-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

The next few days left Daran little time to ponder the depths of her own feelings. Whereas as at home in Connecticut she was, by virtue of the professional roles in which she found herself, an organizer, an adviser, a leader, here in Washington she was one of the group. If she had expected that less executive status to be a more passive one, however, she was mistaken. From the start, the life of the governmental servant took her by storm, both intellectually and physically. Not only were there a myriad of varying issues to be considered at any given time, but the rigor of meetings, fact-finding, telephoning, and chasing after one legislator or another would try the energy of even the most conditioned athlete.

It began with the staff breakfast the following morning. The young woman whom she had met so briefly the day before was at her door five minutes ahead of time. Fortunately Daran’s own excitement had woken her long before the official call came through. Showered, and dressed in a safari-style shirtwaist dress of lightweight cotton, she labored for long minutes with her hair, fastening it at the nape of her neck both for coolness and for a continuation of the mature image that the simple bone sandals, the gold chain and hoop earrings, and the wide obi-like sash imparted. A dash of cologne and a dash of makeup concluded her dallying. When she opened the door for Laura Speranzo, she felt confidence in the properly poised appearance she made.

Of the many surprises in store for her, the first was the overall youth of the workers who comprised the senator’s staff. Aside from the major legislative aides, of which there appeared at fast count to be five, the second echelon of assistants were young—most younger than herself—and enthusiastic. The friendly hand of John Hollings, who seemed to manage the others, was at her elbow from the moment she entered the room, guiding her from one to the other, making the introductions with an unmistakable flair, telling her just enough about each one to help her keep them straight. A cup of coffee and a cheese danish mysteriously found their way into her hands. So preoccupied was she in meeting these new people that Drew, for a large part, escaped her attention. Only later, after Senator Brande had given a short talk on the pending defense-spending bill, and the general milling commenced once more, did she note that, as host, he had moved quietly from one guest to another, shunning the spotlight himself, chatting personally with his staff.

As Daran was diverted, she had missed the intermittent glances he cast her way as he made his rounds. When the tall form suddenly materialized by her side, she was—for the first time that morning—strangely unsure of herself. Up to that point self-assurance had come naturally. For all the competitive spirit that had to exist in a group such as this, its members had welcomed her with courtesy and interest.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.