The Other Side of Summer by Elyse Douglas

Author:Elyse Douglas [Douglas, Elyse]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction, Romance, General Fiction
Publisher: Broadback
Published: 2015-05-13T22:00:00+00:00

Bob sat alone in the first class section of the leased 757 on route to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Bob had called Matt, who was in New York. He’d heard the news in a Starbucks on the upper West Side of Manhattan and had just tried to call his father. When Bob heard his son’s voice break in quiet grief, it brought him to tears. Matt was on his way to Cincinnati, under heavy escort from the Secret Service. Bob then called the rest of the family.

Bob had also spoken to President Taylor, who had pledged “the full support of this office in the rescue and recovery of your family.” He said he wouldn’t issue any statement until Bob gave him the okay to do so. Bob could call him at any time—day or night—and the White House Operator would put him through to the President’s direct and secure line.

Bob was updated by cell phone promptly by Carlton who was still in West Palm Beach. Molly had given her first press conference, just as CNN went live from the crash area. The community center erupted into a frenzied chaos, with supporters, reporters and photographers rushing the little stage, anxious for news. A woman fainted, a fist fight broke out, TV crews surged forward shouting, faces red and frantic. Extra police were called in to maintain order and, finally, the Secret Service called off the conference and whisked Molly away, as she begged for “civility” for the sake of the Harrison family and the country.

Bob stared out the window, chin in hand. Thick white clouds drifted by like icebergs as the plane climbed to 30,000 feet.

Above him, on the sides of the luggage compartments, were newspaper clippings, photos and postcards, scotched-taped on by journalists. One particular clipping showed Bob and Connie holding hands and waving to supporters after their big win on Super Tuesday.

A young female aide, who hadn’t slept at home for over six months, checked on him frequently, as did the distressed flight attendants. At the stand-up bar, a few aides, the flight attendants, the bartender and the chef stared numbly at the little TV screen, their faces slack, bodies hunched in a profound reaction of sorrow and disbelief.

Only a few hours ago, the plane had seemed to bulge with campaign staff, reporters and volunteers, all bantering ideas, telling jokes, playing poker, filing deadlines and conducting interviews. Years of education, experience and ripe ambition had gathered to promote, extol and scrutinize the man who could become the most powerful leader in the world. One reporter had said, “When I’m on this plane, I feel like a drunk man spinning from one high to another, trying to keep my damn balance.”

And the energy of many trips still hung in the air: the dizzying scenes of celebration and promise, especially whenever Bob and Connie were together working the press and joking with the staff, as the fulfillment of vast ambition seemed close and touchable.

Another reporter had written:

As Bob Harrison tears

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