Page 52 of Sinful Palace

Logan: Yeah. By the way, this is gonna sound weird, but honestly, the whole thing has actually gotten me interested in politics again.

Me: Really? Why?

Logan: Because of how seedy and fucked up it is. It’s so crazy but so intriguing at the same time.Know what I mean?

Me: Yeah, I get it, and hey… at least your mom will be happy about the renewed interest, right?

Logan: Yeah. Speaking of that, I met with Jeremy Carlton this morning, after you left. He’s cool. I like a lot of the stuff he had to say. Mom seems pretty excited to get involved with his campaign, so I’m gonna help her out with it. I told her I’d put aside one day a week for it.

Me: That’s good. I think it’ll make her really happy. And hey, maybe you guys can actually get Carlton elected next year over my mom. Then I won’t have to deal with all this First Family bullshit anymore…

Logan: Hang in there. Remember: smile and wave.

Me: I swear, if one more person says that to me today, I’m going to strangle them with one of these giant Christmas ribbons.

Logan: At least the parade will be worth watching then.

I was about to reply again when Mom snapped her fingers at me from across the room. “Willow, are you ready to go?”

“Yes.” I slipped the phone back in my pocket and headed over to my family.

Butterflies filled my stomach as we headed through a door that led to a long walkway with a white ceremonial porch at the end. The porch hung over the steps on the western side of the Capitol building, where thousands of supporters were currently cheering and screaming.

Beyond that, the parade floats had been set up on Pennsylvania Avenue, ready to leave when Mom finished giving her speech. Some of them were decorated with ornate Christmas decorations, and others were draped with patriotic stars and stripes. The float for my family had two flags flying at the front and a mini replica of the Statue of Liberty at the back, along with red, white and blue streamers and rosettes everywhere.

The whole thing was huge, over-the-top, and oh-so American.

As soon as we stepped onto the balcony, the crowd below started whooping and hollering even louder. My mom’s face instantly lit with a huge smile, and she waved as she stepped up to the dais. “Good afternoon, everybody!”

The cheers rose to a fever pitch. I kept a bright smile pasted on my face and tightly squeezed Jared’s hand in mine. He glanced up at me. “There’s so many people,” he whispered. “I’m scared.”

“Me too,” I admitted. “But it’ll be fine. Jamie said the security is watertight. Also, these people are our supporters. They care about us. They won’t hurt us.”

“Okay.” He smiled faintly. “I wish you still lived at home. You always make me feel better.”

My heart lurched. “Sorry.”

Mom lifted both hands behind the dais. “Thank you!” she called out. “Thank you very much. I’m so thrilled to be here. Thrilled!”

She paused for a lengthy round of applause before speaking up again. “I’m so happy to see how many people have come out to support me today,” she said. “It’s an amazing honor to see so many faces smiling back at me. Of course, the press will probably say we only had twenty people show up…”

She trailed off and grinned as the crowd laughed uproariously at her joke.

Her grin grew even wider as she went on. “Today’s parade is about love and celebration, and I can’t wait to have fun with all of you. But first, I want to address the elephant in the room.” She put one hand over her heart, expression turning serious again. “I owe it to you, my constituents, to address the news you’ve all been hearing about. I know what the media is saying. I know what my critics are saying. But you know what?”

The crowd collectively called back to her. “What?”

“They don’t have any evidence. All they have is lies and speculation,” she said, lifting her chin. “Now, I know I’ve been recorded saying a few things that haven’t made me look good, but that’s just another example of how the liberal media likes to spin everything and stir up outrage for ratings.”

“Damn right!” a man standing near the front called out, pumping his fist in the air.

Mom smiled and waved at him. “There are so many great honors that come with this job, but believe me, the rumor mill isn’t one of them!” she said.

Everyone started laughing again, and she paused for several beats to let them.

“I know in my own heart that I am completely innocent, and I trust that you will see the truth of that when all the evidence finally comes out,” she went on. “I intend to go forward, to the best of my ability, with the work entrusted to me by all of you. I also intend to do what it takes to clear my name. I will do all of this with the same spirit I’ve always approached my life’s work with—a spirit of strength, determination, and grit.”

There was another round of cheers, and my mother lifted her palms again. “I want to thank each and every one of you standing here right now. You are the people of character and integrity who make this nation so great. You are the people who serve our communities so well and uphold the sacred values of our wonderful country. You are the people who know better than to trust fake news and false accusations. Our future is bigger, brighter, and bolder than ever before, and it’s all because of you. So thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for being here today. God bless America!”

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