Page 75 of Darling Beasts

“Thanks, H.” Ozzie flashed a grin. He at last took a sip of his tea. “You might be the only one who thinks so, but I’ll take it.”

November

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Gunn still hanging on

BY KYLE SPERBER,The North County Intelligencer

SAN DIEGO—It’s been an eventful few weeks for Marston Gunn’s senatorial aspirations. Not only did all three of his children survive a hot-air balloon crash, but he’s managed to cobble together five more union endorsements and, importantly, secure Mayor Robert Quinonez’s stamp of approval.

“I admire what he stands for,” says San Diego’s chief. “We are aligned on many issues, and I believe Marston Gunn can serve this country as a member of congress while helping our community at the same time.”

Next up, California Democrats will convene in Sacramento starting this Saturday to consider candidate endorsements ahead of the March primary. Candidates will get a chance to present their case before delegates cast their votes.

To receive a formal endorsement, a candidate must secure the support of 60% of the delegates. In the crowded senatorial race, it seems unlikely any one person will achieve this mark. While an endorsement from the state Democratic Party can boost a campaign, it doesn’t necessarily signal how the wider electorate feels. There have been several instances of the party endorsing a candidate, only to have that candidate fail to make it to the general.

As of the end of October, Congressional representative David Slimp (16%) is the front-runner to fill California’s vacated U.S. Senate seat, with Representative Angie Parker (15%) on his heels and Representative Sandra Grant holding steady at 10%. Gunn has moved from 0.2% to 4% in only a few months, an impressive jump, but his fundraising remains downright anemic compared to his opponents’. Slimp’s coffers have climbed to $35 million, while Gunn’s are dropping dangerously close to the sub-million mark.

Marston Gunn has been on an undeniable upswing, but thegrim truth is he remains an extreme long-shot, regardless of what does or does not happen at the convention. It’s unlikely if not impossible he could catch up in terms of dollars, which doesn’t afford him the time to catch up in terms of support. Absent an unexpected windfall, the question is, how much longer can Marston Gunn stay in the race?

Chapter Fifty

Talia

Everything was almost in place for the big send-off, and it hadn’t been easy. Organizing a cocktail party was no joke, especially when it involved working alongside Mindy, who seemed at all times three seconds from beating Talia upside the head with a rattlesnake stick.

In truth, Talia enjoyed the planning. It was a nice distraction and also quite satisfying to have things to check off a list, as opposed to an infinite scroll of unachievable tasks. The affair would be top-notch, with the food and Paso cabernets and sauv blancs to prove it, and, at T-minus forty-eight hours until kick-off, Talia sat in the kitchen, reviewing the menus for the last time.

They’d have passed appetizers, obviously, as opposed to a sit-down snooze-fest or some dreadful buffet where everyone ate from the same trough of scalloped potatoes. As Talia debated whether it was too late to throw in smoked trout croquettes, she heard plodding footsteps and prepared herself for Mindy to reveal yet another of Talia’s personal or professional deficiencies.

“Don’t worry! We’re a go on the steak frites bites!” Talia sang as the footsteps grew closer. “And I got Dad’s friend to donate four cases of wine. He thinks he can write it off, which I guess makes us a charity. Ha!”

“Funny,” said a voice. But it wasn’t Mindy.

As Talia turned to find Raj, her insides went all wonky. This was another advantage to overseeing the event—she had to be in the main house and could therefore avoid everyone at HQ.

Raj had snuck out of her room shortly before dawn two Sundays ago, and they’d exchanged only bland pleasantries ever since. Talia didn’t know how to feel about what happened. Guilty, yes, because of Spencer, but that wasn’t all. Understanding Raj’s take might clear things up, but Talia was too afraid to ask.

On a good day, Talia convinced herself it wasn’treallycheating because they didn’t have ordinary, could-produce-a-child sex. Of course, most people (including and especially Spencer) would beg to differ.Oral sexhad the word right there in its name. And also? Raj claimed he hadn’t dated much, but his skills told a different tale. Two full orgasms were had by Talia, which she’d thought was impossible without another woman involved, not that she’d personally pursued such a path.

“You’ve been hard to find lately,” Raj said, sitting across from her.

Talia blushed, recalling the orgasms. “Yeah, totally,” she said, looking away. “Busy with the party. A million things to do.” Talia was speaking very quickly, and she took a beat to slow herself down. “Check it out. A sneak peek of the menu.” She slid the paper toward him with a visibly jittery hand. “Thoughts?”

Talia watched as his eyes scanned the page. Could there ever be anything between them, or had she gotten caught up in the moment, and the tequila? She liked Raj as a person and was attracted to him. They cared about the same causes, and Talia briefly envisioned a world where they fell in love and spent their lives working together to solve various injustices. But that was a childish fantasy, right?

“Looks great,” Raj said, bobbing his head. “It’s nice of your dad to do this for the staff.” He pushed the menu back.

“Yeah.” Talia exhaled. “Especially in light of the numbers. I don’t suppose you saw the latest finance report?”

“I did,” he said with a wince.

The barely seven-figure number hit Talia hard, and it was the first time she realized,Oh, we are definitely going to fail.It was overwhelming to imagine that soon everyone would disperse and resume their lives, with nothing to show for it aside from money spent, balloons crashed, and art studios turned into housing for imaginary guests. “Not much runway left,” she said, mournfully. “Guess we’ll all have to come up with our plan Bs.”

“Plan B is what I needed to talk to you about,” Raj said. “Or rather my return to plan A. I’m leaving, Talia.”

Her stomach plummeted. “Now?”

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