Page 141 of State of Bliss

“I’m glad you’ve decided to keep me around.”

“What do I smell burning?”

“Oh shit.”

She laughed as he bolted from the room to rescue breakfast. Sam loved that the president himself was attempting to cook breakfast for her. She wished the rest of the world could see the man she lived with and know his heart the way she did. They had no idea how lucky they were to have a man who cared so much about others as their president. He understood their struggles and wanted to make things better.

Her phone rang, bringing her back to reality. She took the call from Avery Hill. “Morning. How’s our girl?”

“Better every day, although she’s moving slowly. This baby had better be on time, or she might burst.”

“We can’t let that happen.” Sam felt the old familiar pang of yearning to know what it might be like to carry a baby to term, even though she’d long ago accepted that her life was in no way conducive to caring for a newborn. Not that she’d object if it happened, but she’d accepted that it probably wouldn’t.

“The reason I’m calling is to give you guys a heads-up that your mother-in-law’s attorney has entered into plea negotiations on the federal and state charges. He’s aiming for restitution, probation and community service. He’ll probably succeed.”

“I’m not sure what to think of that. As much as I want her locked up and sent away for forever, it’s hard on Nick to have her in jail, even if she deserves it.”

“I get that.”

“Are people going to scream about her getting a sweetheart deal if she pleads out?”

“I’m not sure what the response will be. It’s fairly common, as you know, to try to avoid trials with plea deals, especially in cases of first-time criminal defendants.”

“It boggles my mind that this is her first time.”

“First time she got caught, no doubt. There’s one other thing…”

“What’s that?”

“The U.S. Attorney in Cleveland passed along a request from the defendant to speak with her son.”

“Isn’t that highly unusual?”

“Highly, but he knows I’m personal friends with both of you, thus he reached out to me.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Sam said as Nick came into the room carrying a tray.

“I thought you might say that, but I wanted to give you the message.”

“Which you’ve done. Please respond accordingly.”

“Will do. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you then.”

Sam slapped the phone closed with a loud, satisfying smack.

“Uh-oh. Who was that, and what did they say to piss you off?”

“Nothing.” She forced a smile for him as he placed the tray on her lap. “This looks yummy.”

“The toast is a bit well done.”

“Just how I like it.”

Nick went around to his side of the bed and stretched out next to her to share the meal. “Tell me what’s wrong. Your eyebrows are all furrowed, and you’re frowning. I don’t like when my first lady frowns.”

“I don’t want to tell you, because you have enough to deal with. I took care of it.”

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