King of the Mountain:
Part 3
Lynn Jepsen
I've tried all night to get Toby on the phone, if for no other reason
than to have him tell me that there's no way in hell he'd come back and
work for Sam. CJ almost hangs up on me for the third time, but I hear
Toby in the background. He tells her to hand over the damn phone so he
can kill me personally. "Josh, I don't want to work for Sam." Why the
hell not! Toby, it's Sam. It's time to for a little team spirit. "I can't
work for him." Why not! Give me one good reason! "He's going to be
President, Josh, and that's a road I don't want to walk again."
There's silence on the line then. My hand rests instinctively against my
chest, and I wonder if there will come a time when the White House isn't
our Holy Grail, when Rosslyn and New York aren't four letter words. I
doubt it now more than ever. Toby is supposed to be the solid one.
Finding out that he's not makes it tough to be confident in our ability
to overcome.
Look, Diana is great. She's smart, she's funny, she knows state politics.
She's no Toby Ziegler. Just, you know, help us out. If it's too much,
you're welcome to disappear into the sunset just, just give it a try,
Toby. "You know, CJ and I are getting married." Yeah, the invitation is
taped to my computer. I think Veronica taped it there. Of course, she was
five assistants ago, so I can't be completely sure. Anyway, I'm
completely aware of the fact, and I don't care. We'll just make sure
you're not CJ's boss, even on paper.
I can almost feel him wavering through the phone lines. "When do you need
us?" Thank you. You won't regret this. I swear. "Josh, stop babbling.
When and where." Sacramento. Leigh and Paul set up headquarters about a
mile from the governor's mansion and near the Legislature, but not near
enough for people to scream about mixing politics with government. Show
up ASAP and we'll get rolling. We're not anywhere near ready for New
Hampshire.
*
Sam's sister is waiting just inside out new campaign headquarters when I
show up at six the next morning. She has three of her kids with her, and
Leigh is showing them around the new digs. "Looks like we've already got
our first volunteers." Great. Can someone get me a cup of coffee? Evan is
helping Paul move furniture, and I wonder how the executive director of
our campaign got roped into moving desks with a teenager.
My desk is easy to find. It's actually in an office, and there's two
desks there. Oh no, I don't want to bond with an assistant. Glancing
around, I notice a cup of coffee, black, with steam rising off the top.
"Mr. Lyman?" Spinning around, I notice a young woman leaning against the
door frame. She looks vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place it. "I
didn't know if you took cream or sugar." So that's where the coffee came
from. "My name's Rachel Chandler. I'm...." Sam's niece. Now I recognize
her. "You're what, fifteen?" "Sixteen." Great. Shouldn't you be in school
or something? "My mother homeschools us. Uncle Sam thought you could use
an assistant - one you couldn't fire." Oh great. Now I'm stuck with some
teenager who doesn't know a thing about politics.
"I see you and Rachel have met." I look at Sam and he shakes his head.
"I'm sure you two will get along famously. If you don't, remember, she's
my niece, Josh." Oh great, the power's gone to his head. "Play nice. I'm
heading up to the state house." Okay, Rachel, right? Okay, you brought me
coffee, that's a start. Why don't you find a file cabinet and get it
moved in here. Make it a couple. Then we'll work on getting things set
up. The girl fairly bounces as she leaves the office. Why am I cursed
with perky people?
*
By the time I make it to the governor's offices, I'm already exhausted.
Rachel, I think she's adopted me, because she's in my official office and
she's organizing. She's sixteen. I'm not even sure she can type. What was
Sam thinking? Just because I've gone through a few assistants over the
last few years.... "Josh, we're out of secretaries in the state of
California thanks to you." Damn. You'd think women in heels would make
more noise. "Lisa, do you have to sneak up on me." Wait, I'm not sure I
want to hear the answer to that. She drops into the chair - I suppose
it's Rachel's chair now - and shakes her head at me. "She wanted to help
Sam get elected. You need a babysitter. I thought I could kill two birds
with one stone."
Ramon grabs my shoulder then. "We've got a crisis. Reynolds, the guy from
Texas, he's already started attacking the Governor." Great. Based on
what? Lisa's voice cuts him off. "You remember Reynolds, Joshua. He's the
one that leaked Sam's medical records to the oversight committee." No,
not more idiots from the House." I yell at Rachel to get me Reynolds
chief of staff on the phone. I fully expect her to stick her head out
with a confused look plastered to it. Instead, a full minute passes and
she yells at me. His office is on line two. Okay, so I'll give her a
chance. Lisa lingers for a second before stepping into my office. I can
hear her voice and her nieces mingling together for a moment. She steps
out then, pats my arm, and vanishes down the hallway.
William doesn't appear with the latest news from the budget crunchers
until after two. He's running late, but I am too, so I suppose we're
even. He hitches his thumb towards the door. "New assistant?" Yeah, Sam's
niece, and she's sixteen so wipe that look off your face. The leer
vanishes instantly - I guess an eight year age difference is too much
even for Mr. Young-N-Suave here. Of course, the fact that he works for
the governor and that's slightly illegal might have an influence. He
drops off the numbers then and beats a hasty retreat. William can hold
down the fort. He sure as hell isn't coming on board my campaign.
"Mr. Lyman? I thought you could use some lunch, so I...." She's standing
in the doorway holding two plates. I'm hoping one's for her, because I
haven't eaten that much food since I was sixteen. First things first
though, I wave her over to the desk. We've got to establish some ground
rules. Rule #1, my name is Josh. If you call me Mr. Lyman, I will find a
way to fire you. She nods silently, and that brings me to Rule #2. If
you're staying, it's because you're my assistant. I do not need a
secretary, I need an assistant. There's this deer in the headlights look
on her face, so I clarify. Assistant means you talk to me, we brainstorm,
you assist. It's flexible. Clear? She nods, and I glare. "Yes, sir." Sir?
Okay, that's Rule #3. She laughs shyly, and amends that to "Yes, Josh."
Much better.
Her brother and sister show up around seven from campaign headquarters
and we're midway through compiling a list of possible state campaign
leaders. I wave her off, but Evan tells her to stay if she wants. They'll
leave the car and call a couple friends. She doesn't look up from my
files, but catches the keys out of mid-air, and waves the twins away.
"How about asking Leo McGarry to run the offices in New York?" No!
Absolutely not. He's already been through detox twice. We're leaving Leo
out of this, I refuse to be responsible for detox number three.
She stares at me when I finish yelling and quietly sets the files back on
my desk. "I think I'll..." She gestures towards the door, and sigh.
That's three assistants this week. "Meg! Evan! Wait up!" Sinking down
into my chair, I grab the file and try to come up with a name for Texas.
Reluctantly, I pick up the phone, and ask John Hoynes for
recommendations.
King of the Mountain: Part 4
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