The Best of All

“You both make good points. But you are forgetting that my mother gave me my name for one single reason...so that I would stand on my own and embrace my womanhood.” Surry was short for Sojourner. She’d been named after the former slave turned abolitionist and women’s rights activist. And she had fully embraced Sojourner Truth’s famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech.

Ryla rolled her eyes at her friend. “We’re well aware of this crazy man-hater mantra you live by.”

Ryla and Danetta looked at each other and began reciting in unison the words from the speech Surry loved so much. “I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that?”

“Hey,” Surry interrupted, her feelings hurt. “My mother helped me memorize that speech word for word. And I have experienced a lot of success by the sweat of my own womanly hands.”

“Yes, you have, Surry.” Danetta was at her breaking point as she leaned toward her friend and said, “But now you need help, and there’s no shame in that.”

“Be a woman who is humble and wise enough to know when times have changed, and move with those changes.”

“Okay, okay, you’re right.... Maybe I do need to give Ian a call.”

* * *

Ian Duncan was the hottest ticket in politics at the moment. He’d just finished a television interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN and then didn’t even have time to change his shirt for the ten o’clock interview he had scheduled with Lawrence O’Donnell, the host of The Last Word on MSNBC. Tomorrow he would do it all over again with a few other hosts on radio and television. The recent presidential election had been a big deal, but after that the most pressing question on everyone’s mind had been about the election of the reformed bad boy, Noel Carter.

Noel had been written off after news broke about his illegitimate child. Even Noel had thought he had a better chance of losing than winning. But Ian always believed in his client, and he’d devised a strategy that enabled Noel to hold a victory party on election night.

Done with his interviews for the evening, Ian threw off his suit and tie and jumped into the shower. As the hot water assaulted his body, Ian went over his next steps one by one. He had about a half dozen offers on the table from clients interested in working with him. At this point, Ian had to be very selective. He could take only those who fit into his eight-year plan.

Ian and Noel had been friends since college, so he’d taken the assignment knowing that if he lost, all the planning he’d done would be for naught. Congressional wins were nice, but Ian’s eight-year plan included managing his first presidential campaign. So, from this point on, he wasn’t taking on any more local campaigns. He was looking to run campaigns for senators and governors now. He just had to stay focused and work his plan.

As he stepped out of the shower and toweled off, Ian tried to turn his mind off work. A good night’s rest was what he needed, but his thoughts quickly drifted to Surry McDaniel. He thought about giving her a call before he went to sleep. It had been two weeks since he asked her out, but he still hadn’t received a response. The girl was definitely playing hard to get, but Ian had patience. From the moment he met Surry, Ian felt a connection. He had to find out more about this woman and he wasn’t prepared to give up. Not just yet.

Dressed in a ribbed T-shirt and black silk pajamas, he threw back the covers and was about to get into bed when his phone rang.

He picked up the phone, and a nasally voice on the other end asked, “Is this Mr. Duncan?”

He sat down on the edge of his bed with the phone against his ear. “I know this is an old joke, but my father is Mr. Duncan. I’m simply Ian.”

“Well, Ian, I have Governor David Monroe on the line. He would like to speak with you. Do you have a moment?”

Was this woman kidding? It was widely rumored that the popular North Carolina ex-governor was considering running for president. It was hard to believe, but the 2012 election had wrapped up only two weeks ago, and politicians were already putting out feelers for the next elections.

Ian certainly hadn’t expected to hear from any presidential candidacy hopefuls—those political elites normally put in calls to his father. To date, Ian had handled mostly local, statewide and national congressional races. But he had every intention of becoming the kingmaker his father was several times over. “Of course I have time to speak with the governor. Please put him through.”

“Ian, my boy, how’ve you been?” Governor Monroe greeted.

Ian had met the governor eleven years ago when he was interning for his father. Maybe the governor had reached out to him because he was trying to reconnect with the great Walker Duncan. “I’ve been wonderful, Governor. How have things been for you?”

“I’ve been working my backside off since I left the governor’s mansion. And to tell you the truth, I’m itching to spend eight years in another mansion that just so happens to be in Washington, D.C.”

“Are you sure you want to take that on? You’ve been a private citizen for two years now. Can’t you think of anything more fun than running for president of the United States...like getting run over by a bulldozer and spending months in traction for instance?”

The governor laughed and then confessed, “I’m a political animal through and through. When it’s in your bones, you can’t quit even if you want to.”

“So, what can I do for you, Governor?”

“I need a new campaign manager,” Governor Monroe said without beating around the bush.

Ian wanted to leap, skip, jump and dance. This was it...his chance to prove to his father that he had what it took to be a kingmaker, just like him.

Governor Monroe was saying, “If you could come out to North Carolina so we can talk, then we could see if we will be a good fit for each other. How about it?”

“When would you like to meet?”

“Can you be here on Monday?”

Ian could be there tomorrow if need be. But he wasn’t about to throw all his cards out just yet. “I’m still finalizing a few things from the last election. Can I give you a call back in the morning to see if I can get there by then?”

“That works, but I need to know something from you soon. I want to get a jump on this thing.”

Ian hung up after promising to provide Governor Monroe with a final answer by midmorning of the next day. Ian went to sleep thinking that nothing could stop him from getting to Charlotte, North Carolina, by Friday.

By morning when he drove in to work and entered his office, he was gliding like a man who’d just been knighted. In Ian’s wildest imagination he never would have thought that he’d get a chance to work on a presidential campaign this soon. Ian thought he’d have to continue proving himself through the Senate and gubernatorial elections. But now that this awesome opportunity has presented itself, Ian was going to ride it until the wheels fell off. Or better yet, he’d ride it all the way to a White House victory.

He rounded the corner, getting ready to greet his office manager, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted someone seated on the brown leather couch in the waiting area. Ian took a step back, peeked into the room and was caught off guard by the vision of loveliness before him.

He’d asked this woman out twice in the short time he’d known her. She’d never given him an answer, or even called him back for that matter. Ian had wracked his brain six ways from Sunday trying to figure out if he’d said or done anything to offend her. Maybe he’d drooled a bit too much when he was first introduced to her at Noel’s wedding. But he couldn’t help himself. She was an exotic beauty. Even this morning, with the way that white dress clung to her creamy cocoa-brown skin and her hazel eyes danced as she looked his way, he nearly stuttered as he said, “Surry, what are you doing here?”

Surry stood and sauntered over to him.

Ian wondered if Surry knew how seductive her movements were as she strutted toward him in a dress that accentuated her hourglass frame.

“I was hoping that you would be able to speak with me this morning. I need your help.”

Her voice was as sultry as her image was exotic. She reminded him of one of those island beauties he’d seen on those “come to the beach” commercials, enticing folks to vacation in the Bahamas, Jamaica or some other place made for running barefoot in the sand. “Um, I think we should go to my office—” he pointed to the door across the hall “—so we can continue this conversation in private.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that you would make time for me.”

He’d like to do a lot more than make time for this woman. But so far, she hadn’t been willing to give him the time of day. So, he was intrigued by this visit. Maybe he’d actually get that date before leaving for Charlotte.

Chapter 2

Things didn’t seem so cut-and-dried anymore. Yes, Surry needed help, especially since some blogger interviewed John Michael and allowed the man to spill his lying guts to anyone with an internet connection. Her phone was ringing off the hook this morning with reporters asking her about John Michael’s allegations. So, yeah, she needed help. But she didn’t want to take advantage of Ian or get herself involved in something she couldn’t easily get out of.

Crossing her legs to get comfortable on the sofa in Ian’s office, she watched as he took his jacket off and slipped it around his high-backed chair. The man was a dream in motion. He was much lighter in complexion than any of the men she normally dated. The waviness of his hair also indicated to her that his parents were not of the same ethnic group. If she had to guess, she’d say one of his parents was white and the other black.

But none of that mattered to Surry. She was here in a strictly professional manner. She tried to turn her head away from the vision in front of her, because she truthfully couldn’t care less that with his jacket off she could see that the man had biceps, triceps, muscular pecs and... Watch yourself, she admonished herself.

“Do you have some water? My mouth is a little dry,” Surry said while scratching her throat and then coughing. It was getting hot in here. Surry felt like unbuttoning her top to get a little air, but decided against that.

“Sure.” Ian opened the small fridge he kept in his office and pulled out an assortment of iced tea, Coke, root beer and a simple Pure Life water bottle. “Do you need anything else?”

“I’ll just take the water.”

Ian handed it to her, held back the iced tea for himself and then put the other bottles back in the fridge. “So, how’s business at the new boutique?”