36. Give Me Everything
36 GIVE ME EVERYTHING
Daphne
One morning, several dates into real dating, I found Cal in the kitchen making a bagel and pouring coffee. It was the most normal morning. It felt right . I loved waking with him and being lazy before greeting the day. Cal was an early bird—the type to go out for a run at 5:30 just to wake up. I was not.
After a night where he wasn’t in the mood for anything other than blowing off steam in bed, I woke to my phone buzzing.
Davey was in a panic. “Daphne, can you be in the office today to meet with the board?”
“I can. I have to get ready?—”
“ Okay. Great. Are you home?—”
“I’m at Cal’s.”
“Okay. Well get here when you can. I have to fire Bernie today and will need you to wow them if you’re going to be the replacement. This is on you. I cannot move these mountains for you.”
My heart leapt. It was intimidating, but also the chance of a lifetime.
“I will be there,” I promised. “With bells on.”
“You’ve got this Daphne.”
I rushed to the kitchen, hoping to catch Cal before he left. Normally, he’d find me in the kitchen after his shower, see me, smile, and kiss me with abandon. I always felt like he wanted me there. Today was different.
Cal’s face pulled in a difficult, tight way. He barely acknowledged me beyond a “good morning”. Something was wrong.
“We’ve got a mess on our hands,” Cal said after a moment. “I have to get into the office and I cannot promise I’ll see you tonight.”
“Oh?”
“It’s going to be a mess, Daphne.”
“Why?”
“It just is. And us? It’s already out there. I am not sure who leaked it.”
“Oh. How do you… feel about that?” I asked nervously.
“I’m not upset about that, but I wanted you to know.”
He never looked up. It was like something was festering. I didn’t dare speak. When I spoke, I wanted him to blurt out how proud he was, not dismiss it.
“Cal, can you just tell me what this is?”
“It’s labor disputes and exhaustion. I don’t have time for this, Daph.”
I felt tears welling at his cruel tone. I did nothing wrong. Cal reacted immediately, his face showing compassion.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“No, you shouldn’t.”
“I’m wrapped up in a lot, Daphne. I really am sorry.” He approached, his hands cupping my face. “You’re lovely and deserve better than my short temper this morning.”
He kissed my forehead slowly and tenderly. I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his shirt.
“It’s going to be okay,” I murmured.
He rested his chin on my head. “Probably. It’s got to do with the DNC and my stress level is through the roof.”
“I love you. It will be okay.”
“I love you, too. I just have to survive the day. But this will be a long one.”
“Don’t feel like you have to see me every night,” I said, pulling back. “If you’re busy, just tell me.”
“But I want to see you every night, baby.” Pain crossed his face as he shook his head. “I want you here every night to come home to and to wake up like this. I love this part of us.”
Us . We were a thing .
“It’s more complicated, though. And I should actually talk to you about that because my situation is?—”
“I get it,” I stopped him. “Today is not the day to have this talk about moving in or not, okay? Besides, I have my own agenda to worry about. Today, Davey will fire the asshole and if I don’t completely fuck up, I’ll be president soon.”
“I want to be there for that,” Cal whined. “That’s amazing news! Why didn’t you?—”
“You’ve been busy. And Davey just called and told me to get my ass in gear.”
He took my face in his hands, then pulled my chin towards him. “Look at me. I am not the only important person here. I want to share these things. I know I’ve been a bit of a raincloud. I’ll work on it, but damn it, Daphne, I want to see you shine. I want to see you light up like a fucking Christmas tree at your own accomplishments.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t turtle in on me,” Cal said. “Be the woman I fell for—unapologetically.”
“And who was she?” I winced.
“Confident, demanding, a little angry. She was also a bit of a disaster, but in the best way. I love you—and your chaos. I love you for all you bring. Please don’t hide that, okay? If you can manage my fuckery, I can show up for you.”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulder, breathing in the sweet scent of his cologne. I kissed him slowly, letting him know how much it meant. To hear him say he cared—that he wanted to be there—was everything I needed to want to jump over the edge head first.
“Okay, I have to go. I really am sorry. Keep me posted. Let’s celebrate tomorrow—even if it kills me.”
“Alright,” I said.
He gave me one last kiss on the forehead and departed, not even touching his food or coffee. He had no time. I felt a little guilty, but decided to pick up where he left off. After polishing off the leftover bagel and having two cups of coffee, I packed to leave—pulling a clean set of clothes from the drawer I now owned. I was home here in Cal’s world. Unfortunately, just as I felt happy and safe again, my world was rocked with bad news.
Meredith’s number appeared on my phone.
I hopped off the elevator and waved at the desk attendant as I answered.
“Is it done already? That was too fast, right?”
“There is no status change on your filing. No court date yet, either.”
“Okay,” I said, confused.
“Are you in a place where you can watch a video? Near a computer?”
“No,” I answered. “Why?”
“I need to send you something. It’s about to come out and… it will be jarring.”
My mind went a million places at once, assuming Chandler did something very stupid. But nothing met the reality of what I received. I’d made the mistake of assuming I could be happy, but as I sat on Mum’s couch and watched my new reality unfold, I knew it would never work.
* * *
Cal
“Sir, Daphne Delphine called twice,” Susan said as I passed her desk on the way back from my first meeting of the morning.
“I will call her after lunch,” I said, unable to think about anything else.
My day couldn’t have looked grimmer if I tried. I had zero guarantees of security coverage for a political convention. I had our DNC chairman barking at me. Angry administrators texted me. I turned my phone off around nine. It was a disaster and I didn’t see a way out other than to pressure the police union with public shaming. So, I’d scheduled a press conference for later today. I’d either have good news or need to put them on blast. Either way, I had a deadline to do something .
“It’s an emergency. She said to tell you she needed you to call her immediately. She sounded really upset.”
“Has someone died?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
I looked at the clock, then shook my head. It probably had to do with the board vote. I assumed she was panicking ahead of it.
“I will call her late this afternoon. If she calls again, tell her I am in back-to-back meetings.”
I hated to duck Daphne. I wanted to be there for her. However, if I did not put these fires out, there would be no me left to do anything. I was so embarrassed I could even look at her this morning. I worried I’d lashed out and ruined everything, but somehow, she clung to me for reassurance. I didn’t want to ruin her moment. She had to understand.
Around two, still very hungry. I stood in a press room at a podium with a series of talking points. But immediately, all my best laid plans went out the window. I spoke for only two minutes explaining that by holding up negotiations, the union was putting the lives of their own officers at risk leading up to the DNC. It killed me to throw anyone under the bus, but I needed everyone to trust us. I needed to project strength.
Jeremy Mont, a reporter from the Daily Tribune raised his hand. “Sir, do you wish to comment on the allegations about Daphne Delphine?”
I rolled my eyes and leaned into the training Jo gave me earlier. “My personal life is irrelevant. Can we please get back to the very serious matter at hand?”
A Times reporter’s hand shot up. “So, are you or are you not dating her?”
I shook my head. “What difference does that make?”
“Some people have doubts about her suitability given the video.”
What video ? I stammered, “I… I am allowed to take dinner with anyone I want to.”
“Even if they are involved in… adult videos?” Another reporter asked.
“What video? Adult videos?” I scoffed.
John piped up. “We received this about twenty minutes ago from a UK paper.”
“Well, are you going to elaborate or show me?” I demanded.
“Sir, the video is graphic. I don’t really?—”
“Either show me or stop talking about it,” I was sharp and impatient.
My heart raced as John stepped forward. I’d known him for about twenty years. As long as I could remember, the old man was a reliable reporter—one who cared deeply about the city. I trusted him more than anyone else in the audience. He wasn’t always easy on me, but he was honest. Right now, his pained face gave me pause. What could be on the tape?
John hit play and handed me his phone. It was thankfully on mute. Unfortunately, someone had gleefully captioned it—complete with onomatopoeia. The video showed Daphne in a bra and panties down on her knees—frightened. She looked up at someone—someone I assumed was Chandler. She was clearly being forced to give a blowjob on camera. Her face looked washed out and miserable. If the tape was real, it was a very bad night for her. If it was AI, it was just as insidious. Chandler fired back at her for the divorce, and he’d decided to take us all down with him.
I handed the phone back, fighting an emotional breakdown on cable.
“I don’t know what to say other than Ms. Delphine would never in a million years release such a tape. Whether it’s a deep fake or not, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Is that you in the video?” Someone called.
“Absolutely not!” I shouted.
The room quieted and I tempered my anger. “I am sorry, but this is not the press conference I expected. The point being is, I’ve known and worked with Daphne for more than ten years. She is a person of exceptional character and capability. That is all I will say.”
The press erupted with more questions.
Someone shouted, “So do you know she was named President of Delphine Holdings in a shakeup this morning?”
“I was unaware,” I lied. “Good for her.”
“And you own shares in?—”
“A company I own owns shares in Delphine Holdings. Its executor, however, manages all of those matters.”
“But is it not true that you were seen out with Miss Delphine several times over the last week?”
“Again, what I do personally?—”
“Do you think this is an attempt to discredit her?” Another person shouted.
“I have no idea what this is. I’ve not had time to speak to anyone about it. I am sure she is taking legal action. Thank you. I am done here.”
I stepped back as Jo rushed the podium, shouting over the din. “He said he’s done. There will be no further questions.”