Chapter 71 #2
“Clever girl,” Rose said as she appreciated the corny joke. “Now get moving.” They’d worked hard to make sure the turnout was impressive. They needed the visuals for the press and for their own social media push.
“Not bad,” Fletcher said, taking a video of the crowd. “Room is full. How does it compare to previous rallies, Rose?”
“I’d say this is a great turnout. The venue can hold about three thousand people, and we’ve got standing room only. And there’s still a line outside.”
“I’ll go make sure we’ve got all of them signed up in the voting list,” he said, working his way out to where the volunteers were set with iPads to capture everyone’s contact info.
They’d use that to confirm that their contacts had voted.
Then they’d send all that to the campaign and the DNC so that they could get a rough count of how things were likely to go, even before the polls closed on Election Day.
“Hey, Rose—look over there. I think that’s that young woman I met when we were last here. She had a baby with her that day,” Dot said.
“You’ve got a good memory. You may have a voter there, Dot.”
“She looks like she’s by herself. I’ll be right back. I’m going to chat with her.”
“I’ll stay put. I don’t want to give up my spot.” Rose had made sure to stake a location offstage where they could see both the candidate and the crowd’s reaction.
Dot approached the young woman. “Hi. We met before. You’re the one with the cute baby.”
“Wow, you remember that? I’m impressed,” she said.
“I’m Dot Clark, by the way.”
“Emery Brewer.” They shook hands.
“Where’s your son today?” Dot asked.
“My mom has him. I told her I wanted to come check this out. You were right—I really like Senator Lopez. She seems very real.”
“She is.”
“I like what she has to say about the economy. It’s not easy being a single mom—the cost of everything is so high, especially day care. I have my mom to help, but she’s still working, too. She cleans rooms at one of the hotels near Milwaukee.”
“Well, you’re not alone. The cost of living is high on everyone’s minds—all of our polls show that.
You’ll hear her talk about that today,” Dot said.
“And she has a proposal to keep day cares safe but to let up on some of the regulations that have pushed providers out of the business. She wants that done within her first one hundred days. If she wins.”
“I hope she wins,” Emery said. “I feel like the only way I can make my life work is if there are two of me.”
Dot felt her phone buzz. She reached into her back pocket for it. There was a text from Sen. Lopez.
“Hi. Pulling up soon. Meet me for a chat right before I go on? I’d love a briefing on the crowd.”
Dot shot back, “Will be there.” Then to Emery, she said, “Can I give you my number in case you need anything?”
“Sure. And could I get a picture with you?” Emery asked.
“With me?” Dot was surprised.
“Yes, with you.” Emery took a selfie of them. “I’ll send it to you.”
“Thanks!”
“And Dot? Please let Senator Lopez know we’re counting on her.”
“You bet. I will.” Dot waved goodbye and felt a swell of pride and of nerves. The stakes were so high in this election, and now she had to pull herself together to brief the candidate.
SENATOR LOPEZ HAD the crowd on their feet for forty minutes. She nailed her stump speech, and had the crowd laughing, crying, and then laughing again.
“Laugh, cry, laugh—the perfect formula,” Dot said to Fletcher on the sidelines with Rose where they cheered along with the rally-goers.
At the end of her speech, Lopez worked the rope line, and Dot asked a volunteer to bring Emery to the end of it. She watched Emery’s surprise at being spoken to at all, and then she made eye contact with Dot and understood what was happening. Dot met her in the line.
“Senator Lopez, this is Emery. She’s a single mom, and this is her first-ever rally. You’ve really inspired her.”
“Emery, what a beautiful name,” Lopez said, fully focusing on the young woman as if she didn’t have one thousand other things on her mind. “Thanks for coming. Can I count on your vote?”
“Yes, ma’am. And my mom’s, too.”
Lopez reached for Emery’s hands and lifted them high. “Let’s do this!” She was the kind of candidate that got more energized with a rally, rather than fatigued from the effort. Her energy was contagious.
Turning to Dot, Lopez said, “Great job. Thank you. Are you happy with the turnout?”
“Absolutely. We’ll pull some clips for social, and the local media will be strong. The president’s team isn’t coming back before Election Day, so we may edge them out here in this county,” Dot said. “We’re banking a lot of early votes.”
“That’s good to hear. We have to win Wisconsin. I don’t see another path without it.” Lopez kept smiling and waving as she and Dot talked. “Ride with me to the airport?”
Dot was thrilled to be asked. “I’d be honored.” She took one last look around the venue and felt a jolt of excitement and purpose. And then she stopped in her tracks.
At the back of the room was Danny Dawson. He was standing there with his tan Carhartt jacket and baseball cap, watching her intently. Their eyes met, and the impact tore through her—the world came roaring back to life in color and sound.
Her heart wanted her feet to run to him, but duty rooted her in place. Lopez’s security detail was trying to usher her out, and Dot had to follow her. She kept Danny’s gaze and put a hand to her heart. She knew that he’d come for her, not for the Democrats’ election rally.
Dot hadn’t seen Danny or returned any of his messages since she saw him with that other woman at Cocoa and Cabernet nearly a month before, though she’d missed him so much.
Her stubbornness wasn’t charming—it was pulling her under.
And seeing Danny, his dark, sad eyes penetrating her thoughts, crushed her.
Her heart had regrown a protective barrier as her brain kept reminding her that soon she’d be back in Manhattan.
What was the point of trying to repair her relationship with Danny when she’d just have to say goodbye in a few weeks?
Wasn’t it better for both if they just cut their losses now?
Knowing she had to get into the limo with Lopez, she took a deep breath, pulled her eyes from his, and scurried to the awaiting motorcade.
In the car, Dot and Lopez relived some of the highlights from the rally.
“The crowd was great, Dot. Think we’ll get them to the ballot box?”
“I think we’ve got a chance, yes.” Dot was all business, sharp and alert despite seeing Danny at the rally.
“We’ll know a lot more in a week. We have a great tracking system for early voting.
That way we can focus on the ones who wait to vote until Election Day.
The numbers here are pretty good. But don’t worry—we’re not taking anything for granted. ”
“That’s a good motto to live by no matter what,” Lopez said. “When it comes to women in politics, well, my experience is that we have to work harder. You can’t rest for even a moment.”
“You seem to have endless energy. What’s your secret?” Dot asked lightly, though she actually was curious.
Lopez looked out the window and waved to some folks walking to their cars, having had their fill of the fair. “Remember when you asked me if I’d ever been in love.”
Dot nodded. “I hope that wasn’t too personal.”
“Not at all.” She turned her gaze back to Dot. “As I said then, I did want to marry. In fact, I’m open to it even now. But one thing I’ve learned is that you shouldn’t measure yourself against anyone else’s choices. I’ve been thinking about you.”
Dot couldn’t believe that Lopez had time to think about her.
“If your dream is to go back to New York, Dot, then do that. But think about whether that’s just the safe choice.
All of us need to be willing to take risks.
Don’t scurry back to Manhattan if there might be a great chance for you to work in Washington.
Follow the option that makes your heart beat a little faster. ”
Dot took that in. “You make me feel like maybe I could do it, too. Meaning follow my passion and that everything will work out.”
“Not maybe. You can.”
“How can I thank you?” Dot asked, grateful to have been given such specific guidance for her next steps.
“All I ask is that one day you pass it on to the next generation,” Lopez said, gathering her things to exit the vehicle as they pulled up to the private plane waiting to take her to Detroit for another campaign stop. “Keep the mentoring chain going.”
They got out of the car and Lopez gave Dot a quick hug before turning and bounding up the steps to the awaiting jet. Dot stood on the tarmac and watched Lopez ascend the stairs. Before going inside, she turned back to wave at Dot. “See you soon. Let’s win this!”
Dot gave her a thumbs-up. When the plane’s doors closed, her mind was ping-ponging with thoughts of what her options were after the campaign. Maybe she should more seriously consider going to Washington. What was the worst that could happen?
But try as she might to focus on her career and keep her head in the election game, Dot was distracted. She kept replaying one part of the rally over and over. It was nothing Lopez had said in her speech.
It was when she’d spotted Danny watching her, his eyes on her every move.