Golden Boys (Golden Boys, #1)(40)

“This is why the seating is so important—we want the right lobbyists to be at the senator’s table. Wright’s not the most divisive senator, but there are some bad eggs out there and he’s got a bit of a temper. You’ll see.”

We spend the next half hour running through the program and talking with a few other schedulers who have started to arrive. At the beginning of the week, Meghan’s laser-focused, no-nonsense attitude felt a little cold, but I see the warmth in her now, even if the other interns seem to think she’s a sort of demon.

Meghan is busy. She doesn’t have time to be overly welcoming. She didn’t ask for three new teenage interns to be dropped in her office space, but she’s taking me seriously, which is about all I can ask for. As we walk around, she makes networking into an art. She’s got one eye on her work phone, and the other eye out for people she knows, people she wants to know, or people she feels like she needs to introduce me to.

“Let’s go get the senator,” she says. “You ready?”

I feel a little starstruck already, but I nod and walk through to meet Senator Wright. We walk to the edge of Lafayette Square just as the black car stops. Meghan runs to catch up to him, the sound of her heels clacking across cobblestones as she moves.

The senator and Pasquale, the chief of staff, step out of the car and survey the land. The senator brushes off his suit, though his outfit looks perfectly crisp even after the flight and car ride. Meghan shakes his hand, and the three of them walk toward me.

“And this is our new intern Sal, the young man who’s Congresswoman Caudill’s family friend.”

“Yes, Sal!” Senator Wright reaches out his hand, and I take it in a firm handshake, making sure to look him in the eyes as I do it. I can’t believe it—I’m meeting one of my political idols right now. I knew this would happen; I even expected it to happen on day one. But seeing him here, bigger than life, looking more confident than he does even on C-SPAN, it’s overwhelming.

A small voice inside tells me this is who I want to be someday. But that feels impossibly far away.

“Nice to meet you, Senator Wright. Thank you for the opportunity. I really appreciate the chance to work here.”

“Is Meg treating you well?” he asks, somewhat jokingly.

She gives me a wide-eyed look, and I realize that as much as I’m trying to prove myself to Meghan, she’s trying to prove herself to her boss too.

“She’s kept me busy,” I say, then quickly add, “and she’s introduced me to about everyone in the city at this point.”

She seems satisfied with that answer, and so does the senator. Meghan suggests we get a photo of me and the senator to send Betty Caudill. I pose awkwardly next to him, even though he towers over me.

“This is great,” she says. When she shows it to me, I can’t help but think it looks a little like Take Your Kid to Work Day.

As we walk into the luncheon, the senator says, “If it’s okay with Sal, you should have Ari post that to social media and talk about the high school internship program. That would make Betty very happy.”

“Ari’s the press assistant,” Meghan says. “I don’t think you’ve met yet, but you may have seen him around the office.”

I nod. “Totally fine with me.”

The senator and his chief of staff take their seats at the head table and start conversations with the lobbyists as he unceremoniously breaks into his gluten-free roll. Meghan and I take our seats in the back, and she lets out a big sigh before giving me a tired smile.

? ? ?

Hours later, still buzzed from the excitement of the luncheon, I float down the halls of the Capitol. I still don’t know what future I want, but something about this feels right. Could I work on the Hill someday? Could I be a senator someday? My stride gets more confident as I walk into the office and send a quick wave to Jenna, who smiles and waves back.

I’m starting to fit in here, at least. It’s only been a week, but I really feel like this will be something special.

Turning to walk into the office with the interns and Meghan’s desk, I hear April and Josh talking animatedly, and for a second I wonder what’s got them all worked up. A phone call, probably, as they do have to deal with some of the angriest, loudest people in the state.

“He’s such a starfucker!” April is saying as I enter the room.

When Josh sees me, the color drains from his face. April notices me come in, and I see a similar frantic reaction come from her as she quickly turns her phone over. Before it flips, I see she’s on Instagram, looking at the photo I just took with the senator.

They’re talking about me.





? FaceTime ?

GABRIEL + HEATH

Hey, Heath. How’s it going? You… you look so tan already. How is that possible?

Yeah, Diana and I have been taking advantage of the beach every day. The weather’s been great.

Seems like paradise.

Ha, I wouldn’t go that far. But it’s a nice change of pace. It still feels like a vacation so far, but I start work in about thirty minutes. So maybe it’ll start to feel more permanent after my shift.

Makes sense. Boston will never not scare the shit out of me. I mean, nothing about this really feels like home. I’m making friends, and I’m having fun, but it’s hard. I mainly just miss you guys.