"All right," Esmeralda relented. "Um...." But Brianna broke in before she could even finish her thought.
"Es, if Ruby wants to put the leftovers away, I can wash while you dry and put the dishes away."
"What about me?" Charisma demanded.
"I thought you needed to get Adam's clean clothes to Saphira."
Charisma rolled her eyes. "It won't take *that* long. I'll be back before you get started."
Brianna bit her lip. It wasn't supposed to be this hard... or this awkward. Then Esmeralda's voice cut in. "Charisma, if you'd like to dry, I can put the dishes away." Charisma nodded and Brianna sighed in relief.
"I'll be right back," Charisma said before leaving the room. No one saw her lean against the wall for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she headed down the hall towards the coat closet.
"You okay?" Esmeralda asked Brianna when she saw her grab onto the back of a chair and close her eyes. Green met green and slowly Brianna nodded.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I didn't realize...." she started, then stopped speaking. Instead of encouraging her to continue, Esmeralda simply squeezed her arm lightly in understanding. Then she turned to find Ruby emptying out the refrigerator and threw up her hands in exasperation.
"RUBY!!"
Ruby turned around and looked abashed at being caught, but didn't stop what she was doing. Brianna looked between Ruby and Esmeralda and then settled her gaze on Esmeralda.
"Should I even ask?"
Esmeralda shook her head. "C'mon and let's get started, and I'll explain it."
Chapter XXXVI
Kent made his way down the hallway to Charisma's study. He felt a little weird going into her sanctuary without an invitation. After all, it wasn't like he had any business in that room except to snoop. But his curiosity had been raised by what he'd witnessed earlier and he knew himself well enough to know he'd find no peace until he got an answer to some of the questions he suddenly had about a great many things.
He realized that the door was unlocked - something unheard of when he was home and he wondered if it was locked against him specifically or if she hadn't bothered because Adam was with her and there was no possibility of the child getting into places he wasn't allowed.
Kent figured that was most likely the reason, but it still served to niggle at the back of his mind nonetheless. Then he pushed the door opened and crossed into Charisma's private study.
He took a good, hard look around the room he seldom entered more than simply to bid Charisma goodnight. So he took the opportunity to really check out the one place in their house that represented Charisma Tagherty more than any other.
The desk was neat... clean - a large monitor taking up one side of the desk and a custom made set of mini-shelves that held the different documents she was reviewing on the other. In the center was a blotter, but it was free and clear of any writing - not even the hint of a doodle on it. Between the monitor and the shelving was a single picture of Adam in a silver frame.
His glance moved on, noting the eclectic art that hung on the walls - pieces she'd had since before they had met. Kent wondered at their significance, but since he didn't recognize them, he figured they might have been the work of a starving artist she'd stumbled on when she'd traveled to Europe after college. He didn't know much about that trip... only that she'd gone and spent three months touring around before returning to Washington to begin her political career immediately.
He continued his visual tour, recognizing the painting over the fireplace as the one he'd given her on their wedding day. He thought back on that with a wry twist to his lips. Would he, knowing what he knew now, still have married her? He liked Charisma... loved her even, and he admired many things about her. But aside from the son that they shared, did they have anything in common anymore?
Kent moved over to the sofa and dropped onto the cushions, sighing in soundless relief as his body automatically relaxed into its decadent softness. He hadn't realized he was strung so tightly. He let his eyes travel around the room again, grateful for the soft muted colors that allowed him to unwind a little more. There wasn't much else remarkable about in the room - a few file cabinets that had been crafted to fit the dйcor and the furniture.
The furniture was plush, but sturdy - a change from the formality that had previously occupied this room. Now the furniture could be considered rough and tumble - stuff that was comfortable for any guests Charisma needed to entertain here and yet sturdy enough to survive hard use by a young boy. Only the coffee table that was placed between the long sofa where he was currently ensconced and the two chairs that sat opposite him didn't fall into that category.
That, he remembered clearly, had been his mother's gift to his wife. It was a family heirloom and befitting a United States Senator. Charisma had been thrilled to accept it and had immediately made it part of her home office. It was quite the talking point, and many of her colleagues had commented on its history at one time or another.
Now, though, the only thing he could find interesting about it was the leather covered photo album he'd glimpsed at very briefly earlier. This time, however, he wasn't quite as anxious to open it and delve into its secrets. In the back of his mind Kent knew that unwrapping this particular mystery would probably change his life. There had to be a reason Charisma kept this locked away from the light of day. He wondered if it tied in to her recent sadness and decided it most likely did.
With a sigh, he leaned forward and reached for the book, hesitating only briefly before scooping it up in his hand. He caressed the cover just like his son had, noting that it was very soft and very smooth - a testament to the age of the album at least. Then he opened it once more.
The images were definitely his wife taken at least twenty years prior. Aside from the look of the photographs themselves, he knew when she had graduated from college - the diplomas she displayed in this office as well as on Capitol Hill prominently stated it. And the very first picture in this album was of her and another young woman who he now knew to be Senator Brianna Walker on what must have been their graduation day.
Kent studied the picture carefully, wondering again what had happened between the two women to keep them apart for so long. They were posing for the camera - arms wrapped around each other and cheeks pressed together as they held up their diplomas and laughed with delight in their accomplishment. The next few pictures were similar, though Charisma's family and what he supposed were Brianna's parents joined them in different groupings.
He tilted his head in thought and let his gaze go inward for a few minutes. Then he carefully set the album aside and rose, making his way to the other side of the house and the family room. This was the most comfortable room in the house, in his opinion. It was the one spot that looked lived in - with the magazines and TV Guide, the entertainment center with the gaming consoles and the shelves of DVDs. It also held the largest assortment of family photos... the kind snapped on outings together and not done in a professional studio.
Kent took a moment to look around at them. Many of them were taken at the various family functions they had attended at Okasa's and Patrick's home. In those, there was always a variation of who got grouped together, and he smiled when he realized just how often his mother was included as well. Okasa had made it a point to adopt them both into the family when he and Charisma had gotten married and he hadn't even noticed it consciously until right then.
Still, as much as that made him smile, it wasn't the reason he'd come in here looking, and he took his time studying each and every single picture. He remembered when he'd initially met Charisma's brothers - they had been cool and less than welcoming and he'd put it down to the natural protectiveness of older brothers towards a baby sister... even when that sister was long since grown up and a US Senator besides. Now he wondered.