“There you are,” Grant declared when he found Jessica outside in the backyard in a tight, hot pink, spandex outfit, mimicking awkward yoga poses she had seen on TV. “I thought you were sick?”
“I’m better today,” Jessica shrugged. “I’m working out!”
Grant stared at her questioningly. “Okay…if that’s what you call that.”
“What do you need?” Jessica asked.
“No One Else on Earth by Wynonna Judd,” Grant sighed. “I’m looking for lyrics.”
“Why do you ask?” Jessica stopped posing and crossed her arms interestedly.
“I ask because somehow you folks manage to live without an internet connection, so I can’t Google it,” Grant shrugged.
“Why do you ask?” Jessica repeated, enunciating.
“I’m supposed to be researching a song, so I came to the only country music aficionado I know,” Grant admitted.
Jessica smiled. “Emily was right; if I just ignore your initial response, you’re much more tolerable.”
“Focus, Jess,” Grant nodded insistently. “The song…what are the lyrics to the song? What is Hailey trying to tell me?”
A smile stretched the length of Jessica’s face, her pearly white teeth glistening behind her shiny lip gloss. “It means she’s in love with you…” she gasped as she ran off to tell Emily the news.
“Jessica!” Grant called. “Where are you going? The lyrics? I want to know the lyrics!”
Jessica looked back over her shoulder. “Hailey’s in the barn…why don’t you go ask her?”
Grant rolled his eyes. “If I had wanted to ask her, I would not have asked you,” he mumbled under his breath. He glanced toward the barn and shrugged his shoulders. “She’s in love with me, huh?” he said aloud. He ran his fingers through his hair, straightened the collar on his polo shirt, stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and walked confidently toward the barn.
“Em,” Jessica called, barreling into the room they shared. She tripped over a book on the floor as Emily watched from the bed.
Emily sat up, tissue in hand. “What’s going on?” she asked, her voice scratchy.
Jessica, distracted, knelt down to pick up the book off the floor. “When did you go to town and get stuff from the library?” she asked.
“I didn’t,” Emily shook her head.
Jessica spotted another book sticking out from under the bed. She lifted the bed skirt to discover a stack of library books hidden away.
“Hailey went to the library?” Emily asked.
Jessica was busy digging under the bed. “My goodness, did Hailey bring the entire library home; she hates to read? What in the world are all these books?” She reached one up to Emily as she dug for another.
“Eleanor Roosevelt?” Emily shrugged. “Maybe she had to do a report for school.”
Jessica snatched the book back and stared at the picture, “Oh, bless her heart,” she gasped, turning the cover toward Emily.
“Jess!” Emily exclaimed.
Jessica examined the cover of the book she had inadvertently tripped over. “Jacqueline Kennedy,” she said aloud.
She reached under the bed for another book and extended it to Emily without even looking at it. “Barbara Bush,” Emily said, tossing it onto the bed.
Jessica stood, this time holding a stack of books. Emily laughed as she took them from the stack, one by one. “Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, Mamie Eisenhower, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Lady Bird Johnson, another on Eleanor Roosevelt …does anyone else see a pattern here?”
“Busted,” Jessica laughed. “They are so together. How funny is it that Hailey has a who’s who of famous first ladies stashed away under the bed?”
“I’m impressed,” Emily admitted.
“Oh, dear, who is going to dress her?” Jessica sighed. “We are talking months upon months out on the campaign trail, then there are speeches and dinners and meetings and events and appearances…”
Emily blew her nose before replying. “It’s like another seventeen years before Grant will even be age eligible to run for the presidency, so we have a little time to work with her.”
“Something tells me that we still shouldn’t waste any time,” Jessica sighed, flopping down on the bed.
“That’s true,” Emily thought aloud. “I mean before he becomes President Cohen, I’m sure he’ll be Senator Cohen or Governor Cohen or something like that.”
“Dresses are out of the question,” Jessica shook her head. “Let’s face it, she’ll never be Jackie Onasis, but I’m picturing some really great looking pants suits.” She giggled. “Okay, now I’m losing focus because I’m picturing your brother in his suit and tie…”
“Does he look presidential?” Emily laughed.
“Well, preliminary polls show he’s got the female vote in the bag,” Jessica winked.
“That’s your sister’s man you’re talking about,” Emily said with a playful elbow to the ribs, and both girls broke into giggles. They fell back onto the bed, both giddy with excitement at their discovery.
Jessica shot to her feet suddenly. “Does this mean we would get to visit the White House? Do they let sister-in-laws ride on Air Force One? I wonder if they will ask me to sing on the White House Christmas Special? Oh my gosh, what will I wear?”
Emily broke into uncontrollable laughter.
