The Contingency Plan (The Lonely Heart Series) Read Free Page A

where after the election. I mean, it is November now.  In December, you will graduate from the University of Miami, and then you go into the real world.”
    “I’m already in the real world ,” she corrected, ta k ing another swig from her bottle.  She eyed his back and noticed that he was growing tense. 
    Heaving a sigh, he said, “Okay, forget I said that.  The point is that you had to have a plan for after graduation, just in case the campaign went to shit.”  He tilted his head.  “Which it did.”
    Charlie hesitated.  “I thought that we would win.  I was certain of it as recently as last night.”
    Sully was suddenly concerned.  “So you haven’t lined up interviews for after graduation with anyone?”
    Charlie tried to shrug her shoulders.  “Of course I have,” she lied. “I’m not stupid.”  She had been. 
    There was immediate relief in Sully’s eyes.  “ Exac t ly ,” he said with enthusiasm. “You have a contingency plan.  You’re a smart woman.  I would normally say smart girl , but considering I’m sleeping with the intern who also happens to be ten years younger than me, I have to say woman to make me feel better about myself.”
    Charlie laughed.  “I am grown woman.  And you’re only ten years older than me. It’s not like you’re that old, or I’m that young.  In this society, it’s perfec t ly normal for older men to date younger women and vice versa, especially in the workplace.”  Getting back to the point, she shifted the attention.  “Do you have one?”
    Sully leaned on the island.  “A contingency plan? Of course I do.  I’m going to file for welfare and get food stamps and section 8 since we lost the campaign.  Oh and I plan to get pregnant…immediately. I’m looking for an athlete, but I’ll settle for a musician.”
    Charlie spit her beer out laughing at his ridiculous remark.  “I can’t believe that you just said that.”
    “ What?   We’re democrats…you didn’t know? That’s what we do,” he joked, making fun of the ridiculous accusations that they’d heard on the ca m paign trail about women, the system and the dem o crat’s desire to baby the less fortunate.
    Rolling her eyes, she wiped her face with a napkin and kicked her shoes off. It felt good to rub her aching feet against each other. “No, I’m serious. Now you were grilling me in your own way.  You mean to tell me that you don’t have a plan set up for post-mortem .”
    “Hmm.  Clever word usage.  I like that.  Okay.  Here’s the Sully philosophy,” he said, picking up his own beer as he began his lecture.  “Not much of your life should be spontaneous in my opinion.  You should have a plan based upon where you have been and where you are going.  You should wake up every morning with a plan, Charlie, and go to bed making one.  Now life happens in the process, but you should have a just in case plan for that.  You get what I’m saying?   You should have a contingency plan for when…well, when life happens.” 
    “You still didn’t answer my question,” she said, ignoring his rant. 
    Deflating, he lowered his bottle.  “I plan to go and work for the mayor.  He has already offered me a job running his public relations department.” 
    “Wow, when did you line this up?” she asked, i m pressed and happy that he would be remaining in the city.  Maybe there was hope for them after all. 
    “No one else knows.  I spoke with him a few months into the campaign and then again about a month ago, because like I said, you always need a…”
    Charlie cut him off. “I know.  A contingency plan,” she said, rolling her eyes. 
    “Exactly,” Sully said, nodding her way.  “You’re learning.”
    Teaching his girlfriend and watching her learn mildly turned Sully on and gave him an idea for a perfect role-playing session for later.  Walking over to where she sat, he moved his body in between her legs and bent to kiss her full, mouth.  He had