Woman King

CHAPTER 15

Before leaving that evening, Aidan gave me several binders with information to read. It was mostly organizational charts of the various Council directors, as well as the Council’s mission statement. I gave him a slip of paper with my bank account on it and he promised that funds would be transferred into it almost immediately. Normally, I said, I did some work before I got paid. Aidan laughed and said that Gabriel had wanted to compensate me for the time I had lost in transitioning to my new life.

I knew my mother would be furious if she found out about the funds. It would only confirm for her that there was something strange about a group that was willing to pay me before I’d even been on the workforce a day. But I was happy to take the money. I wasn’t convinced that Levi Barnes would hire me. If this new arrangement didn’t work out, at least I would have extra funds in my account to support myself until I decided what to do next.

It was decided that first night at the Council’s offices that I would keep my firm open and use the same employees. Since I already had a track record running campaigns, it was a perfect cover for my work with the Council. Gabriel had returned to Aidan’s office and handed me a binder with information about District 15, the new congressional seat Levi would be running for.

Previously made up of two other districts, the new territory was enormous, encompassing two counties, all of Silicon Valley, part of the state’s farm basket near the city of Salinas, as well as the coastline near Santa Cruz. In my opinion, it was political suicide to try to represent such a huge district, the interests of urban, suburban and agricultural voters certain to clash over the years. I couldn’t wait to hear why Levi Barnes wanted to return to the House of Representatives.

The last thing Gabriel told me that evening as I prepared to leave was that we were having lunch with Levi the next day at the Four Seasons Hotel on Market Street.

“You work fast,” I said in response.

Gabriel smiled and said he would meet me in the dining room.

At home later that night, I read through the materials I had been given. After his defeat, Levi Barnes left Congress and Utah for California. During the following decade, he became a very wealthy man. His most recent invention, enabling smart phones to act as credit cards, had ensured that he, along with his children, would never need to work again.

I wondered how much he had changed in the decade since I had worked for him. We had parted ways on good terms, but had taken different paths. His life had been consumed with entrepreneurial pursuits and mine with politics. He was married with a family. I had started a business in the City. Time had passed quickly. But now, here we were again, being reunited by Gabriel Laurent, a man whose connections and background I was only beginning to grasp.

I arrived at the Four Seasons dining room at 1 pm, as directed. I checked in with the host, and was led to a table where Gabriel and Levi were already seated.

Levi Barnes was aging very gracefully. His short, black hair had grayed somewhat in the decade that had passed, but his blue eyes looked as crisp and aware as ever, and he had managed to keep his tall frame fit and trim over the years. Gabriel, once again impeccably dressed in dark jeans and a white oxford shirt with driving loafers, was almost vibrating with feelings of approval toward me. And while he was holding something back, I was sure of it, there was no hiding that he felt almost proud of me as I strolled to the table.

Both men stood up to greet me. Gabriel gave me the traditional bisou on both cheeks and Levi clasped my hand in the two of his.

“Olivia, it’s so nice to see you,” he said. “I’m embarrassed that it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”

Right away, I opened myself up to Levi, curious to know what he was feeling. His aura was bright yellow, glowing like the sun on a summer day. This was a good sign, as yellow tends to demonstrate people who are positive, have strong intellect and are imbued with the power to inspire. Those are good skills for elected office. He was feeling a deep sense of curiosity, but was otherwise happy. For someone who had to quickly assemble a team and jump into a congressional race, he struck me as remarkably calm. I wasn’t sure if that was his nature—I didn’t remember him being that calm before—or maybe it was Gabriel’s influence.

We all took a seat as I spoke. “It seems you have been a bit busy.”

Levi laughed. “Yes, I guess I have,” he said. “The valley is a remarkable place. There are so many ideas to pursue, so many businesses to start…well, it captured my attention.”

“And now,” I asked, as the waiter came by to bring me a menu. “You’re ready to return to Congress?”

Levi nodded. “Utah was unpleasant and I didn’t think I would ever return to politics. But a lot of time has passed and I have changed my mind. I have enough money to last a lifetime. My children are grown and living their own lives. I am ready to do something new—or old, I guess, in this case,” he said, smiling.

The waiter came and took our order. I was almost too excited to eat and requested a bowl of soup. Gabriel frowned and added a piece of fish to my lunch, saying, “the sole here is too delicious to be missed,” and ordered a bottle of Sancerre to go with the meal. It struck me as odd, his desire to feed me, but despite my efforts I could not detect any untoward motives on his part.

If Levi found it odd that a French digital media executive was ordering lunch for me, he didn’t show it. Gabriel told Levi that we knew each other because of his interest in building an office tower in San Francisco. “I have toyed with the idea of re-locating some, possibly all of my employees to San Francisco,” he told Levi. “France is lovely, but we have no start-up culture and our film industry has less of a need for the kind of 3-D animation we develop. I spend so much of my time coming to California that it makes sense to relocate. Olivia has been kind enough to put up with my half-hearted efforts to look at parcels of land and provide me with a political analysis of my chances.”

“This is a great time to build in San Francisco,” I said, going along with the charade. “The city has incredible tax credits to offer technology companies willing to relocate here.”

Gabriel went on to say that he was too much of a Frenchman to ever move away. “I might rent some space for a satellite office,” he said, “but to leave Marseille completely would be tragique.”

Our plates arrived and we sat in silence for a few minutes, until Gabriel spoke again. “Levi, you’ve declared your interest to run for Seat Fifteen? Are you certain? If so, you need to assemble a campaign team immediately.”

Levi’s concern about my role was coming through loud and clear.

“Maybe I can step in here,” I said, feeling confident for the first time in weeks that I knew what I was talking about. “Levi, you know me as twenty-something press secretary. I didn’t help run your first campaign. But like you, I have been busy since we closed down your office in the Rayburn Building ten years ago. I have been building a very successful business here in San Francisco, including running campaigns.”

I had managed to catch Levi’s attention, and I could feel his growing interest.

“I represent a number of both national and international corporations, as well as individuals, in their dealings with both the media and government officials,” I continued. “I have run a number of campaigns to protect their interests. I have an extensive background in business and development in the Bay Area. I understand the dynamics of election politics. In short, I believe I have the leadership, skills and required relationships to run this congressional campaign for you.”

“She is considered one of the best,” Gabriel said, pouring more wine into Levi’s glass. “And then, there is the fact that you two have already worked with each other.”

“You know my work ethic,” I said. “I was the first one in the office and often the last one to leave. This will be no different.”

Levi was curious, but not sold. “How do you think I win this race?” he asked.

I smiled. “Well, it’s not magic,” I said, cringing inwardly. “Your money is not enough. Look at Meg Whitman, she spent millions on her campaign for governor, but at the end of the day couldn’t connect with voters. Voters support people they like, people who understand their issues. You are the perfect candidate. You came from another state to chase your entrepreneurial dreams, and after years of hard work found success. You’ve raised a family, nurtured a marriage and now after your success, want to return to a life of public service. You have a background in both business and education; you are exactly what California needs at this tumultuous time in the state’s history.”

Once again Gabriel vibrated with happiness. He was very pleased with my speech, and, luckily, so was Levi Barnes.

He agreed to hire me right then and there, offering his apartment in San Francisco as a temporary campaign headquarters. We were nowhere near ready to open a campaign office in Silicon Valley, so using his apartment and my office as a base of operations was perfect. I offered to work for free for the first few weeks so that Levi could decide if I was a good fit for the job. I didn’t need the funds since Gabriel was paying me, but Levi just laughed and said money was not an issue.

Within a matter of days, he’d paid my first month’s salary and deposited $1 million in a campaign account “to get us started.”