“On it.” Dot noted her assignments and was amazed again that money was no matter at all. Then, sensing an opening, she decided to throw out an idea she’d had in the shower that morning.
“So, I wanted to run something by you. Since we arrived in Cedar Falls, I’ve noticed that there are atonof community events here. There’s something every weekend—a potluck, a dinner dance, a festival, live music, fundraisers. That kind of thing.” It seemed to Dot there were almost more things to do in Cedar Falls than in New York.
“What if For the Win sponsored a chartered bus that would take people from Cedar Falls to the debate and back?” she continued. “We could serve a boxed lunch on the way and have local beer and snacks on the return. And then, because they’ll have signed up, we’ll also have their contact info for future calls and door knocking.”
“Love that. Smart.” Kitty beamed at Dot’s suggestion. “Let me confirm I can get enough seats for inside the auditorium at the debate. How many do you think? Fifty or so? Yes, I think so.” Kitty often answered her own questions. “The DNC willloveit.”
Dot nodded and started a to-do list. She loved to please.
After they wrapped up the call, Rose went to call some of her veteran volunteers and Dot and Fletcher went over their meeting notes to make sure they’d not missed anything.
“So, you know Kitty pretty well?” Dot asked, trying to casually get some intel.
“Oh, yeah. When we were with College Democrats, we hung out with the same crowd at events,” he said. “She’s incredibly driven.”
“Tell me about it. I feel like I have a lot of ambition, but she’s next level.”
“Well, she’s also highly motivated to win. And not just because she wants Democrats to get elected.”
“How so?” Dot asked.
“Well, for one thing, there’s the money. There’s a huge win bonus for her if she can prove that For the Win helped get back the White House.”
“A win bonus?” Dot asked. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“Basically, if the Democratic candidate wins in November, she gets the dough.” He made a gesture of rubbing cash between his fingers and thumb.
“How much are we talking?”
“It’s at least $500,000. My dad said that most of these PAC directors won’t do it for less. They take a lower salary but have the potential for a big payday if they succeed.”
“That’s so much money. I can’t even imagine that number in my bank account.” Dot felt suddenly terribly inadequate and naïve.
“But perhaps even more than the money, Kitty really wants to be seen asthego-to Democrat on the Georgetown cocktail circuit. My mom says she’s got a great gift for hosting and brings lots of people together to help make connections. People go there to network and gossip, which is the most valuable currency in Washington. So, if the Democrats win, she’ll get the money and likely a job in the White House. Then everyone will want to come to be one of her guests.”
“And reach all of her goals before she’s thirty,” Dot said, realizing the stakes for Kitty were even higher than she’d known.
DOT, FLETCHER, ANDRose worked through the afternoon and had a good plan underway for the debate bus charter. Then, as the winter sun set around 5:15 p.m. and the sky turned into swirls of pink, Dot felt her phone buzz. It was a text from Harper.
“Mary’s cooking. Big scene. She’s bringing Staten Island to Cedar Falls. Home soon?”
“20 mins.” She added a red wine emoji. Harper gave her a thumbs-up. They’d bought a couple of bottles at the local wine shop, Pour Decisions, over the weekend.
Dot called over to where Fletcher was sitting. “Would you mind locking up tonight? Apparently, Mary’s making a big dinner.”
“You got it, Dottie.”
Dottie? Dot’s brow creased at the nickname.
“Dot-erino?” Fletcher gave it another shot, but her head tilted to the side. She didn’t like it.
“Too much too soon?” he asked.
Dot nodded.
“How about we go with... Dot?”
“Perfect,” she said, then she spent the last few minutes handling emails and tidying up the kitchen area. She wanted everyone to know she wasn’t above any task.