April 18
White House – East Wing
“Just an intimate little dinner,” Pendleton said to Claire, his wife. They were being served by the White House staff, so intimate might not have been the perfect word, but the President and First Lady occasionally experienced stress in their relationship. He wanted some private time without assistants or political advisors. In the relative fishbowl that the White House was – even in the East Wing’s private quarters – this was about as good as it gets.
“Yes, Mike. Intimate,” his wife responded, although her words reeked of skepticism.
The small table in the family dining room was set with white linens and napkins, then with classic china and crystal glasses. Pendleton meant to ask for a simple setting, sans china and crystal, but was caught up in matter
