Combined with the sun, the lights made it hard to see, and she could feel her eyes start to water, on the verge of tears. She held a hand in front of her face.

“Is bright?” Dasha said. “I adjust. But is very good shot. Very pretty. Very young.”

“Does your mom the bride know you’re about to break this story wide open?” Matt asked from the sidelines.

Natalie shook her head no. Mom and Sarah would find out afterward. And then they’d understand.

“Savage, we got you live from the White House. Coming to you in thirty. Ryan McGreavy is your anchor,” a voice said in her ear. “We have some photos and video of the FLOTUS. We’ll follow your lead.”

“Is my hair okay?” she whispered to Dasha. Both Matt and Dasha nodded yes, emphatically. God bless Magda.

She took a deep breath and looked into the camera, switching to reporter mode. She put on her formal smile. The Breaking News music filled her ear and she could hear Ryan in studio promising viewers a “major breaking development you’ll only see here on ATN.” Then he tossed to Natalie, “Live from the White House.”

She felt a flutter of anticipation.

She was going to nail this.

“Thank you, Ryan. I have just gotten off the phone with sources who shared with me some very personal, very private information about the First Lady that’s never before been public.” In her ears, her voice sounded strong, authoritative. “According to these sources, First Lady Anita Crusoe is recovering from addiction. She’s currently at a rehab facility in Phoenix, Arizona.” She paused to let that sink in. “We have photographs of the First Lady’s friend Anthony Cantrell entering that facility on more than one occasion.”

“Rolling photos,” a voice said in her ear.

“The place is called Huntington Recovery Center. It caters to wealthy and VIP clients who require extreme privacy. Earlier today I spoke with the manager who declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality. It is not clear how long the First Lady has been in residence there, nor do we know the nature of her addiction—alcoholism or something else. But we know from history that the stress of the White House has taken a toll on more than one First Lady. We should applaud Mrs. Crusoe for seeking the help that she needs, and hopefully she will be given time and space to recover privately. Ryan?”

Ryan thanked her in his best Enthusiastic tone. Did she note a touch of respect in his voice? The lights went off and Matt and Dasha exploded in applause.

“That was AMAZING!” Matt hollered.

“Goodbye, McBalls,” Dasha agreed.

Grinning, Natalie looked over to see the TV lights up and down Pebble Beach switch on as camera people from rival networks raced out of the briefing room to power up their positions.

“They’re all going to report our story.” Matt grinned. “And they’re going to attribute it to ATN. It’s fucking awesome.”