Renovations (By Design Book 6)

by J. A. Armstrong

  “Do you know something?” Melanie asked.

  “No, but I have my suspicions.”

  “What about?”

  “About what J.D. is thinking…and my Mom.”

  “I think I missed something,” Melanie surmised.

  Michelle smiled. She spent long days around her mother professionally. And, she talked to Jameson almost daily. Michelle considered Jameson her best friend. She sensed a shift in Jameson over the last month, one she was not able to define easily, but a perceptible change in the topics of their conversations. She had overheard Dana and her mother speaking earlier that day. Something told Michelle, changes were on their way for everyone.

  “What aren’t you saying?” Melanie asked.

  “Can’t tell you what I don’t know,” Michelle said honestly. “I can tell you that I do not want to talk about my mother or her love life anymore this evening—past or present.”

  “What would you like to do?” Melanie flirted.

  “Funny you should ask…”

  ***

  Jameson picked up her phone and looked at the caller. “Hey, Pearl. Everything okay?”

  “Everything is perfectly fine, Jameson,” Pearl answered.

  “Okay?”

  “I was returning your call,” Pearl said.

  “I didn’t call you.”

  “No?” Pearl asked.

  “Not that I am aware of, no.”

  “Strange. Did you butt dial me?” Pearl laughed.

  Jameson groaned. Jameson had forgotten her phone in her pocket once. Apparently, in the heat of the moment it had fallen into the bed and at some point either Jameson or Candace had rolled over it, calling Pearl in the middle of the night. Pearl was as bad as Michelle at times. Jameson was positive she would never live the episode down. She wondered if they teased Candace as relentlessly. She doubted it.

  “Well, now, that is disappointing,” Pearl said playfully. “I thought perhaps I missed one of Candy’s Bible lessons. And, you know how much we all appreciate your God-fearing ways,” Pearl laughed.

  “Funny,” Jameson said. “You and Shell should take it on the road. Now, why did you really call me? You know perfectly well that I did not call you.”

  “I swear you did.”

  “Nice try.”

  “What are you up to?” Pearl asked.

  “What makes you think that I am up to anything?”

  “Right. You aren’t at the office and you never leave Spencer with me unless you have a job you can’t take him to. Is Candy playing hooky too?”

  Jameson chuckled. “I wish,” she said. “No, Candace is in meetings all day. She’ll probably make it home before I do, though.”

  “Well, if it is all right with you, Spencer and I are going to head to the park to see the snow sculptures. Then, I thought I would take him to my house for a bit. Thought we would have dinner there. You know, he likes to play with that old piano.”

  “You don’t have to ask me,” Jameson laughed. “At least, I know where Candace gets her craftiness.”

  “Just what are you implying?”

  “I am not telling you where I am,” Jameson said. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “Goodbye, Pearl,” Jameson said.

  “Now, Jameson.”

  “Have fun with Spencer,” Jameson said as she disconnected the call. She rolled her eyes and laughed again. In truth, Jameson was a nervous wreck. Pearl had offered her a moment of much-needed levity. “It’ll work out,” she told herself. “You know it will,” she kept saying. “Deep breaths, J.D.”

  ***

  “I’m glad you’re home,” Jameson said as she entered the kitchen to find Candace opening a bottle of wine.

  “Enjoy it while it lasts,” Candace joked.

  “Problems?” Jameson asked.

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. If this storm stays on track, I will probably need to head to Albany.”

  Jameson nodded her understanding. “Doesn’t sound promising, does it?”

  “No, it doesn’t. That seems to be my life the last couple of weeks. I never thought I’d be a storm chaser,” Candace said lightly.

  Jameson smiled. Sarcasm was unusual for Candace, at least, her use of it in honest frustration. “How are things in the city?” Jameson asked.

  “Quiet—for now.”

  “Why? Do you expect trouble?” Jameson asked.

  “Not really. Not the kind you might think. There is going to be some fallout at NYPD, Jameson. This officer…There were issues for several years—big ones.”

  “Is Greg in trouble?” Jameson asked, worried about the chief.

  “Hard to say. He wasn’t in this role when it started. So, I hope not. It’s out of my hands now.”

  “I’m sorry, I know you have friends there.”

  “So do you,” Candace reminded Jameson. “I just can’t imagine why anyone thought it was a good idea to keep shifting the issue.”

  Jameson shrugged and decided to change the subject. “So…Anything else interesting happening in Governor Land?” Jameson asked.

  Candace put down the corkscrew in her hand. She leaned against the counter and looked at Jameson suspiciously. “Okay, let’s have it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “What did one of my children do now? Or, did that mangy feline that you insisted I allow in the house break something again?”

  Jameson laughed. “Why do you think something is wrong?”

  “What’s with the twenty questions about work?”

  “Maybe I am just curious about your day.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Jameson sighed. “Well, why don’t you finish what you were doing…”

  “Oh, no…This is not good, is it? Please tell me that no one got arrested.”

  Jameson laughed again. “No.”

  “Laura’s not pregnant again…”

  “Candace,” Jameson laughed.

  “Jonah’s getting married,” Candace made another guess.

  “Have you already been drinking?” Jameson asked.

  “No, should I have been?”

  “Just sit down, would you?”

  Candace complied with Jameson’s request and took a seat at the table. “Jameson, what is going on? And, don’t try to tell me nothing. I know that look on your face.”

  “What look?”

  “It’s the same look you had when you proposed—pale.”

  Jameson couldn’t help but chuckle. She crossed the kitchen and made her way to her laptop bag to retrieve something. She set a large manila envelope on the table in front of Candace.

  “What is this?”

  “Before you open it, just hear me out.”

  “All right,” Candace promised.

  “I drove down to Poughkeepsie this morning,” Jameson began. Candace listened. “I talked to Ms. Ross.

  “Did something happen to Cooper? I told Dana to keep me…”

  Jameson smiled. “Cooper is fine,” she said.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Well, maybe fine is not the right word. He needs someplace,” Jameson said.

  Candace sighed. “I’m sure that they are doing everything they can to place him. It can take time, unfortunately,” she said.

  “What if it didn’t have to take so much time?” Jameson asked.

  “Why? Do you know someone you think might be willing to help Cooper?” Candace perked up slightly.

  “Maybe.”

  “Who?” Candace asked.

  “Us.”

  “What?”

  “Us.”

  “Us?” Candace questioned.

  “Yeah. You and me.”

  “You and me?”

  “I thought you hated parrots,” Jameson said.

  Candace inhaled an unsteady breath and released it slowly. “Jameson, I don’t think that’s…”

  “Why not? You adore him. He likes you better than that ice cream we had the other day.”
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  “That was a couple of hours. You’re suggesting something far beyond an ice cream sundae.”

  “And?”

  “And?” Candace challenged Jameson in disbelief. “Jameson, for heaven’s sake, have you really thought this through?”

  “Yeah, I have.”

  “In a few days, you have suddenly decided you want to take on a toddler full-time?”

  “Why is that so strange? I decided I wanted to be with you in less time than that,” Jameson made her reply.

  “Yes, but you did not ask me to marry you in less time than that,” Candace pointed out.

  “But, I did marry you.”

  Candace let out a groan. “Jameson…”

  “Look, Candace…We could try…”

  “Try? Jameson, you don’t try being a parent. That’s not how it works.”

  “Jesus!” Jameson yelled, startling Candace. “What the hell? What do you think I am?”

  “Calm down, I’m only…”

  “Calm down? What am I, one of your kids? No, I’m not even that. I’ll bet you didn’t say that to Marianne when she told you she wanted to get pregnant.”

  “Jameson…”

  “Did you? God, you’re like my mother.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Candace demanded.

  “You think I see Cooper as a pair of jeans? If he doesn’t fit, I’ll just take him back? I thought you knew me better than that,” Jameson said sadly. She turned and grabbed her coat.

  “Where are you going?” Candace asked.

  “I don’t know. For some air,” Jameson said honestly. She turned back to Candace. “I love you more than anything. I can’t believe you think that little of me.”

  “Jameson…”

  Jameson shook her head and walked out the door. A cold breeze swept through the kitchen as she left and Candace closed her eyes. The chill that traveled through her veins had little to do with the temperature outside. “Shit.”

  ***

  Pearl came down the stairs from tucking Spencer in and flipped on a light in the living room. “Want to tell me why you are sitting alone in the dark with an empty bottle of wine?” Pearl asked Candace. “Where is Jameson?”

  “I don’t know, and that is why I am sitting in the dark with an empty bottle of wine if you must know.”

  “What happened?” Pearl asked.

  “She left.”

  “She left? What do you mean she left?”

  “There are only two words in that statement, Pearl. She left.”

  Pearl nodded. “What happened?”

  Candace looked up at Pearl regretfully. She handed Pearl the contents of the envelope that Jameson had given her earlier. Pearl flipped through several pages and looked at Candace.

  “And?” Pearl asked.

  “What do you mean—and? Jameson seems to think we should take this little boy, Cooper.”

  “I see,” Pearl replied.

  “You see? Don’t tell me that you seriously think that is a good idea?”

  “You don’t? Pearl asked.

  “Good Lord, I am fifty-eight years old. Can you imagine me with a four-year-old?”

  “Actually, yes. You have a three-year-old sleeping upstairs right now if I am not mistaken,” Pearl reminded Candace.

  “That is not the same thing and you know it.”

  “So, Jameson left because you told her you thought this was a bad idea?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Pearl nodded. “Why exactly did she leave?” One thing Pearl did know, Jameson was not one to walk out on an argument. If she had, something had to have hurt the younger woman.

  “She thinks that I don’t think she can handle it. At least, I think that’s the case. She thinks I underestimate her.”

  “Why would she think that?” Pearl asked. Candace groaned. “Oh, Candy…”

  Candace shook her head ruefully. “That’s not what I meant at all. Frankly, I was surprised that she would even suggest it.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? Pearl, Jameson has never wanted kids. Why now?”

  Pearl sat down beside Candace. “If I had to guess, I would guess because she loves you.”

  “What does that…”

  “And, you fell in love with that little boy. You can fool yourself all you want, you aren’t fooling me, and Candy? Jameson knows you better than you think sometimes. She knows it too.”

  “She thinks it will replace Lucas.”

  Pearl’s eyes grew wide. “I haven’t heard you mention Lucas in longer than I can remember.”

  “I know. I don’t know why. I should—talk about him.”

  “I know why. It hurts. What does Lucas have to do with this?”

  “It came up when I got back from the city last week. Lucas, I mean. And, Rick.”

  “And, you think Jameson somehow thinks this little boy will make that go away?”

  “Would explain a lot.”

  “Well, Jameson is right then.”

  “What do you mean?” Candace asked.

  “You do underestimate her.”

  “I do not.”

  “Really?” Pearl asked. “You don’t think that dealing with The Three Stooges for the last three years and practically raising Spencer and Maddie these last few months has taught her anything?”

  “Pearl, I have no doubt that Jameson would be an excellent mother.”

  “So, what do you doubt? That you would be? You already are.”

  “It’s not that simple and you know it,” Candace argued.

  “No, I don’t know it. I do know one thing, if Jameson brought this to you it wasn’t just to try and make you happy. She might love you, she is not that shallow, Candy.”

  Candace sighed heavily. “I know.”

  “You know, you might ask yourself why the idea seems to scare you so much.”

  “It’s not a matter of fear. It’s a matter of where we are at in life—where I am at in life.”

  Pearl smiled. “You keep telling yourself that.”

  “You think we should, don’t you?”

  “That’s not for me to say,” Pearl said. “I think deep down what scares you is that you want to.”

  Candace chuckled nervously. “Pearl…”

  “Well, you have to decide,” Pearl said. “I’m going to head on home.”

  “I just wish I knew where she was and what she is thinking,” Candace said.

  “She won’t be gone long,” Pearl assured Candace.

  “I don’t know. She was…I’ve never seen her like that.”

  “Then I guess you have some things you need to think about,” Pearl said. Candace nodded. “You know, she knows you will never be able to replace Lucas or Rick, Candy. She’s had some loss too. Sometimes, just like people leave without warning, people come into our lives unexpectedly. Maybe that’s what Jameson sees right now that you can’t.” Pearl leaned in and kissed Candace’s cheek. “Don’t underestimate your wife, Candy. She’s wise beyond what you might give her credit for at times. And, she loves you.”

  “I know,” Candace said. “I do know.”

  Pearl winked. “Then make sure you tell her that when she comes home.”

  ***

  Jameson walked into the living room and sighed. Candace had fallen asleep on the sofa. Jameson walked over to her and knelt beside the sofa. She kissed Candace’s cheek lightly.

  Candace opened her eyes and looked at Jameson looking at her. Jameson’s eyes were red and her face was blotchy. Candace closed her eyes and scolded herself before taking Jameson’s face in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she told Jameson honestly. Jameson immediately broke down. Candace pulled her close. Jameson rarely cried. Candace felt her heart lurch violently in her chest at the realization that she had caused Jameson any pain. “Jameson.”

  “I’m sorry that I left.”

  “It’s okay,” Candace whispered.

  “No, it isn’t.”

  Candace kissed Jameson’s forehead. “I was a complete jerk,�
�� she admitted. “I’m sorry.”

  “Can we talk?” Jameson asked.

  Candace nodded and shifted herself to a sitting position. She patted the sofa for Jameson to sit beside her.

  “I didn’t expect you to be enthusiastic right away,” Jameson said. “But, I just…Do you really think I would suggest something like bringing a child into our home without thinking it through?”

  “No, I don’t. I reacted badly. Honestly, Jameson…That was the last thing I expected you to say.”

  “Why?” Jameson wondered.

  “It’s not something I would have thought you would ever consider.”

  “The truth is, I only considered it because of you.”

  Candace smiled. “That’s why…”

  “Let me finish,” Jameson said. “You think what I mean is that I want you to be happy. I do. I do want you to be happy. But, that’s not what I mean.”

  “Tell me. I’m listening.”

  “I’m not sure I know how to explain it. I love it when Spencer is here with us.”

  “I know you do,” Candace said.

  “And, I loved watching you with Cooper—watching him with you. And, Candace…It killed me leaving him back at that place. It killed you too, I know it did.”

  “Jameson, I can’t deny that. It did. But, this is a huge step. My job already has put so many demands on my time and on our time together.”

  “I know,” Jameson said. “I thought about that. That’s why I asked Jonah and Mel to accept a partnership in the firm. Before you say anything, I was going to do that anyway and you know that. And, before you ask again—yes, I am very much okay with that decision.”

  “Why Cooper?” Candace asked.

  Jameson smiled. “I don’t know. I think maybe we need him as much as he needs us. Otherwise, we would not have both been awake all weekend worrying about him.”

  “You too, huh?” Candace asked. Jameson nodded. “Oh, Jameson…”

  “Is it me?” Jameson wanted to know. “Are you hesitant because you think I don’t understand what it would mean?”

  “No,” Candace said assuredly. “No, and I am sorry that I made you feel that way. You know that one of my biggest worries in our marriage was that I would keep you from this—from being a parent.”

  “I know. But, Candace, if you really don’t want to do this it won’t change anything between us.”

  “It already has, Jameson,” Candace said.