Love Connection

by Crimson Romance

  “Thanks for coming over so quickly. The team is freaking out.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I was afraid of that. What about you?”

  He flashed her a smile, projecting a confidence that surprised her. “Don’t worry about me. Or us.”

  “I had no idea my dad was going to say all those things. I hope it’s not causing too much trouble.”

  Ford sat back in his seat. “It’s not helping, obviously, but I’m sure the team will think of some way to handle it. They’re very good at what they do.”

  “The thing is, I agree with him on most points. I wish he hadn’t chosen morning television as his platform, but his opinions are valid. I’m worried that I don’t fit into the mold your campaign has set for you.”

  He took her hand in his and squeezed. “We’ll face things like this many times in our life together. Every time I run for office, at least, and probably even when I’m not. What’s important is that we stick together and support one another.”

  “Okay.” She let out a big breath. Handling a crisis so soon into their engagement was not something Lily had anticipated, but she was in it now. “Let’s do this.”

  • • •

  Ford led Lily through the campaign office, smiling at his staff and trying to ignore the curious stares. He held the conference room door open for her, and his team rose from their chairs to greet her.

  Caroline leaned forward first, clearing her throat and extending a hand. After some pleasantries and making sure Lily remembered everyone, Caroline gestured to one of the empty chairs and invited her to join the group. An intern wheeled in a tray bearing coffee, water, soft drinks, and pastries. Ford took his seat next to Lily and tried to lighten the mood.

  “I’m going to start bringing you to all our strategy meetings. I usually have to make do with whatever drink I can remember to bring in with me.” The team laughed politely, not meeting his eye as they shuffled papers and readied themselves for the meeting.

  “Thanks for coming in on such short notice.” Charlie nodded to the intern as she set a cup of coffee in front of him. “I wish you were here under more pleasant circumstances, but we’ll do the best we can to make this quick and painless. Let’s get down to it.”

  Lily sat up straighter, and Ford wished he could ease her tension. She was smart and self-possessed, independent and confident, but being called in to a congressional campaign advisory team meeting to address a problem they basically thought was her fault was likely outside of her wheelhouse. Last time they’d been here together, the conversation and strategizing was almost exciting, like solving a problem as a team; this time was more like being called to the principal’s office. When Coldwell went on the offensive, things were rough, but at least they could direct their frustration at him.

  Caroline opened a folder and pulled out the contents, pushing pictures of Lily’s parents at protests in the ’80s. Ford flipped through them and had to smile at one with a baby Lily sleeping peacefully in a stroller as her parents raised signs with anti-war slogans scrawled across them in bold black letters. Her mother, eyes focused and intense, shouted while her sign proclaimed “Women are People!” in black block letters. Ted’s sign, held aloft with the hand not resting on Lily’s stroller handle, said “The GOP Assault on Women is IMMORAL.” Ford sucked in a breath, not sure what the Ashtons were protesting but knowing there wasn’t much they could do to spin it. Why were there so many of these, and why did he have to be so specific?

  “There are plenty more, but you get the idea.” Charlie’s face was grim as he looked from Lily to Ford.

  Lily shifted nervously in her chair, and Ford took her hand under the table and squeezed. “Surely, my fiancée’s parents’ political activity in the eighties can’t be that big a deal, can it? It’s not as though they’re out every weekend marching on City Hall. Besides, none of these are very recent. I haven’t seen anything that looks like it’s not at least twenty years old. And Lily’s not participating in any of them.”

  “Sure, under normal circumstances, we could ignore this kind of thing or at least downplay it if Coldwell dug it up. Nothing is really off-limits when it comes to a race this close, but we could’ve managed it. The problem is that Mr. Ashton was just on live television, criticizing our nation’s military when you’re in the heat of a re-election campaign. He’s stirred up enough interest to dredge up the past. Put it all together, and it paints a pretty bleak picture.” Diana Harris, Ford’s most serious advisor, spoke up. “Sam Coldwell’s campaign is having a field day with this. We’ve already seen how quickly he moves when it comes to your relationship with Ms. Ashton. Combine her father’s outburst with the abundance of photographs from their apparently prolific protest appearances, and it’s the perfect storm.”

  Her eyes fixed on Ford’s, and Robert cleared his throat. “And then there’s this.”

  He turned his tablet around so that the screen was facing Ford and Lily. The much-circulated photograph of Lily at her first husband’s funeral was on the screen with a blog headline that read: “Congressman’s Fiancée’s Troubled Military Past.”

  Lily’s hand flew to her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears. Ford had seen the picture dozens of times since the interview, but he realized in that moment that she probably hadn’t seen it since it was new. More than anything, he wished he’d prepared her for the meeting better.

  “Turn that off.” He bit out the words, quietly but firmly.

  Robert had the grace to appear chastened as he flipped the screen around to face him and averted his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ms. Ashton. I suppose we’ve had more time to process this development than you have. We should have better prepared you.”

  With a deep breath, Lily folded her hands in her lap and sat up before meeting the gaze of the team members circling the table. “No, it’s fine. It’s certainly not your fault that some other candidate is using my personal tragedy for political gain. That picture was everywhere after the funeral. I just haven’t seen it since then, and it was a shock. Really, you don’t have to tiptoe around me.”

  The team members visibly relaxed, but their expressions remained serious. Charlie broke the silence. “The Coldwell campaign has implied that you are in agreement with your father when it comes to his anti-military views. They’re citing the loss of your first husband as proof that you blame the government and military for the tragic end of your first marriage.”

  “Seriously? That’s ridiculous. I’ve never said anything publicly about my husband’s death, and I’ve certainly never blamed anyone.” Lily sounded genuinely surprised, though Ford had often wondered himself if Lily might hold some resentment toward the military. It was only natural, and no one would fault her if she did.

  “Unfortunately,” Charlie answered with a sober nod, “it’s an easy conclusion to draw, and he’s not wasting any time using this to his advantage. Your silence might as well confirm their assertions, so it’s imperative that we move quickly to squelch them.”

  “I am and always have been a steadfast supporter of this country and of the men and women who serve us in the military. Nathan believed in what he was doing and spoke of that conviction often in the letters he sent to me during his deployment. He had a mission, and he was proud to carry it out with his fellow soldiers, knowing in his heart that what they were doing was absolutely right. He never wavered in that, never once showed fear or any misgivings.” She paused, took a sip of water, and continued. “He was loyal to this country, gave everything for this country. To him, their mission was vital, and he never looked back. I’ve never once believed any differently.”

  “Ma’am, I think the fact that he has never been mentioned during this campaign makes it look like we have something to hide.” Robert avoided eye contact with Lily, likely humbled by her impassioned speech.

  “You people have a plan for handling every other aspect of my life. Why was this one overlooked?” Her voice rose an octave, and her jaw flexed as she waited for their answers. “I’m honestly s
urprised that you didn’t use this information to your advantage.”

  “We didn’t have the information until the interview.” Robert answered Lily’s question but kept his eyes on Ford. “None of us knew you’d been married before, much less under these circumstances.”

  “What? You didn’t vet me like your file folder bride candidates? Ford didn’t ever mention him?” The edge of hysteria tinged her voice, and Ford wished more than ever that he could go back and do everything differently. “It’s a pretty big detail to leave out, don’t you think?”

  “Ma’am, Ford did not give us the information, and you were not fully vetted because you were his personal choice. We trusted that he was making the best decision for himself and didn’t get involved. We only have the information that you’ve given us because we didn’t dig into your personal life.” Robert answered with a soothing tone, lowering his voice and trying to bring the mood back to normal.

  “I didn’t realize you could use my loss for the campaign, so I never offered it. Sorry.” Her tone was steely with sarcasm, her voice low. She looked straight ahead, refusing to meet his eye.

  “I’m sure that’s not what they’re implying,” Ford spoke up, hoping that they weren’t suggesting that the opportunistic hijacking of Lily’s private pain was to be met with any response from his team other than to shame them. He placed a tentative hand on her knee under the table, hoping to make a connection and show of support, but she flinched away from his touch.

  “We certainly don’t want to exploit your private life like the Coldwell campaign has done, but we don’t see how this can go without an answer,” said Caroline. “We’ve got to do something.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Ford asked, not entirely sure Lily would stay in her seat long enough to hear. She looked both furious and heartbroken, and he was sorry to have dragged her into the situation. He hoped like hell that the team had a foolproof idea on how to get them out of this without hurting her any more.

  “We have a few options, but the best is to make a big push toward repairing your public image immediately. Ideally, we’d like to arrange for another interview on Good Morning, Dallas to give the voters a chance to get to know Ms. Ashton more intimately. We’ve been in contact with the show’s writers and feel confident that they would be sensitive to Lily’s situation and treat her with the utmost respect.” Caroline faced Lily. “If you’d be willing to talk about your first marriage, let the viewers know that your husband believed in his mission and you supported it, we believe that could go a long way in repairing this. We have to stop pretending that Ford is the first man you’ve ever loved and bring this out in the open.”

  “I’ve never spoken about Nathan in public, and I don’t want to start now. It feels dirty to use him to help Ford’s campaign. I know we have a public relationship, but some things should be private.” Lily’s shoulders slumped, the fire gone.

  As though knowing it was inappropriate but unable to stop herself from asking, Caroline gently suggested more. “Perhaps we could see the letters he wrote you? Show the people how he spoke about his country and his mission? Maybe another interview with you isn’t absolutely necessary. We could work with the show to produce a segment about your husband.”

  “That’s out of the question, and I’m shocked that you would even ask. Those are personal and not available for public consumption. Had I known this was part of the deal, that you people were basically running a circus, I don’t think I would’ve agreed to be a part of this campaign. Excuse me.” Her voice was cold and hard as steel, a tone Ford had never heard her use.

  Standing and pushing her chair back behind her hard enough that Ford had to catch it in her wake, Lily stormed out of the room, letting the door fly closed behind her. The team sat, stunned into silence around the table, until Ford snapped out of his shock and realized he should follow her.

  “Having Lily involved is the only chance we have at mending this thing. How could you sit there with a straight face and ask to see her dead husband’s letters? What the hell is wrong with you?” Without waiting for an answer, he rushed out to catch Lily before she left.

  • • •

  “Lily, wait!” Ford called out as she rushed toward her car. He hurried toward her, stopping short of getting hit by a BMW exiting the lot.

  She whipped around to face him, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. “What?”

  He paused at her tone, unsure what to say once he stopped her. He’d never seen her like this, and it was frightening. For their first disagreement ever, this was major. With his hands raised in surrender, he crossed the parking lot and closed the distance between them. “I’m sorry about everything. Can we talk about it?”

  “I don’t see what else there is to say. Your team is out of their damn minds, and I’m done. I’m not doing what they ask, so if you still want to win, you’ve got to let me go and try this on your own. It’s probably your best chance, if not the only one.” A tear escaped her eye, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. “This is too much. Nobody talks much about these campaign scandals after they’re over. Something new will come up, and everyone will move on with the news cycle. Everyone but me, I mean. I’ll be destroyed, and then it will be forgotten by everyone else. If I allow myself to get caught up in this, I don’t think I’ll get over it.”

  “Honey, I’ll make sure you’re treated with nothing but respect. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” She stiffened when he wrapped his arms around her, but he held tight and rubbed her back. “I care about you, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  She sniffled and pressed her cheek to his chest. “Thank you.”

  Not sure how he’d protect her and his own interests, but certain he didn’t want to let her go, he squeezed tighter. Pressing his lips against her hair and inhaling deeply, he searched for a solution.

  “What can we do?” he murmured into her hair.

  She stiffened again and pulled back, out of his embrace. Shaking his hands off her arms, her face fell. “I don’t want to have anything to do with this. I wasn’t kidding in there. I’ve been feeling normal for the first time in a long time, and bringing Nathan into this campaign would change everything.” With a shuddering breath, her eyes reflected a profound sadness. “It’s not going away, is it?”

  He dropped his hands, shoulders slumped. “Come on, Lily. We can’t simply ignore it. I want to protect you, and I don’t want you to get hurt, but I can’t make it go away. There’s no way around it.”

  “Then leave me out of it and move on with your life and your campaign. This engagement was never about us; it was about you and what you need. I think having a liberal, anti-military fiancée is worse than not having one at all, don’t you?”

  “That’s not fair, and you know it. If you’ll let us do something to change the public’s perception of you, they’ll realize that you’re not anti-military. They’ll see who I see, someone who is patriotic and optimistic despite everything that’s happened. You have to give us a chance, though. It’s unreasonable to refuse to do anything to address the problem and expect it to work itself out.”

  Fire flashed in her eyes, the vulnerability replaced with anger. “No, what’s unreasonable is to expect me to go through something so painful for nothing in return. You’re the one who stands to gain from this, Ford, not me. I’m not the one running for office.”

  “Let’s do this together, please. It’s not all about me, Lily. I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy.” The pleading in his voice was obvious, but he pressed forward. She wasn’t bending, and he was dangerously close to losing everything. He could lose the election, but worse, he could lose her. “I’m so grateful to you for agreeing to the engagement, but I thought it was something special for you, too. I know you started this as a favor to me, but it’s more than that now. I’m not imagining that.”

  “No, you’re not imagining things. It was becoming more. Now I’m not so sure.”

  “Come
on. Don’t throw what we could have together over some temporary discomfort. Please.” He tried to take her hands, to make a connection, but she refused.

  “Discomfort? Try devastation, humiliation, and heartbreak. Can you even hear yourself when you speak?”

  “I’m not trying to minimize it, just trying to get you to see the big picture. All I meant was that we can do this together, like the team we’ll be when we’re married. It may be uncomfortable, but with the team’s help, we can strategize. You’ll be able to confront the situation with support behind you. You won’t be alone in this.”

  “You don’t get it, and I don’t know any other way to tell you. I’m done, and there’s no way I’m using my personal life to help you win this election.” The anger that fueled her was replaced with resignation. “I’m not part of your campaign strategy. I’m not even sure I’ll vote for you at this point.”

  With a sad smile, she twisted her engagement ring off her finger and pressed it into his palm, got in her car, and closed the door without another word. As she drove off, Ford stood helplessly and watched her disappear into the busy traffic, taking his chances of re-election with her. Losing her was what gutted him, though. How she had managed to turn their arrangement into something he couldn’t live without was astounding. And he’d lost everything before he realized what he had with her.

  When he finally turned back toward the office, he saw Charlie standing behind him, close enough to hear everything. Having an audience made the whole thing so much worse, and the last thing he wanted to do was share the moment with that man. “How long have you been out here?”

  “Only a few seconds. I was heading to my car and stopped when I saw you two.” Charlie had trouble meeting his eyes.

  “Well, that’s great.” His voice dripped with sarcasm, and he didn’t even attempt to be professional. “I’m sure Lily loved having an audience for that, seeing as how much she loves having my campaign team involved in her personal business.”