“Better than okay,” Candace replied. “Care to share my poison?”
Michelle took a seat beside her mother. “I thought you’d never ask. One question, though.”
“What?”
“Do we open the cookies now or wait ‘til the results come in?”
Candace laughed. “If Jameson were here, she’d just add ‘in bed’ to all the fortunes anyway. I say we go for it.”
Michelle rolled her eyes. “Chinese Bible Study? Twisted, Mom.”
Candace retrieved the boxes from the bags. “Don’t knock it, ‘til you try it, Shell.”
Michelle grimaced. “I don’t want to know.”
“And, here I thought you were our billboard.”
“Ha-ha. Pass me the chicken wings.”
Candace passed Shell the carton. As usual, Jameson knew exactly what Candace needed. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Jameson.
***
“How close?” Michelle asked Grant.
Grant shrugged. “Waiting for Polk. Still only 23% in.”
“What about Linn?” Michelle asked.
“She’s up by 3% in Linn with 67% reporting. Johnson County, she’s down by 1%. That’s 99% in.”
“She’s going to win,” Michelle said.
Grant nodded. “Based on the margins she has in the rural communities, I’d say that’s a safe bet now. The question is by how much,” he said. “The more wind in her sails heading to New Hampshire, the better.”
Michelle took a deep breath and looked at the three dueling TV screens at the far side of the room. “Come on, Mom.”
***
“Candace?” Grant poked his head into the kitchen.
Candace greeted him with a smile.
“Polk is coming in now,” he said.
Candace nodded. “I’ll be right there.” She looked at Jameson. “Ready?”
“You know, you already won,” Jameson said. “I don’t know why they haven’t called it yet.”
“The media? I’d say caution, but drama is the reason. The truth is, I’ll be relieved to hear them say it. And, when they do? The margin will become the story and that will mean more.”
“Not exactly like baseball, huh?” Jameson said. She took Candace’s hand.
“Not exactly, no.”
Candace and Jameson entered the large common area and took a seat on the couch. Candace took a deep breath, let it out slowly and focused her attention on the news coverage.
“It looks like we are ready to call tonight’s Iowa Caucuses for Governor Candace Reid. We’ve waited for the last county to come in. Let’s turn to David Pierce at our map for the results.”
“Governor Reid has held a slight lead all night in Iowa. Polk County has the largest population. We’ve expected her to do well there. In the last few minutes, the outstanding precincts have begun to pour in. So, let’s look at the map.” He moved to the virtual map and began to touch it. “92% reporting and Governor Reid is leading Senator Keyes 58% to 42%, which is above our predictions. That might change slightly; not enough for Senator Keyes to gain any meaningful ground.”
“How does that look for Governor Reid going forward?”
“We’ve predicted that Governor Reid would come out ahead in Iowa. Polling suggested a tighter race, however. With her margin in Polk, she’s looking at a 6 to 7 percent victory over Senator Keyes.”
“That, of course, means she will receive more delegates,” the anchor interjected.
“Yes. Delegates are awarded proportionally, so she will not be miles ahead of the senator in delegate count. The result suggest that the governor has gained momentum early on. I’m sure that her team is hoping this gives her the wind at her back heading to New Hampshire. She and Senator Keyes have been polling neck and neck in the Granite State. Another victory, particularly another one as commanding as this, would put her squarely in the position her campaign has been hoping for as Super Tuesday approaches.”
“Well done,” Glenn told the team. His phone rang. He smiled at the staff, stuck a finger in his ear, and made his way from the room.
“Congratulations,” Grant looked at Candace. Before he could continue, his phone rang.
“The congratulations go to all of you,” Candace said. “I know this was not an easy battle. So, let’s enjoy this one tonight and make sure we know what went right this time, and what we kept from going wrong before we hit the east coast next week,” she told them. She smiled at the room. “Now, it seems like we have a crowd to address downstairs.”
“How long should we tell the press?” Michelle asked.
“Twenty minutes,” Candace replied.
“I’ll make it happen,” Michelle promised. She placed a kiss on her mother’s cheek.
Jameson kept her eyes on Candace as phones continued to ring and one by one, Candace’s staff readied themselves for her speech and their on-camera appearances. Candace remained still, breathing slowly and steadily as she processed the situation and prepared herself for the next step. “I’ll get Coop,” Jameson offered.
“No,” Candace said. “I asked Dana to stay up here. Let him sleep,” Candace said.
“Are you sure?”
Candace nodded. “Positive. I’m going to get myself together,” she said.
Jameson’s brow furrowed as Candace left. She watched as Candace closed the door of the bedroom they were sharing. She sat on the couch for a few minutes, observing the controlled chaos in the room. Candace’s reaction to her win surprised Jameson. She chuckled at the realization that Candace’s victory had set off another flurry of activity. It never ends.
“You okay, JD?” Dana came up beside her friend.
“I thought she’d be happier,” Jameson replied.
“She’s pleased with the result.”
Jameson looked at Dana skeptically.
Dana smiled. “It’s a higher margin than we thought,” she sought to explain.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
Dana nodded. “It is, but it puts more pressure on her to win decisively next week. The good news is she should get some momentum from this.”
“Should?”
“You know the drill, JD. I suspect she’ll add a few appearances between now and next week. And, I would bet she’s in that room calling Cassidy right now.”
“Cassidy?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“She’s retooling her speech.”
“Her victory speech?” Jameson asked.
Dana smiled. “It will be a thank you,” she said. “Less about the win, more about the work ahead and the hard work of the campaign volunteers and staff. If it had been closer, she would have claimed victory more forcefully.”
“You know that makes no sense,” Jameson chuckled.
“Not in a sensible world—no,” Dana agreed. “Right now, it’s all about humility and managing expectations.” Dana squeezed Jameson’s arm.
“Dana?”
“Yeah?”
“Think she’ll get another day off?”
“Between now and New Hampshire?” Dana asked.
“Ever.”
Dana’s compassionate smile gave Jameson her answer.
“That’s what I thought,” Jameson said.
“She’s going to need you more than she ever has,” Dana said. “For the next nine years or so.” She laughed.
“Nine?”
Dana winked. “Oh, I’m counting on two terms,” she said. She headed off to speak with Grant.
“Nine years?” Jameson closed her eyes and chuckled. “Cooper will be 14. Jesus! I’ll be over 50!”
“And, I will be ready to retire,” Candace’s voice offered.
Jameson opened her eyes. Candace smiled at her lovingly and held out her hand. Jameson sighed and accepted it. She let Candace gently pull her to her feet.
“Candace?” Grant called over. “Shell said it’s the five-minute warning. We should head down now.”
Candace held up a finger. “I’ll
meet you in the hall.” She turned to Jameson. “I love you.”
Jameson could see just a hint of insecurity in Candace’s eyes. She understood its cause had nothing to do with campaigns or elections. She smiled. “You’ll never retire,” Jameson said affectionately.
“You don’t think so?”
“No,” Jameson laughed. “Step back? Maybe. Retire? Never.”
“Think you have me pegged, huh?”
Jameson leaned in and kissed Candace gently. If Dana’s expectations held true, the next decade would be spent living a life Jameson never dreamed of. She pulled back from the kiss and smiled at Candace. Jameson had been living a life that surpassed any dream for the last six years. It had been filled with unexpected potholes and unfathomable joy. Looking at Candace, Jameson was reminded that she wouldn’t change one minute nor one thing about the woman looking at her. “You surprise me every day,” Jameson said honestly. “I wouldn’t change it.”
Candace wiped some lipstick from the corner of Jameson’s mouth.
Jameson winked. She took Candace’s hand. “So? Let’s get moving before Shell calls you herself.” She started to walk toward the door.
“Jameson?” Candace tugged Jameson’s hand to stop her. Jameson turned curiously. “Thank you.”
Jameson smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, come on before I get blamed for making you late to your own party.”
Candace let Jameson lead her away. She smiled at the faces she passed along the way. The five-minute trek to the downstairs ballroom seemed endless. She could hear the fervor in the short distance. She stepped up to the stairs of the stage, stopped and took a deep breath.
Jameson squeezed her hand. “What are you thinking?” she whispered.
Candace whispered back. “I was trying to figure out how many more times I have to wear these heels before I can retire.”
Jameson laughed, surprising the people around them. “How about we just get to election day first?” she suggested.
Candace shrugged and leaned into Jameson’s ear. “Will you buy me new shoes if I win?”
Before Jameson could reply, Candace was leading her up onto the stage to the sound of raucous cheers and chants. Candace stepped up to the podium and Jameson had to suppress her laughter. If only they all knew I married a lunatic. Candace’s voice pulled her from her musings.
“Thank you, Iowa! Here we come, New Hampshire!” Candace’s voice rang out.
Jameson grinned when the crowd called back. “Here we come White House!”
Here we come.
To be continued in:
ELECTION DAY
OTHER BOOKS BY NANCY ANN HEALY
THE ALEX AND CASSIDY SERIES:
Intersection
Betrayal
Commitment
Conspiracy
Untold
FALLING THROUGH SHOOTING STARS
Coming Soon: ALL THE WAY HOME
BOOKS BY JA ARMSTRONG
THE OFF SCREEN SERIES (Addy and Emma)
Off Screen
The Red Carpet
Dim All the Lights
Writer’s Block
Casting Call
Intermission
Waiting in the Wings
Script Doctor
THE BY DESIGN SERIES (Candace and Jameson)
By Design
Under Construction
Solid Foundation
Rough Drafts
New Additions
Renovations
Building Blocks
Road Blocks
Campaign Trail
COMING IN NOVEMBER 2017: Election Day
COMING IN JANUARY 2018: Commander in Chief
THE SPECIAL DELIVERY SERIES (Brooke and Tess)
Special Delivery
Small Packages
Handle with Care
Late Arrivals
COMING 2017: Best Practice
THE FIRST COURSE SERIES (Carrie and Devon)
First Course
Main Dish
COMING CHRISTMAS 2017: Sweet Things
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Campaign Trail (By Design Book 9) Page 28