Solid Foundation (By Design Book 3)

by J. A. Armstrong

  “Yes,” Candace said to Jessica. She smiled at Jameson and turned back to her former lover. “Thank you.”

  Jessica nodded. “I hear you might be spending less time here shortly,” she said to Candace. Candace sighed. “You are going to run; aren’t you?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” Candace answered.

  Jessica looked at her curiously then looked at Jameson and nodded. “How are the kids?” she asked with genuine interest.

  “Good,” Candace beamed. “How about you?”

  “The same,” Jessica said. “Work, work and more work.”

  Candace laughed lightly. “Comforting to know some things don’t ever change,” she teased.

  Jessica looked at Jameson. “And, some things do,” she said. “I’ve taken enough of your time,” she said.

  Jameson surprised herself with her words. “Why don’t you at least join us for a drink while you wait for your table?” Candace looked at Jameson in disbelief.

  “I would love to, but I have someone waiting for me,” Jessica said with a gesture to the far corner of the restaurant where an attractive woman was watching their table curiously.

  Candace smiled. “How is Monica?”

  “She’s Monica,” Jessica laughed. Jameson noted the mischievous glint that mingled with remorse in Jessica’s eye. “It was good to see you, Candy. And, to meet you, Jameson,” she said sincerely. She leaned in and placed a friendly kiss on Candace’s cheek. “I’m happy for you, Candy,” she whispered. Candace nodded and watched Jessica make her way across the restaurant.

  “You okay?” Jameson asked.

  Candace turned back to Jameson and smiled. “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be,” Jameson said sincerely. “Are you sure you are all right? We can go if…”

  “I'm all right,” Candace promised. “It was a little awkward, but in a way I’m glad it’s over.”

  “You mean seeing Jessica again or her seeing you with me?”

  “Both,” Candace replied honestly.

  “She seems very nice,” Jameson said quietly.

  “She’s a good person, Jameson. She just isn’t good for me.”

  Jameson sipped her wine and let her gaze drift back across the room to where Jessica was seated with her partner. This was not how she had planned the evening. She didn’t feel any jealousy, which surprised her a bit. She did wonder what was going through Candace’s mind. Jameson was not one to push. She resigned herself to letting her questions lie at least for the moment. She smiled when she saw Jessica glance her way. “Your loss, my gain,” she thought silently.

  “What are you grinning about?” Candace asked.

  “Nothing,” Jameson said. “Just enjoying my wine.”

  “Mm...You are terrible at hiding things; you know?”

  “Not true. I hid that ring for over a year,” Jameson reminded her lover.

  “I guess you did. Anything I else I should go snooping for?” Candace asked. Jameson just shrugged. “Just so long as it’s not another cat,” Candace said.

  “No. No new additions without prior notice,” Jameson replied with a wink.

  “I’ll remember you said that.”

  ***

  Candace had been quiet all evening. The dinner conversation had taken an abrupt turn to discussing Jameson’s project, the kids’ lives, and some legislation that Candace was battling with. Now, Candace was lying in Jameson’s arms while Jameson combed her fingers through Candace’s hair. “Candace?”

  “Hum?” Candace moaned in contentment.

  “Why don’t you want to run for governor?”

  Candace sighed heavily. “That’s why you came down; isn’t it?”

  “You have to decide this week,” Jameson noted. “I guess I just want to understand why when everyone seems to think you should, you don’t seem to want to.”

  “I do want to,” Candace said tacitly.

  Jameson brushed her lips over Candace’s head. “Talk to me.”

  “Oh, Jameson, the past has a way of coming back to haunt you sometimes. Politics has a way of making that happen.”

  “Is this about what happened tonight?” Jameson asked.

  Candace shifted to look at her lover. “No.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jameson confessed.

  “It’s not only my past that can resurface,” Candace said.

  “You lost me,” Jameson said. Candace sat up and took a deep breath. Jameson noted that she was twirling her engagement ring thoughtfully. “What is it?”

  Candace sucked in a nervous breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know how to…”

  “You can tell me anything.”

  “I know.”

  “Candace, nothing you could tell me would change us. It doesn’t matter to me if you run for governor, stay in the senate or want to come home all together. I just want you to be happy.”

  “I am happy,” Candace said. “My choices affect other people. I know that too.”

  “What is it?”

  Candace kissed Jameson gently and spun the ring on her finger again. “My grandfather was the best person I ever knew. I mean, he was kind but strong,” she said. “I always wanted to be like him.”

  “From what Pearl says you are a lot like him.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You are a lot like her too,” Jameson laughed.

  Candace nodded. “I know,” she said. “There’s reason for that, Jameson,” Candace said. Jameson frowned at the pained expression on Candace’s face. “My grandfather was not perfect.”

  “No one is perfect.”

  “No. They aren’t. He loved my grandmother. She loved him. I always envied that. I mean, my parents’ marriage was more of an arrangement. Granddad, he was always so attentive to my grandmother. It’s hard for me to believe he ever strayed.”

  “You mean he had an affair?”

  “Yes. A lengthy one, actually,” Candace said. “Back then, you could conceal those things publicly. There were barriers that the press did not cross when it came to public officials. That was one.”

  “Did your grandmother know?”

  “Yes. She knew. He had to tell her after,” Candace’s thought trailed off.

  “Candace?”

  Candace sighed. “After Pearl was born.” Jameson’s jaw fell open. Candace nodded with an uncomfortable grin. “Pearl is technically my aunt.”

  “I…Does she know?” Jameson wondered.

  “She knows. She doesn’t know that I know.”

  “How do you know? I mean, if Pearl didn’t tell you…Why wouldn’t Pearl tell you that?”

  “Pearl would never shatter my image of him; not ever. As for how I know, my grandmother told me just before she died. Funny, she loved Pearl, just like Pearl was her own,” Candace reminisced.

  “Like Pearl loves you,” Jameson said.

  “Yes.”

  “Wow. Are you worried about someone unearthing that skeleton? Candace, no one has ever even mentioned that Pearl…”

  “Things are different now, Jameson. People delight in unearthing old drama. They don’t consider the people involved. They just like the sensationalism. My Granddad, he was a popular figure, a successful governor. I don’t ever want to see that tainted. I don’t want Pearl to endure that either.”

  “How would anyone even find out?” Jameson asked.

  “I don’t know that they would. I don’t know if it’s worth that risk to me.”

  Jameson leaned in and kissed Candace gently. “I think you should talk to Pearl.”

  “I can’t,” Candace’s eyes began to grow teary. “How can I….”

  “Yes, you can,” Jameson said. “Pearl loves you. I mean…Candace, I think you are the most important person in her life in most ways. I never really understood that, but…”

  “Pearl is my mother in every way that matters,” Candace said. “My grandmother, when she told me, she was so calm. It was as if she believed it was just meant to be that way. She told me that Pearl’s mothe
r…well, she was absentee. She took off when Pearl was barely eight. Pearl actually lived with my great grandmother for seven years before she moved into my grandparent’s house as their ‘housekeeper’. I knew that, but I never knew why. No one talked about it.” Jameson was stunned. It was the type of story she envisioned as the makings of a T.V. movie. Candace continued. “But, Grandma felt about Pearl the way Pearl does about me. Truthfully, Pearl is just like Granddad. If anyone bothered to pay attention they would see how much she even looks like him, like me.”

  Jameson chuckled. It was true. She had always found it uncanny, but Jameson chalked up the likeness she saw in Pearl and Candace to all the mannerisms they shared more than anything. That, she accepted came from so many years of being around each other. “I can’t tell you what to do,” Jameson said. “I think you owe it to yourself to talk to Pearl. She’s wondering what is holding you back too.”

  “I know. I feel like I am betraying a confidence. It’s her past. It’s their past. I don’t want my future to bring up painful memories for Pearl, or to taint who my Granddad was.”

  “Well, I don’t see how what you told me taints anyone. It was a different time. Your grandparents never walked away from Pearl. I would say that is a testament to who people thought they were. That they were right,” Jameson said. Candace closed her eyes and listened. “Plus, Candace, couldn’t this come up some time anyway? I understand he was governor and maybe you think someone will reach, but sooner or later it might come out anyway. And, I think you and Pearl deserve to be honest with each other. You’ve both been keeping this secret to protect the other. I know it feels earth shattering; it really isn’t. It just feels that way. Sometimes, you have to face the past before you can confront the future.”

  “When did you get so insightful?” Candace asked playfully, but lovingly.

  “I’m not. I’ve learned a lot this year about that. Letting go of the past, I mean. It’s the past. You can’t change it. I think it hurts you more if you try and avoid it. You’re hanging on to something you can’t change when you need to let it go.”

  “What about you?” Candace asked.

  “Me?”

  “Yes. You just moved to open an office here in D.C. for one thing,” Candace said.

  “I would have done that no matter what happened eventually,” Jameson said. “And, who knows? That might prove a very wise decision in another five or six years,” she said.

  “You really are okay with this?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me if I wasn’t,” Jameson said. “Look, I know I joke a lot. I know…Well, I know we still have a lot to learn about each other. I think as long as we are honest, we will be fine; no matter what happens. I don’t think the ghosts of the past should dictate our future. Whether that’s here or New York or anywhere else.”

  “You just want to live in that Governor’s Mansion,” Candace poked.

  “It’s a bonus,” Jameson said. “When will you announce your campaign, Governor Fletcher?”

  “After I talk to Pearl,” Candace said. “Jameson…This will impact our plans.”

  “You mean the wedding?” Jameson asked. Candace nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that, actually.”

  “Really? What have you been thinking?”

  “What if we do it the Fourth of July?”

  “You mean at the barbeque?” Candace asked.

  “I was thinking before that. Simple. Just my parents, Pearl, the kids and us,” Jameson said.

  “Jameson, what about your brothers and…”

  “They can all come for the barbeque the next day. You can invite as many people as you need to for that. That will be our celebration. I don’t care how public it is. If I thought we could get away with it just being the two of us…We both know my mother and Pearl would kill us both.”

  “That is a safe bet.”

  “And, I want the kids there,” Jameson said.

  “You do?” Candace was a bit surprised.

  “They’re not my kids, Candace. They are my family. It’s strange sometimes, but I feel sort of…well…”

  “Protective?” Candace guessed. She’d seen Jameson’s protective streak around both Michelle and Jonah.

  “Yeah, I guess so. Is that strange?”

  Candace kissed Jameson soundly. “Not at all.” She laid back in Jameson’s arms. “Thank you for coming down here and making me talk,” Candace said.

  “Thanks for saving me money on the hotel bill.”

  “You are impossible,” Candace chuckled.

  “Good night, Governor.”

  “Not yet,” Candace chuckled.

  “Eh, gotta get used to it somehow.”

  “You don’t even know if I will win,” Candace said.

  “Yes, I do. It was in my fortune cookie the other day.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “It was! It said: Men play the game, but women know the score.”

  “And that somehow managed to convince you that I would become governor?” Candace laughed.

  “Fortune cookies don’t lie,” Jameson said.

  Candace kissed the skin beneath her lips. “I love you, Jameson…even if you are a lunatic.”

  Chapter Five

  Jameson was spinning the straw in her soda continuously. Michelle reached out and grabbed her hand. “What is up with you J.D.?” Michelle asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you call and invite me to dinner like there is something important you need to tell me. Now that we are here, you seem more interested in the contents of that glass than me,” Michelle observed.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What’s wrong J.D.? You and Mom have a fight or something?”

  Jameson snickered. “No, not this week anyway.”

  “Do you guys ever fight?” Michelle asked, curious to know the answer.

  “Sometimes. Not actually fight, I guess…disagree. Usually, she is right,” Jameson admitted.

  “Okay, so love conquers all is still the theme of the day then.”

  “You are such a wise ass,” Jameson laughed. “There is something I want to talk to you about.”

  “You are starting to freak me out here,” Michelle said. Jameson had been acting odd all evening. She had barely eaten her dinner. She was distracted even when there were no visible distractions. Michelle could not recall seeing Jameson so scattered.

  “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about your mom.”

  “She seemed all right when I talked to her yesterday. What’s going on J.D.?”

  Jameson smiled. “Nothing, Shell. Nothing you need to worry about,” she said. Candace had headed home from Washington and had planned to spend the next day with Pearl. Jameson’s mind had been preoccupied with the conversation she knew Candace intended to have. That was not why she had called Michelle. Michelle looked at Jameson skeptically. “Honest,” Jameson promised. “Everything is good. I guess maybe I’m not sure how to ask you this.”

  “Ask me what? Oh God, you don’t want to set me up with someone; do you? Because, J.D. I can find my own dates…I mean…”

  “Shell! God! No.”

  “Okay? So, what gives?” Michelle asked.

  Jameson took a sip from her straw. “I should’ve ordered a beer.”

  “J.D.!”

  “Oh, all right. The thing is…your mom and I…well I have this…you know…well, I thought we might make things official in July.”

  Michelle laughed. “You mean get married? It’s not a four letter word, J.D. Geez, I thought you were about to tell me you have an STD or something.”

  “Shell!” Jameson scolded and then started laughing.

  “What do you want me to address envelopes or something? Get the lesbian daughter to do all the licking.”

  Jameson threw an ice cube at Michelle. “If your mother heard the things that come out of your mouth…”

  “Ha! She’s marrying you for God’s sake,” Michelle said. “My mouth shouldn’t be a shock.”
<
br />   “God! I’m not even going to respond to that.”

  “No? Guess my mother isn’t the only Fletcher woman who can render you speechless,” Michelle quipped.

  Jameson tried to respond, but words failed her. Michelle loved to tease Jameson mercilessly. In truth, Jameson loved it too. She understood it was part of Michelle’s acceptance of her. Michelle was gloating at her perceived victory. Jameson shook her head and laughed.

  “Well…maybe so, Shell,” Jameson confessed. “You Fletcher women certainly are a unique breed,” she said. “So, would you be willing then to stand up for me when I officially become part of this Fletcher insanity?” Jameson asked. Michelle stared blankly at Jameson. “Shell?” Jameson was shocked when she noticed that Michele had become teary eyed. “Hey, listen…I’m sorry. You don’t have to feel like…”

  “I would love to, J.D.”

  “Really?” Jameson asked. “Are you sure? Because if…”

  “I’m just surprised you would ask me,” Michelle admitted.

  “It’s going to sound weird, but I kind of think of you like a little sister. I mean, I know you are Candace’s…”

  Michelle chuckled. “I get it. For the record? I feel the same way. It means a lot that you would ask me. I guess I just figured you would ask Toby or Steve…or maybe even Dana.”

  “No. It’s not that I don’t love them; I do. I feel like this is something I really want you to be a part of.”

  “What does Mom think?” Michelle wondered.

  “I haven’t told her who I planned to ask. She’ll understand,” Jameson said.

  “She probably thinks you will ask Toby or Dana.”

  “I doubt that. They won’t be there,” Jameson replied.

  “What?” Michelle asked.

  “Just you and your brother and sister…well, Rick and Spencer, my mom and Dad and Pearl.”