Renovations (By Design Book 6)

by J. A. Armstrong

  ***

  “I’m sorry, Pearl,” Jameson apologized.

  “Sorry? Please, I’m used to Candy’s chaos,” she said. Jameson nodded. “You’re worried,” Pearl observed. She pulled Jameson to sit beside her on the living room couch.

  “I really should…”

  “Sit down, Jameson,” Pearl ordered the younger woman. “What is my Candy into now?”

  Jameson chuckled. “It’s not that. She’s headed into the city. You know what is going to happen when people wake up and hear this story.”

  Pearl nodded. “No, and neither do you.”

  “Pearl, even if this boy had done something wrong…You’ve seen the news lately. People react.”

  “Don’t underestimate her, Jameson.”

  “Candace? I don’t, but she is only one woman, Pearl.”

  Pearl regarded Jameson silently for a moment. She could see the trepidation in Jameson’s eyes and she understood its cause. Candace was strong-willed and when she set her mind to something, she could be unwavering. Jameson had filled Pearl in on the major points of what Candace was dealing with. Pearl suspected that something or rather someone else might be driving the depth of concern she saw in Jameson’s eyes.

  “Jameson, who called you?” Pearl asked pointedly.

  Jameson groaned and hung her head slightly. “Bill.”

  “DeGrasso?” Pearl asked for clarification. Jameson nodded and Pearl chuckled.

  “He was concerned for her safety.”

  “He’s concerned for the safety of her ass,” Pearl agreed. “Politically.”

  “That’s not…”

  Pearl shook her head. “Oh, you need to trust me on this one,” she said.

  Pearl had known Bill DeGrasso for years. He had served with Candace in the New York State Legislature. The two had become allies and friends and Bill DeGrasso had been a frequent visitor to the Fletcher home. Pearl made a point of observing the people in Candace’s life. It was a mother’s prerogative. And, as far as Pearl was concerned Candace was her cub. She liked the man just fine, but she also understood his motivation. He was one of those people in Candace’s circle who constantly rode her coattails. He might have been bright and accomplished, but he lacked the qualities that Candace possessed: conviction, courage, and an ability to connect with people who differed from her.

  “Jameson, do you remember a long time ago we were sitting in the kitchen and I told you that if you wanted to have a life with Candy, you would have to accept that there would always be someone trying to woo her away?”

  “You think Bill is interested…”

  “Not like that,” Pearl laughed. “He’s bright enough to know that’s a dead end,” she laughed.

  “I don’t understand,” Jameson confessed.

  “There are also those people that depend on Candy to carry them along. A lot of them don’t like to ruffle feathers, anyone’s feathers. They don’t like the tightrope that Candy often walks.”

  “I’m still not following.”

  “I don’t love the idea of Candy walking into a potential war zone either. I do know her. So do you. If she believes that is what is needed to keep peace….Hell, if she feels that is what she should do—she’ll do it and be damned with the risk.”

  “I…”

  “I don’t mean the risk to her safety,” Pearl assured Jameson. “She’s not reckless. You know that as well as anyone.”

  “Yeah, I do, but I also know that she won’t back down from something she honestly believes is right.”

  “Nope, she won’t,” Pearl agreed. “I remember when she was about eleven. There was this little girl at school…What was her name? Red hair. Well, it doesn’t matter…Anyhow, Candy came home one day all filthy. I asked her what happened. She said that some of the kids were taunting this little girl. Candy asked them to stop. They started taunting Candy,” Pearl started laughing. “Stupid kids,” she shook her head.

  “What happened?”

  Pearl grinned and shrugged. “Candy stepped in front of the girl and one of Candy’s classmates punched her.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “Mm-hm. Candy got up, dusted herself off and faced that bully of a girl again.”

  “Did she hit her?” Jameson asked.

  “Candace?”

  “Yeah. Did Candace deck her?”

  Pearl laughed heartily. “Oh, I’m sure she wanted to. She came home hopping mad, but no. You know her. She told me she stared at the girl. Candace was no little thing. She was tall for her age,” Pearl recalled. “She said she just stared at the girl, like she’d seen her granddad do a few times with someone in his study when she was spying,” Pearl recounted the tale to Jameson.

  Jameson smiled. Candace was an incredibly compassionate and gentle person, but she was also fiercely protective of the people she cared for or anyone she thought needed protection for that matter. Jameson knew exactly the stare that Pearl was referring to. She’d had it directed at her a couple of times. She recalled the time Candace had caught her in the large tree outside cutting down branches. Jameson had been certain that if looks could kill, she would have been dead on the spot.

  “You can imagine it, can’t you?” Pearl guessed.

  “Oh, I sure can,” Jameson said. “But, I still don’t see what that has to do with…”

  “The point is that Candy knows when to fight and when to simply stand her ground. She has a sense about those things, Jameson—always has. Some people get musical talent, some people get artistic ability, Candy got sense. I don’t mean just plain old common sense. She has that, but she can sense a situation, sense what needs to happen. She’s not afraid to fight, but she won’t go into the ring unprepared. And, Jameson…One thing you need to always know, family is always first.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then trust her that she has that sense. She knows what she’s doing,” Pearl said.

  “I know that too.”

  “She wouldn’t go if she thought the risks outweighed the need and Bill? He’s worried about what the press will say. Trust me on that one. If he thinks he can stir you up and you can talk her down? He’ll do it and that’s just what he’s done.”

  Jameson nodded. “Thanks for the reminder.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.”

  “I am sorry for waking you up. I just…I feel like I need to be there before she leaves for the city.”

  Pearl patted Jameson’s knee. “You owe me a nice bottle of wine and something other than that crap that comes in folding containers you and Candy seem to exist on,” she said with a wink.

  “You love chicken wings.”

  “Not really,” Pearl said. Jameson’s eyes opened in surprise. “You make sacrifices for your kids, Jameson. Trust me on this, eating those damned chicken wings is one of mine.”

  Jameson laughed. “Why don’t you just tell her?”

  Pearl shook her head. “No, for some reason Candy has always loved her Chinese Food Take-out. I think it’s because her parents never let her have anything like that. It was always proper…proper table manners and a proper meal. Once in a while, her granddad and grandma would treat the kids. Whenever Candy could choose, she wanted those chicken wings.”

  “She likes the fortune cookies,” Jameson said affectionately.

  “Um-hum,” Pearl grinned knowingly. She reached her feet and stretched. “I’m going to catch a few more winks. I’ll bring Spencer up to Albany after breakfast. Hell, maybe I will let him get those hotcakes he loves so much at McDonald’s.”

  “You’ll be his hero,” Jameson commented.

  Pearl smiled and shook her head. She adored Jameson. One of the most lovable things about the woman in front of her to Pearl was Jameson’s earnest humility. Jameson would never see herself the way others did. Pearl winked at the younger woman. “Well, I will try and score some points, but I think that role has already been filled,” she said. “Tell Candy to give ‘em hell,” she said before making her way to the stairs.

&nbs
p; Jameson put on her coat and looked up the stairs to empty space that Pearl had just occupied. She giggled. If only Candace knew the things you do for her.

  ***

  “Mom, I’m not sure this is such a great idea,” Michelle told Candace.

  “Shell, don’t you start.”

  “Just listen to reason. You have no idea how things are going to go down.”

  “No, I don’t and neither do you,” Candace said flatly.

  “What do the State Police say?” Michelle wanted to know.

  “I will be perfectly safe, Michelle.”

  “Maybe you should go and meet with the mayor first,” Michelle suggested.

  “No.”

  “No?” Michelle questioned.

  “No.”

  “Mom, people will see this as you taking issue with the NYPD.”

  “I have no issue with the NYPD and you know it. I have issues with certain people within the department and rightfully so.”

  “Be that as it may, not only is there the risk of someone hurting you physically but politically…”

  “This is not about politics, Michelle. This is about right and wrong. It’s about quelling violence before it begins. Who do you think I am worried about right now?”

  “I know you feel for this boy and his family…”

  “Of course, I do! I don’t want another boy lying in the street with a Milky Way in his pocket for a reason. I also don’t want some kid sucked into some insane riot harmed or landing himself in jail for something that will not bring any change at all.”

  “I know, but…”

  “And, I do not want any of the thousands of men and women out there trying to keep people safe to be targeted or put in greater danger because of the recklessness and bravado one idiot. Right now, Michelle? Those men and women are one of my greatest concerns. Backlash can be an ugly thing. You ever hear that term one bad apple can rot an entire tree?”

  “Mom…”

  “It’s a fact, Shell. I appreciate your concern. My job is to keep the people of this state safe, even if that requires some risk. That’s what I promised to do. If that means I piss someone off, so be it. I didn’t take this job to try and win Most Popular 2016.”

  “I know that. What about the threat assessment? Mom, if…”

  “Michelle, you are going to have to trust me on this one.”

  Michelle threw her hands up slightly. “You do realize that you have advisers to advise you?”

  Candace nodded. “I’ve heard your concerns.”

  “Mom…”

  “The discussion is over. You go see what Dana needs,” Candace told her daughter. “And, you tell your boss, Mr. DeGrasso that you are not his tool.”

  “Mom, he…”

  “That’s all, Michelle,” Candace dismissed her daughter.

  Michelle turned with the shake of her head and left the office. Candace covered her eyes and sighed. “Why can’t anything ever be easy?”

  ***

  Michelle walked out into the long hallway of The Governor’s Mansion just as Jameson was walking to Candace’s office.

  “Thank God!” Michelle called to Jameson in exasperation.

  “Shell,” Jameson greeted her.

  “J.D., you have got to talk some sense into her!” Michelle said. Jameson stopped in front of Michelle and nodded. “She will not listen to anyone, not even me.”

  “About?”

  “Oh, Come on, J.D.! Didn’t she tell you? She’s planning on going to visit this boy’s mother on her way to meet with the mayor and police chief.”

  “She may have mentioned it.”

  “And, you are okay with that?” Michelle asked in disbelief.

  Jameson took a deep breath and let it our slowly. “I trust your mother’s ability to make her own decisions.”

  “Uh-huh. Even if she could get hurt by them?” Michelle challenged. Jameson nodded. “J.D.! Bill seems to think that this has disaster written all over it. What if it causes more backlash? She could get hurt. Seriously, J.D. Even if she manages to keep things cool…What if it’s viewed as a commentary on her commitment to law enforcement? She had their endorsement and…”

  “Shell, I am not your means to convince your mother of what she should or should not do. And, you are not Bill DeGrasso’s. I thought you respected your mother more than that,” Jameson said bluntly.

  “You sound just like her,” Michelle commented. Jameson nodded again. “J.D., aren’t you even a little bit concerned about her?”

  “Yes,” Jameson admitted. She walked by Michelle and straight for Candace’s office.

  “J.D.!”

  Jameson turned back to Michelle before opening the door. “Leave it be, Shell.”

  ***

  Candace heard the door to her office close. She didn’t need to turn around to know who was standing behind her.

  “Are you the cavalry?” she asked, sounding a bit more exhausted than Jameson had expected.

  “Why? Do you need one?” Jameson asked.

  Candace turned slowly. Two hours had felt more like two years. Jameson smiled at her sympathetically.

  “Rough night?” Jameson asked lightly.

  Candace chuckled and moved from behind her desk. She collapsed willingly into Jameson’s arms.

  “They all think I am crazy,” Candace said, leaning her head against Jameson’s chest.

  “Last I checked that’s not contagious, so you can’t blame me,” Jameson joked.

  Candace finally chuckled. “You are a lunatic,” she said. “So? You’re not going to try to talk me out of my decision?”

  “Nope,” Jameson said. Candace pulled back and looked into Jameson’s eyes. “That surprises you?” Jameson asked.

  “Maybe a little.”

  Jameson sighed. “Part of me wants to,” she confessed. Jameson watched as Candace’s eyes closed. She kissed Candace’s forehead and let her lips linger for a moment. “Only because I love you.”

  “Jameson…”

  “If anything happened to you…”

  “I’ll be fine,” Candace promised.

  Jameson nodded. “I know, you will. Don’t ask me not to worry, though. I can’t make you that promise.”

  “I know,” Candace replied. “I just…This could go south fast.”

  “I gathered,” Jameson said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  Candace was genuinely surprised. “Jameson, you…”

  “Not to see that blowhard mayor,” Jameson commented. Candace smirked. “To see the boy’s mother.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “Wouldn’t most spouses?” Jameson asked with genuine curiosity.

  “It’s not in the rule book,” Candace quipped.

  “If you don’t want me to…”

  “I would love you to, but only if that is what you feel comfortable with,” Candace said.

  “It’s not about me,” Jameson said. “It’s what you think will be best. I mean that. I just want you to know that I support you.”

  Candace nodded. “I do know. What about Spencer?”

  “Pearl is bringing him in a bit after he wakes up,” Jameson said. She watched Candace’s eyes drop slightly. “You’d feel better if I stayed with him,” Jameson guessed.

  Candace sighed. “I can’t explain it. I just…I came home to be with you both. He’s already going to be disappointed.”

  Jameson nodded. “I’ll stay with Spence.”

  “Are you okay with that?” Candace asked. “It’s not that I don’t want you with me. You know that?”

  “I told you, I will do whatever you need. If it puts your mind at ease for me to stay with Spencer, that’s what I will do,” Jameson said. “Tell me something,” she looked at Candace.

  “If I can.”

  “Did Stanton know about this cop?” Jameson asked.

  Candace groaned. Jameson had a stake in this as well. Her cousin Jeremy was an NYPD officer just as her grandfather and two of her uncles had been. Jameson’s Unc
le Patrick had been a captain in the department before retiring. Three months earlier, Jameson’s uncle had succumbed to cancer. Chief Gregory Stanton had been at his side. He had been one of Jameson’s uncle Patrick’s best friends. In fact, Chief Stanton was a close friend of Jameson’s entire family. His wife Lorraine had been Maureen Reid’s closest friend for many years. The two had taught together before either had married. In fact, that was how Mrs. Stanton had met the chief.

  “I don’t know,” Candace admitted. “I’ve known Gregory for years and I seriously doubt it.”

  Jameson nodded. “Please be careful, Candace.”

  “Jameson, I…”

  “Listen to me for a minute, okay? I know how polarizing this stuff is. I grew up in a family of blue bloods. You know as well as I do that there are going to be people on both sides who will ignore the facts.”

  “I know,” Candace said.

  “And, you…Well, you’re an easy target in the middle of it,” Jameson said.

  “I will always be a target,” Candace reminded Jameson. “In one way or another. That goes with the territory.”

  “Yeah, but there is a difference between crosshairs on your back and a microphone in your face.”

  Candace smiled at Jameson. “Trust me.”

  “I do—completely. It’s other people that worry me,” Jameson confessed.

  Candace nodded. “I’ll be all right,” she promised just as the doors to the office blew open. Candace looked past Jameson to Dana. “What is it?”

  Dana shook her head. “It’s not good,” Dana said.

  Jameson turned to face Dana just as Dana moved to the small television in Candace’s office and flipped it onto a twenty-four-hour news channel. She felt the tension in Candace rise immediately and put her hands on Candace’s shoulders to calm her. “Breathe,” Jameson said softly.

  Candace watched as footage of a burning police car and hurled rocks, bottles and cans flashed across the screen. “Jesus,” she muttered. She looked at Dana. “Get Reverend Graves on the phone for me,” Candace instructed her press secretary. “And, Dana? Get Chief Stanton on the horn as well. I need to speak with both of them—five minutes ago,” Candace said. Dana nodded, lifted her phone, and headed from the office.