Road Blocks

by J. A. Armstrong

  Robertson’s evil grin sent a chill up Grant Hill’s spine. “We could. But, how much more would we gain by doing that and winning in the process? Cinderella goes back to her hovel while Bradley ascends the staircase at the ball. Can you think of a better narrative?”

  Grant took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Perhaps not, but it is also the riskiest proposition.”

  “Have a little faith, Grant. Even the mighty fall.”

  Grant forced his lips to curl into a smile. “I suppose they do, Daryl. Every once in a while, I suppose they do.”

  ***

  Michelle sat across the table studying her older sister thoughtfully. Marianne was squatting down trying to help her daughter Maddie make her way to her highchair.

  “You can do it,” Marianne encouraged her daughter while holding her hands. “One foot in front of the other,” she said. “See? You made it!” Marianne cheered her daughter’s accomplishment. She lifted a delighted Maddie, kissed her cheek, and placed her in the chair.

  Michelle smiled. Maddie had mastered crawling and standing; walking was something else entirely. She chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” Marianne asked her sister.

  “You anxious to chase her or something?”

  Marianne smiled and glanced back at her daughter who was happily gnawing on some cereal. “No,” she said. “But, she’s determined to try.”

  “That she is,” Michelle agreed.

  “So? What brings you out here?”

  “Out here? I don’t exactly live that far away,” Michelle reminded Marianne.

  “Far enough. Wedding jitters?”

  “No,” Michelle said.

  “Really?”

  “I know, weird; right?”

  Marianne laughed. “Okay, so no jitters. Lonely without Mel?”

  “Maybe a little,” Michelle admitted. “She’s been traveling so much lately.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Sometimes I wish she and Jonah weren’t so ambitious.”

  Marianne nodded. “They are definitely keeping JD on her toes.” Marianne looked at her sister. Michelle’s eyes had retreated into her coffee cup. “Shell?”

  Michelle sighed. “Have you talked to Mom lately?”

  “Yesterday; why?”

  “I was just curious.”

  “Why? Shell, you see Mom every day.”

  “Yeah, but that’s different. That’s work. Trust me, it’s Mom, but it’s also the governor.”

  “Missing Mom-time?”

  “More like worried about her.”

  Marianne took a seat across the table. “Worried about Mom, or worried about what Mom will decide?”

  Michelle groaned. “I mean it, Marianne; Mom is always direct at work. Lately, she’s been raw.”

  “She’s under a lot of pressure, Shell.”

  “Yeah, I know, but, Marianne,” Shell paused and took a deep breath. “She’s just—I don’t know how to explain it. Do you think everything is all right with her and JD?”

  Marianne smiled. She had spent an hour talking with Jameson the day before. Sometimes strain crept into the best relationships and marriages. Marianne recognized that a degree of tension had invaded her mother’s marriage. She also realized that it was momentary. She’d been through those rough patches in her marriage. Looking back, there had been a few moments when Marianne had wondered if she and Rick would endure. They always had. She would never forget the day of Rick’s accident or the moment she held his hand and watched him slip away from her. Both Jameson and her mother had experienced loss. Marianne was confident they would find their way through the forest.

  “Shell, marriages have their ups and downs,” Marianne said.

  “Yeah, but JD and Mom are always so in sync.”

  “No two people are always in sync,” Marianne replied. “Trust me.”

  “You and Rick were.”

  “No,” Marianne dispelled the notion. “No, we weren’t. Most of the time? Most of the time we understood each other. There were a few times that I wondered how we would get through everything. JD and Mom will be okay, Shell. They love each other.”

  “Do you think JD will be okay with it?”

  “It?” Marianne asked.

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  Marianne nodded. “If Mom decides that she wants to run for office again, JD will stand by her.”

  Michelle sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “You think that JD is holding Mom back?”

  “I’m not sure what I think. She’s the frontrunner and she’s not even in the race. I don’t get it.”

  “Her reluctance, you mean?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Shell, campaigning to be president isn’t like campaigning for Senate or even to be governor.”

  “I know that.”

  “Okay, so why is it difficult for you to understand that Mom might want to think about that possibility long and hard?”

  “Marianne! Think about what it would mean.”

  “What it would mean to her or what it means to you?”

  “Oh no, don’t do that. I would love for her to run. I admit it. But, Marianne, think about what that would say. The first woman in the White House who happens to be a lesbian.”

  “Who also happens to be our mom, Cooper’s mom, a grandmother, and someone’s wife,” Marianne said. “I hear you, Shell, but this is not an easy decision for her.”

  “She’s talked to you about it,” Michelle guessed.

  “A little.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Shell,” Marianne cautioned. “Let Mom do what she needs to do. No matter what she decides, she will need us all to support that.”

  “I know that.”

  “Right, so give her some space.”

  Michelle groaned. “We need her.”

  “You mean the country.”

  “I do.”

  “Maybe we do. She also needs us.”

  “She has us.”

  “Make sure you are prepared for what you want her to do,” Marianne said. “You are missing her already. I can see it. No matter how much she loves all of us, if she does this, you will be missing her even more. She knows that.”

  Michelle sighed. “Do you want her to?” she asked curiously.

  “I want her to do whatever her heart tells her to do,” Marianne said.

  “Who’d have thought you’d become the favorite child?” Michelle teased.

  Marianne smiled. She and her mother had suffered through some hills and valleys in their relationship. Since moving home and the loss of her husband, Marianne had grown closer to her mother and Jameson than she had once imagined possible. She loved them both deeply. Candace had become her closest confidante, and other than Jameson, Marianne had begun to play that same role in her mother’s life.

  “Mom doesn’t have favorites,” Marianne said.

  “I just mean that you two have gotten really close.”

  “I guess, we have. Shell, you have Melanie. Jonah has Laura and JJ. I’ve had to rely on Mom and JD to help with Spencer and Maddie. I would never have survived everything without them.”

  “I get that.”

  Marianne nodded. “I’ve been here.”

  “I know.”

  “Just trust me. Give Mom a little time.”

  “Think she’ll do it?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I do know that whatever she does, it will be the most difficult choice she’s ever made.”

  “Marianne?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you think that I will be any good at it?”

  “At what? Shell, Mom has nothing but praise for you at work. No matter what, I am sure you’ll be phenomenal.”

  “I didn’t mean that,” Michelle said. Marianne was confused. “I meant being a mom.”

  Marianne grinned. “Shotgun wedding?” she teased.

  Michelle c
rumpled up her napkin and threw it across the table at her sister. “You wish.”

  “What brought that question on?”

  Michelle shrugged. “Maybe thinking about the wedding. I don’t know. Seeing Mom and JD with Cooper, you with the kids, and Jonah with Laura and JJ.”

  “Feeling left out?” Marianne joked. “I’ll loan you mine any time you want.”

  “Hey, I’m good at playing auntie.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “That’s not being someone’s mom.”

  Marianne reached across the table and covered Michelle’s hand with hers. “Shell, you are one of the most sensitive people I know. You give your all to everything and everyone. You will be a fabulous mom one day; so will Mel.”

  Michelle looked up with glistening eyes. “Don’t you ever worry? I mean that maybe you won’t be good enough?”

  Marianne patted her sister’s hand. “All the time,” Marianne admitted. “Mom told me once that parenting is constant on the job training. You learn as you go. She was right. I guess, I just hope that one day my kids will look at me the way I look at her.”

  Michelle nodded. “Me too.”

  ***

  Cooper fidgeted on the sofa between his parents. Candace giggled. He was tired, but determined to remain awake. She ran her fingers through his curls, hoping to gently urge him to give in to his exhaustion. Jameson captured her glance and silently directed Candace to look down at their son. Candace smiled. He had finally given in.

  “He’s only seen that movie a million times,” Jameson whispered.

  Candace sighed and kept her eyes on the toddler between them.

  Jameson moved her hand to cover Candace’s. “Don’t do this to yourself,” she said. Candace sighed again. “He’s all right.”

  “All right? Jameson, I want him to feel safe.”

  “He does,” Jameson said. Candace looked at her doubtfully. “He does,” Jameson repeated. “He knows that we will always be back,” Jameson said. “He knows that we love him.” Jameson watched as Candace wrestled with her guilt.

  “Sometimes, Jameson—sometimes, I just wish it could be like this all of the time.”

  “Me too,” Jameson said. Candace looked up at her. Jameson cautioned Candace with a glance. “No, no. I’m not saying that I have an opinion about your career.”

  “But, you do?”

  Jameson shook her head. “No. Candace, I fell in love with you. I knew when we got together what loving you meant.”

  “But, we didn’t have a five-year-old then.”

  “True, we had three adults who sometimes like to act like five-year-olds.”

  Candace smiled. “Jameson…”

  “Don’t,” Jameson warned. “I love you for who you are. That doesn’t mean that I don’t miss you sometimes. That goes with the territory. I get it. I don’t want you to try and be someone else. Wherever you go; I will be there.”

  “That doesn’t mean it is fair for me to ask you to.”

  “You didn’t ask,” Jameson replied. Candace lifted her brow. “Unless I have lost my memory, I seem to recall asking you to marry me.”

  “Yes…”

  “And, I knew when I did that, that you might one day seek higher office. And, you did.”

  “It’s not the same.”

  “No, but the fact that I will be here is.”

  Candace nodded. “I don’t know, Jameson. I miss you too. I miss Cooper. I miss the kids.”

  “Can I tell you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Part of me wants you to stay right here,” Jameson admitted. “But, you have so much to offer, and not just to me and Cooper or any of the kids. You can do so much, and Candace, I think you want to. I don’t want you to look back one day and ask yourself why you didn’t try.”

  Candace looked back down at Cooper. “I don’t know.”

  “And, that’s okay.”

  “I have to decide soon.”

  Jameson tightened her grip on Candace’s hand.

  Candace squeezed back and looked at Jameson. “I love you.”

  Jameson smiled. “I love you too.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  MONDAY

  Candace set down her phone and shook her head. “It’s going to be a long week,” she muttered.

  “Hey,” Jameson’s voice cut through Candace’s private musing. Candace sighed heavily. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong?’

  “Nothing,” Candace said. “Some things are out of my hands.”

  “What did Bill want?” Jameson asked. Candace’s half-hearted smile told Jameson that whatever news her Chief of Staff had delivered, it hadn’t been lighthearted. “Candace?”

  “Just clarification,” Candace said. “I expect we’ll see it hit the airwaves this evening.”

  Crazy things sometimes crossed Candace’s desk. Her position allowed her to see the best and worst people had to offer each other. She believed that the best far outweighed the worst. Nevertheless, there were times when reality challenged Candace’s view of humanity. Horrific things could sometimes befall the most innocent people. She sighed.

  “Candace?”

  “You remember that I told you that Don Slocum’s daughter was found murdered?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, it looks like the FBI has identified two more victims. Someone leaked to the press that they suspect they were two young women who went missing in this area about ten years ago. Who leaked it? Who knows?”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means there is a possibility that we have a serial killer,” Candace explained.

  “Here?”

  Candace nodded. “In the area, yes.”

  “Any idea…”

  “I don’t know much. I’ve asked to be briefed on the case tomorrow morning.”

  “Candace, what can the governor’s office do?”

  “Other than exert some pressure? Not much. To be honest, if my hat were already in the ring; I’d have a bit more pull. Fear can easily create volatility in a community.”

  “In other words, the sooner this is brought to a conclusion, the better,” Jameson guessed.

  “Exactly. It’s bad enough that we might have a predator on the prowl. I can’t protect people from that. I have to rely on the FBI to do their job. But, I also have to be prepared for fallout in the community should it happen. And, now? Now, we have to figure out who is talking to the press.”

  “Not what you needed.”

  “Hardly.”

  “That’s not all; is it?”

  Candace chuckled. “Am I that easy to read?”

  “For me.”

  “Bradley Wolfe is set to make some pivotal announcements this week.”

  “About?”

  “A few enthusiastic, connected backers.”

  Jameson nodded. “And, that’s a bad thing?”

  Candace shrugged. “Congressman Ellison and Senator McGivens are set to throw their support behind him.”

  “It’s early, isn’t it?” Jameson asked.

  “Yes,” Candace acknowledged. “But, Ellison and McGivens are on the cusp conservatives with massive cash reserves. He’s ahead in the game before his opponents even start.”

  “Do you mean you, or do you mean the other Republicans in the field?” Jameson wondered. Candace’s sideways grin gave her an answer. “You think this pushes up your timetable to make a decision?”

  “I don’t think it; it does.”

  Jameson nodded. “So, what do you do?”

  “I need to talk to Grant,” Candace said. She immediately saw Jameson’s skepticism. Candace smiled. “Trust me, Jameson. Grant won’t let me down.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do say so.”

  “Then why do you sound so worried?” Jameson wondered.

  “I’m not worried about Grant’s loyalty,” Candace said. “I am worried about Grant.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Jameson, this is high stakes politics. Ther
e are people who will set out to ruin more than a reputation. I never wanted to involve Grant. He came to me more than once.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  Candace nodded. “You can convince Cooper to watch something other than Aladdin tonight.”

  Jameson laughed. It might have seemed like a little thing to most people, but Jameson understood that Candace’s levity was meant to ease Jameson’s mind. Little things meant everything. Candace worked to never lose that perspective. Jameson admired that about her wife. Amid the most daunting issues, Candace always sought to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  ***

  Candace blew out a heavy breath and massaged her forehead. Three hours into Monday morning and already she already wished it was the weekend. She tossed her glasses on her desk and closed her eyes. Can’t it ever be easy?

  “Mom?” Michelle’s voice called into the office.

  Candace looked up and smiled.

  “Bad time?” Michelle asked.

  “No worse than any other time,” Candace laughed. “Close the door.”

  “If you’re busy…”

  Candace watched thoughtfully as her daughter approached. Whatever had brought Michelle to her office was not work related. Candace could tell by the way Michelle kept tugging at her lip with her teeth. Candace smiled and got up from her chair. She gestured to the sofa in her office and reached for the phone on her desk.

  “Susan?” Candace called her assistant.

  “Yes, Governor?”

  “Hold my calls.”

  “All of them?” Susan asked.

  “Unless the state is falling down—yes. If Bill calls, tell him I will meet him outside the conference room at 11:00 A.M. as planned.”

  “No problem,” Susan replied.

  Candace started toward the sofa.

  “Mom, you don’t have to…”

  Candace arched an eyebrow at Michelle, and took a seat beside her daughter. “What’s going on?” she asked Michelle.

  Michelle looked down at her hands.

  “Shell?”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “You know that you can.”

  “Well… Do you… I mean, you’ve had to work most of the time. Do you think… I mean, how did you make it work?”