He couldn’t say anymore, but that was enough. Because Carly had already made up her mind. She was ready to sink or swim, ride or die, with Trevor. And it felt as impulsive and spontaneous and reckless as she wanted it to feel. It felt strange and different. Messy for once. Like life.
EPILOGUE
They sat in the family room and watched the election night returns in a kind of resigned silence. Charles, with his arm around Jenay and with his youngest child on his lap, sat on the sofa. Brent and Makayla, hand in hand, sat beside them. The floor was littered with everybody else: Tony, with Sharon Flannigan sitting beside him. Robert, with his young nephew, Junior, sitting beside him. And Donald and Ashley sitting beside each other. But as they all watched the big screen TV with rapt attention, the writing was already on the wall.
“It’s going to be Cruikshank,” Tony said. “There’s no way the mayor can overtake that big a lead.”
Donald looked at their father. “What does it mean, Dad?” he asked.
“It means,” Robert interjected, “that Brent and Makayla are going to be fired from their jobs. Cruikshank has been promising it since he first started running all those months ago. That’s one campaign promise I’ll bet you he’ll keep. That’s what it means.”
“It means more than that,” Tony said. “Cruikshank promised to bring Dad down too.”
Everybody looked at their father, as if they had forgotten about that fact. But Donald wasn’t believing it any way. He smiled. “Go on,” he said. “He can’t bring Dad down.”
“For real,” Ashley agreed.
“For wrong,” Tony disagreed. “He’ll be mayor. He can pass all kinds of ordinances. He can do whatever he wants.”
“So what does this all mean, Dad?” Donald asked again, and everybody looked at Charles.
“It means we fight,” Charles said, “to hold onto what’s ours.”
“Damn right,” Brent said.
“What are you talking about?” Donald asked Brent. “Cruikshank’s going to fire you and your wife.”
“Really, Daddy?” Junior asked his father.
“No, son,” Brent responded.
“What do you mean no?” Donald asked.
“I mean if the vote tally holds and Cruikshank is nominated mayor of Jericho, he won’t have to fire me. I will resign,” Brent said.
“As will I,” Makayla said. “Although it’s doubtful that my position could be placed under his jurisdiction anyway, despite that city council vote.”
“But why not fight for your jobs?” Ashley asked. “Dad said we should fight.”
“But that’ll be the wrong fight,” Brent said. “Dad is going to need all hands on deck. Me, Makayla, all of us.”
Jenay smiled. She and Charles loved it when Brent took control. “That’s right,” Jenay said. “The Sinatra Corporation is a family business. Brent and Makayla has agreed to come to work in that business. Cruikshank’s election could be a blessing in disguise.”
“Wow,” Robert said. “So that means all of us will be working for Dad.”
“That’s right,” Jenay said proudly.
“All except Carly,” Ashley reminded them.
“But that’s where you’re wrong,” a voice said, and everybody looked toward the entrance into the family room. Carly was standing at the entrance.
“Look at you!” Ashley said. “All decked down in designer everything. You go girl. You don’t look like a book worm anymore!”
“You look great, Carly,” Robert agreed.
“Thanks,” Carly said with a smile as she made her way toward her family.
“What do you mean Ash was wrong?” Tony asked her.
“Hey, former boss,” Carly said to Sharon as she walked closer.
Sharon smiled. “I was your boss for about two minutes,” she said. “We still miss you at Saint Cat’s.”
Carly smiled. “Thanks.”
“We would love to have you back,” Sharon said. “Would you like to come back?”
“No ma’am,” Carly said quickly and Carly, along with everybody else, laughed. Her family had never seen her so vivacious.
“What I meant,” Carly said to Tony, “when I said you were wrong, is that I’m the only PR professional in this family. To beat back Cruikshank and his plans to take Dad down will require a lot of cutting edge public relations. I’ll help out every way I can.”
Charles pulled Jenay closer. They were pleased to hear it.
“What about your gangster boyfriend?” Donald asked. “Is it over already? I told you it wasn’t going to last. It’s over, isn’t it?”
Carly smiled. “Not hardly,” she said. “It’s just getting started. Trust.”
Her siblings laughed, and her parents looked at each other. They still had serious issues with Trevor Reese. There was just too much mystery surrounding him and not enough information for them to make any factual conclusions. But Carly’s happiness could not be denied. Even Charles could see her glow.
And as she joined them in the family room, sitting on the floor with her other siblings, Charles also could not deny the challenge. Things were changing dramatically for all of them, and it was going to take a full court press to beat back every challenge. But as Charles pulled Jenay tighter into his arms, he knew that they, as a couple and as a family, were going to get through this just fine.
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE
Big Daddy Sinatra: Carly's Cry Page 20
