Renovations (By Design Book 6)

  Renovations

  Episode Six of the BY DESIGN Series

  J.A. Armstrong

  Text © Copyright 2016 J.A. Armstrong Books

  All Rights Reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter One

  “Spencer!” Jameson called out for her grandson. “Aw, Come on Spence!”

  Spencer appeared from behind a large oak tree, toddling as fast as his feet would allow him. Jameson could just barely see his puffy, red cheeks from inside the snowsuit that enveloped him. She could not stop laughing. Spencer’s running reminded her of old videos of astronauts in training. “Clunky,” she chuckled as Spencer finally collided with her. Jameson laughed harder. She peeled back Spencer’s hood to reveal two twinkling eyes.

  “All right, clunky,” she said as she reached for his hand.

  “Jay Jay? What’s cunky?”

  “Clunky,” Jameson corrected him. “And, that is you,” she teased him.

  Spencer took Jameson’s hand and let her lead him to the house. Jameson opened the back door and began to help Spencer with his snowsuit. Spencer looked up at her with a serious expression. “Cold, Spence?” Jameson asked.

  “Can we find Nana now?” he asked.

  Jameson sighed inwardly as she unzipped the toddler’s makeshift cocoon. Candace had been away for nearly two weeks visiting various towns and cities in New York, meeting with mayors and other local officials. It had been part of Candace’s campaign platform. To create change required engagement and Candace felt that she needed to lead that charge by example. That meant engaging local leaders as soon, as often, and as meaningfully as possible. This was the first of four planned trips around the Empire State for the new governor.

  Jameson always missed Candace when Candace was away. Time apart had always been a reality in their marriage. It was a necessary evil given their chosen professions. She hated it, but Jameson accepted it. Candace had been home for nearly a month before her inauguration. With the exception of a few trips to Washington, Candace had conducted her meetings from her home office in order to be closer to the family. Things had changed rapidly in the weeks that preceded the inauguration. The last month had proved most difficult for Spencer. He had grown accustomed to having both his Nana and Jameson home almost every day.

  “Aw, Buddy,” Jameson said as she sat Spencer on the floor to remove his snow boots. He looked at her quizzically.

  Jameson regarded Spencer thoughtfully. She and Candace had taken an active role in their grandchildren’s lives after their father’s unexpected death. Candace’s oldest daughter, Marianne had moved home and while she was coping markedly better, she was still struggling with bouts of severe depression. Jameson had charge of Spencer and his baby sister every Tuesday and Thursday from late afternoon into late evening so that Marianne could continue attending counseling and a bereavement support group. Jameson loved it. And, she loved it best when Candace was home to be a part of that time, so too did Spencer. Jameson knew that.

  “Jay Jay? Can we find Nana yet?”

  “Oh, Spence, Nana…”

  “Found you first,” Candace’s voice echoed into the room.

  Before Jameson could process a thought, Spencer had stood and bolted off, one boot on, one boot off to his Nana.

  “What were you doing out there?” Candace asked as she lifted Spencer. “Playing in the snow?”

  Spencer squealed in delight when Candace tickled him. “Nana!”

  Jameson looked across the kitchen at her wife and smiled. She immediately felt lighter. Candace captured Jameson’s glance and smiled back. Time apart would never be easy.

  “Nana!” Spencer called for Candace’s attention excitedly.

  “Yes?” Candace grinned.

  “Jay Jay said I cunky.”

  Candace lifted her brow at Jameson, who rolled her eyes.

  “Clunky, Spence,” Jameson corrected him again. “It means awkward.”

  “Wakard?” Spencer asked curiously.

  “Awkward. You were running like a man in a spacesuit,” Jameson tried to explain.

  “Snowsuit, Jay Jay,” he corrected her.

  Candace snickered. Spencer had wrapped his legs around her waist and he was resting his head against her shoulder.

  “Someone missed you,” Jameson said.

  Candace brushed Spencer’s short bangs aside and kissed his head.

  “I missed you, Nana.”

  “I missed you too,” Candace told her grandson. “And, I missed Jay Jay,” she said with a smile.

  “I hungry, Nana.”

  “I’ll bet you are from playing out there in that snow. Why don’t you go potty and then we will figure out something to have for dinner?” Candace suggested.

  “Chicken fingers!” Spencer yelled in delight as Candace placed him on the floor.

  “Use the stool and wash your hands, Spence!” Jameson called to him.

  “Kay!”

  “And, call me if you need help,” Jameson said.

  “By myself, Jay Jay!” he called back proudly.

  Jameson shook her head in amusement and made her way to Candace.

  “Busy day?” Candace asked as Jameson’s arms encircled her waist.

  Jameson made no reply. She leaned in and captured Candace’s lips in an ardent kiss.

  “Hum,” Candace sighed.

  “I missed you,” Jameson said. “What are you doing home?” she asked. “I thought you weren’t going to be back until Saturday night?” Jameson commented. Candace closed her eyes and let herself fall into Jameson’s arms. “Candace? Is everything okay?”

  Candace sighed, content to let Jameson hold her. “I finished early. Long days, but it was worth it. I wanted to get home.”

  “Well, I’m glad you did,” Jameson said.

  “Marianne call yet?” Candace wondered.

  “Earlier. She made it to Jonathan’s safely. She said Maddie slept the entire time.”

  “That’s good. A little time with her father will be good for her,” Candace said.

  “Mm-hm,” Jameson mumbled.

  “What?”

  “Were you worried about me and Spencer being alone for a few days?”

  Candace pulled back to look at Jameson. She shook her head. “No.”

  “Missed us, huh?”

  “More than you know,” Candace admitted.

  “You okay?” Jameson asked in concern. “Something happen?”

  “Something is always happening, Jameson,” Candace answered more abruptly than she had intended. She witnessed the slight flicker of hurt in Jameson’s eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “No need to apologize,” Jameson assured her wife. It was unusual for Candace’s work pressures to cause her to be short with Jameson. Jameson did understand that Candace often confronted issues that would make the most stoic person anxious.

  “Yes, there is,” Candace replied. “I just needed to be home for a few days. Not like everyone can’t reach me.”

  “Those Republican mayors try and make you ride their elephants or something?” Jameson joked.

  Candace laughed. “Lunatic,” she said affectionately.

  “You love lunatics.”

  “I love you,” Candace said seriously.

  Jameson smiled. Something was bothering Candace. “Want to talk about it?”

  “Nope.”

  Jameson nodded. She placed a soft kiss on Candace’s lips and made her way over to the table to retrieve her keys.

>   “Where are you going?”

  “Well, it seems the two people I love most are in need of some comfort food. You take over with young Neil Armstrong in there and I will complete Mission Chicken Fingers,” Jameson said.

  Candace watched Jameson head out the door and closed her eyes. She was relieved to be home. Her first month serving as Governor of New York had been fraught with stress. Candace prided herself on anticipating issues before they had a chance to become full-blown crises. Right now, there were several issues rolling through her mind that teetered on a rocky ledge, far too precarious for Governor Candace Reid’s taste. Avoiding collapse was a much better scenario than doing damage control. A month was not a very long time to move on issues. Candace feared a slip on at least one of those rocky cliffs might be inevitable.

  “Nana!” Spencer ran back into the kitchen.

  Candace chuckled. “All set?” she asked.

  “Yep! By myself,” he declared proudly.

  “My, you are getting to be a big boy, aren’t you?” she complimented him. “You even washed up all by yourself?”

  “Yep,” he said grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her toward the back door.

  “Where are we going?” she asked him. Spencer turned the knob of the back door and pulled with all his might so that Candace could look outside. “Ahh,” Candace said, placing an arm around him. “You built a snowman.”

  “Yep. Me and Jay Jay,” he said. “See? For you, Nana!”

  Candace chuckled at the Mets hat sitting atop the snowman’s head and the Mets scarf around his neck. “He’s a Mets fan, huh?”

  “Yep. Like you, Nana.”

  Candace shook her head. Oh, Jameson, you really are priceless.

  ***

  “Did he finally fall asleep?” Jameson asked Candace.

  “Yes. I wasn’t sure there for a while,” Candace confessed. “Jinx fell asleep before he did. You two have been busy the last two days, I hear.”

  Jameson smiled broadly. “We’ve managed to occupy our time without anyone losing an eye or burning down the house.”

  “You know, he told me he needs a new tool belt.”

  “What do you mean?” Jameson asked.

  Candace sat down on the edge of their bed. “He’s a big boy, Jameson. Almost four. He needs to be able to help you. Your tool belt holds more tools.”

  Jameson laughed. Spencer mimicked nearly everything she did. She not so secretly reveled in that fact. “He’s too much.”

  “You know,” Candace said. “He loves you, Jameson. You really have been a lifeline for him these last few months. In case I haven’t told you, you’ve been one for me too.”

  Jameson nodded. She reached over and pulled Candace down onto the bed and into her arms. “I haven’t done anything.”

  Candace let her fingertips trace light patterns across Jameson’s stomach. “Yes, you have,” she said. She felt Jameson shrug. “You have. You never envisioned having kids. You’ve given up a lot to take care of those two.” Jameson remained silent. “Jameson?”

  “No, I never did. But, it isn’t a sacrifice if that is what you are thinking,” Jameson said assuredly.

  “I know you love them. I just want you to know that you don’t have to give up your…”

  Jameson shifted and brought Candace up to face her. “I haven’t given up anything, Candace.”

  “Sweetheart, you’ve spent years building that firm. And, I know,” Candace stopped midsentence when Jameson shook her head. “What?”

  Jameson let out a nervous sigh. “I might have thought differently about a lot of things if it had been with you.”

  “Things?”

  “Kids,” Jameson said.

  Candace sighed. “Jameson, are you trying to tell me something?”

  “No,” Jameson said with a smile. “Nothing more than exactly what I just said. But, I do love spending time with Spencer and Maddie, and J.J. too. To tell you the truth, I miss Jonah and Laura being here.”

  “I know,” Candace said.

  Candace’s son, his girlfriend, and their baby had recently moved to Albany to be closer to Jameson’s architectural firm’s home office. Jameson had been giving Jonah more and more responsibility. He seemed to love the job and Jameson trusted Jonah. The house had been full for several months with Marianne and her two children, Jonah, Laura, and the baby, and Jameson and Candace home much of the time. It had been quiet the last two days. Marianne was away with Maddie and Jonah and his family were gone. Jameson was grateful that she had Spencer to keep her busy.

  “Do you miss the noise?” Candace teased.

  “No,” Jameson laughed. “I do miss them, though.”

  “I know. I do too.”

  “Not as much as I miss you, though,” Jameson admitted.

  “I’m sorry. I wish that I could tell you there is an end in sight,” Candace replied.

  Jameson offered Candace a halfhearted smile. She had expected Candace’s time to become more divided. She supported her wife’s aspirations and the demands that Candace’s position entailed. But, she couldn’t help but wish they had more time together. Jameson’s work often required her to travel as well. She had been investing a great deal of time and energy in teaching Jonah the ropes at her firm so that she could pull back from the travel a bit.

  “That brings up something I wanted to talk to you about,” Jameson said.

  “Okay? Should I be worried?” Candace asked.

  “No, at least, I don’t think so,” Jameson said.

  “What is it?”

  “I want to make Jonah a partner,” Jameson said in one full breath. Candace sat up and looked at Jameson in disbelief. “You think that’s a bad idea?”

  “I…Jameson…I mean, that is your company. You…”

  “Yeah? He’s your son. That makes him my step-son, right? I mean, he is really good, Candace. I don’t just mean as an engineer. He’s got your way with people.”

  “You know that you don’t…”

  “I know what you are about to say. Look,” Jameson said with another deep breath. “I’m not going to just walk away from what I built. I still love it.”

  “I know you do.”

  “But, I love you more,” Jameson said.

  “Jameson, you don’t have to choose between me and your career—not ever.”

  “I’m not. I just want more freedom. Marianne is still having a tough go of it. You have so many demands on your time. Jonah has a baby at home. And, Shell? Well, she is on the go constantly. When she’s not, she’s with Melanie. Spencer and Maddie need some structure, Candace. Spencer most of all. He misses you too. I don’t mean a little bit.”

  “And, you think Jonah being a partner will help?”

  “I do. Besides, what happens when I want to retire one day? Who am I going to pass that all off to?”

  “Thinking of early retirement already?” Candace chuckled.

  “No, but you never know,” Jameson said honestly. “He loves it. He and Mel could run that place without me.”

  “I doubt that,” Candace said.

  “Okay, well, maybe not yet. They will be able to. They are both talented, Candace and smart.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Candace said. “Jameson, are you sure?”

  “Sometimes, Candace,” Jameson’s voice dropped to a self-conscious whisper and she closed her eyes.

  “Jameson?”

  “Since they’ve been with us so much…”

  “Maddie and Spencer?” Candace asked for clarification gently.

  Jameson nodded. “I just, I like it when we are all together,” she said softly.

  Candace smiled. “Got the maternal bug, huh?”

  “No,” Jameson shook her head. “I don’t know. It hasn’t made me want my own if that’s what you mean.”

  “But?”

  “No but. I feel like a get a chance to see what it was like, you know? When they were little—with you.”

  Candace felt her eyes begin to fill. Jameson had the so
ftest heart of anyone she had ever met. She understood what Jameson was trying to say. Candace had lived fifty-five years before she and Jameson had crossed paths. She often wondered about the first thirty-five of Jameson’s. It was natural when you loved someone. Part of you wished that you could have a time machine. That’s not how life worked.

  “You mean the kids? As in the Three Stooges,” Candace joked.

  Jameson laughed. “Good thing they don’t know you call them that.”

  “Eh, parental privilege. I’m sure they’ve called me a few things over the years,” Candace quipped. “Other than Mom.”

  “Safe bet,” Jameson agreed. She looked at Candace again seriously. “I know it sounds, well, I don’t know, sappy? I just don’t want to miss the time we have with them. Who knows when things will change and Marianne will be back on her own? I mean, she could move again someplace else and we wouldn’t get to be with Spence and Maddie that often. Like…Well, I mean…”

  Candace stopped Jameson’s rambling with a kiss. “I understand,” she said.

  “You don’t think I’m crazy?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Candace teased her wife. Jameson rolled her eyes. “You are certifiable, but not for wanting to spend time with the kids while they are little. You’re right, it will change, and they grow up fast. If you think this is what is best for you and for the firm, then you know I support you. You don’t need my approval, though.”

  “I know that. Your opinion matters to me. You know that.”

  “I do.”

  “Spencer really did miss you,” Jameson said.

  Candace smiled. At times, she and Jameson acted more like Spencer and Maddie’s parents than grandparents. In fact, that was the usual scenario the last few months. They both tried to walk a fine line, but Marianne’s depression simply demanded their involvement. One day, the time would come when things would shift. Candace was well aware that day would be both a relief and at the same time extremely painful for them both. They were both committed to getting Marianne back on her feet, but they had fallen even more deeply in love with their grandchildren. It would be bittersweet.

  “He cried himself to sleep for a couple of nights. Climbed into our bed,” Jameson laughed. “In the middle of the night, I woke up with Spence on my head!”