Rough Drafts (By Design Book 4)

  ROUGH DRAFTS

  By Design Series: Episode Four

  J.A. Armstrong

  Text © Copyright 2015 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 Eight

  Chapter One

  February 23rd

  Jameson Reid took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She exited the car, looked at the building that stood a few yards in front of her, and bowed her head thoughtfully.

  “J.D.,” Maureen Reid called gently to her daughter. “You’re doing a good thing here.”

  “I know,” Jameson replied. “Just…walking in there is so hard. Why is it so hard?” she asked.

  Maureen smiled and wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “Because it means facing demons,” she said softly. “And, it means letting go of the past.”

  Jameson nodded and pushed back her tears. She looked ahead again, grabbed the duffel bag beside her and began a purposeful stride forward.

  ***

  “It’s not that I don’t support the idea or the legislation. It’s that the legislation doesn’t have the support,” Candace Reid said.

  “Candy, you have the clout to…”

  Candace held up her hand. “Oh no, no. The Pope doesn’t have that much clout with God. I sure as hell do not have that much sway in the Senate,” she told her friend. “I appreciate your vote of confidence, Mr. President. As much as I would love to see this initiative gain momentum, it’s not in my nature to...”

  “Blow smoke up my ass?” President Wallace guessed with a chuckle.

  “I was going to use a less colorful analogy, but that works,” Candace laughed just as her phone beeped. “Excuse me,” Candace apologized to the president as she picked up the receiver. “Yes, Susan, what is it?” she asked with strained politeness.

  “I’m sorry, Senator. Mr. Singleton is out here. He’s…well, he is adamant about seeing you immediately,” Susan whispered into the phone. She looked at the flustered man pacing a few feet away and cringed.

  “And, did you tell Gollum that I am in a meeting with the president?”

  Susan tried not to laugh. “No. I thought he might surmise that by the Secret Service presence out here, but frankly he seems distracted,” Susan said in a hushed voice just as Jason Singleton turned to face her. Candace’s campaign manager served as a constant source of both amusement and irritation for everyone in the senator’s life. Interrupting a meeting of this nature was not going to prove in his interest and Susan knew it.

  “Well, we can’t have that now, can we? Send him in, Susan.”

  “Uhhh…Are you sure you want me to…”

  “President Wallace and I were just wrapping up,” Candace said.

  “Should I warn him who is in there?” Susan asked as quietly as she could manage as Jason began to pace about the room again.

  A sly smile crept onto Candace’s face. “Oh, no. Let’s give him a surprise, shall we? Give me just a moment and then you send him right on in,” Candace said.

  “Problem?” President Wallace asked.

  “I certainly hope not,” Candace said.

  “Gollum?” the president asked curiously.

  Candace snickered. “Jameson’s nickname for Jason,” she explained.

  The president laughed. Candace joined him. She and Donald Wallace had been friends for many years. It was a relationship that both valued in and out of the political circus tent. Senator Donald Wallace had been one of the first people to step up and stand shoulder to shoulder with Candace when she first made the decision to come out publicly as a lesbian. Senator Candace Fletcher had been among the first staunch supporters of the president’s candidacy and campaign. Out of the spotlight, the two shared a number of passions besides politics. Those included people, baseball, and an excellent glass of scotch. President Wallace had met Jameson several times. Jameson may not have been aware of her charm. Candace was and she loved the fact that her wife was unassuming and unaware. It made Jameson all the more lovable to Candace. She’d enjoyed watching her wife win over both her allies and her adversaries quietly. The president had been no exception.

  “J.D. nailed that one,” he said. Candace rolled her eyes playfully as the door to her office flew open.

  “We have got to talk,” Jason said urgently.

  Candace looked at the president whose back was still turned to her campaign manager. She suppressed a smirk and lifted her eyes back to the flustered man approaching her desk. “Jason,” she greeted him evenly. “What is so pressing that you felt you needed to interrupt my meeting?” Candace asked. She allowed her eyes to drift slightly to the president. President Wallace understood the subtle cue and began to turn slowly in his chair.

  “I think you will agree this trumps whatever meeting you are,” Jason’s thought dropped abruptly when the president’s amused eyes met his. “Uh, Mr. President. I’m sorry. I had no idea,” he stammered. “This is…perhaps it should wait until the president leaves.”

  Candace lifted her brow. “Why is that? I don’t have any secrets to hide. What is it? Some nefarious Republican plot to derail me?” she asked. “President Wallace can handle that. So, let’s have it.”

  “I…I really think that we should discuss this in private.”

  Candace nodded her understanding and then looked directly at her campaign manager. “Last I checked, you worked for me. So, let’s have this earth shattering news of yours.”

  Jason’s temples twitched nervously. “It’s about Jameson,” he said hesitantly. Candace raised her eyebrow a bit higher to implore him. “I…”

  “Now, Jason,” Candace demanded.

  ***

  “J.D.!” Scott Drummond picked up his pace to envelop Jameson in a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “Scott,” Jameson choked out the name. “It’s good to see you too. Sorry, it has taken me so long. I hope it’s not too late for me to take you up on that offer.”

  Scott Drummond stood almost a full head taller than Jameson. His thick black hair contrasted with the twinkle in his bright blue eyes. He stepped back and smiled at his old friend. “J.D., it’s never too late,” he told her.

  ***

  “Okay, Jason. Out with it,” Candace repeated her demand. She watched as her campaign manager shifted his weight from foot to foot.

  President Wallace turned to her and winked. “I have to be going anyway, so you will have your privacy. Believe me, I am intrigued,” he moved to face Jason. Jason’s face flushed slightly. President Wallace chuckled softly as Candace came around her desk to bid him farewell. He put his arms around her and whispered in her ear. “If you kill him, make sure you hide all the pieces. I need you in New York,” he told her.

  Candace snickered. “Nah, I’ll just maim him temporarily,” she escorted him toward to office door

  The president pulled back. “I’ll be in touch,” he said. Candace nodded. He turned to Jason. “Jason,” he said as he extended his hand. “I hope to see you soon,” the president coughed slightly. Jason nodded and swallowed hard as the president held his gaze. Candace shook her head at the president in amusement. “Tell J.D. I look forward to that golf game she promised me,” he reminded Candace.

  “I’ll see that her secretary schedules it soon,” Candace winked at him as he left. She closed the door softly and turned back toward the man waiting for her attention.

  “I didn’t know,” Jason began to mount his defense.


  Candace remained stoic. “So? What is it? Are you here to tell me Jameson is really a covert spy?” Candace asked sarcastically.

  Jason bristled. “Did you know?” he asked the senator pointedly.

  “Know what?” Candace inquired. “That Jameson is a spy?” she asked.

  “This isn’t funny Candace. You are telling me you have no idea about Jameson’s issues?”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Jason? Is there a point to this?”

  Jason pulled a manila envelope from his briefcase and passed it to Candace. Candace opened it and shrugged. “Well?” he asked her.

  “Am I supposed to be upset that Jameson is out with her mother?” Candace wondered.

  “Out with her mother?” Jason repeated the question. Candace looked at him for an answer. “Those came to me via email a short while ago.”

  “And?”

  “And? And, Jameson’s mother drove her to a drug rehab in Ithaca. A rehab her cousin just happened to check into some years ago apparently,” Jason said harshly. Candace stared at him for a long moment. “Did you hear me?”

  Candace took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I heard you.”

  “Well?” he asked.

  “Well, what?”

  “Candace! Are you telling me you knew about this?” he asked her harshly.

  Candace sat down in a chair and crossed her legs casually. “Of course, I know about it. She is my wife.”

  “You might have wanted to mention her addiction issue at some point,” Jason said pointedly. Candace started laughing. “Something amusing?” he asked her.

  “Well, I may have underestimated your zeal, Jason. It appears I also underestimated your intelligence.”

  “Excuse me? I’m not the one checking into a rehab! Jesus! Do you have any idea what this could do to your chances? My intelligence? How could you possibly think you could hide that? For Christ’s sake, Candace you might as well have checked her into Betty Ford!”

  Candace shook her head and groaned. “You assume that Jameson is in need of some help,” she surmised.

  “What? Are you trying suggest that we deny it? It’s right there. Look at the pictures!” he argued.

  “I saw them.”

  “Are we looking at the same thing?” he wondered.

  “Yes, we are. You, however, have come to your own conclusion. One, I might add that questions my integrity,” she said bluntly.

  “What are you talking about? This isn’t about your integrity, Candace. You should have told me.”

  Candace pursed her lips thoughtfully and nodded. She let an uncomfortable silence linger for a few moments before addressing the man before her. There had been more than a few instances in the past few months when Jason had overstepped his boundaries. The first, as Jameson had predicted, was over Candace’s decision to take Jameson’s last name. Jason had made the extremely foolish judgment that Jameson had pushed Candace into the decision. Candace had hoped that her directness with her campaign manager over his misconception would have reigned him in. Thus far, Jameson had made good fun out of Jason’s interferences. Jameson avoided him when she could, and poked fun at what she regarded as his “slithery” nature by coining him Gollum. What Jason still seemed to fail miserably to comprehend, was that Candace took no offense to questions about her political decisions, or even with regard to her professional demeanor. Questioning Candace’s family or her wife, however, was akin to killing a sacred cow. The fact that Jason was standing in front of her making any assumption or judgment about Jameson was the final straw for Candace Reid.

  Calmly, Candace began to speak. “You seem to have missed some important memos, Jason. Demanding to see me, interrupting an important private meeting…”

  “I didn’t know,” he began to protest.

  The obvious displeasure in Candace’s glance was enough to stop him. “It doesn’t matter who I was meeting with. That is hardly the point. You walk into my office and make accusations about my wife—you most certainly are questioning my integrity.”

  “I…”

  “I’m not finished,” Candace warned him. “I’m not, but you are.”

  “Candace, be reasonable! I understand…”

  “You understand very little from where I am sitting. Jameson is my wife, Jason. I’m not sure that you comprehend what that means.”

  “Of course, I do! You also have a responsibility to…”

  “I have many responsibilities. I told you when we began this campaign that nothing came before my family, did I not?”

  “Yes, but your family’s behavior…”

  Candace shook her head and groaned. “That’s enough. This conversation is over.”

  “Candace, we need to address this,” he argued.

  “We don’t need to address a thing.”

  “Like it or not, people will want an explanation. They are going to leak this. You know…” Candace shrugged. “Candace! Devotion is one thing, blind devotion…”

  “Enough!” Candace raised her voice

  “How can you say we are not going to address…”

  Candace took a deep breath. “We are not addressing anything because there is no we in this equation any longer.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked in frustration.

  “Devotion and trust are everything, Jason. I don’t only mean in a marriage. They are the cornerstones of any lasting relationship. Break them down and you have nothing. I learned those lessons the hard way. Now, you are getting the benefit of my experience in the form of what I hope will be a meaningful lesson,” Candace said in what was almost a motherly tone. She sighed and shook her head. “You are relieved of your position, Jason. I appreciate the work you’ve done. I cannot have someone in my camp that does not respect me.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked her. “I have the utmost respect for you.”

  Candace shook her head again sadly and stood to face him. “No, you don’t. If you did, you would not have jumped to any conclusions about Jameson. To disrespect my marriage is one of the most disrespectful things you could do to me.”

  “I don’t understand how…”

  Candace offered the younger man a weak smile. “I know you don’t,” she softened her tone a bit. “That’s exactly why we cannot continue on together,” she explained. Jason hung his head and nodded. Candace guided him to her office door and opened it slowly for him. She placed a hand on his back and looked in his eyes. “Take the lesson, Jason. There are a lot of bumps on this road. I’ve been driving on it a lot longer than you have. Sometimes, you have to take a detour,” she said. He forced a nod and stepped into the reception area. Susan looked up from her desk to meet Candace’s gaze. Candace shook her head gently. “Susan, please call Dana in as soon as possible,” she directed her assistant. Susan nodded her understanding. “Good luck, Jason,” Candace said before retreating behind her office door again.

  Candace closed the door and collapsed against it with a heavy breath. “It never ends.”

  ***

  “I’m glad you came,” Scott said as Jameson took a seat.

  “I almost didn’t,” Jameson admitted without looking at him. Scott nodded. Jameson inhaled a deep breath for courage and looked across at her old friend. “I’m still angry,” she told him.

  “I know,” he replied.

  Maureen gently rubbed Jameson’s back to encourage her as Jameson continued. “This isn’t easy for me, Scott.”

  “I know that too,” he said.

  “Maybe it was a long time ago. For me, it still feels like yesterday most of the time,” Jameson said. “I also know this is something I need to do. Not for you. For me. For Craig.”

  Scott nodded again. “I understand that. So? Let’s get started.”

  ***

  Dana entered Candace’s office tentatively. “It’s okay, Dana,” Candace said with a light chuckle. “I retracted the claws a while ago.”

  “Do I want to know what happened?” Dana inquired sheepis
hly. Candace gestured for her to take a seat. She handed Dana the photos that Jason had given her. Dana looked at them and then back at Candace. “So?” she asked.

  “Good answer,” Candace said. She sighed. “Jason busted in here ranting about Jameson’s addiction problem.”

  “What?” Dana yelled in disgust. Candace shook her head. “Is he delusional?”

  “No,” Candace chuckled. “He is overzealous. And, he is definitely a capricious son of a bitch, too impulsive and downright foolhardy.”

  Dana rubbed her eyes and groaned. “You fired him,” she surmised.

  “Yep.”

  “Did you tell J.D. yet?” Dana asked.

  “Nope.”

  “She’s going to…”

  “She is going to blame herself,” Candace said assuredly. “As much as she detests the way Jason lingers and interferes, Jameson wouldn’t wish any ill on him.”

  “I know,” Dana said.

  “She’s got enough on her plate today,” Candace said softly.

  “Did you talk to her yet?” Dana asked.

  “No. I’m flying home in a few hours. Maureen went with her to the clinic,” Candace said.

  Dana detected the guilt in her voice. “Candy—that might be for the best. You didn’t know her then. Craig and Scott were her best friends.”

  “I know. She told me. Dana, she still blames Scott. She knows it wasn’t his fault. She just…”

  Dana smiled wanly. “Did she tell you what happened? I mean, I know the basics…”

  Candace closed her eyes to still her emotions. Jameson was embarking on a painful mission. Jason had struck more than one nerve when he entered Candace’s office earlier and for several reasons. First, if Jameson was addicted to anything, it was her work. She had a strong aversion to drugs. Something, those closest to her understood well. She hardly ever drank beyond a couple of glasses of wine or beer by the pool. It may have been true that people could be masters at hiding addiction. How anyone could draw that conclusion about Jameson perplexed Candace. Secondly, Candace was all too aware what had prompted Jameson’s mother to accompany her to the rehabilitation clinic. The visit was overdue, and not for the reasons that Jason had surmised. In fact, in many ways, Candace thought Jameson’s reason for visiting might have been even harder than confronting an addiction of her own. Perhaps not, but the driving force in Jameson’s itinerary that day was nonetheless attached to facing enormous pain.