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evening. She
didn’t feel any jealousy, which surprised her a bit. She did wonder what was
going through Candace’s mind. Jameson was not one to push. She resigned herself
to letting her questions lie at least for the moment. She smiled when she saw
Jessica glance her way. “Your loss, my gain,” she thought silently.
    “What
are you grinning about?” Candace asked.
    “Nothing,”
Jameson said. “Just enjoying my wine.”
    “Mm...You
are terrible at hiding things; you know?”
    “Not
true. I hid that ring for over a year,” Jameson reminded her lover.
    “I
guess you did. Anything I else I should go snooping for?” Candace asked.
Jameson just shrugged. “Just so long as it’s not another cat,” Candace said.
    “No.
No new additions without prior notice,” Jameson replied with a wink.
    “I’ll
remember you said that.”
    ***
    Candace had been quiet
all evening. The dinner conversation had taken an abrupt turn to discussing
Jameson’s project, the kids’ lives, and some legislation that Candace was
battling with. Now, Candace was lying in Jameson’s arms while Jameson combed
her fingers through Candace’s hair. “Candace?”
    “Hum?”
Candace moaned in contentment.
    “Why
don’t you want to run for governor?”
    Candace
sighed heavily. “That’s why you came down; isn’t it?”
    “You
have to decide this week,” Jameson noted. “I guess I just want to understand
why when everyone seems to think you should, you don’t seem to want to.”
    “I
do want to,” Candace said tacitly.
    Jameson
brushed her lips over Candace’s head. “Talk to me.”
    “Oh,
Jameson, the past has a way of coming back to haunt you sometimes. Politics has
a way of making that happen.”
    “Is
this about what happened tonight?” Jameson asked.
    Candace
shifted to look at her lover. “No.”
    “I
don’t understand,” Jameson confessed.
    “It’s
not only my past that can resurface,” Candace said.
    “You
lost me,” Jameson said. Candace sat up and took a deep breath. Jameson noted
that she was twirling her engagement ring thoughtfully. “What is it?”
    Candace
sucked in a nervous breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know how to…”
    “You
can tell me anything.”
    “I
know.”
    “Candace,
nothing you could tell me would change us. It doesn’t matter to me if you run
for governor, stay in the senate or want
to come home all together. I just want you to be happy.”
    “I
am happy,” Candace said. “My choices affect other people. I know that too.”
    “What
is it?”
    Candace
kissed Jameson gently and spun the ring on her finger again. “My grandfather
was the best person I ever knew. I mean, he was kind but strong,” she said. “I
always wanted to be like him.”
    “From
what Pearl says you are a lot like him.”
    “Yeah.”
    “You
are a lot like her too,” Jameson laughed.
    Candace
nodded. “I know,” she said. “There’s reason for that, Jameson,” Candace said.
Jameson frowned at the pained expression on Candace’s face. “My grandfather was
not perfect.”
    “No
one is perfect.”
    “No.
They aren’t. He loved my grandmother. She loved him. I always envied that. I
mean, my parents’ marriage was more of an arrangement. Granddad, he was always
so attentive to my grandmother. It’s hard for me to believe he ever strayed.”
    “You
mean he had an affair?”
    “Yes.
A lengthy one, actually,” Candace said. “Back then, you could conceal those
things publicly. There were barriers that the press did not cross when it came
to public officials. That was one.”
    “Did
your grandmother know?”
    “Yes.
She knew. He had to tell her after,” Candace’s thought trailed off.
    “Candace?”
    Candace
sighed. “After Pearl was born.” Jameson’s jaw fell open. Candace nodded with an
uncomfortable grin. “Pearl is technically my aunt.”
    “I…Does
she know ?” Jameson wondered.
    “She
knows. She doesn’t know that I know.”
    “How
do you know? I mean, if Pearl