Rumor Has It (23 page)

“It's not that,” he said with a sigh. “I hate being called a hero. I'd rather be on the battlefield than running for political office. When I was over there, I did what I was trained to do. I tell you what, when I went through those skin grafts and surgeries to remove the shrapnel from my leg, I didn't feel anything but pain. But when the doctor said I'd never see combat again, I felt like my life was over. I loved being a soldier. When I couldn't do it anymore, I felt useless.”

“Jackson, I'm sorry.”

He shook his head, then kissed her on the cheek. “It's not your fault. We all have our demons and mine is being called a hero. It just makes me remember that I can't do what I feel like I should be doing.”

“And here I am pulling the scab off a wound. I'm sorry.”

Jackson sat up and then eased out of the bed. “Come on, let's take a shower.”

“I thought you had someplace to be, because you know if we get in that shower together, there won't be much cleaning going on.”

Winking, he said, “I'm willing to take that chance. Besides, we have time.”

Chapter 26

It was about eight-thirty when Jackson and Liza emerged from his house. She gave him a quick kiss, then turned on the ringer on her cell phone as she headed to the car. She wasn't surprised at the number of missed calls and text messages she had on her phone. Some from reporters, three from Chante, and, surprisingly, a text from Robert.

“Oh, he has a damned nerve,” she muttered as she read his threat.

Common sense told her to ignore his text. But Liza was pissed. First, he'd followed her home, and now he was sending threats—and in the form of a text! Either he was never as smart as she thought he was or he was desperate.

It didn't matter as she dialed his number. She just planned to give him a huge piece of her mind.

“Montgomery for Senate, this is Robert speaking.”

“Robert, I had no idea you were an idiot.”

“Liza Palmer? Why are you calling me?”

She could smell the setup. Either she was on speaker or he was recording the conversation to try to discredit her. Did he forget that she knew how he played his games? Hell, she'd given him the playbook.

“I was simply responding to your text message, Robert. It's illegal to text and drive so I thought I'd call you.”

“I asked you not to contact me anymore.”

“Then why did you text me? Should I do a screen shot and put it on Twitter so that the voters can catch you in yet another lie?”

The line went dead.
Check and mate
, she thought as she headed back to her house to change into something more appropriate for the office and possible media appearances. When she got home, she dressed in a pair of tailored black slacks and a ruffled pink tunic, then called Chante.

“Where have you been all morning?” Chante asked. “I've said ‘no comment' so many times that my throat is dry.”

“I'm sorry, I really meant to get a statement together for you this morning, but I got sidetracked. And you know that fool Robert had the nerve to show up at my place last night.”

“What? Why?”

“Other than the fact that he's a lunatic, I guess he figured out who found Dayshea.”

“I haven't heard from him at all,” Chante huffed. “And I don't even understand why I'm pissed about it.”

“Neither do I,” Liza replied. “What do you expect him to do? Apologize?”

“I guess I want to know if he used me or if he ever cared. Stupid, I know.”

“It's not stupid. It just shows you have a heart. But I don't think you're ever going to get those answers.”

“I kind of figured that out. How did I miss what was really going on? This had nothing to do with love. It was all about politics. We looked good on paper. But when we were alone, the passion fizzled.”

Liza felt guilty because she'd introduced them. Felt as if she had some responsibility for Chante's heartache. Then again, she did try to warn her friend and it took her a month to listen.
Now is not the time for “I told you so,”
Liza thought. “I thought you two were . . .”

“I know, we're lawyers and being a successful lawyer means you're a skilled and crafty liar. Enough about that. I need you to get over here and help me respond to these reporters before I file an injunction.”

“I'm on my way,” Liza said, then made an illegal U-turn.

When she arrived at Chante's office, she walked in on a shouting match between Chante and Taiwon, the asshole partner Liza wanted to choke the other day.

“Don't you think a little warning about your fiancé's affection for whores would've been nice? Now this firm is—”

“I told you not to have that fund-raiser for him. But, like you always do, you ignored what I had to say. So, don't sit up here and tell me that I'm responsible for your fucking poor judgment!”

Liza wanted to applaud her friend, but she was in such a state of shock that she simply stood there with her mouth open.

“Well, you can kiss your partnership chances good-bye. The last thing we need here is to be associated with such filth!” Taiwon glanced at Liza. “See, this is just what I'm talking about.”

“Get the hell out of my office!” Chante snapped. Liza could feel the anger and heat radiating from her friend. She crossed over to her as Taiwon left the office.

“I never knew you had that in you,” Liza said. “I'd be proud, but with what he just said about your partnership . . .”

“A self-destruct button. That's what I have.” Chante shook her head. “I can't believe I just stood here and cursed out one of my senior partners.” She leaned back on the desk. “I've lost my mind.”

“Or maybe you found it. There's only so much a person can take before he or she snaps. I'm pretty sure you've taken a lot from that jerkface over the years. Add to that the fact that men always want to blame a woman for a man's inability to keep his pants zipped.”

“He can't say he wasn't warned. I wonder if they still gave him the donation.”

“He just has fucking poor judgment,” Liza parroted her friend. The women broke into laughter.

“You know if our big sisters heard us now, they'd probably want to take their pink and green back.”

Liza fanned her hand. “As hard as we worked for those colors, they'd have a fight on their hands. Now, let's get out of here and return these phone calls and e-mails with a well-written and brilliant statement.”

Chante sighed. “How could he do this to me, though? I'm more embarrassed than hurt right now. But when he was buying sex from Dayshea, I was planning a wedding. Thought I had a future with this wonderful man who fell head over heels in love with me and didn't mind that I was just as ambitious as any man in this field. He thought it was amazing that I was so driven. Do you know how many men are just intimidated by that?”

Liza nodded. “Preaching to the choir.”

“That's why I thought Robert was perfect and wanted to believe that he was telling me the truth about you.”

For a moment she bristled, but she could understand where Chante was coming from. It didn't mean she had to like it.

“I'm sorry,” Chante continued. “Sorry that I became one of those dizzy broads who put a man before someone who has had her back for years.”

“We've all done it,” Liza said, though she couldn't remember a time when she made such an error.

“You're trying to make me feel better and you really don't want to tell me what a bitch I was.”

Liza shrugged. “Well, you said it, I didn't.”

“I knew you were thinking it. It's all right, because it will never happen again.”

“How can you be sure?” Liza quipped.

Chante snorted. “Because I'm done with men and through with love. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to be the one to lead the sweetheart song at your reception.”

“Now, you're getting ahead of yourself, don't you think?”

“Nope. I think you have finally found the real thing in Mr. Jackson Franklin. Don't mess it up and don't let this election come between you two. And please don't elope. That would be so Liza, eloping and tweeting a wedding picture.”

Liza wondered,
Are we really a two? Is there more between us than hot sex and desire?

“Come on, girl, let's go before we start crying,” Chante said. She grabbed her laptop and stuffed it in her purse. “Just in case Taiwon does lock me out of my office.”

Liza shook her head. “I'm sure he won't do that.”‘

“You don't know how big of an asshole he is.”

They headed to their favorite place, Amelie's, and hunkered down in a corner, where Liza hammered out a statement for Chante to e-mail the reporters who'd contacted her.

 

 

“Jackson, Jackson, Jackson!” the crowd yelled. He stood on the stage at the voter's rally and smiled at the crowd. Teresa had estimated that only a few hundred people were supposed to show up. But over three thousand people showed up. Maybe they'd come out to see if there was going to be some drama after the debate or if Jackson was going to bad-mouth Montgomery, but what they got was the full view of Jackson's platform, some real-life answers to questions that they had about Medicare, the Affordable Health Care Act, and coal ash.

By the time he finished talking to them, Robert was nearly forgotten. “They love you,” Teresa said as he walked off the stage. “I feel like we won their hearts and votes today.”

“We will see for sure in the next few days, when it counts. You think voter turnout is going to be as low as the experts are predicting?” he asked, trying to sidestep what he knew was coming when he saw a horde of reporters heading their way. Teresa glanced over her shoulder and shook her head.

“Jackson, I've held the press off as long as I can about Montgomery,” she said. “We have to issue a statement or the questions are going to keep coming.”

“I'm not going to comment further on what he's done. Let the media keep milling for drama somewhere else.”

Teresa shook her head. “Is that what Liza told you to do?”

Jackson narrowed his eyes at her. “What do you have against her?”

“Nothing. I'm sure she is an amazing woman. But she's too much of a distraction. There is just too much history between her and Montgomery for me to believe that they're just not friends anymore.”

“It's not for you to believe or disbelieve,” Jackson said firmly.

“I know one thing, I'm sick and tired of arguing with you about Liza Palmer. If you can't see that she's trouble—”

“How is she trouble? Because of these rumors and lies being spread about her? Just how is she responsible for that?”

“It's not about the truth. All it takes is a couple of misplaced howls and you could find yourself going from front-runner to joke. Just ask Howard Dean.”

“I think it's more than that. We're at a point now where this is our election to win. You keep trying to find problems where there aren't any.”

“Don't count your victory before votes are cast. What is it about her that has you willing to risk everything we've fought for?”

“Maybe I'm smart enough to know that love means more than anything else.”

Teresa raised her right eyebrow. “You're in love with her?”

Jackson wasn't ready to admit that yet, but he knew that's where things were going. He loved everything about her. Her drive, her passion, and her desire. He wanted and needed Liza in his life because she'd already planted herself in his heart. Maybe he
was
ready to admit that he was in love with her.

“Yes, I am.”

“Does she know that? I get the feeling that she isn't the kind of woman who's ready to settle down and live the straight and narrow life of a politician's spouse or girlfriend. How are you going to get anything done if you're always putting out social media fires involving her?”

“You have a really low opinion of Liza. Why?”

Before Teresa could answer, a crush of reporters swarmed on them. Most of the questions focused on what he'd said to the voters and how he planned to get the governor to change his mind on Medicare and taking federal money. Then there were questions about the military and wounded warriors. Just when he thought he'd gotten off scot-free and wouldn't have to answer a question about last night's debate, Liza, or Robert and the hooker, he heard, “Mr. Franklin, are you and Liza Palmer working together to discredit Robert Montgomery? Was that what your meeting was about a few weeks ago?”

Teresa looked to see who'd asked the question but couldn't find the reporter or campaign spy.

“I've done nothing to try to discredit Mr. Montgomery.”

“What are your thoughts on the allegations Dayshea Brown made against him in an interview last night?”

“I don't think his personal life has anything to do with this election, and if he has broken laws, then it's up to the police and district attorney to handle. Other than that, I have no further comment.”

“Don't you think that this speaks to his character? Why not condemn his behavior?”

“Because,” Jackson began, “we don't know if this is his behavior or a rumor, much like a lot of things that have come out in the media during this election season. And that's all.” He and Teresa headed for the parking lot, ignoring the other questions about Robert. Though Jackson wanted to finish his conversation with Teresa about her feelings toward Liza, he knew that he had less than ten minutes to make it across town to the Stevenson Senior Center. This was the third stop of the morning and Jackson was fired up to meet the people who may put him in office. The more he spoke to people, the more his excitement grew. But it was the questions that threw him off. It seemed as if the media didn't listen to anything he said and only focused on the rumors and the controversy during the debate. It seemed as if the statement his campaign had released didn't mean anything. He'd hoped that the sound bite from earlier would've been enough. But after the senior center event, the questions were the same: What did he think about Robert and the allegations?

By the time he stopped at the VA hospital on Harris Boulevard around one that afternoon, he'd reached his limit.

“Listen, when are we going to focus on the issues?” he snapped. “I'm sure the seniors trying to keep their Medicare don't give a rat's . . . don't care what I think about my opponent's personal life or if he had to pay for sex. If he broke the law, I'm sure the appropriate action will be taken. What more can I say?”