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Her mother's lower lip trembled. "Jack, don't do this."
"Frankly, I'm sorry that I waited this long. Now," he said briskly, "I'm heading into the
office and I doubt I'll be home for dinner."
As he went by her, she gripped his hand. He noted dispassionately the tears in her eyes.
"But why?" she asked.
He stared at her long and hard. "You know precisely why. Do you have any idea what
you did to me last night?"
"I only wanted to help," she whispered fiercely. "And, Jack, you need me."
"Maybe if you behaved less like an enemy of mine. But as you are now, no, I don't."
Callie walked into the kitchen and immediately wished she'd stayed upstairs a little
longer.
Jack's mother was in tears and Thomas was looking at the woman as if he was going to
have to catch her if she fainted.
"He can't do this!" Mrs. Walker wailed. "I need you to talk to him. Make him understand
that I can't possibly go. He'll listen to you."
"I don't know if Thomas stopped talking when he realized they were not alone.
Mrs. Walker wheeled around. The moment she saw Callie, she tried to pull herself
together by lifting her chin up and bringing a tissue to her nose. Moving with noble forbearance,
she wiped her eyes briefly and when she spoke, her voice trembled only a little.
"I should like my breakfast in bed this morning, Thomas. Please tell Elsie to bring it up
when she arrives."
And then Mrs. Walker glided by as if she hadn't just been hysterical.
Callie glanced over at Thomas. He was leaning back against the stove and shaking his
head.
"I should have seen this coming," he muttered.
"What happened?"
The man looked up. "Jack kicked his mother out of this house."
"Excuse me?"
"Kicked his own mother out. Though I could see how he feels like she deserved it."
"But why Callie felt the blood drain out of her face.
Last night's announcement.
"Thomas, I need to know. Why?" She asked the question, even though she suspected she
knew the answer and was horrified by its implications.
"That little speech she gave last night. Evidently, Jack wasn't prepared to announce
anything."
"Oh, no," she whispered.
"Mrs. Walker said she'd tried to apologize, but he wouldn't hear of it. Frankly, I don't
know what the big deal is. So she jumped the gun a little? Unless he wasn't going to run, after
all."
A nauseating wave came over Callie as she realized the mistake she'd made. The terrible
mistake. God, she had to find him and explain but maybe it was already too late? His
candidacy had been formally announced. He couldn't possibly go back, right? Or maybe he could
"Will you excuse me?" Callie didn't wait for a reply before she tore out of the room.
She raced to Jack's study, and when it was empty, she went upstairs and pounded on his
door. She threw it open, but he wasn't there, either.
She told herself that the exploratory committee wasn't meeting until the afternoon. There
had to be time to catch him before he left for the office. But where was he?
She was briefly stalled in the hallway when Grace and Ross came out of their room with
their bags packed.
"Grace! I need to talk with you."
Her half sister's eyes widened. "Certainly, where would you
Callie pulled the woman into her room and shut the door.
"I don't have much time but I need to I'm in love with Jack and I've made a terrible
mistake. An awful, hideous..."
"You're in love with Jack!"
"Oh, God, assuming I haven't completely blown it with him, I need you to understand
something. I've told him a little of my past, but he doesn't know the whole story because I
couldn't be completely honest without exposing you. He feels as though I must not love him
because I can't trust him."
Grace's eyes widened even further.
Callie took a breath before she lost her voice. "You've got to understand. I have to
explain everything to him, even if you don't want me to. If I don't, he and I have absolutely no
future together. And I can't let that happen."
She waited for a response, but there wasn't one. Grace seemed totally frozen.
"I'm sorry," Callie said, reaching out. "I know I made a promise to you. But I can't hide
anymore. Not when I have so much to lose by staying silent."
She heard a clicking noise and looked down. Grace started to fiddle with her watch,
clipping and unclipping the latch. When she broke away and walked across the room, Callie held
her breath. She wasn't prepared to keep quiet, but that didn't mean she wanted to cause Grace any
pain.
"I I'm sorry, Grace. Truly. I never expected
Grace whirled around and pegged her with hard eyes. "Don't you be sorry. Don't you ever
be sorry. This is our father's fault. All of it. Not yours."
There was a long silence as Callie watched Grace's face grow increasingly dark. The
depth of anger was a surprise.
And then Grace marched over, grabbed Callie's hands, and said, "Tell Jack. Tell him
everything."
Callie blinked. "Everything? And you'll still be
"I'll be just fine."
Callie felt an immense gratitude, but it passed as she remembered she still didn't know
where Jack was.
Or whether he would let her talk. Her only hope was if she apologized well enough he
might forgive her. Maybe.
But where was he?
She thought about the commotion of the night before. She was willing to bet he was
meeting with the exploratory committee early. Considering everything that had happened, he had
probably moved up the time of the meeting. Because God knew he and his advisers would have
plenty to talk about.
"He's probably left already!" She looked at Grace. "Are you going back to the city now?"
Grace nodded.
"Will you give me a ride to Jack's office downtown?"
"Sure. I know where it is."
Callie whipped the door open. She and Grace grabbed hold of Ross and raced him down
the stairs. Moments after they had confirmed with Thomas that Jack had headed for his office,
they were in a black Ford Explorer with Ross hitting the gas.
They shot onto the Mass Pike and were heading for Boston when Grace frowned and
looked into the backseat.
"And after you tell him, then what?"
"I have no idea. Hopefully, he'll forgive me." Callie smiled weakly. "It may be too late
anyway. But I have to try."
"But what if it isn't too late, then what happens?"
Love, family, the whole bit, she thought, not even dating to put such optimism into
words. But happily-ever-after probably wasn't what Grace was concerned about, anyway. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Her mother's lower lip trembled. "Jack, don't do this."
"Frankly, I'm sorry that I waited this long. Now," he said briskly, "I'm heading into the
office and I doubt I'll be home for dinner."
As he went by her, she gripped his hand. He noted dispassionately the tears in her eyes.
"But why?" she asked.
He stared at her long and hard. "You know precisely why. Do you have any idea what
you did to me last night?"
"I only wanted to help," she whispered fiercely. "And, Jack, you need me."
"Maybe if you behaved less like an enemy of mine. But as you are now, no, I don't."
Callie walked into the kitchen and immediately wished she'd stayed upstairs a little
longer.
Jack's mother was in tears and Thomas was looking at the woman as if he was going to
have to catch her if she fainted.
"He can't do this!" Mrs. Walker wailed. "I need you to talk to him. Make him understand
that I can't possibly go. He'll listen to you."
"I don't know if Thomas stopped talking when he realized they were not alone.
Mrs. Walker wheeled around. The moment she saw Callie, she tried to pull herself
together by lifting her chin up and bringing a tissue to her nose. Moving with noble forbearance,
she wiped her eyes briefly and when she spoke, her voice trembled only a little.
"I should like my breakfast in bed this morning, Thomas. Please tell Elsie to bring it up
when she arrives."
And then Mrs. Walker glided by as if she hadn't just been hysterical.
Callie glanced over at Thomas. He was leaning back against the stove and shaking his
head.
"I should have seen this coming," he muttered.
"What happened?"
The man looked up. "Jack kicked his mother out of this house."
"Excuse me?"
"Kicked his own mother out. Though I could see how he feels like she deserved it."
"But why Callie felt the blood drain out of her face.
Last night's announcement.
"Thomas, I need to know. Why?" She asked the question, even though she suspected she
knew the answer and was horrified by its implications.
"That little speech she gave last night. Evidently, Jack wasn't prepared to announce
anything."
"Oh, no," she whispered.
"Mrs. Walker said she'd tried to apologize, but he wouldn't hear of it. Frankly, I don't
know what the big deal is. So she jumped the gun a little? Unless he wasn't going to run, after
all."
A nauseating wave came over Callie as she realized the mistake she'd made. The terrible
mistake. God, she had to find him and explain but maybe it was already too late? His
candidacy had been formally announced. He couldn't possibly go back, right? Or maybe he could
"Will you excuse me?" Callie didn't wait for a reply before she tore out of the room.
She raced to Jack's study, and when it was empty, she went upstairs and pounded on his
door. She threw it open, but he wasn't there, either.
She told herself that the exploratory committee wasn't meeting until the afternoon. There
had to be time to catch him before he left for the office. But where was he?
She was briefly stalled in the hallway when Grace and Ross came out of their room with
their bags packed.
"Grace! I need to talk with you."
Her half sister's eyes widened. "Certainly, where would you
Callie pulled the woman into her room and shut the door.
"I don't have much time but I need to I'm in love with Jack and I've made a terrible
mistake. An awful, hideous..."
"You're in love with Jack!"
"Oh, God, assuming I haven't completely blown it with him, I need you to understand
something. I've told him a little of my past, but he doesn't know the whole story because I
couldn't be completely honest without exposing you. He feels as though I must not love him
because I can't trust him."
Grace's eyes widened even further.
Callie took a breath before she lost her voice. "You've got to understand. I have to
explain everything to him, even if you don't want me to. If I don't, he and I have absolutely no
future together. And I can't let that happen."
She waited for a response, but there wasn't one. Grace seemed totally frozen.
"I'm sorry," Callie said, reaching out. "I know I made a promise to you. But I can't hide
anymore. Not when I have so much to lose by staying silent."
She heard a clicking noise and looked down. Grace started to fiddle with her watch,
clipping and unclipping the latch. When she broke away and walked across the room, Callie held
her breath. She wasn't prepared to keep quiet, but that didn't mean she wanted to cause Grace any
pain.
"I I'm sorry, Grace. Truly. I never expected
Grace whirled around and pegged her with hard eyes. "Don't you be sorry. Don't you ever
be sorry. This is our father's fault. All of it. Not yours."
There was a long silence as Callie watched Grace's face grow increasingly dark. The
depth of anger was a surprise.
And then Grace marched over, grabbed Callie's hands, and said, "Tell Jack. Tell him
everything."
Callie blinked. "Everything? And you'll still be
"I'll be just fine."
Callie felt an immense gratitude, but it passed as she remembered she still didn't know
where Jack was.
Or whether he would let her talk. Her only hope was if she apologized well enough he
might forgive her. Maybe.
But where was he?
She thought about the commotion of the night before. She was willing to bet he was
meeting with the exploratory committee early. Considering everything that had happened, he had
probably moved up the time of the meeting. Because God knew he and his advisers would have
plenty to talk about.
"He's probably left already!" She looked at Grace. "Are you going back to the city now?"
Grace nodded.
"Will you give me a ride to Jack's office downtown?"
"Sure. I know where it is."
Callie whipped the door open. She and Grace grabbed hold of Ross and raced him down
the stairs. Moments after they had confirmed with Thomas that Jack had headed for his office,
they were in a black Ford Explorer with Ross hitting the gas.
They shot onto the Mass Pike and were heading for Boston when Grace frowned and
looked into the backseat.
"And after you tell him, then what?"
"I have no idea. Hopefully, he'll forgive me." Callie smiled weakly. "It may be too late
anyway. But I have to try."
"But what if it isn't too late, then what happens?"
Love, family, the whole bit, she thought, not even dating to put such optimism into
words. But happily-ever-after probably wasn't what Grace was concerned about, anyway. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]