Page 2 of Campaign Season
“Maybe not. You don’t deserve that from anyone.”
“I’ve dealt with people like Ron Marion my entire career,” Candace said. “Eventually?—”
“I’ll get used to it?”
“No. It never becomes normal. It shouldn’t. The truth is, it still stings—but only for a second now. You learn to keep it in perspective. The best revenge isn’t winning; it’s refusing to take the bait. That drives them mad.”
“And that stops them?” Jameson asked, skeptical.
“No. Sometimes it makes them worse. But eventually, they reveal themselves for what they are—small, insecure men shouting to be heard. It takes time, but it always happens.”
Candace drew a long breath. She didn’t often speak openly about her influence in the Senate, but if she hoped to share her future with Jameson, she had to put all her cards on the table.
“I make them nervous,” Candace said. “And the power I hold infuriates them.”
Jameson studied her. “Because you’re a woman.”
“And a lesbian,” Candace added. “How dare I exert pressure in their world? To them, I don’t belong here—especially not in this seat.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Candace chuckled. “It is.”
“I just don’t understand why they make you a target.”
“Because they want to remove my influence.”
Jameson’s gaze sharpened. “Candace… you were on John Merrow’s short list for vice president, weren’t you?”
Candace sighed and nodded. “I was.”
“Just how short was that list?”
Candace licked her lips and shook her head.
“He offered, didn’t he?”
“Against the wishes of his campaign managers—yes.”
“Why didn’t you accept?”
“It wasn’t the right time. You just saw the rhetoric aimed at me. That wouldn’t have helped John. He needed someone older—and male—to win. We both knew it, even if he didn’t want to believe it. We were close, Jameson. Closer than most people realize. He knew what my answer would be. It was easy to ask, knowing I’d refuse.”
“Then why ask?”
“Because it was sincere. He wanted me to know how he saw me—as a leader.”
Jameson tilted her head. “What if you’d said yes?”
Candace laughed. “He would’ve fought to make us a winning ticket. But I couldn’t. Jonah was still in junior high. He’d already endured my divorce, then my coming out. Everyone was adjusting to my relationship with Jess. The scrutiny would’ve doubled if I’d joined John’s campaign. And Jess?—”
“She didn’t want you to?”
“She did. She was enthusiastic, actually. But it would’ve cost her—her law firm, her career. Jess is driven—we have that in common. She loves the spotlight, but she wouldn’t have survived the fallout. I loved her, but she wasn’t the right partner for me.”
Jameson swallowed hard. “I want to be the right partner for you.”
“You are.”
