Page 65 of Campaign Season
Candace turned, offering a faint smile. “I’m okay, Mom.”
“Sure you are.”
Candace chuckled under her breath. “I am. Just… worried about the kids.”
“They’ll be all right,” Pearl assured her.
Candace nodded, though her gaze lingered on the yard.
“I’m surprised you didn’t go with them to the funeral home,” Pearl said.
“They asked. I declined.”
Pearl tilted her head, but Candace continued. “Scott and Laura are with them. That helps.”
“And Mel pulled babysitting duty?”
“I think Mel’s glad to stay here,” Candace said. “She and Jameson have the kids busy. Mel shoulders a lot of Shell’s stress—more than people realize. This gives her a break.”
Her expression softened. “He told me last night that he couldn’t wait to see Lucas.”
Pearl’s eyes warmed. “He was tired.”
“He was,” Candace agreed. “But we had a lot of laughs yesterday. That’s what I’ll hold onto.”
Pearl folded her hands on the table. “What are your plans for the week?”
“Jonathan didn’t want a funeral. He was very clear—no wake, no mourners. The kids can choose a private family service if they want, but he preferred we do something fun together.”
Pearl smiled faintly. “He mellowed with age.”
“It happens,” Candace said with a little shrug.
“Do you plan to stay here?”
“I do. Marianne and I talked before she left. We may skip gifts, but tomorrow we’ll have a big dinner and put up the Christmas tree as planned. Jameson and I will head back to Washington on Friday afternoon. The kids are going to Jonathan’s house after that. He left very specific instructions about everything.”
Candace chuckled, though a weight lingered beneath the sound.
“You two landed in a good place,” Pearl said.
Candace sat down at the table. “We did. We ended the way we started—as friends.”
“How did Cooper and Spencer take the news?”
“Better than I expected. Jonathan was candid about his illness. I guess he told Spencer that he looked at death as an adventure. I think that eased Spencer’s fear. Cooper? He was quiet, but that’s how he processes things. He adored Jonathan, you know?”
“I do. Cooper is a thinker, a lot like Jonathan was. He likes to put the pieces of a puzzle together.”
Candace smiled. “True. I think that’s one reason Jameson and Jonathan clicked.”
The back door banged open, startling them both.
“Nana!” Brody shouted, his cheeks flushed from the cold.
Candace laughed. “What is it, Brody?”
“Jay is lost!”
