Page 67 of Campaign Season
Jameson let her eyes drift over each of them—Candace’s children, who had become her children too. Each carried grief in their own way, and Jameson felt the thread of responsibility tug at her chest: to steady them if she could, to make space forCandace’s sorrow when she returned, to hold the weight without letting it crush them.
Jameson leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Shell,” she said softly, “if you keep bouncing your leg like that, you’re going to launch Avery off the couch.”
Michelle stilled immediately, her cheeks flushing. “I wasn’t?—”
“You were,” Jameson said with a small smile. “I’ve seen that move before. Your mother used to shake the whole kitchen when she was studying my plans at the table."
That earned her a half-smile from Michelle, a reluctant yet genuine one. “Your plans?"
"For the remodel."
Michelle grinned. "Right. The remodel." She looked at Marianne. "We're not eating at the kitchen table again."
Marianne laughed. "I don't think Mom keeps a Bible in the kitchen, Shell."
"Yeah, well, she hides plenty of other things in there, so?—"
Marianne rolled her eyes. "I'm not telling you where the fortune cookies live. Any of you."
Jameson turned her attention to Jonah. “You’ve been quiet tonight.”
Jonah rubbed Sophie’s back, his thumb absently tracing circles. “I’m just… thinking.”
“Dangerous habit,” Jameson teased gently.
Jonah’s lips twitched. “I was thinking about Dad teaching me to change the oil in his old Buick. He got so mad when I spilled half a quart on the driveway. Said I’d ruined the pavement for life.”
“That sounds like him,” Marianne said fondly.
Jonah nodded, his eyes glistening, but a smile lingered on his face. “I keep remembering these little things, you know? Stuffthat never seemed important at the time. But now it’s all I can think about.”
“That’s usually how it works,” Jameson said quietly.
The room softened into a quiet hum, the weight of memory filling the spaces between them.
“I hope everything’s okay,” Jonah murmured. “Mom’s been gone a while.”
Jameson chuckled gently. “People like to talk to the president when they get a chance.”
“That they do,” came a voice from the doorway.
All eyes turned. Candace stood framed by the hall light, a faint smile tugging at her lips, though her eyes carried the weariness of the day.
"Looks like the kids are ready for bed," she commented, claiming a seat beside Jameson.
"It's all the hiding and seeking," Marianne said.
"They love that game," Michelle added.
"Mom and JD started that with Spencer before he could walk," Marianne said.
"Yeah. Don't remind me. Spence hid everywhere," Jameson said. "He even hid in the china cabinet once."
"That's not as bad as the time he managed to zip himself into a cameraman's duffel bag," Marianne noted.
Candace and Jameson laughed.
Michelle shook her head. “You know, Dad never liked hide-and-seek. He always said it was a waste of time.”
