Page 78 of Definitely (Maybe) Dating
“And if the story is true?”
“Then we’ll deal with it then. But even so, maybe it was just a teen who made a mistake. Screwing up is a part of life.”
“And you don’t find this particular oversight a little convenient?” Margo asked, and Josh’s gut reaction was to say no, but then she added, “Kitty, the board seat, the graffiti—that’s a lot of mishaps in an election year. You’ve been spending so much time resolving that woman’s problems, you’ve barely had time to do your job.”
“She has a point,” Owen said, and Josh wanted to punch him.
“You’re whining because Piper didn’t fall for your BS.”
Owen considered that. “True.”
Margo stood. “Well, I’m not going to allow someone else’s lapse in judgment to ruin this event or my standing in the community. Portland might be a big city, but my world is a tight-knit community.” Margo took his shoulders. “You are this close to making your dream a reality. To making sure people like Heinz never have the power to hurt families like ours.” Her breath caught. “You say you want to clean up the city? Then clean it up. And that starts with the stance you take right now.”
“You mean my stance about Piper?”
“If you connect her to any of this, then yes.”
Josh stood. “Mom, you can’t be serious. I doubt Piper even knew about it, and I’m sure she’s as surprised as we are.”
“Doesn’t matter. I stuck my neck on the line, and she guaranteed that all art would be on the up and up.” She pointed at the lower picture. “This is not on the up and up, so I can’t see how she’s surprised. Who knows how many more broke the rules?” Margo patted his cheek. “I’m sorry, but my hands are tied.”
“All it would take is you getting behind this,” Josh argued.
She gathered her purse. “And all I need is for you to get behind me.”
“I’m always in your corner.” Even when her alliance was misplaced, Josh had promised that he’d always put his family first. And it was a promise he intended to keep. He just had to find a way to make sure he had Piper’s back as well.
“You’re a good son, and I’m sorry about how everything worked out. I really am,” she said, and he could hear the sincerity in her tone. Just like he could hear the absoluteness. “But I need to do what’s right for the charity, and the last thing we all need is bad press. And the last thing you need is to be extending favors for actions such as this.” Margo kissed him on the cheek. “You’re so close to your dream. Don’t get distracted now, not when the finish line is in sight.”
“Maybe the distraction is I’m running toward the wrong finish line.”
Margo gasped. “That isn’t a distraction. That’s you being rewarded for your hard work.”
Josh sat back and ran a hand down his jaw. Damn, he was tired. His family meant well, but sometimes they drove him nuts.
“I think I’m too tired for dance tonight. Maybe next week.” With a hug, his mom walked out the door.
“Jesus.” Josh collapsed onto the couch and wondered what had just transpired. And since when did his dating life include political platforms and family alliances? “Can you really call the owner and try to smooth things over?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Rhett agreed. “If that’s what you want to do.”
“What do you mean? ‘If that’s what I do’? Of course, I want to help.”
No one moved. They all sat there staring at him, for what he didn’t know, but he got the distinct feeling that he’d missed something important.
“What?” he asked.
“Rhett has a point.” Owen went palms out. “When you first decided to run, you said no deals, no favors, and no extending markers. You wanted to be transparent and fair. Do you really want to start your race helping your lady friend get out of a bind?”
He hadn’t thought about how it would appear, and optics, as he was learning, were more important than his actual platform. Which when he thought of it was total BS.
“Could you at least ask the guy if he’s going to press charges?” It would give him solid footing when he tried to resolve the matter while pleasing both women in his life.
“Done,” Rhett said.
He gripped the back of his neck. “Thanks. I’m going to call Kitty and find out what’s really going on. Depending on how that goes, I may need to schedule a meeting with the mayor about the article, which he will likely pin on me. Then somehow, I’m going to fix this. So what if one entry violates the rules? That doesn’t mean the event should be canceled.”
Gage let out a low whistle.
