Campaigning for Love (11 page)

Edward turned to glare at him and left the door wide open. “What is it with that little do-gooder that makes you go stupid when you’re around her?”

“That do-gooder,” Nick ground out, “is one of the kindest, sweetest, most caring people I’ve ever met. And if you don’t leave her alone, I won’t speak to you again. I mean it Dad. Leave. Her. Alone.” The quiet intensity of his words held more steel than if he’d shouted them.

“What hold does she have over you? Don’t you understand she and her background could keep you from reaching your goal?”

“What about her background? Because she grew up in foster care and lived in a children’s home? She didn’t kill her parents.” Nick prowled the foyer like a lion with a thorn in his paw, itching to lash out at anything within striking distance before settling a contemptuous look on his father.

“I thought I was supposed to consider people for their accomplishments and shortcomings, not their parents.”

“Since you’re so friendly with that pastor, let me remind you, there’s a scripture in the Bible about sins of the parents being visited on their children.”

Nick stared at his father. Was his rationale that warped? “You honestly believe Katherine is responsible for her mother’s death? That’s crazy.”

His father didn’t dispute his question and Nick’s hold on his temper snapped. “Then why don’t I call the state attorney’s office and we’ll bring charges. Surely, I can get her convicted. Or why don’t I go down to the police station and turn myself in for killing Mom. Never mind that the doctors said it was cancer. I’m sure she died because she carried me to term instead of seeking treatment earlier!” His entire body was numb. Because if he felt anything, he would have to feel the torment of not knowing a mother, and he didn’t think he was strong enough to suffer all the pain that brought on along with this.

Edward stood frozen, staring at him as if he were a stranger. “Don’t talk about your mother that way. And don’t ever say anything about her in the same breath as that...” he sputtered.

“That sweet, beautiful, caring woman I’m in love with?” Nick filled in for him.

“You are not in love with her!” his father screamed. “You’re doing this to get even with me for sending her away, aren’t you?”

Nick’s stomach clenched, squeezing the churning bile upwards until he felt it sear the back of his throat. He fought the urge to vomit. “You sent her away? My promise that I wouldn’t see her again wasn’t enough. You made her start over with strangers.” No wonder she couldn’t get past what he—no, what his father—had done to her.

“Son, now you know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. She was a distraction you couldn’t afford. Remember how much you had going on. You had to retake your SATs because your math scores weren’t high enough the first time,” he said in a desperate scramble to justify his actions.

“My math scores? Well, here’s a news flash for you, Dad. The only reason I scored high enough to get into the college you wanted me to attend was because that foster kid, as you keep referring to her, agreed to tutor me so I could pass the test. Without her, I wouldn’t have gotten in.” The blood that had burned hot and fast through his veins suddenly turned icy, sluggish.

“I think I hate you. I’m not supposed to, but God’s going to have to let me commit this sin for now until I can stand the sight of you again.” Nick turned and walked out of the open front door, slamming it shut and blocking out the image of his father. He couldn’t get away from the evil in that house fast enough.

Nick gunned the engine when he pulled out into traffic, leaving a black line of rubber as tangible proof of his temper. The house he’d grown up in looked so foreign to him right now it could have belonged to a stranger. And if he was honest, it did. He pulled off the road and reached for his cell phone.

Jeremy answered on the second ring.

“Hey, Pastor. I could use a friend right now. One with a better vertical connection than I have.”

“Are you driving?” Nick heard the concern in his voice.

“No, I’m sitting on the side of the road. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He paused before he disconnected. “And Jeremy, thanks.”

Jeremy was out in his front yard when Nick pulled up. He opened the car door for him before Nick got the engine turned off.

“What happened at lunch?”

“We didn’t make it to lunch.” He followed Jeremy up the sidewalk toward the front door.

“Why not? You both seemed fine when you left the gym.”

Nick recapped what had happened and how pale and shaky Katherine had looked when he’d driven her home. “Knowing what I know now, no wonder she hates me.” He hissed a hot breath through his teeth.

“She doesn’t hate you, Nick.”

He pinned his friend with a disbelieving glare. “She has every reason in the world to hate me. Whenever I come near her, I inflict some sort of pain. If not me, then my father and his perverse sense of protection over me.” He paced, his misery and guilt driving his restlessness.

“I think the reason you hurt her is because her feelings for you run deeper than even she realizes.”

“I might have believed you this morning, but not since I took her home.” Nick pounded his fist on the bookshelf. “No matter what I do or say, I end up hurting her. I’m not running for city council. I’m going down to the elections office Monday morning and removing my name from the ballot.”

“Don’t do that. You said this has been your dream since you were a little kid. It won’t solve anything if you pull out now. And it sounds more like you want to run away instead of fixing the problem.”

“Running for public office was always my father’s dream for me. He thought it would bring more power and influence to the Delaney name. I bought into it because I thought I could help people. And I thought he’d be proud of me. Now, I don’t care what he thinks of me. I’m ashamed to have him as my father.”

“Nick, you can’t feel that way,” Jeremy argued. “As upset as you were with him for trying to hold Katherine accountable for her mother’s sins, you can’t disown your father because of his behavior. You are two separate people making your own choices in life. Granted, those choices sometimes affect the other because you’re related. But that’s the difference between you and him. He only thinks of himself, whereas you think of others first.”

“If I think of others, then why do I keep hurting Kat?” Nick asked. Confusion and a loss as to how to fix things gripped him by the throat.

“We only hurt the ones we love,” Jeremy explained. “We try too hard and get overzealous in our attempts to please them and we forget to enjoy the small things that bring them happiness.”

“I don’t get what you mean by that.”

“You love her. You’re overeager and nervous when you talk to her. The wrong words fly out of your mouth and ruin your efforts. And she’s sensitive where you’re concerned. Maybe it’s because she loves you, too.”

Jeremy stopped him before he knocked his theory. “That’s speculation on my part. I don’t know for sure if she does or doesn’t. She might not know herself. But you have a place in her heart and you’ll have to treat her gently while you mend the rift your father has put between you. Dropping out of the race won’t help, and this community needs someone like you. Stay in the race and pray. Ask God to guide your steps from here on out. Let Him lead you and your path will be blessed, whatever the direction.”

Jeremy came up beside him, and clapped him on the shoulder. He said a prayer of peace and guidance over Nick before he let him leave. Nick drove home with a lighter heart than he thought possible since he’d walked into his living room to find Kat anxious and desperate to be anywhere but near him.

He took another shower, then fell back across his bed and stared at the ceiling. If he and God were going to talk about his life, and what needed work, he might as well turn his eyes in the right direction. Up.

* * *

The chime of the doorbell caused Katherine to put down her devotional. A glance at her watch made her wonder who would stop by this late on a Saturday night. She looked through the glass fan light before she opened the door.

“Jeremy, what brings you by?”

“Can I come in?”

The anguished look on his face brought her defenses up. “If you’re here to plead for anyone with the last name of Delaney, I’m not up for it tonight.”

“Katherine.” Jeremy reached out and caught her arm before she turned away. “I’m not here for anyone but you. I did speak to Nick today after he argued with his father.”

Her eye roll gained her a disapproving frown. “He doesn’t know I’m here. I’ve been in prayer all afternoon, seeking God’s guidance about what I’m supposed to do to help mend the hearts of two of my closest friends. I know what happened today and I know what you
think
happened. I knew you’d try to handle this alone. I care too much for you to let you face this by yourself.”

She inhaled a deep breath and ignored the sudden wetness blurring her vision. “I thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.”

He shook his head and walked past her into the living room, going straight to her couch and settling down as if he meant to stay for a while. “I don’t believe you.”

She stood in the doorway, stunned. “You don’t believe me? Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m fine. It’ll take a lot more than a Delaney to hurt me. And just so you know, I’m running for city council. I can’t allow Edward to gain a stronger hold on this community through Nick. Edward is a dishonest, manipulative person who would use his own son to con this community into giving him the power he craves.”

Jeremy’s mouth gaped open. “Katherine, don’t do this. Not like this.”

“Why? Do you believe Nick can say no to his father?”

“Don’t enter the race because of anger or a thirst for vengeance. Seek God’s will about what you should do.”

“You’re taking his side.” Hurt tinged her words. “I knew you would.” She launched herself from her chair as another act of betrayal from one more person she thought cared for her jabbed her heart. She should have known. “I think you should leave.”

“I’m not leaving until you listen to reason.” He stood and took a bracing stance. “I will not pick sides between the two of you. You and Nick can’t mend this rift without God’s help. I’m here to pray with you and convince you to seek God’s wisdom and guidance in
all
the decisions you make. What you’re facing now, the choices you make today, you’ll have to live with the consequences of those choices for a long time. Please, let God lead you. Trust Him.”

She lost the battle against her tears and they leaked from her tightly closed eyes. “Jeremy, they used me. Edward had me transferred. I can see now that Nick didn’t know what his father had done. I want to trust Nick, but it’s so hard. If his father is this diabolical, what’s to say Nick isn’t the same way? How can I trust him with the council seat between us?”

The dam holding back the disappointment, the disillusionment, all the wrenching pain of the past, broke. Jeremy listened as she told him about the letter Edward had written to send her away, what he’d said to her at the party and the phone message she’d overheard.

“Nick did it again. He let his dad convince him to use me so he could move ahead to that precious next level. But Edward’s not getting away with it this time. The Delaneys may have beaten Kat Jenkins, but I’m Katherine Harper now. I know how to play their game. This time, I’m the one who’s going to win.” Her voice cracked with emotion.

Jeremy listened, rocking her while she sobbed out her promise of revenge. When she finally settled down, he led her over to the couch and sat down beside her. Still holding her hands, he prayed aloud, asking God to give him the words to say to help her see the truth. To find peace.

“Listen to yourself. Do you hear what you’re saying? You want revenge. That isn’t yours to take. That’s God’s right. Let Him deal with the deceit and the lies.”

She tried to pull away, but he held her tighter, forcing her to listen to every word. “Your distrust of Nick is because of the things his father did to you. Each person is answerable for his or her own actions, not anyone else’s. Edward Delaney holds it against you that your mother died, leaving you in foster care. And you’re abandoning Nick because of the venom his father spewed on you.

“I know I’m supposed to tell you not to be angry, but I’m human and what he’s done to you makes me furious. But I have a responsibility for your soul, for the counsel I give you, so I’ll ask you to do what I have to do, and that’s pray unceasingly. God can take this ugliness and make something beautiful. We can’t do that. Only God can.” Jeremy released her hands and lifted her chin until her eyes met his. “Promise me you’ll pray. That you’ll diligently seek God’s will in this decision to run for office. If it’s what God wants, nothing can stop you, not even an army of Edward Delaneys. But as your friend, I have to tell you, Nick is hurting too. He wants to hate his father. He realized what he’d done today and they had a terrible fight, over you.” Jeremy gave her a meaningful look. “That speaks of a man who cares about you. Treat his heart with more tenderness than he did yours in the past. You know what callous treatment feels like. Show God you’ve learned how to be gentle.”

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, resting her face against his shoulder. “Thank you.” She pulled away and stood up. “I can’t promise I’ll be able to put aside my resentment toward Edward, but I promise to ask God to guide me.”

“That’s the most important part. If God’s guiding you, all the rest will fall into place.”

“I’ve already told Corinne Hightower I’ll run. There is so much more I can do to help the community in a position like that. Stopping Edward and his quest for power was just icing on the cake.”

Jeremy stood. “I’ll trust you to keep your promise and pray. I’ll be praying too.”

She walked him to the door. “Thank you for being my friend.”

Chapter 10

A
fter church on Sunday, Katherine stopped by Mrs. Tindle’s house on her first follow-up visit to see how she and Stevie were getting along. Their house was a small A-frame with a fenced yard. It sported a tire swing dangling from a giant oak tree with zinnias and marigolds outlining the short sidewalk.

Stevie answered the door. “Miss Harper, hi. What are you doing here?” His grandmother came up behind him and scolded him for opening the door without waiting for her, then smiled when she spotted Katherine.

“Hello, dear. It’s so nice to see you. Come in.” She pulled the door wide and ushered Katherine inside, letting Stevie lead her by the hand into their small living room.

“I’m checking to see how the two of you are doing. I have to do some drop-ins and make sure everything’s going smoothly for a while.”

“I wanted to thank you for bringing Stevie to visit me while I was in the hospital. Seeing his sweet face made me want to hurry up and get well so I could come home and be with him.”

Stevie left the adults talking. He lay on his tummy on the floor racing his cars around each other.

“I worried so much about him after the accident. I didn’t know what would happen to him if I didn’t get well. I’m all Stevie has. I thought about all the children who don’t have anyone and what happens to them. It about broke my heart when they said Stevie would have to stay in a children’s home until I recovered.”

Reaching out a sympathetic hand, Katherine tried to soothe her anxiety. “But he did have you and you’re together now. That’s what matters.”

“I know, but if you hadn’t been there in the beginning, I don’t think they would have considered letting him stay with me. You fought so hard against that caseworker pushing me to put him up for adoption.”

“The important thing is you’re together like you should be.”

“What did you say to change her mind? She was adamant about taking him away from me.”

Katherine hesitated. At the older woman’s concerned expression, Katherine decided she deserved to know the truth. “When I was about Stevie’s age, my parents were involved in a car accident. My father fell asleep at the wheel and they drifted into oncoming traffic. He died instantly. My mother spent three months in the hospital recovering from her injuries.”

Mrs. Tindle gasped and pressed her hand to her chest. “You poor dear, I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t have a grandmother, or anyone else. The state placed me in a children’s home until my mother came home from the hospital. Because her injuries were so severe, they had kept her heavily medicated. When they released her, the doctors prescribed several pain medications. I guess, in her grief over losing my father, she abused them until she became addicted. When the caseworker stopped by on a routine visit, she found my mother passed out with the open bottles scattered on the nightstand beside her bed.”

Staring at her hands in her lap, Katherine finished the story. “They immediately hauled me back to the children’s home. I don’t know if she ever sought help to overcome her problem and couldn’t, or if she kept on using. A few months after I turned twelve, the caseworker told me she’d died.”

She’d never shared this story with anyone but Alice. She’d wanted to tell Nick back in high school but hadn’t been able to bring herself to say her mother hadn’t loved her enough to stay with her. That she’d loved her husband so much she couldn’t stand to go on living without him. Not even for her little girl.

“I didn’t want Stevie to go through what I did. You two needed each other.” Uncomfortable after sharing such a dark secret, Katherine gathered her purse, ready to leave. “I’ll stop by once a month for the next six months. It’s routine. If there’s anything you need, any problem you have, let me know. There are programs and services out there that I can put you in contact with.”

Mrs. Tindle followed her to the door. When Katherine turned to say goodbye to Stevie, Mrs. Tindle cupped her cheek. “You’re a good girl. You’ll make a wonderful mother.”

She didn’t know what to say. She poured all her energy into the ones in state custody. They were the ones who needed her. Besides, there wasn’t a man on this earth she could entrust with her heart. Mrs. Tindle’s words reassured her that what she did mattered. She made a difference in people’s lives.

* * *

Early the next morning, Katherine sat in her office, working on a task list for her campaign launch while she waited for Gina to arrive. She’d spoken with Abby and arranged a power lunch for the afternoon, when they would brainstorm on a strategy for getting her name out there. After a long exhale, she readied herself for the leap into the deep sea of the unknown called politics.

Public relations and politics would be a challenge for a woman who prided herself on maintaining her privacy. Katherine had prayed about her choice, as she’d promised Jeremy, knowing God would have to head her campaign for her to have a chance at winning. She was as at peace with her decision as she could be. The
ka-thunk
of Gina’s purse on the desk out front announced her arrival.

“I see you wanted to get an early start today.” Gina came into Katherine’s office with her coffee.

“They say the early bird gets the worm.” Katherine smiled and delivered her news in a low-key, oh-by-the-way style. “Can you be on the lookout for a fax from Corinne? She said she’d send over the forms I need to get my name on the ballot.”

“Really?” Gina squeaked. “I mean, you’re really going to run? Go for the big prize? This is awesome. Have you told the judge?”

She swiveled in her chair and watched the excitement build, almost able to see the wheels turning in Gina’s mind. “Nope. I’ll let you have that honor since you spy for him anyway.”

“I do not spy,” Gina denied with vehemence.

“You tell him what I eat for lunch every day and then tattle if I don’t drink all my milk like a good little girl. I’m thirty years old—I don’t need a babysitter.”

Gina gave her a squinted glare. “I worry about you, and so does the judge. We share information so we don’t overlap.” She took her usual chair. “Seriously though, what made you decide to say yes?”

“I liked what Corinne said about helping the community.” She met Gina’s interested look with a straight face.

“Uh-huh. If that were all, you would have agreed before Corinne left here last week. Tell me what happened this weekend to help make up your mind.”

“Why would something have to happen for me to decide this is what I want to do?”

Gina persisted. “No. Something had to have happened. Weren’t you with Nick this weekend?”

“Nick has nothing to do with this.”

“Okay, since I heard from Abby how Edward Delaney cornered you at the hospital dedication, does it have anything to do with him?” Gina was unwilling to let go until she had all the dirty details.

Katherine’s eyes went wide before she got her expression under control. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“That translates to your change in plans definitely involves Daddy Delaney.”

“Why do you have to give them such childish names?”

“Oh, no, you don’t. I know a diversion tactic when I hear one. What happened?”

Katherine let out a huff of breath. “It wasn’t only what Edward said at the dedication, it was some other things I realized this weekend. And I believe I can do a better job as a council member than Nick can. I really am doing this to help the community.”

Gina looked at her as if she expected the word “truth” or “lie” to flash across her forehead at any time.

“I promise. Now, here’s a list of calls I need you to make and a flyer I’d like to create that we can use as a mail-out. I’ll know more after I have lunch with Abby and find out what she has in mind.”

Gina reached for the list and the sample flyer on the desk between them. After a quick study, she offered Katherine a devious grin. “You said you kept that pack of crayons in your briefcase for the kids. Now I know the truth.” She was laughing when she got up from her chair and left the room with the list and the flyer.

Everything after that was a blur. Katherine’s morning was insane. She had taken several case files home with her for review over the weekend, but she hadn’t gotten very far considering the emotional upheaval she’d experienced Saturday morning. She pulled out the files and dictated notes Gina would transcribe and forward to all involved parties.

She saved Stevie Mills’s follow-up assessment for last. She wrestled with how to word her impressions in the file notes. There was the danger of developing an emotional attachment to the child. This was a two-edged sword. Not enough emotion and you didn’t care about what was best for them. An advocate had to justify every recommendation they made with detached practicality while showing genuine concern for the child’s well-being. It didn’t matter that practicality wasn’t the driving force behind her concern with this case. Her choices would stand up in an audit. Her passion to keep him with his grandmother was anything but detached. It was her childhood all over again. And that wasn’t anyone’s business.

* * *

At noon, Katherine sat in a booth at Dante’s facing Abby, the strategizing for her campaign on hold until they finished their discussion regarding the eventful weekend.

“Jeremy agrees Edward Delaney should be tarred and feathered,” Abby said.

“That isn’t very charitable of our pastor.”

Abby huffed. “It’s what I want to do to him.” She leaned forward. “Do you know how restrictive it is on my temper tantrums to spend time with a minister while trying to be myself?”

Katherine grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth after she swallowed wrong. She fanned her face with her other hand. “Oh, my.”

“Don’t get too choked up. If Jeremy proposes, you’re going to be my maid of honor and you know he’ll want Nick as his best man.”

That snapped her out of her teasing mood. “You wouldn’t.”

“I’m closer to you than any of my other friends. I will need you there lending me your strength. Of course, Jeremy has to fall madly in love with me first, so you’re safe for five or ten years,” Abby complained.

“You can use my campaign to keep you busy while you wait.”

“This is true. Okay, here’s what I’ve come up with so far. First, you have to file your intent to run. You need to do that by tomorrow. Do you have court Friday?”

“No, why?”

“Because Corinne said the Coalition is having a luncheon in your honor on Friday. They want you to speak.” In answer to her surprise, Abby nodded. “I’ve been busy this morning.”

“I’ll say. What am I supposed to talk about at this luncheon, my very wise campaign manager?”

“This is your first appearance as a candidate. You should introduce yourself and talk about your plans for the community as a whole. Since the Businesswomen of Pemberly are hosting the luncheon, emphasize your ideas that target the business sector. It lets them know you consider them a vital part of your plans.”

Katherine wrinkled her nose. “Do I have a speechwriter?”

“The best. You.”

“But—”

“You’ll be more comfortable using your own words. If you get stuck, use Gina. She’s a great storyteller. She’ll be an honest sounding board for you.” Abby tapped her pen against her lip. “And, she’ll be great at placating the reporters and fielding phone calls. She loves to organize and she can run interference, if necessary.”

“You make it sound like I haven’t been letting her reach her full potential.”

“Nothing like that. Campaigning for an election is the busiest, craziest, most intense thing you’ll ever do. Use the people you trust for as much of the work as you can. It’ll mean you won’t have to worry about the things they’re handling.”

“You’re eating this up, aren’t you?” She watched in awe as Abby ticked items off a long list she’d set on the table next to her plate.

“I separate myself from my dad’s campaigns, but I know what they’ve tried that worked and what didn’t.”

They finished their lunch and Abby wrangled a promise from her to send over a rough draft of the speech by tomorrow.

“I have court this afternoon,” Katherine said as they left the restaurant.

Abby stepped away, walking backwards toward her car. “Welcome to the big leagues. You can sleep
after
I get you elected.”

* * *

Katherine was stuck in a traffic jam. She rushed into court and took her place with her files open, ready to proceed without a minute left. She kept her eyes off Nick, but sensed the weight of his stare. She wouldn’t look. She wouldn’t look. No matter what, she wouldn’t look.

Ooh, she looked.

Their eyes met. He offered her a gentle smile. She snapped her gaze forward and didn’t turn his way again.

“Miss Harper, kind of you to make time for us when you’ve had such an otherwise busy day.” Was the judge glad she was entering the race or was that sarcasm?

“Your Honor, I would never let any political goals I might have interfere with my service to this court.”

“I know you won’t.” And he gave her a speaking look.

“Kat, you’re really going to go through with this?”

She glanced over at Nick. “I am. And it has nothing to do with you.”

“Listen, we need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.”

Thump. Thump. Thump
. “Counselors, I realize you’re now political adversaries outside my courtroom, but do I have to remind you we work
together
on the cases in front of us while we’re here?”

“Sorry, Your Honor,” they both mumbled.

As the hearing progressed, the mild level of tension between them grew until Katherine’s nerves were wound as tight as a spring. When the tap of the gavel marked the end of session, Nick blocked her path before she could escape.

“I have to talk to you.”

“No, you don’t.” She snatched up her briefcase and stepped around him.

“You can’t run from me forever,” he called to her retreating back.

* * *

By the time Katherine made it to her office, she couldn’t remember why she’d agreed to this lunacy. They hadn’t even started campaigning yet. She’d been going nonstop all day and still owed Abby a speech by tomorrow morning. Her head pounded in time with the thump of her heart, which was beating at a much faster pace, thanks to Nick and his threat.