MISTAKEN - The Complete First Season (31 page)

I
woke
up the next morning with a huge crick in my neck. I’d had to sleep on the couch when I got home the night before. Mel had locked our bedroom door and refused to open it when I returned home.

She was up now, though, banging dishes around the kitchen. I stood up and tried to stretch out my neck, turning it from side to side. I folded up the blanket I’d used and set it on the back of the couch, straightening up the sofa so no one would even notice it had been slept on the night before. I walked up to the bar that separated our kitchen from the rest of our tiny apartment and sat down on a bar stool. I watched as she slammed a can of coffee against the counter before opening it and measuring the grounds to put in the coffee maker.

She slammed the lid of the coffee maker and spun around, glaring at me. “You want coffee?”

I narrowed my own eyes to slits. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Her eyes widened, looking like they might pop right out of their sockets. “Wrong with me? Your dead fiancée shows up at dinner and there’s something wrong with
me
? What the hell is wrong with
you
?”

I let out a long sigh, softening my gaze at her. I supposed she really hadn’t had as much time to come to grips with everything, even though I’d told her. I’d told her how weird it was for me. It wasn’t that hard to remember how freaked out I’d felt myself when I’d first seen Daniel at the hotel in Osaka. “I’m sorry, Mel. I didn’t know he was just going to show up like that. But you didn’t have to tell him…”

Her lip curled up, her eyes hardening. “I wasn’t about to sit there and listen to that. To him. Christ, Jenna. I don’t know how you can deal with this. I wanted to go throw myself off the bridge last night. And where the hell were you? Not looking for me, that’s for sure.” She held her arms out in a sweeping gesture.

Shit, she was right. I’d been so pissed that she’d told him Brandon’s name, so afraid for myself and for Brandon that I hadn’t even thought about her. I’d only thought about him and what Daniel might do. I sucked my upper lip under my teeth, clasping my hands into my lap. “I’m so sorry, Mel. You’re right. I was freaked out, too. I was sure he was there to hurt me. To hurt Brandon.”

She rolled her eyes, turning her lip into another sneer. “Fuck Brandon. What has he done to make you want to protect him like this? Nothing that I can see. That guy’s as fucked up as the other one.”

I chewed on my lower lip. “I don’t know, Mel. I mean, he understands me. There’s just something…”

She turned back to her coffee, slamming her palm against the counter. “We both know how to pick ‘em, don’t we? I mean, we’ve both chosen guys over each other in the last little while.” Her head lowered, along with her voice. “And what do we have to show for it, huh? Threats, lies and black eyes? Guys aren’t worth it, Jenna. Not worth our friendship.”

I frowned, standing from my seat. I walked around the bar to pull her into an embrace. Her anger melted into quiet sobs and she cried against my shoulder for a long time, over much more than just our run-in with Daniel, I was sure of that. We still hadn’t talked about what had happened to her in Portland. It didn’t seem like we really needed words right then, though. I held her while she cried it out, rubbing her back. It was something we probably should have done right after it happened.

She finally pulled away, sniffling. “Fuck, I messed up my makeup. I need to get ready for work.”

I just nodded and she disappeared into the bathroom. I finished with the coffee maker and pushed the start button. I walked back around to take my seat at the bar when someone started knocking loudly on the door.

Mel poked her head around the corner from the hallway. I could see the fear swimming in her eyes. “I swear to God, Jenna, if it’s one of those guys, I will kill them myself.”

I pressed my lips together and walked to the door, praying it was anyone other than Daniel or Brandon. I cracked it open, checking to make sure it wasn’t either one of them—there was no way either of them were coming into the apartment with Mel in the state she was in. I pulled the door open when I saw who it was.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” My father walked through the doorway and turned to me, pecking a small kiss against my cheek.

“Morning, dad. What are you doing here?” I forced a small smile to my face before I stepped to the side to let him through.

A grin swept over his face. “What? A father can’t come to say good morning to his daughter?”

I cocked an eyebrow up, my mouth twisting around itself. “Not in my experience.”

He chuckled and walked into our tiny living room.

Mel poked her head back around the corner and walked out of the bathroom when she saw who was now in our apartment. She forced a smile to her own face. “Good morning, Senator Davis.”

He returned her smile. “Good morning, Melissa. You’re looking well.”

Her smile fell, and I was sure I was probably the only one who could have seen how slight the change was. “Um, thanks. I was just heading to work.” She turned to face me. “Text me later, okay?”

I nodded and Mel walked out the front door. I turned to face my dad. “So what brings you here, dad?” I motioned for him to take a seat on the couch. I took a seat in the chair across from the sofa.

He sat down on the couch and folded his hands into his lap. He squeezed on his fingers, then straightened his tie. “How are you, sweetheart?”

My brows furrowed into my eyes just a bit. “Fine. How are you?”

He straightened his tie again. “I’m well. Very well. Good. Good.”

I just nodded, my brows dipping further down my forehead. This was not the behavior I was used to from my father, who always seemed to have his shit so completely together.

“So you’re probably wondering why I’m here.” He fiddled with his tie again.

“I am, actually. Did I do something wrong again?” I frowned and ran my tongue along the outside of my teeth. All I needed right then was another lecture. The last thing I wanted to hear was something akin to how I was a disappointment. I already felt like enough of one without him harping on me.

His gaze snapped to mine. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”

I lifted my shoulders into a small shrug, my mouth turning down into a frown. “It just seems like that’s when you need to talk to me, that’s all.” I forced my lips to tug into a tiny smile. Maybe I wasn’t in trouble this time. “So what’s up?”

“Oh, well…” He fiddled with his tie. “First, I wanted to thank you for the work you’ve been doing for me in Iowa. I know it’s not always easy, but you’re making a difference. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you.” He let out a sigh. “I’m proud of you, Jenna. Really proud.”

I furrowed my brow again, considering his response. It didn’t make sense. There was no way he’d come all the way from D.C. to tell me he was proud of me. No way. I looked over at him, lifting my eyebrow. “Thanks.” It almost came out as a question.

He licked at his lips and forced his hands back to his lap. “So there are a couple of things I need to talk to you about today.”

I nodded, pressing my lips into a line. “I figured. What did I do?”

He shook his head, biting his lips. “Nothing, Jenna. Why do you keep asking that? Is there something you need to tell me?”

Shit. There was plenty I’d done over the past few weeks that wouldn’t reflect well on his campaign. The whole fake
Des Moines Register
interview came to mind, bringing a wave of heat over me that made me blush just thinking about it. I forced that same tiny smile to my lips. “I don’t think so. I hope not.”

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, before taking a calming breath. He looked back down at me. “I didn’t come here to scold you. Can we just get past that?”

I pressed my lips into a line and nodded. I forced another small smile. “I’m sorry. What brings you to San Fran this morning?”

His shoulders relaxed and he leaned back into the sofa. “As I said, I came to see you. I have a few things to discuss with you. Can we do that?”

I nodded. “Sure. Would you like some coffee before we get started?”

“Yes, that would be fine.” He watched me as I got up to get the coffee.

I returned a few moments later with a cup of black coffee for each of us. I set mine down on the small table next to my chair and waited to hear what he had to say.

He blew into his cup and took a tentative sip. He set the cup on the small coffee table in front of him. He leaned back and tented his fingers together. He let out a long, slow breath through his pursed lips.

I had no idea what it was that he needed to tell me that would make him so nervous. I was just glad that it didn’t seem to have anything to do with something I’d done.

H
e tapped his fingers together
, looking down at the pyramid he’d made with his hands. He finally looked up at me after a long moment. “First things first. Iowa has been fantastic. I’ve been ahead in the polls since you started campaigning there.” He gave me a weak smile.

That’s all you, Jenna.”

I nodded, returning his forced smile. “I’m glad I can help. It’s not as easy for me as it is for you.” I tried another fake smile, but had to pick up my coffee cup to hide the face I was sure I made.

“You’re a natural, Jenna. You can take classes to make the speeches easier. There are groups that help with stage fright. Toastmasters…”

I interrupted him. “It isn’t that I’m afraid, dad. I just don’t like it. It isn’t me.” I looked down into my coffee cup before taking another sip.

He licked at his lips. “That’s fair. I mean, I know you don’t have stage fright. I’ve been watching you perform since you were a little girl. I’ve been to every one of your recitals, every performance…”

I met his gaze, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “I know, dad. It means a lot.”

He let out a long sigh before continuing. “Which is why I called in a few favors with the conservatory to have your application considered for this year. I thought they'd let you in, for sure. I knew there was no guarantee…”

“You did that?” I sucked in a breath and I thought my heart might beat out of my chest. “You? You did that?”

He nodded, pressing his lips together. He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. “I know that’s where your heart is. I was sorry to hear that things didn’t go the way I expected.”

My gaze dropped to the floor. “I wasn’t prepared. If I’d had a few more days, I think…”

“I know.” He tried to meet my gaze. “I didn’t think they’d have you auditioning so soon. I guess I didn’t realize they were having the auditions so quickly. I thought you’d have more time.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, sweetheart. If you want, we’ll look for a different school. It doesn’t have to be San Francisco. There are any number of schools that would be thrilled to have you. I’ll make some calls this week.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want you to do that. I mean, I appreciate that you did it and everything, but I want to do it for myself. If I decide to do it, you know?”

His shoulders dropped. “I do know. It’s hard to let go. I just want to do what’s best for you. Sometimes I forget that you’re all grown up.”

I let out a sound through my nose, turning my gaze to the window behind him. “Hmph.”

His lips tugged into a smile. “I know. The thing with Will Howard. We didn’t think that through very well. It was an impulsive decision. A bad one. Krystal warned me…”

I held up my hand. I didn’t need to hear it. “I know. Don’t worry about it.”

He nodded, taking another sip from his coffee before continuing. “I actually need to talk to you about that, too, Jenna. There’s something I need to tell you before you hear it from someone else.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. I picked at my thumb nail and watched as my father picked imaginary lint from his pant leg.

His gaze remained firmly in his coffee mug, still sitting on the table in front of him. “I’m sure you’ve read things over the years, things about your mother and I.”

I bit at my bottom lip. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn’t sound like anything I wanted to know about, either.

“About a marriage of convenience.” He lifted his gaze to meet mine. “I’m not saying I don’t care about your mother. I do.”

I nodded, sucking my bottom lip farther into my mouth, trying to keep it from quivering.

“I’ve done things that are going to come to light very shortly.” He gulped at what I could only assume was a knot in his throat. “I haven’t been faithful to your mother.”

My stomach twisted into a knot. It wasn’t like this was surprising news, but it was a huge surprise that I was hearing it from him.

“The reason I’m telling you now, the only reason I’m even mentioning it, is because I’ve had some threats. Someone trying to blackmail me.”

I thought I might black out as my vision tunneled. My stomach dropped to my feet and I had to hold the arms of the chair to keep myself upright. I think my knuckles turned white from how hard I was gripping the chair. It had to be Brandon. Who else would it be? Wasn’t that what he did—blackmail people? My heart didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t have.

“Jenna, I’ve always been very discrete, but there are always people who see things. Maids, drivers, guards…” He gulped again. “It’s not the one night indiscretions that I’m being blackmailed over, though there have been plenty of them over the years.” He finally looked over at me and tried to catch my gaze. “Jenna, there was one woman in particular.”

I couldn’t look up from the floor, my eyes rooted to the spot where the carpet met the hardwood. It felt like I was in a tunnel and my head spun with the possibility of being betrayed by the man I had let myself fall in love with. How could Brandon have done this? And why had he needed to involve me? It wasn’t as though I knew anything about my dad’s affairs. I’d heard all the rumors, been teased about him in school. But I wasn’t his confidant. I didn’t know what he did outside of our house when I was growing up. Those things weren’t something that the child of a senator would know. My head felt like it was going to pop off my neck, not because of my father’s confession, but because of who I knew was blackmailing him.

“Jenna, this woman. I need you to know.”

I shook my head, finally lifting it to meet his gaze. “I don’t need to know any of this.” I didn’t want to know, either.

He nodded. “You do. People will ask you. And Jenna, this is important…”

I shook my head again. “What?”

“I’m fairly sure the person blackmailing me is not Krystal’s brother. We thought it might have been at first, but Krystal assures me that it’s not him. Not this time.”

My voice dropped to a whisper and my gaze went back down to the floor. “You’re sure?” It would be the best news I’d ever heard.

He nodded. “I’m sure. We thought at first it might have been, but we were wrong. It’s not him.”

I dropped my head into my hands and ran my fingers through my hair before sitting up to face my father. Thank God it wasn’t him. None of the rest of it even mattered. My dad could have slept with a million women and I wouldn’t have cared. I just didn’t want the person making him pay for it to be Brandon.

“I had a long affair with a woman. One woman in particular. I was in love with her, Jenna. It doesn’t make it okay, I know, but I want you to know that I loved her. My marriage to your mother was one of mutual convenience. Marrying into the Hennessey family was a political slam dunk. It still is.” He tilted his head to look into my eyes. “But I’m not going to do that to you again. I don’t want you to suffer the same fate that I did.” He shook his head. “Look, I’m not saying I don’t care about your mother. I’m just saying that I—of all people—should have known better than to try to put you into the same situation.” He leaned back, tenting his fingers again. “You’re just so much younger than I was. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time…”

My brow furrowed into my eyes. I tilted my head, questioning him without words.

“I just mean, I’m sorry for trying to get you to do something like that for my political benefit. When I married your mother, I did it with my eyes open, and it was for
my
own benefit. What I asked you to do, marry Will Howard, that was for me, too. And if you’re going to marry someone for political gain, it should be for your benefit, not for mine. Does that make sense?”

I shook my head. “Why don’t I marry someone I love and not marry anyone for political gain? Or just not get married at all?” I leaned back into my chair, looking at him, surprised at how easily I was standing up for myself. I lifted my shoulders into a shrug. “Is love even a legitimate reason to be with someone anymore?”

“Of course it is, Jenna. And if I could have married… her, the woman I was in love with, I would have. If things had been different, I would have. I regret some of the choices I’ve made, but I don’t regret falling in love with her.” He paused for a moment, his eyes clouded with memories. “And I did think about giving everything up for her. I would have, if things hadn’t happened the way they did.”

I let out a long sigh and shook my head. “I don’t need to know anything else about this. I don’t.”

He nodded. “I just want you to be prepared. There will be questions. There will be a lot of questions.”

I pursed my lips. “Fine. Are they going to ask me if I knew her?” I looked back over at him. “Did I know her?”

The color drained from his face and he pulled his tie away from his neck, twisting his head from side to side. “No. She died when you were a baby.”

I could see there was something he wasn’t telling me. But if the woman died when I was a baby, what difference did it make? “Then there’s really nothing I can tell anyone, is there?” I shrugged, picking up my coffee cup and taking another sip of the now lukewarm liquid.

He shook his head, his eyes turned down to the floor again. There was definitely still something there, something he couldn’t say. “We’re going to control the story as much as we can. Krystal is the master of this type of thing, getting in front of the news cycle.”

I nodded again and took another sip of the coffee, setting the cup back down on the side table. “What is it you want me to do?”

His lips pulled into a smile. “You just need to say ‘no comment’ when the press starts asking. We’re going to end the campaign in Iowa early. I think we’ve made enough of a splash there, made a dent in the polls. Things will go fine when we come back in four years. Getting in front of this story, getting it out in the way we want it to be told is my best shot at being elected in the next election. In six years, not in two.”

I chewed my lower lip before lifting my eyes to meet his. “Krystal mentioned that a few days ago. That you weren’t really campaigning for this election. I guess I understand why now.” My gaze dropped to the floor. “I don’t really want to be a part of this, dad.” My stomach turned at the thought of having to defend my father’s actions. Of having to choose his side over my mother’s.

He nodded. “I know. You don’t have to be. Your mother has agreed to be by my side when I do the interview in a few weeks. She’s not too happy about it, either. It’s…” He paused, seeming to look for the right words. “It’s difficult for her to face. She’s spent years standing by my side. It’s a difficult thing to ask your wife to do for you, whether it’s a marriage of convenience or not.” His lips turned down into a frown and he pulled his coffee cup up to them before thinking better of drinking the cold liquid. He set the cup back down.

I nodded, relieved that I wouldn’t have to be sitting on his other side, showing I supported him. I did, but I didn’t want to be on television telling people that. This whole thing was surreal.

“Now, there’s one more thing. And I promise this is the last thing for today.” He looked back in my direction, a fake smile planted on his lips.

I lifted my gaze to meet his again. “I don’t know if I can handle anything else.”

“This is a fun one. There’s a gala tonight. One of your mother’s charity things. I happen to be in need of a date.”

My gaze narrowed. “Why isn’t she going?”

He bit his bottom lip, darting his eyes back to a spot across the room. “She’s not exactly… thrilled. With me, not at the moment.” He forced a weak smile before looking at me again. “This event will have a lot of potential donors, important people. A lot of important people for you to meet, too.”

I ran my hands through my hair and leaned back into my chair. “I suppose I need a ball gown for this little shindig?”

He pursed his lips, nodding. “That would be the appropriate attire, I suppose.”

I rubbed at my temples. It wasn’t like I had any other plans for the evening, but the thought of being in a room filled with people was already giving me a headache. “My clothes are in Iowa.”

He nodded again. “I’ll have someone send them back here. In the meantime, I suppose you’ll need to go shopping.”