Capital Lies (Their First Lady Book 3) Page 6

  “Yeah, come in. I’ll take you to her.” Her voice softened ever so slightly.

  She moved aside and opened the door wider. Preston went right in without even introducing me. So, I took it upon myself, sticking my hand out to shake hers and she accepted. I opened my mouth to say hello, but she beat me to it.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. James,” she said, politely.

  “Call me Tessa,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you, Jolene. I’m sorry it isn’t under different circumstances.”

  “You and me both. Come on in.” She waved her hand, gesturing for me hurry.

  I took a tentative step inside and tried to take in my surroundings in the picturesque house, but the expression on Preston’s face said I’d better hurry up.

  The wooden floors creaked under our feet with character and age, and the air-conditioned coolness was a welcomed relief as Jolene led us to Libby.

  She lowered her voice as she spoke to us. “She’s in the living room watching TV and playing with her ponies. I’ve been trying to get her to keep busy with all the things she likes. I think that’s helping some.”

  “That’s good,” Preston said, but then looked to me like he was wondering if this was going to be okay.

  I nodded and he seemed to relax just a bit.

  “Here we are.”

  Libby sat on the floor of the mostly white and pink living room. The coffee table in front of her was littered with plastic My Little Ponies of varying shades. She had one in her hand that she was making gallop, mimicking what the same pony was doing on TV.

  “Libby,” Jolene called, “someone is here to see you, baby.”

  She finally looked up from her playing and noticed us. Her eyes were a captivating blue that I’d only ever seen in Preston’s. Her hair was long, light brown, and shined in that bright way only little girls seemed to be able to have.

  He was right. She was beautiful, and she lit up the room.

  We edged into the room and Libby smiled at us both, but as Preston moved closer, she watched him curiously out of the corner of her eye.

  Preston smiled again, or still because he never stopped, and Libby smiled back, matching the brightness.

  “Hi,” he said in a gentle tone as he lowered himself down on his knees to get next to her.

  “Hi,” Libby replied.

  I moved in a little closer because I wanted to see, but then thought better of it and tried to give them some space by standing next to Jolene. She watched them carefully like a mama bear, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. Libby was her girl, and I’m sure Annabelle was too. This exchange meant as much to her as it did to Preston.

  “Do you know who I am?” he asked tentatively. His voice sounded gentle and quiet, but I could hear the worry escape, if only for a second.

  I held my breath for the answer, but I didn’t need to. Libby nodded, a few strands of her long hair sliding into her face.

  “Mommy told me who you are. She showed me your pictures and letters.”

  Preston smiled. Tears welled in his eyes. I felt them in mine, and a quick glance showed me that even Jolene wasn’t spared in that moment.

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you and your mom, but that all changes now.”

  Libby’s eyes brimmed with tears, but I wasn’t sure if it was because she missed her mom and was happy to have a dad or a combination of both.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Libby, I want you to meet my friend, Tessa.”

  I moved closer to where they sat on the floor and extended my hand out to Libby to give her a proper greeting. She shifted forward awkwardly to meet my handshake. As she did, I noticed that Libby was an amputee, from the knee down on her left leg. Other things came into focus then, like Libby’s prosthetic on the couch behind her.

  I climbed down to the floor like Preston did, but on the other side of her.

  “So,” I said, picking up on of her ponies, “which one is your favorite?”

  “Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She answered without hesitation. Libby was a girl who knew what she liked.

  “Oh, I can see that.” I dramatically squinted my eyes at her. “You look like you’re the Princess of Friendship.”

  Libby’s eyes widened. “You know who that is?”

  “Yes, of course. I know a lot about the ponies, but I’m guessing you know far more than I do.”

  “Well, you have to watch the show and read the books. A lot of my friends don’t read the books and that’s how I know so much more than them because I read the books.”

  My heart melted for her. “I love to read. I’ll have to borrow a couple of your books. That is, if you’ll let me.”

  “Mommy always said to share with others, so I don’t mind sharing with you.”

  I glanced at Preston, but he was just staring at Libby in utter amazement.

  “Your mom was right. It’s a wonderful thing to share.”

  “Who is your favorite?” Libby asked.

  “Hmm.” I tapped a finger on my chin. “Rainbow Dash. I wish I could be that fast. I’d be able to clean my whole apartment, just whoosh and done.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jolene slowly backing out of the room. Her trust in us meant a lot. I hoped Preston felt the same way. I worried about overstepping when he was trying to bond with her for the first time, but he seemed too in awe to say anything else quite yet. So, I carried on the conversation.

  “How do you know so much stuff about my ponies?” Libby nudged her Rainbow Dash figure toward me, and I happily accepted. Carefully, I brushed my fingers through the toy’s rainbow-colored hair.

  “Because when I’m at the children’s hospital I get to play with them all the time.”

  “You go to the children’s hospital?” Libby smiled, undoubtedly thinking of her local hospital. “Are you a doctor?”

  “No,” I laughed. “I’m a teacher.”

  Libby’s eyes got even brighter. “My mom’s a teacher.”

  I was at a loss for words at that, but thankfully Preston wasn’t.

  “Yes, she was. And a really good one. I know you’ll be using the things she taught you for the rest of your life.”

  Libby seemed to think about that for a minute. “I hope so.”

  Libby yawned and stretched out her arms.

  “That means it’s time for a nap, Miss Libby,” Jolene said.

  “I’m too old to nap,” she complained.

  “Maybe so,” Jolene said. “But when you start getting at least a full ten hours each night, you won’t have to.”

  Without another complaint, Libby expertly attached her prosthetic and pushed up from the floor. Preston offered her a hand, but she didn’t need it.

  Just as she got to the archway leading from the living room out into the hall Libby stopped and turned back around.

  “Will you be here when I wake up?”

  “Of course.” Preston cleared his throat in an attempt to mask the emotion. “Of course, I’ll be here. Get some rest.”

  Libby smiled and nodded.

  Preston and I both collapsed onto the couch.

  “Do you think it went okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I do.” I patted his hand.

  “This is . . . surreal. I can’t thank you enough for being here with me.”

  I smiled. “Circumstances aside, I’m happy to be here.”

  Jolene came back, and any pleasantries went out the window. That fierce and angry look reappeared and she had wrath aimed directly at Preston.

  “What the hell took you so long to get here?”

  Preston and I shared confused glances.

  “You told Secret Service we weren’t to come until now because she had a doctor’s appointment,” Preston answered. “Did I misunderstand?”

  “No, not time of day. Why did it take you so long after Annabelle passed? Why now?”

  Preston shoved up from the couch as I sat and watched him, his body language tensing.

  “What do you mean ‘s
o long’? I found out last night and got on a plane not even two hours later.”

  Jolene’s eyes widened. “I’ve left messages with your family day after day, Preston. We don’t have the private number to the future vice president. Just the secret unregistered PO Box,” she snapped. “So, I called your family. We didn’t have time. A letter wouldn’t do. When Annabelle started . . . when she started to decline, she asked for you.”

  Preston clenched his fists and his jaw. I’d never seen his blue eyes look so much like steel. “When?” The word came out as a snarl.

  Jolene looked down and softened her voice. She’d been on the attack before, but she realized at the same time I did that his parents had intervened for a final time. “Two weeks ago,” she said softly. “We already had a service for her, and she’s been cremated.”

  “Two weeks?” I breathed. I didn’t mean to speak. It wasn’t my place. But shock and anger overtook my rational side. “Your family knew for two fucking weeks, and they decided to tell you on Christmas?”

  Preston didn’t answer. I could hear him breathing through his nose, trying to calm down. He was seething. He was hurting.

  “Tell me,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Jolene’s eyes looked thoughtful and hesitant. Knowing he wasn’t a jerk that just didn’t show up changed her demeanor. She saw him as I saw him now. Breaking apart. “She was sick for a while. A couple of years ago they found it. But she had it removed, and she did chemo and radiation. Her scans looked good. She was feeling good, back at work. Everything was going fine. Then suddenly it wasn’t. It was like the cancer never went away. Like it was hiding. When she got checked out, the scan lit up like a Christmas tree. It was awful. They tried to treat it aggressively, but it wasn’t making a difference. She said she wanted to stop the treatments. Live her final days at home with Libby.”

  Preston fell back into a seated position on the couch. He was dumbfounded. “I cannot believe all this was happening and I didn’t know. How could I not know? How could she not tell me for two years?” His voice broke. I ran my hand along his back trying to offer some form of comfort.

  “She didn’t want anyone worrying over what could be nothing. Worrying wasn’t going to make the cancer go away. Neither was money. She was firm in keeping that between us. When it came back, things were different. I think she had hope, but it wasn’t the same as the time before. When you didn’t come, she wrote you a letter. Told me to give it to you when you did.”

  Jolene vanished out of the room and then reappeared just a few seconds later.

  “Here.” She handed him a stack of documents in manila folders. “This is all the legal custody paperwork, her will, the trust—everything. She’s left letters for Libby to open every birthday and Christmas, and other milestones for years to come. She thought of everything. You know how she was a planner.” Jolene’s rough exterior final cracked and a few tears escaped.

  And I was right there with her. I knew what it was like to lose someone to cancer. I knew that rollercoaster of ups and downs that were to come, the anger, the sadness, the overwhelming loss. Libby had all of that ahead of her.

  “I wasn’t sure if Annabelle had told her who I was. I know she knew of me. But I wasn’t sure if she would know my face,” Preston admitted.

  “Of course, she did. She’s grown up knowing your face through pictures and stories. She’s grown up knowing it’s a secret too. Annabelle felt it was better to teach her early, but that we’d also teach her the lie. It was a double-edged sword, no matter how you looked at it. It was better than never knowing and finding out later, having been lied to by those she trusted. Turns out she made the right call on that one. You don’t know how lucky you are that little girl is yours.” Jolene teared up again. Libby was clearly her world. “She’s an angel, that kid. I lost my best friend and she lost her mother, but she’s been comforting me. I’m going to miss her more than you know.”

  “You won’t have to miss her,” I said, at the same time Preston said, “You’re coming with us.”

  “What?” Jolene asked, looking between the two of us with confusion.

  “Annabelle always said you were a godsend to her. She always knew she’d be okay because you were in her life. She said that from day one. You are like a second mother to Libby. I’m not here to hurt either of you, or to make you suffer more than you already are. You are both coming with me. Libby needs you. I need you.”

  Jolene shifted her weight from one foot to another and looked at him with skepticism. “Really?”

  “Really. I was making arrangements for you both to go back to D.C. with us. Not just Libby.”

  After silence stretched between us, I finally spoke up. “Jolene, are you okay with that?”

  She snapped out of it, shaking her head. “Yes, yes of course. I’d follow her to the ends of the earth.”

  “You need to pack anything you’ll want for the immediate trip. Whatever it is, bring it. I want you both to be comfortable. I’ll handle the rest. I don’t want you to worry about anything. Whatever you don’t bring will be boxed up and shipped. But bring whatever you both need.”

  “I can do that,” she said, giving him a firm nod and a small appreciative smile. “Thank you, Preston. She means the world to me. I can’t imagine my life without her.” Jolene started picking up toys and things in the living room.

  “Would it be okay if we stayed for the rest of the day? I mean until Libby goes to bed for the night.” Preston asked.

  Jolene scoffed. “You’d better.”

  “Do you think she’d be all right with me tucking her in and reading her a bedtime story?” Preston’s voice was filled with so much hope, but so much doubt.

  Jolene smiled. “I think Libby would like that.”

  Preston gave a little sigh of relief. “Thank you, Jolene. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. But I am now.”

  She sighed. “Your family is a piece of work, Preston. There’s no doubt about it. And you’re right. You’re here now. That’s all that matters,” she said, turning to walk into the kitchen. She stopped short and added, “That reminds me. I sent you a letter to that PO Box when you didn’t show up. Best you don’t read it.”

  Chapter 8

  By the time we got back to the suite, it was safe to say we were both emotionally and physically exhausted.

  Libby seemed to be just as enamored with Preston as he was with her. They had a tea party after her nap that I was graciously invited to as well. They played soccer just before dinner, and Preston instinctively cut her chicken as he sat next to her.

  It was all very sweet and surprisingly natural. Even Jolene seemed to relax more as the evening went on, trusting Preston and me to be alone with Libby as she packed.

  The reunion couldn’t have gone better, all things considered. There were hints of hesitation, of course, but it was mostly acceptance and love.

  I walked straight to my bedroom and flopped onto the large, puffy bed. To my surprise, Preston followed after me.

  He hesitated at the foot of the bed, but when I shifted over to make some room for him, he collapsed onto the bed as well. We were careful to leave plenty of space between us, but I felt the connection between us.

  “That was . . . hard. Being around grief just makes you think of your own, you know? I don’t want to make this about me, not at all, but it’s hard to not think of Luciana.”

  “I wondered about that. I was worried it’d be hard for you. As always, you handled it with poise and grace. I can’t imagine what it was like for you to lose her.”

  “Thanks, Preston. Just you saying that . . . it helps.”

  “Is it weird that I can feel so happy and so sad at the same time? I’d give my own life to have Annabelle back, just so Libby wouldn’t have to know this pain, but I can’t do that. And despite what has happened, I’m happy I get to live with her and experience her life.”

  I stared up at the stark white ceiling and ran my hand across the smooth covers of the bed.

 
“No, it’s not weird. I have an overwhelming feeling of guilt, and I imagine that’s what you have.”

  “Why are you feeling guilt?” he asked incredulously.

  “Because I am happy to know her. That she gets to be a part of your life, and mine by proxy. And it’s a horrible reason why, but I can’t stop feeling thankful to have met her,” I whispered. I hated the admission.

  Preston reached across the space between us and placed his hand on top of mine. I squeezed back for a second before letting go. I had to let go. It felt too good not to.

  “You once said you wanted to go into biomechanical engineering and orthopedics. Now I understand why.”

  A comfortable silence between us followed where I wasn’t sure if Preston fell asleep.

  “I almost threw away the whole deal when Libby was born, but Annabelle made me promise not to. She was already going to have a hard life with her disability. She didn’t need to have the press and tabloids writing about her family tree as well, thrusting her into the public spotlight.”

  I rolled to my side to face Preston. “You’re already a good father. You’ve been protecting her since before she born. You’ve put her before yourself every time.”

  He reached into his pocket and took out the folded-up letter from Annabelle. “I doubt she feels the same way.”

  I sat up a little. “You haven’t read it yet?”

  He sighed and turned the letter over and over again in his hands. “I want to, believe me. I just can’t.”

  Preston looked from me, to the letter, and back again before handing it over. I reached for it and then hesitated. It wasn’t my letter to read, no matter how badly I wanted to know what it said.

  “I can’t.”

  “You have to. Please. Just . . . read it to me.”

  I nodded and accepted the paper. With careful fingers, I opened the trifold and read.

  Preston,

  It’s okay. I know why you didn’t come. I know your family all too well.

  I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Please don’t be angry with me. I know you. I know what you’d do. You’d come charging through Tennessee with your temper and your chivalry, thinking you could save me. I’d hoped to tell you everything. I’d hoped to confess it all but give you the news that I was in remission again. Alas, fate has a different path for me. By the time it came back, it was too fast. And then it was simply too late. I never wanted to hurt you. I hope you can forgive me.