“Nothing surfaced on my research dives. I’ll see if Summer can learn anything new.”
“But I earned my position. I’ve worked hard,” Ashley said. “Charles wouldn’t be that petty.”
“Look at this photo. He’s puffed up with his righteous fury. If a man is pushed hard enough, he’ll revert to caveman behavior.”
“But he’s standing for a seat now. He’s polling well, and I’m confident he’ll win his seat for Labor.”
“But he’s not the leader of the opposition,” Josh pointed out then hesitated. He should question her about the accident details Summer had unearthed, yet he hated to pierce her excitement with his nosy questions. No, better a pissed alive fiancée than one attacked by a stalker. “Summer found something else. The accident where the girl died.”
Every bit of color fled her cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around her torso before slumping. She sucked in a hoarse breath and struggled for composure, leaving Josh feeling like a bastard for putting her through this pain.
“Ashley?”
“No, you’re right to ask. Matt suggested I should tell you, make sure you had the facts, but it was a dark time in my life. Occasionally, I still have nightmares of that night, wondering if I’d done something differently, it might have changed the outcome.”
A flight attendant approached, offering them a hot drink and a cookie. They both declined and waited for the attendant to move out of hearing.
“W-when I was eighteen, I attended a party with my friend. It was when we lived in Onewhero on the farm. Jess Harrison, my friend, was older and had a full driving license. I could drive but held a restricted license, which meant I couldn’t drive after ten at night without a licensed driver in the car with me. My friend had broken up with her boyfriend, and he was there with his new girl. Jess drank and drank and created a drunken scene. She punched Allen’s new girlfriend in the face. With the help of two other friends, I got Jess into the car. I’d had two glasses of wine, but my friends told me I was fine to drive safely.”
Josh nodded in encouragement. He recalled the rules for holding a restricted license because they’d chafed him and his friends. Zero alcohol and no driving after ten at a time when they were testing the freedom of being eighteen and legally allowed to drink under New Zealand law.
“The friends who helped me with Jess told me we were in the country, and they doubted cops would pull me over on the short drive home to Jess’s house.” She paused and swiped at her eyes before scrambling for her handbag. She pulled out a travel-size pack of tissues and used one to blot away her tears. “I knew the roads well and wasn’t speeding. I drove at the legal speed because it was a clear night with a full moon.
“Jess started ripping off her seatbelt and insisting on returning to the party. She wanted to confront Allen again, demand he gave her another chance. I took my eyes off the road for a few seconds. When I looked back at the road, there was an animal on the road. A d-dog. I swerved. I know you’re not meant to. It was instinct. I hit the dog and ran off the road into a tree. Jess ended up tossed from the car. I was okay because of the seatbelt and the airbag. Jess died.”
Josh wrapped his hand around Ashley’s, and she burrowed against his chest.
“Is everything okay, sir?” the flight attendant asked.
“Thanks, we’re fine.” Josh waited until they were alone again. “What happened after the accident?”
“They charged me with manslaughter and I lost my license for two years. Because of the circumstances, I received community service. I was lucky. I know that. Jess died because of me. She was pregnant. I didn’t know. She never told me.”
Josh didn’t agree with Ashley taking the full blame, but he let the murky circumstances and what-ifs slide. “What about Jess’s family? How did they cope with her death? Did they blame you?”
“They knew she’d been drinking. Allen told the cops Jess had attacked his girlfriend, and the friends who helped me confirmed she’d been wearing a seatbelt when we left. One of them had clicked it into place. Her parents acted cool toward me, but they never blamed me outright. At least, they never spread rumors or chided me to my face.”
“Did she have brothers or sisters?”
“Two younger siblings. One brother and one sister. After Jess died, things fell apart for the family. Jess’s parents separated. I haven’t seen any of the family for years. I doubt I’d recognize them if I saw them.”
“Does the father still own the same farm?”
“I’m not sure. I moved in with my grandmother because I was at university in Auckland, and it was easier living with her since it was closer and I could catch the train. My sister married and moved up North while Matt joined the army. None of us were interested in the farm, so my parents sold up and moved to Tuakau. They love their new place. They have a few acres, yet they’re closer to the city if they want to go to a show or a special event.”
“Okay,” Josh said. “I’ll check out this Charles and look into Jess’s family.”
“Jess’s death upset them. I know that, but I don’t think they’d do this all these years later. That makes no sense.”
“Don’t worry. Concentrate on your campaign.”
A shudder ran through Ashley. “I hope this doesn’t get dredged up in the press again. I mourn Jess’s loss every single day. If I had my time over, I’d do things differently. I haven’t touched alcohol since that night, and I’m a conscientious driver. When I first started in politics, I told my advisor about this part of my life, and he suggested—if the press ever asked questions—I should tell the truth. The subject hasn’t come up once.”
“It might now that you’re the opposition leader,” Josh said.
“Yes, I guess I should prepare my answer if anyone asks.”
“Sweetheart, tell them what you’ve told me. That you regret the accident and it caused you to change your life. Say you took the punishment the courts set, and ever since, you’ve tried to live a good life. Most of us have mistakes in our background. It’s how we deal with consequences that help us to grow as an adult.”
