“But they could be,” Ben urged, and for a moment I forgot everything between us and just watched him, admiring his passion. He put his hands flat on the table and leaned in, his eyes bright behind his glasses. “We could launch a big campaign to rally the youth vote. Get them yelling,marching, if they’ll do it. A sit-in at the capitol.”
“It’s a good idea,” Dakota said, looking at Ben kindly. “Even a noble one. But it won’t work.”
Ben’s face fell. “But—”
“Roy McBuck doesn’t care how much noise college students make when he knows they’ll be silent come November.”
“I’ve got a way,” I said quietly.
Everyone’s heads turned. Ben, though he’d just been shot down, looked at me hopefully.
“The governor can persuade Janus and Wayne to give us their votes back. They made commitments to us. It’s what their constituents want. They’re swayable. Our biggest hurdle is still McBuck. And yes, campaign money is seductive. But nothing—nothing—trumps the will of the people. In his heart, McBuck knows that. I bet he felt free to take Slittery’s money because he knew at the end of the day, we hadn’t won over his district yet. So, let’s win it.”
“How?” Wendy asked.
I was loath to admit it, but my plan involved a little thing called compromise. The very same thing I’d once told Ben was the death of politics.
I looked at Dakota. “You worked your ass off for decades, and now we’re about to roll out one of the most in-demand new motors in automotive history. You and I both know we need a new manufacturing center to meet the demand for the Herschel. Let’s put it in McBuck’s district. That will create thousands of high-paying jobs.”
I glanced at Ben, and was buoyed by the excitement on his face. “Mendax Oil employees don’t like working there anyway. We saw it firsthand. Give them an alternative, and even better—a sense of pride and mission—and they’ll support us. I really believe it. They’ll make their voices heard with Senator McBuck.”
Ben nodded eagerly. “She’s right. If we can offer a solution to address job loss, I bet you anything they’d side with us.”
Wendy looked thoughtful. “It’s got promise, actually. We were just about to start the conversation about where to put the new center, and Hudson County was on the list.”
Dakota walked out from behind the chair. “I’m sorry, Lee, but no.”
“No?” Ben repeated.
I could do nothing but blink. Dakota had never dismissed me like this, in all the years I’d worked for her.
She sighed, and when she spoke, she avoided my eyes. “I’m tired of playing politics. I don’t want to gamble anymore. We want to pass this bill, and there’s an easy, straightforward solution.”
“Which is?” I asked.
Even Wendy leaned in for the answer.
Dakota straightened. “Slittery’s not the only one with money to spend on campaign donations. I’ll simply give Janus, Wayne and McBuck a bigger check. Boom. Easy. We win.”
“You can’t do that,” I burst out, stopping myself at the last minute from leaping out of my seat. “That’s not who we are. We don’t buy votes. Paying for the Green Machine bill would be enabling the worst part of politics. It would open us up to attack from our opponents, who will say we just paid to have our way. And they’ll beright. It’s our burden to convince people if we want to change the law.”
Dakota shook her head. “It’s not pay-to-play. Lise Motors has no government contracts on the line. I’ve vetted it with Legal.”
“Look, you know I’m a pragmatist at heart,” Ben said. “Bottom line, I care about winning. But I’m with Lee on this one. Using money like this may not be illegal, but it’s dirty. It’s not the right approach. Was this the governor’s idea?”
“It doesn’t matter whose idea it was,” Dakota said curtly. “I’m sorry you two feel this way, because I know this was your baby, but it’s how it’s going to go. We tried it the hard way and we got close—you did a remarkable job—but we couldn’t bring it home. I’ll bring it home. It’s too important to gamble on.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. First the affair, now this? WhowasDakota anymore? Where was my idol, the woman I trusted?
Dakota could probably tell it was time to cut and run, because Ben was sitting there with a stunned expression, and God only knew what my face looked like. Even Wendy looked taken aback.
Turning sharp on her heel, Dakota strode to the door. Just before she left, she paused and looked at me over her shoulder. Her eyes were soft. “I know you don’t approve, Lee. And I really wish—” She cleared her throat. “You have to accept that not everything in the world is cut-and-dried, good or bad, right or wrong. Sometimes you have to deal in the gray. I hope you understand my decision one day.”
With that, Dakota left, leaving Wendy to scramble after her.
Did she just tellmethe world was gray? You’ve got to be kidding me.
It was hard to breathe. In a short matter of time, I’d lost my relationships with Dakota, Ben and Alexis—and now I’d lost my dream. The thing I cared about most in the world. My bill.
