"Hum, they try to keep it to sports and guy topics."
"Makes sense. Do the four of you do anything other than Thanksgiving?" asked Harvey.
"They came for Ben's high school graduation. But not really. Even though we have never discussed it, I think it is harder for Greer and me to be all together than it is for Bennett and Taylor. Eleven years was a long time to be married. I know that Bennett would not have achieved all he did without her. She helped him attain his political goals. She was the wife I could never have been able to be then. She shined as a DC Senator's wife. I would have hated that, so I am grateful that he got that with her. But it's tough to be in the room with someone you know your spouse had a long-term intimate relationship with. Eww. This is not something I like to think about," replied Poppy.
"I get that. One last question, why do you think you would like being the Governor's wife if you were so sure you would not have liked being a Senator's wife?" asked Harvey.
"That is a question I have asked myself, actually. I hate that Bennett had to give up everything he had achieved for us eleven years ago to make our lives work, but he did. And, until recently, he has said he would do it all over again if he had to. I know he would, too. He would walk away from being Governor if I asked him. But, this time, it is my turn to make the change. He will be a great governor. It would be criminal to keep him from the opportunity to serve the people of Arkansas and equally wrong to deprive them of him.
As a teacher and artist, I can spotlight education and the arts. I am not Taylor, but I am not a poor man's second, either. She was there for her season. This is mine.”
"Sounds like you have grown more comfortable with the idea of Bennett running," replied Harvey.
"I have. Twelve years ago, I never saw myself ever stepping foot back into this state. The thought that a little over a decade removed from that, I might end up as its first lady is mind-boggling. Maybe sharing all this with you has helped me process through how wegot here. It has been a long and winding road, but we made it," said Poppy.
"I think that is all I need unless you have anything else you want to share," said Harvey as he began packing his supplies.
"No, I have shared our dirty laundry and aired our family secrets. I ask that you be kind with our love stories, Bennett and mine, as well as Taylor and Greer's. Our lives have not been perfect. We are all doing the best we can. Just remember that when you write your article."
“I promise,” said Harvey. “The article should be out in two weeks. When do you think Bennett will make it known he is planning on running for office again?”
Poppy gave him a look. “I am not sure. This has caught all of us off guard. Since you work with Jameson Williams, I am sure you are much more familiar with how all of this works. Right now, we are supposed to be in the preliminary stages of getting his name and our story out there. Bennett can’t officially announce until this Presidential election is over. There are a lot of assumptions being made about who will win and possible appointments that will lead to a special Governor election should one of those appointments be our current Governor. All of that is still up in the air. Who knows what will happen in the next few months? In some ways, knowing all our secrets will all be out there is freeing. In other ways, it is scary as hell.”
“I get that, and again, remember I work for you guys. I will make sure this article makes the best of what was a complicated situation for all of you. Since you don’t know when Bennett will be able to announce, what is next for the two of you?” asked Harvey.
“I asked Bennett that same question last night. He said we had to begin building a war chest to fund the campaign through small fundraisers and events. Also, we are both very involved with getting ready for the upcoming solar eclipse expected in April. Weboth help with Beats and Eats, a local community project that brings the whole community together several times a year. They are planning a huge event for that,” replied Poppy. “What about you?” she asked. “What is next after writing this article about us?”
“Funny you should mention the solar eclipse. I have already been working on several pieces about it and will be at that event. Hopefully, I will see you both there,” replied Harvey. With that, he gathered his things and headed to the door.
“Yes, that would be great. There are going to be several food trucks there that day. Let’s make sure to meet up.”
“Sounds good. I will send you a copy of the article once it is done. Thanks again for everything.” With that, Harvey Cox gave a wave and left.
Epilogue
Capitol Steps
Little Rock, Arkansas
January 7, 2026
Harvey Cox stood off to the side, behind the news crews and the reporters from all the local and surrounding areas. From his vantage point, he could plainly see the smiling faces of the Carrington clan as he had come to think of them. It was Bennett’s inauguration day for Governor. He was joined on the Capitol steps by his family, Poppy, Ben, Ella, baby John, Lizzy, and Lola, along with Taylor, Greer, and Rosie. They all stood next to him as he took the oath of office.
Harvey felt a sense of pride that he had played a significant role in helping Carrington win the election. It was his article, after all, that had successfully relaunched Carrington back into the political arena. Just as he had told Poppy, it took him two weeks to write the article. He honored his promise to be kind to their stories. It appeared in the January 2024 edition ofArkansas Now,a glossy high-end magazine that profiled up-and-comers around the state. EntitledPolitically Incorrect Affairs of the Heart, it recounted the love stories of Bennett, Poppy, Taylor, and Greer in such a way that left the reader cheering for them all. Harvey beautifully wove thefamily connection between Taylor and Poppy into their story. He also handled the issue of why Bennett stepped away so quickly ten years before by explaining that family always comes first. He illustrated their commitment to protecting each other in every situation. He glossed over how young Poppy was when she and Bennett first fell in love, focusing instead on how mature they handled themselves and how committed they had been to their careers. If one did not read carefully enough, one might walk away from the article thinking they separated all those years before because they were pursuing different goals.
At the end of the day, it was a marketing piece, and it did its job. Harvey would be the first to admit that he whitewashed their stories. He had purposely left out some of the more shocking parts, choosing to focus more on them as people and the depth of their love for each other.
He had no guilt about what he had written. It was all true. They were all lovely people, and he wished only good things for them. After all, they had been through, they deserved it. They had found a way forward out of a situation that had threatened to destroy them all. They weathered the storm of their making and came out the other side a strong, loving family. And the rest of it, well, he supposed, those pieces could remain forever, their buried dirty little secrets.
January 1, 2025
Dear Reader,
Now that you have read the book, I wonder if you have figured out that there actually aren’t any secrets in Searcy. Even when you believe you have buried it, someone knows. Usually, that someone is me. I am The Secrets Keeper. The key to surviving the dirtiest of secrets in our small town is managing control of them. They are their own sort of currency here, and the juicer they are, the more power and value they hold. I learned the hard way, many years ago, how to be a master player in this game. After years of holding many of the secrets shared in this book, I think it is only fitting that I let you in on the biggest secret of all. In case you have not put it all together yet, it was me who orchestrated these two love affairs.
As you know, Greer is my great-nephew. What you might not know is that his mother was my favorite niece, Rachelle. When she died, I promised to be there for him. I never thought his first wife was a good fit. She was a lovely girl, but she was so needy. Plus, I could plainly see that Greer was more in love with medicine than with her. That marriage was doomed. Once it ended, I began looking for just the right woman for him.
I found her in Taylor. The only problem was Taylor was already married to Bennett. A more sad, boring marriage than the world has ever seen. It was a shame, really. Both young people were from such nice families. They should have been perfect for each other. But, one needed to only spend a few minutes with them to sense how miserable they both were. In the South, being miserable is not a good enough reason to divorce. No, we need a little more. A long-lost love child was the game changer.
