"Interest? What kind of interest?" asked Greer, struggling to see how Bennett's case had anything to do with them.
"Interest from Jameson Williams.” He said this, looking directly at Taylor. If anyone in the room would get that, it would be her.
"Jameson Williams, as in the political fat cat committee chairman, Jameson Williams?" Taylor asked.
Bennett nodded.
"Why is he interested in you? I mean, you are not a politician anymore." Looking at him, it clicked. She knew that look. The look he only got when he was about to start a new campaign. "Oh no, you are not thinking about running again, are you? I thought all of that was behind you. Behind all of us." The look of fear on Taylor's face was almost enough to make him back out before he even told her everything. Almost, but not entirely.
"I did. I have, but with the win and the changes in the world, Jameson thinks I could make a run for the governorship and win."
"Who the hell is Jameson? And why the hell are we even discussing this?" Greer bellowed. "We are all not going through that again. Once was enough for a lifetime."
"I thought so, too, until a few days ago. But after talking to Jameson, I think I have a real shot at this thing," replied Bennett.
"But how? The minute you announce, reporters will be all over it again," replied Taylor. A decade as a politician's wife had taught her all she needed to know about the media and how the game was played.
"Jameson has a plan for that," replied Bennett. Very quickly and succinctly, he recounted to them basically what he had explained to Poppy the night before. He detailed how they would control the narrative by doing a story for a local glossy magazine. It would be a story of family, love, and acceptance."
He rattled on for almost ten minutes, and no one said anything. He closed by telling them that Poppy had already agreed. So, it was ultimately up to Ben and Taylor. He again promised that he would not pursue the opportunity if they said no. By the time Bennett finished, everyone at the table sat expressionless and bewildered. None of them ever expected this issue to come roaring back to life.To have it done so quickly and so unexpectedly was almost too much to take in.
"Well," said Bennett, running his hands through his hair frustratedly, "somebody say something."
Ben was the first to speak. Getting up and going over to his father, he hugged him and said, "Dad, there is not a better man in the whole state better suited to be the next governor. If Mom is good with it, I am good with it. Ella and I totally support you. Right, Ella?" Ben asked, turning toward his girlfriend.
Nodding, Ella enthusiastically responded, "Yes, of course. I support whatever Ben feels comfortable with." Honestly, Ella was not so sure she completely understood all the ramifications of Ben's dad making a run for office or how Ben and her issues might play into that. But Ben had her back from the day she showed up at his apartment, overcome with morning sickness and fear. From the get-go, he had supported her, so if this was something he was good with, so was she.
The look of relief and joy that covered Bennett's face was palatable.
Looking over at Taylor, he said, "That just leaves you. Can you do this? I know it will require you to share things you would rather forget. If you say no, I won't do it."
Without missing a beat, Greer said, "That's easy. The answer is no."
Everyone turned and stared at him.
"What? There is no way I am letting you and Rosie go through all of that again just so this pretty boy Ken doll can have another shot at ruling the world," replied Greer, looking directly at Taylor.
"Greer!" snapped Taylor. "Apologize right now." It was the first time in a decade that Greer had referred to Bennett as a pretty boy Ken doll. It went down now, about as well as it had back then.
"Pretty boy Ken doll? Really, we are back to that?" quipped Bennett, giving Greer a sneer. "With all due respect, this is not yourdecision. It is Taylor's. This is her story. I want to hear what she has to say."
Without missing a beat, Greer replied, "Trust me. Her answer is no. And as for me calling you a pretty boy, that is what you are when you start pulling crap like this that only benefits you and puts the people I love most in the world at risk. Only a self-absorbed, petty asshole would do that. Wasn't going through that once enough?" asked Greer. Then, looking over to Taylor, he said, "Let's give Rosie a goodnight kiss and get out of here before I say or do something that you will really regret."
Sighing deeply, Taylor nodded. Reaching to touch his arm, she said, "Fine, we will go, but please calm down. We will talk about this in the car."
Shaking his head, Greer responded, "Already talked about it. Discussion is closed." With that, he stood up and headed out of the room. He only paused long enough to turn back and address the others in the room independently. "Poppy, dinner was wonderful. Thank you for a delicious meal. Ben, it was great to see you again. Good luck this last semester. Ella, it was nice to meet you." Looking directly at Bennett, he added coolly, "Hear me clearly, there is no way that I am going to let Taylor do this. Not now. Not ever." Then he left the room, yelling for Rosie.
Shaking her head from equal parts embarrassment from how rudely Greer acted and shock that this situation was back at the forefront of her life, Taylor said, "I am sorry. He does not handle surprises well. And he is very protective of Rosie and me. Let me talk to him. I will text you if anything changes." With that, Taylor got up, hugged everyone, thanked them for the dinner, and left to say goodnight to Rosie.
On the ride to Edna’s, both Greer and Taylor were very quiet. Greer spent the short ride back to Edna's, gripping the steering wheel with a death grip. Taylor quietly stared out the window,desperately trying to think of a way to restart the conversation without a huge ordeal or ending up in a massive fight.
Just as they were about to turn into Edna's subdivision, Taylor reached over, stroked Greer's arm, and said, "Can we drive around town for a few minutes? I want to show you something."
Giving her a quizzical look, Greer asked, "What are you up to?"
Reaching over and snuggling him, she replied, "Nothing. I missed the lights around town and want to show them to you. Can we head toward downtown? It has been a long time since I have seen them."
Never able to tell her no, Greer bypassed the turn into his aunt's house and steered the car toward the center of town. They stopped off at Stu’s Brew to get a couple of hot chocolates. The Joyful food truck was there as well. Even though they were full, they picked up several delicious macarons as a gift for Aunt Edna for hosting them. Then, they resumed their ride around town to look at the lights.
