Over the next few minutes, Taylor recounted as much of the evening as she could remember, leaving out the steamier details.
When she was done, Joules was stunned. After a second, she asked, "So, this guy, he used a condom, right?"
The look of shame and panic on Taylor's face was evident when she said softly, "I honestly don't know."
"How do you not know?" boomed Joules.
Covering her ears against the loudness, Taylor shrugged and said, "I was drunk. I told you. I don't remember everything. Just parts of it."
Joules shook her head and said, "Well, I hope they are the good parts, at least." At that, Taylor gave her a look. Unphased, Joules continued, "Okay, we'll stop at the local hospital on the way out of town and get you tested. Hopefully, the guy doesn't have anything, but you can never be too sure."
Taylor yelped, "No, not here. I will do it on Monday. I promise."
"Where TJ? Someone might see you."
"I will drive to Memphis or Branson or something. I promise. I will figure it out. Right now, I just need to pack and get out of here. I want to go home."
And that was exactly what she wanted, to go home. However, over the last several days, she had stopped thinking of the house Bennett, and she shared as 'home.' It was his home, his family home. She realized she no longer had a home and hadn't in over a decade. For the second time in her life, she was no longer sure where home was anymore.
Joules huffed and gave Taylor an exacerbated look, but in the end, she agreed. Over the next hour, Joules helped Taylor pack. After they packed the car, Taylor followed Joules, who was in a rental car, to the airport to meet Jamee, a staffer for Bennett. She had flown down that morning with Joules and was going to drive Taylor's car back. She waited at the airport to give them privacy. Once back at the airport, Taylor gave Jamee her keys, and she began the ten-hour trek back to Arkansas.
Once on board, as they waited for the pilots to finish going through their preflight checklists, Taylor looked at Joules and said, "I think we should keep what happened here between us. I don't want Bennett to know. He has had his little secrets, and now I have mine. Agreed?"
Joules just looked at Taylor for a second before nodding yes.
"Also, I have been thinking," Taylor said. "Obviously, I can't rejoin the campaign, but I don't want to sit around Searcy waiting and worrying that someone will find out about all of this. Rather, I would like to do something productive. I am ready to go back to teaching in the fall. Until then, I would love to find a volunteer position that would allow me to work with children while still being mostly incognito. Could you ask some of your Clinton School buddies and see if they know of a foundation or charitable organization that could use my help? I would really appreciate it."
Joules thought for a minute and then nodded, saying, "I'll make some calls. I'm sure I can find you something. Let me work on it."
At that moment, the pilots notified them they were ready for takeoff. The flight back to Arkansas took a little less than two hours. Taylor slept most of the way while Joules put some feelers out about possible options for Taylor to volunteer. They had just been cleared to land when Joules woke Taylor up.
"Hey, Sleepy Head, we're almost home. You need to wake up. I have a few instructions for tonight."
Taylor yawned and then listened as Joules laid out the plan for the evening. "I don't know if you know this, but Bennett has not been staying at the house. He has moved most of his things to the loft over his office. He will be by around 6:00 to pick you up for the gala. I know that you two need to talk. But I don't think he will try to have a major conversation tonight, so I think you are safe for now. Also, the Art Executive Committee Cocktail Party will be at 6:30. The gala will begin at 7:00."
At the mention of cocktails, Taylor made a sour face. She was still feeling the effects of too much alcohol the night before to even think about a drink. Just the thought of it turned her stomach. "Well, I have no intention of imbibing any alcohol tonight or maybe ever again. Last night about did me in."
Giving her friend a sympathetic look, Joules said, "I hear you, but you have to attend the party. You don't have to drink, but you must be there. You don't have to do anything really but show up. As you know, normally, you would have been expected to introduce the featured artist and give a brief biographical sketch of her and her work. Given everything that has happened, Edna Stone has instructed Johnna Wright to do all that."
Taylor interrupted, "Won't that look suspicious?"
Giving Taylor a look, Joules said, "Well, would you have rather done it?"
Giving a rude snort, Taylor replied, "Are you kidding me? I do not want to do any of this."
"Exactly. Even if some people are surprised that tradition is broken and the past president doesn't act as the mistress of ceremonies, it is not that big of a deal. We will do our best to get through the night as it is without adding more drama. The less of a role you play, the better. So, if you are good with it, Johnna will take the lead."
"I am great with that. If I could get out of going, I would."
"Well, you can't. While we are on the subject of Johnna, I have been very impressed with her since all this happened. She has stepped up and done everything that needed to be done for tonight, and she has kept her mouth tightly shut. That first night, Edna called her to meet with us as the plan for tonight was devised. She was on point and seemed to really know her stuff."
"Yeah, she is great," replied Taylor.
Joules said, "I will have to make sure I thank her for everything she has done to keep everything under wraps and ensure the gala goes off without a hitch. Maybe a basket of expensive wine and cheese or tickets to a show and dinner in Little Rock."
The mention of expensive wines sent Taylor's mind directly to Greer. She knew he would know just what to send. Too bad she was never going to see him again to ask him. That thought made her sad, but it could not be helped. At that point, Taylor felt the plane touchdown. Taylor and Joules quickly deplaned and went to their respective homes to prepare for the night's event.
Chapter 14
