“Rebecca, I’ve known Tom a long time. He’s a lot of things, but he is not a crook,” Matt said, but wondered why he was defending Tom. It wasn’t as if he held such huge regard for him. And hadn’t he sat in the same auditorium as Rebecca wondering what the scam was?
“I hope you’re right about Tom, I really do,” she said. “But it seems odd to me that a candidate who has not been able to put two words together before tonight suddenly comes up with a great speech. You don’t have to buy into my theory,” she said as she turned the truck into the garage of his building.
“Thanks,” he said. “And now, maybe you’ll tell me where a former beauty queen picked up such an obscure trade magazine?”
Rebecca pulled into a slot, put her cark in park. “Believe it or not, this former beauty queen can read. You can find that magazine at any library or bookstore. You’ll be surprised what you might find in a bookstore, Matt—lots of information to help you make an informed opinion. Know what that is? Or do you think that law degree makes all your thoughts golden?”
“Good night,” he said, and climbed out of her pickup and thought for once, he was glad he was going to bed alone.
Chapter Thirty-Two
It is dangerous for a candidate to say things that people might remember . . .
EUGENE McCARTHY
Rebecca had just said good night to Jo Lynn and watched her drive away in her golf cart when the phone rang. “You’re right,” Matt said when she answered. “There was something a little strange about Tom’s speech.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding thoughtfully. “Is that all?”
“Are you going to make me grovel?”
“Yes, I am. I love it when you grovel,” she said, grinning.
She heard him sigh. “Okay, you’re right; I should visit a bookstore sometime.”
Rebecca waited for the rest. “That’s it?” she said after a moment passed.
“What more do you want?”
“Oh, I don’t know . . . something like, ‘I am one notch below dog shit for ever suggesting that you couldn’t think of those ideas on your own,’ or, ‘When I say ugly things like that, please know that I am really just insecure about the size of my—’“
“Okay, okay!” he said, laughing. “So what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Don’t you want to make at least a little apology?”
“For what?” she demanded as she studied a cuticle. “Because I found a candidate to believe in, but am still working on his opponent’s campaign? Or how about for being afraid to back out now because I’ve invested so much of me and my future plans in this stupid gala?”
“Well, I was just hoping for a little ‘I’m sorry,’ but I’ll take all that.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” Rebecca said, running her hand through her hair. “I mean, I really have put a lot into this gala, and it’s less than a month away. Tom was pissed the last time I quit—can you imagine how upset he’d be if I quit now? And that’s not even the thing that bothers me, to be honest. You know what I really fear?”
“What?”
“That it would be disastrous if I up and walked away from the biggest fund-raising gala this state has ever seen. I’d be labeled a quitter. No one would hire me.”
“It seems to me that you can finish what you committed to doing, but you don’t have to vote for the guy,” Matt said. “In the end, it’s your vote that counts, not the money raised.”
“That’s a stretch, isn’t it?”
“A huge one,” he admitted with a laugh. “But I think you’re right. Austin is still a small town in some respects, and it could affect you down the road if you quit now.”
“It’s funny in a way—just a few months ago I was explaining to everyone on the invitation list that Tom was the best man for the job. Now I’m pretty sure he’s not.”
“I know,” Matt said wearily. “I’ve known this guy for a long time, and I’m starting to have more questions than answers.”
Neither of them spoke for a moment, until Rebecca at last asked, “What do we do?”
“I don’t know,” Matt said. “I’m going to look into a couple of things this week, see if I can ferret out what’s really going on. But I do know one thing, Miss Priss . . . the next time you drive that badass truck into town, we’re going to have a little tête-à-tête.”
Rebecca laughed. “I love you, too.” she said and sighed dreamily.