Mom’s face flickered with one expression after another as she read Lucy’s words. Then her eyes filled, and I knew exactly how Mom felt and that she truly didn’t cast judgment on Lucy.
“That poor girl. What I don’t understand is how this affects your job. This has nothing to do with you, regardless of her past. It’s hers, not yours.”
She handed me back the letter, and the paper felt like it weighed a ton in my hand.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with me, and I highly doubt my constituents would care, but my opponents will. They’ll expose her, which will mean her parents will find her, and she’s worked so hard to cut ties with her past so people won’t know what happened and judge her. There’s only one other person outside of this room that she’s confided in.” Glancing at her, I said, “Mom, I can’t be the one who will bring all of this to the surface and expose her. I just can’t do it.”
“Does that mean what I think it does?” She placed a hand on my forearm.
“If you think it means I’m going to pull out of the race, I’m thinking that’s my only option.” Frustrated, I closed my eyes and dropped my head back. “What other choice do I have?”
“You have the option of talking to her. Do you honestly think she’d want you to give up your dreams? Lucy feels as if she ruined her life, and that poor boy’s. How do you think she’ll feel if she believes she destroyed yours too?” My mom stood. “Please talk to her before you make any decisions.”
I shook my head. “If I talk to her, she’ll tell me not to drop out. That’s the type of unselfish person she is.”
“Son, follow your heart. You’re a wonderful politician who can do so much good for the world. Just be sure you do what will make you happy. If Lucy thinks she’s the reason you dropped out, that could hurt her too.” Resting a hand on my shoulder, she said, “You don’t need to make a decision right at this moment. Give yourself some time.”
My hand scrubbed the back of my neck in complete frustration. I knew she was right, and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t thought of that myself.
“I’ll think about it. I don’t want to hurt her, but people in my line of work are ruthless. If her name gets dragged through the mud, that would be worse. That leaves one more option.”
“What’s that, honey?”
“Let her go.”
Saying those three words saddened me more than I thought possible, but it was the only option I had left, and it wasn’t a good one.
“Promise me you’ll talk to her before you make any decisions.”
“Thanks, Mom. I need to call Ben and go over a few things. Please tell everyone that I’m okay and I’ll see them back home. I need to leave before the sun comes up.”
“I’m proud of you, Drake.”
The door closed softly behind my mom, and I knew what I had to do. First on the agenda was to call my pal who was pretty high up in the hierarchy at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
? ? ?
The sunrise over the ocean was stunning, deep shades of purple that bled into warm orange hues as it slowly rose, appearing to break free from the water.
I wished Lucy was here to see it with me. I thought of taking a picture and texting it to her, but didn’t want to contact her yet. I wasn’t upset with her at all; I just needed to wait until I learned more.
Ben and I had agreed to meet at a diner when I got back. He told me he had some information he needed to share, but he didn’t want to do it over the phone. I could only imagine what had transpired in the two days I’d been away.
Unless Lucy went to him? No. I shook my head. There was no way in hell she’d talk to Ben about all of this.
The drive back was tedious, and my mind ran in circles the entire time I drove. All I could think about was Lucy. Was she alone? No, she was most likely with Mason. I was happy she had someone, but she was my someone and I felt a bit lost.
When I pulled over at the next stop, I decided to text her. All I needed to know is if she was okay.
DRAKE: Did you get home safely?