“Why hasn’t Mr. Alexander come to see us today?” Sam asked.
How were you supposed to tell a child about the complexities of grown-up relationships that didn’t work out? This was one of the main reasons she didn’t date. How did you do so when it wasn’t just your heart that was involved?
“He’s been busy,” Janie said.
It was a copout, and she knew it, but she didn’t know what else to say.
“Well, he said he’d always be there for me. I’m going to get my paper and call him.”
That was the last thing she needed now.
“Sweetheart, Alexander and I had a fight and even though he promised you that he’d always be there for you, I need a break. Can you give it a little time before you call him?”
Hopefully, it would be enough time for her to figure out how to explain to her son that Alexander was a jerk, and she didn’t want him in Sam’s life.
“I think you need to work it out. That’s what you always tell me and Katie and Ryan. Maybe you need to see things from his side. And even if you think you are right, and he is wrong, is it really worth losing your best friend over?”
It was hard not to laugh at her son parroting her words. How many times had she given that exact speech to the kids over one of their petty disagreements? But she and Alexander weren’t kids, and this wasn’t a petty disagreement. Alexander had lied to her. Used her. Betrayed her trust. And while her father said he believed that Alexander was truly repentant, her heart was too fragile to let him back in.
“I understand what you’re saying,” Janie said. “But this is a grown-up issue. Please give Mommy some time, okay?”
Sam put his hands on his hips and gave her the sternest look a seven-year-old could muster. “Fine. You can have a time-out. But you better not take too long, because then you’d better say you’re sorry and hug and make up. You’re always telling me that God wants us to forgive each other. So you better do what God says.”
At least she knew her son had been listening. But how could she get him to understand that some problems couldn’t be fixed?
Yes, she knew she had an obligation to forgive Alexander, not just because the Bible told her to, but also because she knew it was necessary for her peace of mind. But as her father said, it didn’t have to happen right at this moment. Still, she knew the longer she held on to her grudge, the harder it would be. She didn’t know how to balance her feelings with what was right.
“I will consult God on it,” Janie told her son. “But you need to mind your own business. So let grown-ups handle the grown-up issues, and when the time is right, I’ll let you call Alexander.”
The disappointment on Sam’s face tore Janie’s heart in two. It was so unfair, the heartbreak her son also had to endure. She hoped it was worth it for Alexander. Because she was going to be cleaning up this mess for a long time.
The front door opened, and Katie burst through, Ty following.
“You’re home early,” Janie said. “Rachel isn’t back from her errands yet.”
Ty set his briefcase on the table. “That’s okay. I finished what I was working on early, and I got a new agreement drafted that I wanted to discuss with you.”
She looked over at where the kids had made quick work of pulling out a puzzle and were already working on it at the coffee table.
“Why don’t you guys go into Katie’s room and play with her train set,” Janie suggested.
Sam groaned and looked at Katie. “Mom and Alexander are having a fight, which means she wants to talk to your dad about it in private.”
Then he turned and glared at Janie. “But I hope Ty tells you that you have to forgive him and make up so he can be my dad.”
Wow. This was way more serious than she’d thought.
She took a deep breath and asked God for an extra measure of wisdom and patience. “And I told you to leave the grown-up matters to grown-ups. God also says you’re supposed to obey your mother, so maybe you need to spend a little bit of time talking to Him about that.”
Sam’s face fell, and she wished this would be the last disappointment he’d have concerning Alexander. She hadn’t realized how firmly he’d had his heart set on having Alexander as a father.
“Fine,” Sam said. “But me and Katie are also going to go in there and pray for me to get my dad. You’re being selfish to stay mad at him.”
The kids stomped off with such indignation that Janie would have laughed, if she weren’t on the verge of heartbreak. It wasn’t just Sam who was hurt by all this. But what was she supposed to do? Tell a pathological liar that everything he’d done to hurt her was okay?
Ty walked over and squeezed her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I hate that the kids think they brought Rachel and me together with their prayers. Now they think they can do the same for you, and I know it’s not that simple.”
Janie brushed away a stray tear. “You mean once Sam got over the fact that you became Katie’s dad, not his. I just don’t know how to get him to understand that as much as he wants a dad, it’s not that simple.”
“Relationships are complicated,” Ty said. “And I know you don’t want anyone else butting in on the situation with you and Alexander, but I think you should know that he and I worked together to craft a new agreement that’s more favorable to you. I know this doesn’t fix everything between the two of you, and you have a long way to go, but—”
“Stop. I know everyone means well, but just give me the papers, and I will sign them. I need this part of my life to be over. As for Alexander, I need you to leave me alone where he’s concerned and let me handle it in my own way.”
She hated the disappointment that washed over Ty’s face, but he nodded. “I understand. It was probably too soon for me to push you in that direction, anyway. But I hope, once you’ve taken time to sort through your feelings, you read through this agreement and understand that almost all the changes were his idea, not mine.”
She barely glanced at the papers he handed her. “But you agree with them?”
“I do,” he said. “The senator still has to sign them, but Alexander thinks he can get him to, and I agree with his plan.”
Janie grabbed a pen. “That’s all I need to know, then. You might be trying to fix things between Alexander and me, but I know you wouldn’t steer me wrong legally.” She initialed each page, then signed where it indicated.
She wasn’t kidding when she said she wanted this over with. With every stroke of the pen, she felt a little bit freer at knowing that because of this document, no one else was going to be waiting in the wings, trying to destroy the life she’d built.
When she finished signing, she handed the papers back to Ty. “We didn’t talk about the money, but even though I said I was willing to accept it, I don’t want any of the senator’s hush money. Can you make arrangements to donate it to the community resource center anonymously? Even though Alexander thinks I can handle the executive director position, I spent a lot of time looking at the information Ellen gave me, as well as some of the documents and websites he pointed me toward. I’m not qualified for the job, but this money will help us find someone who is.”
Ty looked down at the papers for a moment, then back at her. “I can do some of that. But one of the changes Alexander insisted on was that in addition to the money you get now, there’s also money put away in a college fund for Sam. He wants Sam to be taken care of, no matter what happens.”
It shouldn’t have surprised her that Alexander would think of Sam. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, the one thing she knew for certain was that he genuinely cared for her son. But given Alexander’s loyalty to the senator, she would have thought that he’d have tried to save his boss as much as possible.
“That was sweet of him, but unnecessary. Still, I might as well take it. One less thing for me to worry about, right?”
The look Ty gave her told her she probably didn’t want to know what he was about to say, but she was going to have to hear it anyway.
“You realize this will probably cost him his job, right?” Ty gave her the same disappointed look Sam had. “Again, I realize that you aren’t ready to work through this, and that’s fine. But you do need to get to a place where you can hear him out, and understand other developments to the situation.”
She shook her head. “So it’s okay that he hurt me?”
“I didn’t say that,” Ty said. “What he did was wrong, and we all know it. But you have to find a way to let go of your pain.”
“I just need time,” she said.
“You got it,” he said, stuffing the papers back into his briefcase. “I’m going to go run these back to Alexander so he can get them to the senator. He wants this taken care of by Thanksgiving, so he can enjoy the community celebration. You don’t mind watching both kids for a little bit, do you?”
Janie shook her head. She hadn’t considered that Alexander would stay around for Thanksgiving. “He’s still planning on coming?”
“Yes,” Ty said. “He’s put a lot of effort into making it happen and, at Shelley’s suggestion, is going to try to get the rest of his family to come.”
His face softened, then he said, “I realize it’s going to be hard for you to face him then, and maybe that’s why we’re trying to push you more in the direction of forgiveness. You two worked hard as a team to help this community, and you both should enjoy the reward of everyone coming together to celebrate triumphing over everything we’ve lost.”
Without waiting for an answer, Ty left Janie alone to consider what all of this meant. Alexander had shattered her heart into a million little pieces, and while everyone in her life said they supported her, they kept trying to push her back to him. Why?
She got up and went to Katie’s room where she peeked in on the kids, who were rewatching Rachel and Ty’s wedding video. Katie loved it so much that Rachel had put it on the tablet for her to watch whenever she wanted. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized the intensity on Sam’s face as he watched Ty promise to be Katie’s dad forever.
If Janie were honest with herself, she’d admit that watching Ty and Rachel find happiness had put a little hope in her heart that maybe she could find it for herself as well. Then meeting Alexander and seeing all the ways he’d brought her walls down had caused that hope to grow.
So was everyone pushing them back together just more wishful thinking, or was there a chance...
No. She wasn’t going to let herself go there again.
Alexander strode into the senator’s office, papers in hand. A group of aides surrounded him, going over some document. Alexander didn’t care.
“Do you have an appointment?” one of them asked.
Alexander ignored the question. “I have the signature you requested, sir,” he said. “And regarding that signature, we have another matter to discuss.”
The senator waved away his aides. “Give us some privacy please.”
Once the room was clear and the door closed behind them, Alexander handed the senator the agreement. “As you can see, she’s fully executed the document, with the assistance of her attorney.”
The senator took the papers, and immediately noticed they were different. “This isn’t the document I sent you to have her sign.”
Alexander shook his head. “No, it isn’t. Her attorney and I redrafted it. You see, as I told you, she was not behind the blackmail. Bucky and Corrine were. Corrine has been posing as Janie, using the post office at Columbine Springs to send and receive the blackmail notes and money.”
The senator threw the papers to the ground. “That’s preposterous. How dare you come in here and make such accusations?”
Alexander pulled out a copy of the video of Bucky and Corrine in the post office. Cheryl had also managed to find footage of a couple of other visits Corrine had made to the post office.
“I have them on video. Here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to sign that agreement without argument, without changes, and you will do everything exactly as laid out in it. That includes paying Janie the full amount promised, as well as setting up a college fund for Sam.”
The senator glared at him. “Are you blackmailing me?”
Alexander shook his head. “Not yet. Not if you sign that document.”
Then he pulled out another one. “And this is the agreement terminating my employment. I already knew you were going to fire me. So this grants me a termination with a generous severance package, and the understanding that you will not badmouth me in the future.”
The senator laughed. “Do you honestly think I’m going to sign either one of them? Even if I were so inclined, I would have my lawyers go over them with a fine-tooth comb first.”
Alexander shrugged. “You can. But if I don’t have them fully executed and in my possession within twenty-four hours, this video is going to the press. My lawyer went over the nondisclosure agreement I signed as a condition of my employment with you. While there are certain things I’m not allowed to talk about, nothing is prohibiting me from discussing the findings of my investigation into your blackmail. Were I to make this information public, the police would be very interested in the fact that you were being blackmailed. Corrine and Bucky would both be under investigation for blackmail as well as identity theft, considering they were impersonating Janie. There’s also the fraud committed with her cashing the checks. But do consult your lawyers. You have twenty-four hours.”
The senator pulled out his phone and punched in a few numbers. “George. We’ve got a problem.”
Alexander figured he’d call his attorney, and when George Johnson entered the senator’s office, Alexander was glad to have another witness who would understand that he meant business.
The senator gave George a rundown of what was happening, then George looked over at Alexander. “You realize you’re making serious accusations.”
“Watch the video. I’d say talk to Bucky, but I’m sure he’ll lie. I think the video will speak for itself.”
It didn’t take more than a minute or so of footage before the senator closed his laptop.
“Who else has copies of this?”
Alexander shrugged. “Me, my lawyer and the postmaster at the Columbine Springs post office. She takes record-keeping very seriously and never throws anything away. She loves Janie like a daughter, and she was very concerned that someone would try to hurt her. Not only does she have the tape, but she witnessed the whole thing, so it’s up to you what you’d like to do with that information.”
George whispered something in the senator’s ear, then the senator nodded.
“And if I sign these agreements, the videos will never see the light of day?”
Alexander gestured at the documents. “Page fourteen. You abide by the agreements, and no one ever has to know. But the second you are in violation, every media news outlet will get a copy.”
“Give me a few minutes’ privacy with my lawyer,” the senator said.
“Fine,” Alexander said. “It’ll give me the chance to clear my desk and say goodbye.”
When he got to his desk, it had already been taken over by another campaign worker.
“Do you know what happened to the stuff that was in this desk before you came?” Alexander asked.
The guy nodded. “Oh yeah, sure. It’s in a box in the break room. Was it your desk? I’m sorry. They told me no one was using it, so I could have it.”
The guy’s response was all Alexander needed to confirm that he’d made the right decision. He already knew what would be in the box. Just a few personal items, but nothing of significance. And as he looked around at the people in the office, he realized that not one of them had come over even to say hello or that they’d missed him. The truth was every single one of them had dreams of becoming president or senator or holding some other political office, and this was just one stepping stone. The people they met here were competition, or perhaps future contacts, but no one they cared about.
Ty had told him that Janie had no intention of applying for the director position at the community resource center, and that she’d asked him to set up a trust for all the senator’s money to go to helping fund the kind of director the center needed.
That was the kind of job Alexander wanted. And even though he knew it would make Janie uncomfortable, he was going to apply. If he didn’t get it, he’d find a job somewhere else, doing something similar. But he hoped he could make it work. In just a few short weeks, Columbine Springs had become his home, and the people of the town his family. Regardless of the outcome, he’d learned how he could make a difference in people’s lives, and even though it wouldn’t be through politics, he knew he was going to make the world a better place.
A few minutes later, George came out of the senator’s office. “The senator signed everything just as you asked.”
After Alexander examined each page to make sure everything was in order, he went to the copy room he’d been in so many times before, and made copies of everything for both him and the senator, keeping the originals.
“My lawyer will be checking in to make sure everything is done as promised.”
George nodded. “It will be.” He paused slightly. “He knew Bucky wasn’t the greatest human being. But he truly didn’t realize just how far he’d fallen. Until today, the senator believed everything Bucky said about Janie. He believed Janie was blackmailing him. I don’t blame you for protecting Janie’s interests or your own, but I hope you know that the senator truly does have good intentions for our state and our country.”
Alexander nodded. “So did I. But I’m no longer willing to compromise my morals to get there. And I found way more satisfaction in being part of a grassroots effort to help the people than anything I’ve ever done here. If the senator truly wants to make a difference, then he should spend time with the people he says he’s here to serve.”
George gave him a blank look, like he thought Alexander’s words were those of an idealistic kid straight out of college. And that was okay. He didn’t need the approval of George, the senator or anyone but God to know that he was on the right path.
God had answered his prayers about Janie’s situation, and the results were far better than he could’ve ever imagined. But as he left the senator’s office, he prayed that, even though Alexander didn’t deserve it, God would bring him and Janie back together again.