CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE Ginger
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Ginger
M y father has just won the congressional primary.
I stand backstage with both my parents, waiting for it to be announced. Cole has just returned from walking Mabel out to meet Jo for pickup. I see him before his eyes find mine. He’s tense and I can’t understand why. He looked so relaxed earlier. The crowd falls to a hush as my father is announced and takes to the stage, motioning for my mother and myself to follow behind him. My mother turns and fluffs my cardigan, then reaches up to smooth my hair before we head out.
“Mama,” I hiss, pushing her hand down. “They don’t care about how I look. I’m a grown woman, I’m not ten.”
“Everyone cares how we look, bella . We must be at our best. Come now, straighten up,” she tells me as I feel Cole’s eyes on me from twenty feet away.
I turn and look at him, and he gives me a nod and mouths, “You’ve got this.”
I can instantly tell something is off. I want to go to him, to ask him what’s wrong. But there’s no time because the room explodes in celebration and we’re already moving onto the stage.
My father stands in front of the crowd and turns on the Edward Danforth charm.
He addresses the hall.
“Thank you all so much. We’re very humbled and overjoyed by this support and by the trust you put in us. I love representing your voice and hope to continue this path in November. This job isn’t easy. My wife goes through a lot: late nights, early mornings, a lot of pacing and problem-solving. To say you can be a congressman and not bring your work home would be a lie. I care so much about this district and the great state of Kentucky. I live and breathe it for all of you. My wife”—he pauses and then turns to me—“and my beautiful daughter put up with more from me than they should most days, but I hope they know how much I appreciate them.” He grins at the crowd. “I must remind myself that the special things in life are worth savoring, so I’m going to go off-script a little here.”
He takes a beat before flashing me a smile then angling his head to look at Cole beyond the curtain at the side of the stage.
“My daughter brought her new boyfriend to us a few weeks ago and he is here tonight.”
Oh God, he didn’t just call Cole my boyfriend on local television.
“The good sheriff, Cole Ashby, has come out to support us, and we are all so grateful to have him in our corner,” he says, looking straight at Cole. “Even his lovely daughter Mabel joined us for a little while. We’re all so happy to have you here, Sheriff.”
The crowd goes crazy with applause.
I look at Cole and the expression he’s wearing isn’t one I can place. I glance back at my father, who is clearly oblivious to what he’s just done. Using Cole and Mabel to gain votes is the lowest he could go and I’m seething. So I do what I’ve never done before when it comes to Edward Danforth; I put myself first, turn and walk right off the stage.
My father’s speech continues while I stare at myself in the mirror of the ladies’ room. I swipe the tears away from my cheeks. The pressure he has just put on Cole is causing him to shrink backward. I can feel it. I hear the roar of the crowd as the speech comes to a close and I put my best foot forward. I will deal with my father later. First, I need to find Cole.
It doesn’t take long, as I find him sitting at the bar. I move through the crowd to meet him.
“I’m so sorry,” I say when I reach him. “He can’t help himself. He has to go for the crowd’s love no matter who’s in his path. He shouldn’t have put us on the spot like that.”
I prop myself on the seat beside Cole, leaning my elbows on the bar. He looks over at me, his eyes dark, his jaw tense. I can see how much my father’s speech bothered him.
“I talked to him, Cole,” I say. “And I plan to again. Using you and your position in this town is off-limits.”
The bartender comes over to us and I order a cocktail.
“And bourbon neat here please,” Cole says as he holds up a finger. She nods at him and gives him the look of appreciation most women do. He doesn’t seem to notice.
“I will make him understand—” I start.
“I know you will. I know you talked to him—I heard you, and I’m so fucking proud of you, Ginger,” he says as he angles his body toward me and grabs my knees, pulling me and my stool to him.
He leans in, his hands on my thighs.
“Your father can say anything he wants about me. But if he treats you for one more minute like you need to be managed, I’m going to have a real hard time keeping my mouth shut.” His voice is almost a growl as he speaks. He gestures toward the stage. “And yeah, he owes me an apology for that.”
The bartender puts my drink down in front of me and hands Cole his shot. He knocks his back before I can even pick up my glass.
“Nobody should ever make you feel like less than what you are.” His eyes bore into mine as he talks. “Which is fucking perfect. Promise me that, no matter what happens with me, with us, you’ll always remember that.”
He stands up and throws a fifty on the bar. My mouth falls open.
“Cole …” I say. “What the hell happened between the time you got here and now?”
“I just … have a lot to figure out.” he replies.
I know what he’s doing. This is Cole’s language for I’m pushing you away.
“What happened?” I repeat. This time, my tone a little firmer.
“Nothing I can’t take care of,” he says, loosening his tie and running a hand through his thick hair.
I step forward into him and place my hand on his forearm. His whiskey eyes tilt down to meet mine and he starts to flex his jaw. His eyes are dark.
“My head’s just … Fuck, I need some time to think,” he says to me, pecking me on the cheek. “I’ll see you at home.”
Then he turns and walks right through the hall and out the front door, making a beeline for where his truck is parked.
Even though I have no clue what just caused this reaction from Cole, I don’t wonder why it happened. I’m pretty sure I know . My father talking about us made everything real to him. And now Cole’s doing what Cole does best.
Searching for an out.
Part of me, the part that realizes I love him with my entire being, begs me to chase him out the door, grab him by the shoulders and shake him. To tell him I’m not letting him run away, not this time. To remind him that this is us .
But the other part? The part that wondered for years why he didn’t kiss me back when I could feel that he wanted to? That part tells me to sit my ass down and drink my cocktail. So I do just that; I drop to the stool and pick up my glass.
Cole wants me to stand up for myself, so I will. Ginger Danforth doesn’t chase any man, even Cole Ashby.