Page 36 of All Fall Down

If he already has people working on the fallout, it must be bad.

“We don’t need to think about that right now.”

“Now is a pretty good time. There’s no food in my stomach. I’m less likely to throw up all over you.”

“That’s not it,” he hedges. “I need confirmation before ...”

“Before what?” My eyes narrow and I advance on him. If Jameson West thinks he’s going to keep a secret from me right now, he’s very much mistaken.

“I can’t say this with absolute certainty,” he says as I continue to corner him, “but the information we’ve gotten so far suggests your mother turned him into the FBI.”

If Jameson thought this was going to upset me, he’s wrong.

“She did?” I ask, awestruck.

“It’s not confirmed, but it seems like it.”

It hardly seems possible that I could ask so much. First, my dad showed up at the cemetery, remembering my birthday. Now, my mother has put aside her selfish fear of embarrassment and done the right thing.

“My parents are finally growing up,” I whisper. I just had to show them how. Jameson doesn’t respond. He simply wraps two strong arms around my shoulders and draws me close.

We stay like that for a long moment, gathering strength from one other. Then we walk out of this hotel. There will be more scandals to face, more questions, more scrutiny, but at least we’ll face them together this time. It’s a comforting thought.

Jameson’s cell phone begins to buzz in his pocket. “Sorry, Duchess.”

He kisses me quickly before he answers it. He remains silent so long that I begin to question if there’s anyone on the other line. But I know from the way his face goes blank that he’s listening.

“I understand. I can assure you that’s not the case,” he says in a clipped tone. “Of course, we’ll see you soon.”

“What was that about?” I ask as he pockets his phone.

“Time to pack. We’ve been called to a family meeting.”