"Cut the c.r.a.p, Isaac. We slept together a few times. Don't act so hurt. When is it running?" She didn't have the patience to deal with this tonight.

"First thing tomorrow morning," he said, and she heard the phone click dead.

She guessed that settled the question of how long their little fling was going to last. Stretching to the side, she let the stiffness in her neck crack.

Tomorrow morning was the beginning of the end. She knew she should feel something-anything. It took a while, but finally she thought she did. When she tried to define it, though, only one word came to mind-jaded.

Chapter Twenty-Six.

An empty bottle of wine sat on the kitchen table, and Jo sat in her living room staring blankly at the walls. She heard the periodic click-clack of Madeline's laptop keys. It did little to silence her fears.

What would her parents think? Would she be cut off from her family for good? And what would she do for work?

It wasn't the financial side of things that worried her, it was the relational side. She was not overly close to her parents, but she loved them deeply. Without them in her life, things would change significantly.

She had contemplated calling them tonight, but she wanted to see what Madeline was going to say first. That would be the true test.

She picked up her phone again and scrolled through her contacts until she reached the one labeled Mom. Her finger hovered over the SEND key, but then, with a sigh, she set the phone down. No amount of explaining could help them understand, not any time soon anyway. She had heard, time and time again, the things they said about the gay and lesbian community.

Abomination. Sinful. Disgusting. Awful. Horrible. Dirty. Despicable. Depraved. Gross.

The words revolved through her head like a carousel. Many of them were words she had heard tonight from Ian's mouth. She knew that they also would be words tossed about by the general public after tomorrow's announcement.

Not ready yet to face their shock and condemnation, she opted to send a text to her mother.

"I just wanted to give you a heads-up that there will probably be something big on the news tomorrow that will affect us all. I can't say more, but I want you and Dad to know that I love you very much. If the press comes to you with questions, give them my cell phone number. I'll call you when things settle down."

It was simple and short on details, but she knew she needed to prepare them. And she hoped it would give them something to hold on to when it all hit-a reminder that their daughter was the same girl they had raised, regardless of what the media might say.

Jo closed her eyes, hoping Madeline was typing out something truthful and meaningful. She had not said anything when she got to the car, but Jo was pretty sure what they wanted her to say-that it was all a lie. If Madeline did deny it, Jo would too-at least regarding her relations.h.i.+p with her former boss. But if she owned up to it, Jo would stand beside her, tall and proud, and make known publicly for the first time exactly who she was.

The part that puzzled her was that she wasn't sure which would be worse, having Madeline stand up and equate everything they shared to a malicious rumor or having her life on display for all to see-and denounce.

At least they now knew when the news was coming. Jacquelyn had emailed to say that Channel 4 would be breaking the story on the morning news.

She heard the typing stop in the other room, and Madeline walked into the living room to stand in front of her. Looking at the deep smile on her face, suddenly Jo had the sense that some way, somehow, everything tomorrow would be all right again.

"Do you want to hear my speech?" Madeline asked, looking like a schoolgirl who had completed a particularly difficult a.s.signment. "I made some edits to the one you drafted."

Jo nodded, curious to hear how many changes she had made and what kind. Was it still a resignation speech, or had she tailored it to hide the truth?

As Madeline read it aloud to her, Jo stared at her, amazed. How could such great strength come from one woman? When she finished, she stood and hugged Madeline. Her intuition had been right. Somehow, something good would come from all of this, and one day in the future, all would be right again.

"I've got a couple of emails to send to my family, my dad's company, and a few others," Madeline said. "They deserve to know something is coming before it hits. Then, it's time to turn off the phones and get a little sleep before mayoral Armageddon."

The next morning they sat hand in hand on the couch to watch the Channel 4 news. Jo squeezed Madeline's hand in support when Natalie's face came on screen. Lead Investigative Reporter Angie Rhodes sat across from her, her face looking ever so serious.

"I am joined here in studio with Natalie Longworth, who has been in the news off and on for the last month after allegedly having an affair with Mayor Madeline Stratton's husband, John Stratton. This morning, Natalie has unveiled some new facts to the story."

Angie turned to face Natalie. "So, Miss Longworth, is it true that, despite Mayor Stratton's statements to the contrary, you have known her for years?"

Natalie put on her most charming smile. "Yes, that is true. We were roommates in college. Roommates, best friends and a little more." Her smile broadened.

"Would you care to expand on that last part?" Angie asked.

"Sure. We were lovers. It happened during the time that we were living together. You know, it was college. Everyone experimented, but our experiment lasted longer than most."

"How long did your relations.h.i.+p with Mayor Stratton last?"

"Well, from the time we first slept together until we called it quits, I would say it was about two years," Natalie said.

"So was this two-year relations.h.i.+p just a phase the mayor went through? I mean, after all, she has been an advocate for protecting the sanct.i.ty of marriage by defining it as being between a man and a woman. She has actively spoken out against same-s.e.x unions, and she has even had numerous fundraisers with groups that advocate for traditional family values-which is almost always code for antigay political activity. Was this just something she experimented with in college?" Angie asked, setting things up for Natalie's next revelation.

"I have reason to believe it was not," Natalie said. "When John first came to me, he was looking for a friend-someone to talk to. He said he felt like his wife-Madeline-had never actually wanted him. He said that it was like she always hoped he was someone else."

"Someone female, perhaps?"

"That was my first thought," Natalie replied. "I mean, given my memories of Madeline, I had always a.s.sumed she would just end up with a woman. It shocked me when I heard she had ended up with John, honestly. But now I hear she has gone back to what she loves."

"What do you mean, 'gone back to what she loves'?"

"She has found ways to heal after her very public breakup with John. Just tonight, I mean last night..." They had obviously tried to make this appear live. "I went to her hotel room to talk to her-to apologize about this whole thing. I cared about Madeline Stratton deeply. She was a big part of my life in college, and I wanted to smooth things over. I know what I did was wrong, and I wanted to offer her my deepest, most sincere apology."

Of course, she would put on her sweetest face for the cameras. Jo was getting more p.i.s.sed with every second of this interview.

"When I got there, she cut me short. I figured it was just because she was angry. But right after I left, I saw someone come out of the shadows of the other room and embrace her. It was a woman. I saw the two of them engage in a very pa.s.sionate kiss."

Jo tried to remember if they had kissed last night in front of the window. She doubted it, but then again, she had thought she had given Natalie plenty of time to get out of the parking lot when she had come to comfort Madeline. For all she knew, the whole thing could be fabricated-but then again, it could be true.

"You saw the mayor kissing another woman last night?" Angie's face carried an expression of carefully calculated shock.

"That's right. I was curious, so I asked John about it. He suggested I research the people on her staff. I visited the mayor's website, scrolled through the pictures of the staff and there she was, Madeline's new girlfriend. At least the picture matches the person I saw kissing Madeline last night." Natalie turned to the camera. "Can you believe it? The mayor is dating one of her staff members."

"Miss Longworth, would you tell us the name of this staffer?" Angie asked. Jo tensed. This was the moment of truth.

"I believe her name is Josephine Carson. Everyone calls her Jo. She's the mayor's speechwriter. She's also the daughter of Michael Carson-that mega-church pastor in Tulsa." Natalie spit the words out quickly, as if she had been waiting to tattle on Jo. It seemed clear to Jo that she had a personal vendetta against her. She wondered if other viewers were getting the same impression.

"Let me get this straight," Angie said, holding up a hand. "You are saying that our conservative, traditional-marriage-supporting mayor and the daughter of an actively antigay pastor have been having a lesbian affair, all while Jo Carson worked for the mayor?"

"That is correct," Natalie said as a picture of Jo filled the screen behind them.

"Well, that is one side of the story. We have not heard from the mayor yet, but if she issues a statement, you will hear it here first. As for now, we will let you decide," Angie said as a picture of Madeline popped up beside that of Jo. "Are these two women engaged in a relations.h.i.+p that would make the mayor's socially conservative record completely irrelevant to her voters? And if so, what laws, if any, have they contravened?"

Jo clicked the off b.u.t.ton on the television and sat back with a loud sigh, knowing that the segment was prompting salacious conversations in households around the city and beyond. The switchboards at Oklahoma City's talk radio stations were lighting up like Christmas trees, no doubt. She reached over and turned off her phone, not ready to take any of the calls that had been pouring in. She was only going to be able to handle so much today. Hearing from friends or family would be more than she could take.

Madeline raised Jo's hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "We're halfway through the battle. Let's get dressed and win this war," she said, standing and pulling Jo to her feet.

Madeline was right. They had more to do. There was a press conference in an hour, and both of them looked unkempt. Jo glanced down at her sweatpants and sports bra and noted that even though Madeline looked great in one of Jo's T-s.h.i.+rts, they should probably hurry and get ready to avoid giving the press even more of a show than the one they had coming anyway.

Cameras flashed and clicked. The murmur of the press was alive in the auditorium Gabe had secured for the event. He and Jacquelyn had helped facilitate the conference at Madeline's request. As they always did, they had done a fantastic job. It was packed.

Madeline was on edge. This was something she had to do on her own, she knew. Sitting at the front of the room, though, she wished she had someone beside her.

She spotted Jo in the crowd and smiled at her, as much to settle herself as to calm Jo's fears. They had both decided to turn off their phones, and Madeline knew that Jo's emotions must be all over the place, wondering what friends and family had to say in reaction to this morning's news. The pinched look around Jo's eyes was a clear indicator of the toll this whole ordeal was taking on her.

Madeline took a deep breath. The statement Jacquelyn had sent to the media announcing the press conference had informed them that she would not be taking questions. They would try to ask them anyway, of course, but she would simply give the speech she had prepared and then leave the podium.

She cleared her throat, silencing the audience.

"Good morning. I know that by now you have heard the story from the mouth of Natalie Longworth that aired on Channel 4 this morning. I would like to tell you my side of that story now. To tell you all the truth."

She paused briefly to make eye contact with several cameras and to let her words sink in.

"As you know, Miss Longworth made some pretty substantial allegations against me and a member of my staff on the news this morning. Rest a.s.sured, I will address every claim she made."

She lifted the index finger of her right hand.

"First, I do know Natalie Longworth. She was my college roommate, and, yes, she and I dated."

A collective gasp sounded throughout the room. This was not the response the press had expected to hear.

She continued. "I was young and exploring, as Channel 4 Reporter Angie Rhodes claimed. But it went beyond that. In the course of my explorations, I discovered who I was, including the fact that I like women more than men. However, due to societal pressures and the stereotypes often imposed upon women like myself, I ran from this discovery. My running led me into the arms of the man I would marry, John Stratton."

"I was never unfaithful to John during our nearly twenty years of marriage, but as Natalie suggested, there was something missing from our relations.h.i.+p. Recently, he was found to be having an affair with her-only one of many such dalliances from what I now understand. After that was brought to my knowledge, we separated and are in the process of getting a divorce.

"I don't stand up here today, however, as a woman betrayed who is looking for sympathy and understanding. I stand up here today in order to shed light on a personal situation that has become very public."

Madeline looked to Jo for strength. She nodded in support. She took a breath and said, "I stand up here today as a woman who loves women, asking only that you hear me out fully and look at the situation from all sides before pa.s.sing judgment. I stand here today for all the girls and women who have dreaded having their desires and actions being cast in an unfavorable public light. To tell those girls that it is okay to feel what they feel and to be who they are. Hoping that, as a result, there will be more women living authentic lives and fewer women who take the path I took, because it was safer-because it was expected."

She smiled at Jo, allowing her expression to soften as she began the most important part of her speech.

"On the first night after my marriage fell apart, I stayed with one of my staff members who was kind enough to take me in. I didn't have anywhere else to go. Not anywhere that would allow me to be unbothered by the ever-present news cameras anyway, where I might have a minute or two to think things through. That is where Jo Carson comes into this picture. She has been a member of my staff for the better part of a year, but the night she entered my personal life was the night I found out about John's infidelity. Soon thereafter, we became friends. And, as Natalie informed the public this morning, we have very recently become more than friends. I am involved with-and care very deeply for-Jo Carson."

Even as she spoke them, the words tingled through her body. This is what freedom felt like, she was sure of it.

"That is the truth. And I do not make apologies for that today, except to say that though our relations.h.i.+p was-is-consensual, as Jo's boss my actions were inappropriate. Had I not been her superior, there would be nothing to criticize in our relations.h.i.+p in my opinion. As mayor, I should be held to a higher standard, though. I am ashamed that I crossed that line.

"Yet, given the chance to do it all again, our timing is the only thing I would change. I would have waited until yesterday morning, when Jo resigned her position, hoping to avoid such a dilemma. However, we cannot change the past-and I would not want to, because it all led me to where I am today. And today I am happy. It has been an honor to serve all of you as mayor and to work with one of the finest staffs anyone could hope to have-none of whom, I hasten to add, had any knowledge about or involvement in the personal choices I've made."

She paused for a moment to look to her staff members. Gabe nodded appreciatively at the comment, Jacquelyn shrugged as if she didn't know how to process the moment it was all ending, and one of the interns wore a look of shock and disbelief. Knowing that they would be okay in the end, she took a deep breath and continued.

"I thank you for the opportunity to serve Oklahoma City and its citizens. Although the recent news has not been about initiatives or efforts made to better our city, I hope that years from now, those items-rather than the details of my personal life-will be what you remember about the Stratton administration.

"I hope you remember the hundreds of jobs we have added in the past three years. I hope you remember the great strides we've made in fighting corruption in government. I hope you remember the times I sat down with you over coffee to discuss the future of this great city and of you, your children and your grandchildren. I hope that you remember those times, because I will-and I will cherish the memories.

"Now, however, they must become memories. Due to the notoriety my private life has gained and to the extent to which I have become more of a celebrity than an elected official in the eyes of many, I am resigning my position as mayor effective immediately. Interim elections will be held as decreed by city statute. In the meantime, munic.i.p.al affairs will be handled by the city council and the city manager, a.s.sisted by the experienced and professional staff I am leaving behind. With that, I thank you all."

As Madeline expected, a barrage of questions was hurled her way as stepped away from the podium. Even though she had clearly stated that there would be no questions, this crowd was intent on hearing more. She calmly walked toward Jo without speaking, grabbed her by the hand and exited the back of the building to where Jo's little red sports car waited with a tank full of gas and two suitcases packed with only the essentials.

Once in Jo's car, Madeline let out a long breath.

"You were amazing," Jo said, leaning in to kiss her. "Let's get out of here and get started on that vacation you promised me last night."

"Do you have any calls you need to make?" Madeline asked, remembering Jo's family.

"I do, and I will take care of it all further down the road. For now, let's just celebrate being together and being open," Jo said. She put the car in gear, smiling, aimed the wheels west toward California, and cued up "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips on her iPod, much to Madeline's amus.e.m.e.nt. It was true. They were finally free to create new dreams-authentic ones-together.

Bella Books, Inc.

end.