Rough Drafts by J. A. Armstrong Page B

shrugged.
    “You’re
not mad?” Jonah asked in surprise.
    “Nah.
None of us can help who we are born to. Some of us are lucky and get parents
who drink beer and drive us crazy talking about their sex lives....”
    “Or,
just with their sex lives,” Jonah laughed.
    “I’ll
pretend I didn’t hear that,” Jameson said. Jonah sniggered. “And, some of us
get morons. What can you do?”
    “Mom
is going to flip.”
    Jameson
chuckled. “You want me to tell her?” she guessed. Jonah sighed. “It’s okay, Jonah.
I’ll make sure she is sitting down, preferably with a glass of scotch in her
hand,” Jameson said.
    “You’d
do that for me?” he asked. “J.D., I can’t ask you to…”
    “Eh,
it’s fine,” she said. “Just name the kid after me and we’ll call it even,” she
cast a playful glance his way.
    “That’s
your demand, huh?”
    “Worth
a try,” Jameson said. “Did it work?”
    Jonah
laughed. “Not really my call,” he said.
    “You
know, you are going to have to talk to your mom at some point about this.”
    “I
know,” he said.
    “And,
she is going to want to meet this girlfriend of yours.”
    “I
know that too,” he said.
    “Just
do me a favor,” she said.
    “Sure,
if I can,” Jonah replied.
    “Assuming
you survive her father, don’t invite the in-laws over just yet,” she teased
him.
    “Wow,
very supportive J.D. You really should rethink that kid thing. You’ve got the
torture part down already,” he told her.
    “Thanks,”
Jameson grinned.
    Jonah
looked back out the window. Jameson looked over at him occasionally as a
thoughtful silence hovered between them. “Thanks, J.D.,” Jonah said sincerely.
    “I
didn’t do anything,” she said.
    “Yeah.
You did.”
    ***
    “Hi,
honey….What’s wrong? No, I’m not sitting down. Why? Should I be?” Candace asked
Jameson on the other end of the line.
    “Uh.
Yeah, you probably will want to do that,” Jameson answered.
    “Oh,
I do not like the sound of this,” Candace replied. “You didn’t get arrested or
something, did you?”
    “What?
No!” Jameson answered. “But, if you are in your office, I would open that
bottle of scotch you keep in the cabinet for special occasions.”
    “Why?”
Candace asked. “Oh, God! Who is getting married?”
    “No
one,” Jameson said. “I don’t think.”
    “Who
is pregnant?” Candace asked.
    “No
one you don’t already know about unless
you know something I don’t,” Jameson said.
    “OH!
I know…the Republicans want to endorse me!” Candace cheered. Dana looked at her
boss from the sofa and rolled her eyes.
    “Candace?”
Jameson began. “Are you already drinking?”
    “Yes,”
Candace said.
    “Oh,
no. Bad news on the hill?” Jameson asked.
    “Don’t
change the subject, Jameson. What is it that I need to sit down and drink
scotch to hear?” Candace asked.
    “Umm…
Well… See… Here is the thing…”
    “Jameson!”
    “What?”
    “Just
tell me already! The suspense is killing me,” Candace said.
    “Are
you drunk?” Jameson asked.
    “Not
yet,” Candace replied honestly.
    “Maybe
this should wait until tomorrow.”
    “Oh,
no. I am not having two perfectly good days ruined. Now, what the hell is going
on?”
    “Okay.
Here it is: Jonah’s girlfriend’s dad is some FVI guru… and I don’t mean he makes funny videos,” Jameson said. Candace burst out
laughing. “You’re laughing,” Jameson said in amazement. “You must be drunk. Is
Dana there?”
    “No.
Yes, Dana is here, and no I am not drunk, although if you call me in a couple
of hours the answers might be different to those questions,” Candace admitted.
“I’m laughing because I already know.”
    “You
already know that you are getting drunk?”
    Candace
laughed harder. “No, you lunatic. I already know about Laura’s father.”
    “Oh…You
do? How?” Jameson asked.
    “I
could ask you the same question,” Candace pointed out.
    “Jonah
told me,” Jameson said.
    “He
did, huh?”