Page 57 of Merry Little Heartbreak

“What in the hell does that even mean? ‘Smile with earnest and meet people’s eyes’?” Ian said, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him.

Margo covered her laugh with a cough, but the eagle eyes of Ms. Jax was already settled on him from across the large coffee table in his parents’ sitting room.

They were meeting with Mr. Maguire’s campaign manager and her staff. Ms. Jax was a political guru and had worked on President Cruz’s campaign, which got her elected as the first female president. It was said politicians didn’t choose her; she chose them. She was the closest a politician could get to a “sure thing” and had worked on every successful campaign for the last twenty years. Members of Congress, presidents, and governors that had all won their races when they had Ms. Jax on their side.

“Mr. Maguire, I need to know if this is going to be too much for you here and now. We can’t have any member of the family giving a half-baked effort. I need to be sure you’re going to project genuine support for your father’s bid for governor.”

All eyes in the room bounced back to him and Ian sat up a little straighter, but he didn’t cower under her scrutiny.

“I wouldn’t have come today if I wasn’t prepared to support my father. I just don’t see why we need lessons in smiling or ‘acting like a family,’” he said, reading from the document Ms. Jax had passed out to each of them. “We are a family.”

“You might be surprised how many political families can’t stand each other, Mr. Maguire.” Her eyes narrowed again. “Any skeletons will come out, so we need to be prepared and address them now.”

Ian looked to his mother, who sat holding a cup of tea, wearing an impeccable pants suit that looked like it belonged in a modern spin on the Jackie O collection. Mrs. Maguire smiled and winked at Ian. Although Ian and his father had never been on the same page, he was always close with his mom, and Ian wouldn’t do anything to upset her.

Ian nodded. “After practicing family law, I don’t think anything would surprise me about political families, but up until now, we haven’t been one. Just the normal kind of sibling rivalry and daddy issues here.”

“Very well, then, if you and your brother are in agreement to support your father and mother in this endeavor, I believe your father will win this race in a landslide. My plan is to get as many of the Maguire’s involved and give Virginians a bird’s-eye view of what a spectacular family you are.”

“Have you spoken with our extended family? I’m not sure all our cousins will want to get too involved,” Drake said.

“They’ll all be attending tomorrow’s gala where we really kick off your father’s campaign officially with a big fundraiser, and we’ll get to see you both in action.”

Ian and Drake looked at each other, and Margo couldn’t help but feel excited and laugh at the brothers’ nervousness.

“You guys will be fine. We just have to all stick together, and we won’t tell anyone about all our dirty secrets,” Margo teased.

A young woman with thick glasses, her hair tucked back in a bun, and a dowdy sweater sitting in the corner smirked but then covered it with her clipboard. She was one of Ms. Jax’s assistants.

Ian’s back stiffened. “Is it really necessary to air all our dirty laundry to strangers?” he asked, looking at his father.

“No, son, we can have a private discussion with Ms. Jax after this,” his father said, looking at the formidable woman with the Maguire stare that made it clear there was no room for discussion. She may be the political guru, but their father was a seasoned criminal attorney and had led the largest county in the state’s legal team for the Commonwealth of Virginia for the last ten years. He was no slouch, and he had just drawn a line in the sand for this political race.

“Mr. Maguire,” the woman said as her eyes swiveled between Ian and his father. “If you think I have not uncovered your time in rehab, your work with the juvenile delinquents, and your bad boy status, then you have underestimated me. And your opponents.”

Margo’s eyes grew huge, and she bit her lower lip in fear that the room would explode in defense of Ian. However, everyone sat completely still.

“If you think I’m ashamed of my past, you’ll be disappointed,” Ian said. “But I won’t subject my mother to any smear campaign against my father for my shortcomings.”

“Agreed, but we will be ready if someone else should uncover your history, and we won’t make excuses or hide from it.”

Ian huffed. “I am not going to do any apology tour or be a poster boy for rehab. My reputation and previous stint in rehab shouldn’t matter to voters. I’m not the one running for any office.”

“Of course not, but to homemakers deciding who to entrust with their tax dollars, and national security, it matters if your father provided a loving home as well as he ran the county criminal code.”

“And what is your advice on this matter, Ms. Jax? Do we face it head-on or wait until it’s unearthed to address it?” Mrs. Maguire finally said.

Ms. Jax smiled. “Very good question, Mrs. Maguire. I always find that it’s best to see if the other party can dig it up, but we’ll be ready. Ian had a wild youth and tough time in college, but that was almost a decade ago and he’s been sober ever since.”

Then the woman’s eyes landed on Ian.

“Correct?”

“Yes,” Ian said with gritted teeth.

Margo let out a breath she’d been holding the entire time, and her hand snaked under the table to grip Ian’s, which was in a tight ball on his thigh. They were a united front, but if his father was going to be in the spotlight, all their family secrets were up for public consumption.

“Now, Dr. Maguire, are you planning to just live with Dr. Monroe, or can we expect you to be putting a ring on it soon?”

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