Page 92 of Bi-Partisan

“I’m ready. Really.” He smiles a little and closes the small amount of distance between us to wrap his arms around my waist. “I just wanted a minute with you to recenter myself so I stay that way.”

I pull him close, resting my chin on his shoulder. “You’re going to do great.”

He nods and leans back a fraction.

I meet him halfway for a brief kiss, then let him go, not wanting to wrinkle his suit too much.

He takes a deep breath, then lets it out in a rush. “Okay, I should probably go.”

“Hold on.” I quickly straighten his tie, even though I know it’s probably just going to need to be done again before he goes on. “Okay, perfect.”

“You’re perfect,” he says fondly, sneaking in a quick peck on the cheek before heading to back out.

Mina is already by the door leading out of the suite, so I offer him one last encouraging smile, then watch as he meets her and walks out. Once he’s gone, I let out a controlled breath, easing up on some of my tight control on my emotions. I still can’t fully let myself feel my anxiety, but everyone else back in the conference room won’t be able to spot my tells half as well as Jamie, so I can let go a little. Slowly, I head back, and once I cross the doorway, Sheila is smiling and beckoning me over by patting the seat next to her.

“Come sit, sweetheart.”

I nod and round the table to sit.

“It’s good to see you again,” she says.

“It’s nice to see you again, too.” I smile at both her and Paul.

“I’m glad you could make it down,” Paul says. “Jamie said you wouldn’t be able to make it because of work.”

“I originally wasn’t, but I switched some shifts around when Mina said he wasn’t handling the stress well,” I explain.

“Well, it seems like you being here did him a world of good,” Sheila says before leaning over to rifle through the bag at her feet. She pulls out a skein of yarn, a hook, and what looks like the beginnings of a scarf.

“I hope so.”

Now it’s just a waiting game. I almost regret not bringing a book, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus on it if I did. I check my phone for the time, and we’ve got almost an hour and a half until the debate is scheduled to start, which means I have an hour and a half to sit alone with my thoughts and anxiety.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Sheila leaning over to reach into her bag again, this time pulling out another skein of yarn and another hook. She sets them in my lap, and I can’t help giving her a confused look.

“Having something to do with my hands helps me with the pre-debate waiting nerves. I think I made about forty scarves, hats, and mittens during Jamie’s debate team years in high school,” she says with a gentle smile.

Of course, his mother is as observant as he is. That’s probably where he got it from.

“Do you know how to crochet?”

I shake my head. Sophie attempted to teach me once, but it wasn’t my thing. I don’t want to tell Sheila that, though—not when she’s being so kind. So over the next hour and a half, I let her teach me how to crochet. She suggests I start by making a scarf, since it’s just simple rows. And although it’s still probably not a hobby I’d ever get into, and I’m not great at it, I have to admit that it does help steady my nerves. Now I get why Sophie always has yarn on her.

At 8:00 p.m., Daniel gets everyone’s attention. “It’s starting,” he says, gesturing at the TV.

On the screen, the Raleigh news intro plays, and the room gets quiet as we strain to hear the announcer.

“Fucking technology,” Ben says with a sigh. “Daniel, can you do something about the volume?”

“On it chief,” he says, wheeling his chair over to the laptop plugged into the television to adjust the connection. After a few seconds, the television speakers come to life. “Ah ha! Sound settings were all messed up.”

“… meet the Democrat, Congressman Jamie Montgomery, and the Republican, State Senator Geoffery Mitchell. This is the CBS 17 debate for Congress, district 13. Now your moderators Rebecca Jones and Maria Young.”

The camera opens on two female newscasters, and after a quick welcome, they go into the rules of the debate, which I already know since Jamie’s been talking about them for the last couple of weeks. I try to keep my focus on the lumpy beginnings of the crochet project in my lap so my anxiety stays under control. Also so I don’t lose count of my stitches.

“Our first couple of questions are going to focus on giving each of you an opportunity to clearly define your positions on issues that have been focal points of this campaign and that each of you have claimed your position has been distorted,” one of the moderators says. “Starting with Senator Mitchell, you’ve been portrayed in campaign ads as supporting a near total ban on abortion. Is that, in fact, your position?”

“Well, so much for them starting off with soft ball questions,” Riley mutters under her breath.

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