Page 193 of State of Retribution

“I’m pretty easy where you’re concerned.”

“In some ways.In others, you keep me on my toes.”

“Stop it.That’s not true.I’ve never been easier with anyone in my life than I am with you—in every possible way it’s possible to be easy.”

“If you say so, dear.”

“I do say so, and if you want me to continue to be easy, you’d better say so, too.”

“If you were any easier, you’d melt like butter on my tongue.Better?”

“Kind of a gross way to put it, but okay.”

“What’s gross about butter melting in my mouth?”

She cringed.“Quit saying that.”

Laughing, he said, “You know what’s one of the many things I love best about you?”

“I can’t wait to hear this.”

“How I never, ever,everknow what you’re going to say or do next.”

“That’s also not true.I’m the most boringly predictable person ever.”

His eyes went wide.“Are you serious?Do you honestly think that’s true?Because no one who knows you wouldeversay that about you.”

“Please.What do I do but get up, go to work, come home, be with you guys, go to bed, rinse and repeat?Day after day after day.”

“Oh, babe, you may follow a routine, but nothing about you is boringorpredictable.Take my word on that.And if you don’t believe me, I’m happy to take a survey of our people to ask their opinions.It’s safe to say they’ll all agree with me.”

“Because you’re the president.”

“No, because I’m right.”He reached across the table for her hand.“You’re the most endlessly fascinating, sexy, funny, complicated, passionate, clumsy, delightful person any of us has ever met, and you keep everyone in your life highly entertained.”

“You just had to toss in clumsy, didn’t you?”

“Did you hear anything else I said?”

“I heard it, and most of it was nice, but the clumsy thing sort of ruined it for me.”

“Is there any way I can redeem myself?”

She shrugged.“We’ll see.”

“Have you had enough of the cake?”

“I might have some more after we pack.”

He stood and held out a hand to help her up.“Dance with me.”

“To what?”

He could tell he surprised her when he pulled his iPhone from his pocket and used the music app to pick a song.

“I thought you had to give that up when they gave you the BlackBerry.”

“There’s no phone or internet service on it.But the music app still works.”He drew her into his arms as the Bon Jovi song “Make a Memory” came on.“Remember the night I came home from making the ‘welcome to Virginia’ video as a senator to this song blasting through the house while you readCongress for Dummies?”

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