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Skippy started barking.
“I have to go deal with Her Royal Highness. Happy anniversary, you guys. All kidding aside, you’re pretty great, even when you’re sending mixed messages.”
“We love you madly,” Sam said.
“Back atcha.”
“Love you, buddy,” Nick said. “Text me after practice.”
“Will do. Love you, too.”
“What a kid,” Nick said after Sam had slapped her phone closed to end the call.
“The best kid ever.”
“Thank God for Alden coming to rescue Skippy,” Nick said.
“I’m sure Celia suggested that.”
“Thank God for her, too.”
Having Sam’s stepmother living with them at the White House enabled them to juggle their many responsibilities and get away from it all this week while knowing she would be there to help keep the kids on a schedule.
“Asking her to come to the White House with us was the best idea Freddie ever had,” Sam said.
“Absolutely. It’s worked out well for her, too. It’s nice to see her smiling again.”
“Definitely. Hard to believe my dad is gone six months already next month.”
“I know. I feel like we haven’t seen him in years.”
“I miss him so much. After that all-hands briefing yesterday, all I wanted to do was call him to share the latest developments with Stahl.AndI want to ask him how it was possible he was doing all this crap while pretending to be an upstanding officer.”
“What do you think he’d say?”
“He’d be as shocked as the rest of us are, and he’d remind me how they went through some very tight budget years in the late ’90s and into the 2000s. They were under a hiring freeze and were forced to work with available resources while crime was surging. Since the department was spread so thin, a lot of detectives worked without a partner. Supervisors were stretched to the limit. No one had time to be constantly checking the work of their subordinates. It was a perfect storm of opportunity for him.”
“I guess so.”
“It’s all so unbelievable, and yet, it’s not, too.”
“I’m sure.”
Brant knocked before sticking his head in to gesture they were ready for the walk. “Sorry that took so long. We had to relocate some tourists.”
“I’m sure they appreciated that,” Nick said.
“They were happy to assist.”
As they followed Brant from the house, Nick said, “Good to know I have a few supporters left.”
“You have more than a few, so don’t focus on the naysayers.”
“It’s hard not to when they’re organizing coups and such.”
Sam curled her hands around his arm. “Let it go for now. It’ll all keep until later.”
“Yes, it will. Thank you for the reminder.”
