“I hope you know I’d love to go. It’s just going to depend on how my dad is doing.”

“Of course. I don’t mean to pressure you.”

“Yes, you do,” she said, laughing.

“Maybe just a little. Can’t blame a guy for trying.” After a long pause, he said, “Tonight was incredible. I’ve never seen Adam so happy.”

“They’re a great couple.”

“So are we.”

“Are we a couple?”

“Why must you tease me? Didn’t we just say we aren’t planning to be with anyone else?”

“I think we did.”

“So doesn’t that make us a couple?”

“I suppose maybe it does.”

“Are you screwing with me, Erin?”

“Would I do that to you?”

“Yes, I believe you would,” he said, amused by her even if she was most definitely screwing with him.

“Who’s your favorite president?” she asked.

Though he realized she was steering the conversation away from serious stuff, he was okay with that. There’d be time to figure it all out later. “Ohh, that’s a tough one.” He took a long moment to consider his answer. “I’m going with Millard Fillmore.”

“Seriously?”

“Very seriously.”

“Why him?”

“I feel kind of bad for the guy. He was a lifelong public servant and the last of the Whigs to be president, but he never makes anyone’s top-ten presidents list.”

“So he’s your favorite because you feel sorry for him? That’s not a good reason.”

“Is he like the semicolons of presidents?”

Sputtering with laughter, she said, “Something like that.”

“Who’s your favorite?”

“Reagan.”

“So you’re a Reagan Republican, then?”

“Not really. I vote for people rather than parties, and I always thought he seemed like a nice guy. He was crazy about his wife, too. He wrote her the most amazing love letters.”

Note to self—look up the letters Reagan wrote to his wife. “They say she wore the pants in the White House.”

“I love that! Imagine all the West Wing suits back in the ’80s afraid of a ninety-pound woman. That’s the way it ought to be.”

So his girl was a card-carrying feminist, too. He liked that.

“Is Millard Fillmore really your favorite president?”

“Nah,” he said with a low chuckle. “I always liked to read about Kennedy.”

“I liked to read about his family. Imagine having nine kids!”

“Um, no, thank you very much.”

They talked for another hour about nothing in particular, but that was okay. He loved the sound of her voice and was interested in everything she had to say.

“You should get some sleep,” she said as the clock edged closer to two. “You’ve got a long day in the air tomorrow.”

“You’re right. I should get some Z’s, and so should you.”

“I’m glad you called.”

“I’m glad I called, too, but I still miss you.”

“Me, too.”