He was the kind of man who said “females” when he was alone with his buddies and slapped women on the ass then pretended he hadn’t known it was offensive. And she couldn’t manipulate the votes; that qualified as mind control, and even the most powerful neuromancer couldn’t manage it. At best, she could nudge someone in a direction they were already inclined toward. It would probably surprise Trev to realize the reason he saw her as the most beautiful and glamorous woman in the world was because he was already disposed to think so. Her glamour spells didn’t work half as well on someone who disliked her profoundly.

Talk about the ultimate “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” test.

It was also why it had been impossible to force Margie’s ex to pay child support, no matter what spells they worked. So ironic—technology was way easier to influence than people.

As expected, Clem’s spell had worked like a charm. Trev had been so surprised and delighted when she mentioned that multiple “book club” friends wanted his help with their accounts as well. Frankly, he was doing a magnificent job with Leanne’s professional socials. She’d peeked a few times in the past week, and she couldn’t do better herself. He had an eye for nuance, and he was relentlessly charming when responding to constituents. People might believe it was impossible to turn patience and an inherently kind nature into a career, but look at him go.

Her favorite part of this whole viral deal was the tribute videos. A whole slew of people praising their partners had cropped up online, and it wasn’t limited to wives and husbands either. There were videos of people saying, “If you want your house rewired, you want my partner,” and “If you need someone to build the best treehouse ever, you want my spouse,” and she was so here for it. Because it made her campaign truly part of the community, and people were finding each other, and…

Okay, I’m definitely not crying. I wanted wholesome, and he’s giving 120 percent.

Tonight, she had a speaking engagement, and she wanted Trev there, but he’d left the campaign office early. He didn’t say where he was headed, and she didn’t want to be one of those partners, the kind who had to know everything about every minute. In fact, she wasn’t even sure if she had any rights at all. Since their wedding night, they slept in the same bed, but he seldom made any moves on her. Despite his amicable exterior, her husband was hard to read. He smiled a lot, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and he rarely volunteered his thoughts.