“Let’s hope so, because if this doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will.” To Nick, Mike said, “Thanks for hanging out. I appreciate the company.”

“Happy to.”

“I’m going back in with them in case Tracy needs me.”

“I’ll check on the kids when I get home,” Sam said. “Maybe they can come stay with us tomorrow for a change of scenery.”

“They’d like that. They love being with Scotty.”

“And he loves being with them.” Sam hugged him. “Hang in there, okay? We’ve all got your back.”

Mike nodded and wiped new tears off his face when he released her.

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Nick said when he hugged Mike. “Call if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

As they walked to the elevator, Nick put his arm around Sam. “I’ve always had so much respect for the way he treats Brooke like his own kid, but never more so than I do right now.”

“I agree. He’s amazing, and he’s been that way toward her from the very beginning. Tracy used to say that Brooke picked him as her daddy. They were so close when she was little. This has to be tearing him up inside.”

“It is. He was sobbing his head off earlier. I did what I could for him, but it’s tough.”

“Thanks for being a good friend to him,” Sam said.

“I like him. I’ve always liked him.”

In the elevator, he leaned against the back wall and turned so he could see her face. “Are we alone enough now for you to tell me your big secret?”

“It’s actually not my big secret. It’s yours for once.”

“Huh?”

He followed her off the elevator and through the lobby to the main door, where they exited into the frigid evening air.

“Damn, it got cold today,” Sam said, burrowing deeper into her coat and nearly drooling in anticipation of the heated seats in his BMW.

“Don’t change the subject, Samantha.”

“You’ll have to excuse me for enjoying the fact that for once I’ve got something on you rather than the other way around.” Though she made light of the secrecy, she wanted to know why he’d felt the need to keep such an important thing as the president’s offer from her.

On any other day when they hadn’t spent an entire day arguing, she might’ve made a bigger issue out of him keeping a big secret from her. Now she was relieved that they had seemed to recover their footing, and she wasn’t exactly anxious to start something new with him.

He held the passenger door for her and waited for her to get settled before he walked around the car to get in the driver’s side, moving gingerly as he got in.

“Are you okay to drive?”