Nick thought of Sam and the possible outcome of the IAB proceedings. If he didn’t hear something soon, he might just lose his mind. “I don’t know if Sam can make it or not. Depends on her schedule.”

“So what do I tell them?”

“I guess the standard answer going forward will be one for sure, two maybe.”

“Alrighty,” Christina said, even though her disapproval was apparent. “President Nelson sent you an invite to the state dinner with the Canadian prime minister. You can’t be vague on that one. Either she’s going or she isn’t.”

Nick tried to imagine Sam at a White House function. The idea of it made him smile. “I’ll see if I can talk her into it.”

“We have to let them know by next week. The next thing is this slew of interview requests we’ve received. Trevor and I agree that you probably need to pick one and do it. You can’t just ignore them all.” She handed him the list. “But there’s one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“They want both of you.”

“Both of who?”

“You and Sam.”

“Are you serious?”

Christina nodded. “I know you’re painfully aware that the media is enthralled by the two of you. They’re clamoring for the first joint interview.”

“She’d never do it in a million years.”

“Even if you asked her to?”

“She’s up to her eyeballs in the Sinclair case.” Not to mention the IAB situation, he thought to himself. “I can’t imagine asking her to sit down for an interview.”

“Maybe if you do it,” Christina said, “they’ll move on to something else and leave the two of you alone.”

“You really think so?” Nick asked, skeptical.

“Not really, but it’s worth a shot.”

“I’ll think about it,” Nick said, trying to imagine broaching the subject with Sam.

One of the receptionists came to the door. “Senator, Judson Knott is here. He wonders if he might have a few minutes.”

Nick glanced at Christina who shrugged. “Not on the schedule.”

“Sure,” he said. “Show him in.”

The chairman of the Virginia Democratic Party stepped into the office, full of apologies for showing up without an appointment.

“It’s no problem, Judson,” Nick said. “My door’s always open for you.” To Christina, Nick added, “Would you mind giving us a minute?”

When they were alone, Nick asked if he could get Judson some coffee.

“No, thank you, Senator. I’m fine. I’ve just come from breakfast with Richard and the rest of the party leadership. I wonder if your ears were ringing.”

“Sir?”

Judson flashed a big smile. “You were the hot topic of conversation. The way you’ve come in and hit the ground running, getting O’Connor-Martin passed. Your approval ratings are higher than anything we’ve ever seen. You don’t see numbers like yours. Ever.”