She wondered what Lou would say if he knew she had wished that Martin could have his warmth and connection to people. There was something about him, a serenity and sense of place, that put her instantly at ease. If she were injured or ill in an ER, she decided, the best thing that could happen would be lying on a gurney and having him show up at her bedside. Maybe it was just the way a good doc made people feel. Whatever the explanation, spending time with Lou Welcome was reminding her of things that she and Martin had lost on their nonstop path to the White House.

“I keep promising Emily that I’ll take her to see the Liberty Bell one of these days,” Lou said.

Darlene smiled, grateful to be distracted from her thoughts. “Your daughter’s never been?”

“No,” he admitted, folding his lower lip down. “She’s also got her heart set on running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and doing the Rocky dance.”

“Thirteen is such a great age,” Darlene said wistfully.

She had been warned by friends early on that after Lisa hit first grade, the years would fly by instead of crawl. Now her baby was a busy college sophomore, moving ahead with her own life, and all Darlene had of those early years were photographs and memories.

“The divorce has made me miss time with Em,” Lou said. “That’s the hardest thing in my life.”

“You said the divorce wasn’t your idea. I would imagine there’s some guilt roiling around that.”

“Her mother’s a really good egg, who just ran out of gas after a couple of self-destructive years on my part. She’s married to a decent-enough guy now, and is as happy for my recovery as I am. Whatever guilt I still feel toward Em I make up for by allowing her to drink Diet Coke when we’re together.”

“The beverage industry loves my husband, but they sure don’t like what I have to say about their products.”

“Is it hard for you?” Lou asked, “the spotlight?… The constant scrutiny?”

Darlene tried to shrug off the question. “It’s gets tiring,” she confessed.

“I’ll bet.”

“We can’t be normal. For starters, most couples can have a slight argument without making the front page of the tabloids. We can’t risk a cross word or look outside of our bedroom. When we began this journey, Martin made me a promise. He said the responsibilities of the country wouldn’t eclipse his responsibilities as a father and husband. I never questioned his resolve. But now, I’ve realized my own naivety.”

“In what way?”