Never had two people been so excited to sign dissolution of marriage papers.

“I’m glad I was nearby too. And I’d rather not end up like them either, but I think we’re safe in that regard, seeing as I have no plans to get married, or get serious, or anything like that.”

She rolled her eyes, huffing at him. “You’re already too far gone.”

“What do you mean?”

“You just said you didn’t want to fuck this up. She’s not just someone you’re dating. She’s someone you care deeply about.”

He didn’t want his sister’s observation to register, even though somewhere inside, it resonated, hitting a part of him he’d thought was broken irreparably. Michelle awakened feelings in him he’d thought were missing from his very DNA. Her vulnerability, her strength, her humor, and most of all, her openness with him on everything floored him, and had worked its way into his heart, that stupid organ that barely worked. He didn’t know how to handle all he felt for her—but his desire for her went much deeper than the physical.

“And that’s another reason why you should do the story with my friend,” Casey added. He arched an eyebrow in question. “The one at the New York Press. I mentioned it before. It would be good for you.”

He shook his head. “Moving on. Let’s talk about the campaign,” he said, tapping the newspaper spread out on his coffee table. “The metro section says our guy is still getting clobbered. You said you were going to do some digging on Conroy. Did you find anything?”

Casey’s lips quirked up. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

“I knew I wasn’t the only spy in the family. What did you find?”

“Actually, I didn’t dig up any dirt. You saw the picture I sent you of the door. But I don’t think we need to go that way. The people in their district are really responding to Conroy’s message about cleaning up the area, right? Even if it’s not based on the truth, he’s touching a nerve that everyone can agree with. Everyone wants a cleaner, better neighborhood.”

Jack nodded. “Sure.”

“At its heart, that’s a positive message. He might have subverted it with his focus on the clubs, but he’s doing well with that message. And my theory is Denkler’s just backed into a corner now, trying to fight back, and it’s not working. Conroy made the campaign about something else and now Denkler’s on the defensive.”

The cogs in his head started turning. Slowly at first, then more quickly, and soon the train was racing down the path. “He needs to go on the offensive and change the conversation. That’s what we need to do. This isn’t about digging up dirt. This has to be about something better than dirt,” he said, snapping his fingers as the ideas whirring in his head came fully into focus. The data points, the bits and pieces, the clues all came together, and he assembled them quickly into a strategy. “I know exactly how to do it,” he said, then laid out his plan for his sister.