“Why all the interest in the bracelet, Mia?”

“Human interest, Mr. Harrington—Alex. It’s something personal about you, a proven draw, just like your story about your uncle Xavier. If people can connect to you as an individual, as a real person, not just a politician who wants their vote, well, you get the idea. That’s what my first piece will be about—your background, your family, your personal anecdotes, and talk about a draw, Uncle Xavier.”

“Fair enough. Actually, it’s the third silver link bracelet I’ve had. My mom bought me this incarnation last Christmas when the second one broke.”

She typed three, nothing more, and sat forward, her eyes sparkling with interest. “How did you break the first and second bracelets? Anything fun?”

He laughed again. “I broke the first one when I was playing lacrosse at Harvard. I was heading to score and one of the Yalies whacked me on the bracelet. Probably saved my wrist from getting broken, a lot of pain time in a cast, but the bracelet was toast. The second time was only a couple of years ago, when I fell off a mountain bike, and no, I learned my lesson. No more mountain bikes.”

Mia said easily, “I saw a photo of you holding up a championship trophy for the Bennington Prep lacrosse team.”

His eyes lit up with remembered pleasure.

“And your friend Kent Harper is standing next to you; you have your arm around his shoulders.”

He nodded. “Kent and I have been close friends since we were boys. Like me, Kent manages his family’s branch office here in New York. I imagine you’ll be speaking to him.” He cocked his head again, a longtime habit, she supposed. It made him look friendly, approachable.

“Oh yes. I’m hoping he’ll have some clever stories about you.”

“I’ll have to tell him to be very selective.”

Mia smiled, said without pause, “Tell me about your stand on guns, Alex. Your party is in favor of a gun ban. What is your position?”

“I’m not a hunter, but some of my friends take off for Canada to hunker down in blinds while other friends enjoy competitive shooting. Why should I want to deny them an activity they enjoy? But assault rifles, now that’s another matter entirely. Gun violence in schools, it sickens me. So, even though I’m not in favor of a complete gun ban, I am committed to banning all weapons that could kill people.”

She nodded, made notes. “Let’s talk about education. What do you think of charter schools?”

He sat forward, his hands clasped. “I believe some charter schools can fill a need, but I also believe caution is mandatory in terms of how the schools are structured, their educational approaches, their philosophies, their underpinnings. We don’t want a Hogwarts school here in New York City.”