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Noelle watched them leave, irked she hadn’t had a chance to ask Jon why this event wasn’t on her schedule.

Two political wives approached her, and she made polite chitchat for three minutes, then excused herself, saying she needed to check on Derrick.

Instead, she made a beeline for the bar and ordered a gin and tonic.

A double. She found a quiet spot to drink, keeping an eye on Derrick as person after person approached him, wanting a minute of his time.

His gatekeeper, Jon, spoke to each one before allowing them within Derrick’s circle.

Derrick rarely drank much; he just nursed a glass of wine all night.

He never said anything when Noelle ordered something stronger in public, but she’d seen the displeasure in his eyes.

“He’s good at this.”

Noelle turned to find Eve’s husband, Adam, beside her, a drink in his hand too.

He held his toward her, and she clinked her glass against it.

“He is,” she agreed. “And I hear all the time how much he relies on you to organize his thoughts and get his message out to his constituents. You make his job much easier.”

Adam shrugged. “That’s the first line in my job description: ‘Make Derrick’s job easier.’” He eyed her. “It’s your first line too.”

Noelle gave a half smile and took another sip.

True.

“You look tired,” Adam stated.

“Thanks a lot. But don’t we all?” said Noelle in good humor. Adam never said things to dig at people, and her drink was already taking effect, erasing the tension of her car ride with Derrick.

“Have you seen a doctor?” asked Adam, studying her. “Maybe you need something to give you a boost. We all need a little help now and then.”

“Except for Derrick. I swear this type of event energizes him. Sometimes too much,” she added, wondering if anticipating the event had spiked his emotions earlier.

“They do—oh, shit . I’ll catch you later.” Adam strode off, raising a hand as if greeting someone a few yards away.

“Chicken,” Noelle muttered. He’d seen Catherine approaching. Noelle wanted to sneak away too, but she’d already made eye contact with Derrick’s mother.

“Good evening, Catherine,” said Noelle with an automatic smile. “Looks like a good turnout as usual.” She knew her mother-in-law was on the planning committee for the event.

Catherine returned the same smile. “Lots of people’s hard work is paying off.” She took the place beside Noelle that Adam had just vacated to look over the room, a creator surveying her work.

Noelle understood the meaning behind her comment: Noelle hadn’t volunteered for the planning committee. She scanned the room for a waiter, ready for another drink.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something, Noelle.”

Where’s a waiter when you need one?

“What’s that, Catherine?” She kept her tone friendly and open while inside she was screaming. She’d experienced enough of Catherine’s talks.

“Derrick seems unusually stressed lately. Do you know what could be causing that?”

“Most likely his job,” Noelle said dryly.

“You know what I mean.” Exasperation filled her mother-in-law’s tone. “What’s going on at home? Are you two fighting? I know he was disappointed by your tests.”

Noelle drained the last bit of her drink.

She’d seen a fertility specialist, whom she’d sworn to secrecy about her birth control use—even though legally he wasn’t allowed to share anything—and learned she wasn’t the only one of his patients who’d made that request. He’d gone ahead and checked some other things and then told her she shouldn’t have a problem getting pregnant in the future.

“I was also upset that he couldn’t find any issues,” she lied.

“But Derrick doesn’t want to get his sperm count checked.

And the ball’s in his court.” She snorted at her pun.

“I’m sure he’s not the issue. Maybe you could try a different doctor.”

Noelle caught a waiter’s eye and raised her hand.

Thank God.

“Alcohol probably doesn’t help,” said Catherine as Noelle handed off her glass and requested another.

“I don’t think my infertility is what’s bothering Derrick,” said Noelle. “He has a lot going on at work. They’re already making plans for his third election. It never ends.”

“You don’t sound very supportive.”

Noelle focused on her breaths. Slow inhale.

Slow exhale. “What am I not doing to support my husband? I make certain he doesn’t have to worry about a thing outside of his job.

I do everything I can think of to make his job easier.

” An echo of Adam’s earlier comment about their job descriptions.

“But I agree with you that he has seemed on edge more than usual. He loses his temper very quickly.” She watched Catherine out of the corner of her eye.

There was no visible reaction.

“That happens sometimes. I’m not surprised.” Catherine continued to watch her son across the room, seemingly undisturbed by Noelle’s comment. “Here comes Lora.” Her face brightened considerably.

“Hi, Mom. Hey, Noelle.” Lora gave them each a hug.

Noelle’s spine relaxed a fraction. Lora made a good buffer around her mother. The waiter appeared with Noelle’s drink.

Things are looking up.

She sipped her drink, half listening to Lora discuss the room’s temperature because it seemed the air-conditioning wasn’t strong enough. Catherine agreed, a concerned look on her face. They debated how to immediately address the issue without causing a stir.

She says nothing when I mention Derrick’s increasing temper but worries about a room temperature that is two degrees too warm.

She watched as Derrick laughed loudly and touched the arm of a man who’d apparently said the funniest thing he had heard in years. The man beamed.

Ka-ching.

The clock caught her eye. Two more hours to go. Most likely three, because there was always another person who wanted “just a moment” of Derrick’s time.

She tamped down her resentment of his dedication to his job.

His dedication to helping others was one of the things that had attracted her to him.

I’ll never stand in his way.