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“Congressman, I recommend you let me knock on the doors and do a quick check for security before you engage with the household members.”

Matt snorted. “Okay, these are people who are committed supporters, soft supporters, and persuadables. I might not be able to convince every one of them to vote for me, but I really don’t expect any of them to greet me at the door with a shotgun.”

“Well, you never know with some of those persuadables,” Angus said, his voice sliding low.

“He’s joking,” Lindsey said. “Morgan, we really do appreciate your concern. But I think we can handle the knocking on doors.”

Watching Matt and Lindsey, Sarah felt a hollowness in her chest, a tightness in her throat. That could have been me, she thought briefly. I could have had him. The moment came and went, and she’d done nothing.

But you wouldn’t have had him, she thought. Not like that, and not for long.

What was their relationship about? she wondered. Why did they stay together? She didn’t know if she’d ever understand how people made it work.

Morgan had parked the Expedition at the beginning of the block, on the border of the precinct they were going to walk. A police car slowly cruised the street. Another was stationed on the corner. This was the biggest street in the precinct, the street you’d take to get to the boulevard that led to the freeway. The most likely place that someone would enter the neighborhood.

It’s fine, Sarah thought. We wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t okay.

“Do you want to do a Snap?” she asked. “Just a quick one, before we go to the first house.”

Matt grinned. “Snap away.”

Sarah pressed the red Record button on her iPhone screen. Matt circled his arm around Lindsey’s back, resting his hand on her deltoid.

“It’s a beautiful day, and we’re ready to knock on some doors,” he said, smiling.