Page 47 of Home of the Brave

Hartman smirked, “—ideas he’s ever had.”

Erik leaned back with his arm draped over Hartman’s chair. “It worked out.”

“Somehow,” Derek shook his head. “You had to play for your father-in-law, and I had to play with my brother-in-law, who frequently threatened my life in Russian when he thought no one else was around.”

Hartman nodded with a grin. “Good times.”

She watched us with a light in her eyes I’d never seen before. “Your team is much more of a family than most. I’ve always admired that.”

“It’s definitely a blessing,” Hartman admitted. “We work hard to maintain a culture we all enjoy.”

“It can be a curse, though,” Erik cracked a smile. “You can’t make a single move without everyone and their wives knowing.”

“That can make certain things difficult,” Derek shook his head. “Like trying to pull off a surprise.”

“Or planning something with only a few people,” Hartman agreed.

“True,” Amelia giggled. “We're an all-or-nothing group these days.”

“Unless you're one of the only single guys left,” I muttered.

“Aw, poor, lonely Josh,” Erik teased. “You’re so neglected.”

I glared at him. “I didn’t say that.”

“But it’s true,” Amelia frowned. “You can get lost in the shuffle and people assume someone else spoke to you or invited you.”

“I get that,” Victoria said, and we all went quiet, something that didn’t often happen when we were together. Talking over each other was more our thing.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“A lot of my coworkers are in relationships, and most of my friends are spread around the states because of jobs.” She paused before looking up at me. “It’s easy to get overlooked or forgotten when you’re not a part of a couple and it feels like everyone else is.”

“So you’re single?” Erik pressed with a growing smile. “How interesting.”

“Is it?” Victoria asked.

“Well, just that the two of you are both here, now, single in the city of love.”

“DC is not the city of love,” Amelia laughed.

“Fine, the city of…”

“Laws?”

“Democracy?”

“Politics?”

“Museums?”

They shouted their guesses over one another.

“Relationships,” Erik announced. “All kinds. Diplomatic, professional, friendly, romantic.” He wagged his brows.

“That doesn’t seem right,” Hartman frowned. “That’s not at all what anyone thinks of when they think of the Capitol.”

“Says you,” he shot back.