She sighed, rubbing her forehead on reflex. “Where do I begin? It’s like Groundhog Day.”

“Maybe, but you’re definitely prettier than Bill Murray.” Come on, laugh, Bette silently implored the former senator.

The answering laugh was on cue, bringing a sigh of relief to the brunette. “Good to know.”

“Barbara?” Bette asked after a prolonged silence from the caller.

“Huh?” came the distracted reply.

“How are you holding up?”

“As well as I can, considering,” Barbara eyed the fax machine on her desk. Just the sight of more incoming documents irked her. “We’re still no closer to figuring out what happened, only what will happen next. Like Sam said, everything’s up in the air right now.”

“Just your regular D.C. snafu and all that jazz?”

Barbara had to smile at that. “And then some.”

They ended the call shortly after, since James indicated her appointment with Phyllis was about to start. Bette hurried to her boss’ office, grateful for the relatively empty hallways. Their meeting was long, but in the end, they both agreed it was fruitful.

For her part, Phyllis made sure not to mention the hot topic of the nation. There would be opportunities to ask later. She watched out of her window as Bette hurried to her car. Briefly, she wondered if her dean was out to see Barbara Grisham, then shook her head to diminish the thought. It wasn’t her business.

When Bette arrived at the Planet, she was surprised to see Tina already there. She took a moment to enjoy the sight. No doubt, her ex-wife is a beautiful woman.

“You going to stand there and stare all day or are you going to join me?” Tina was on the verge of grabbing Bette and planting a kiss in plain view if the woman had not stopped staring. How could Bette not see the passion they still had for each other? How could she stare at her like that and claim she wants someone else?

“I’m just here for the food,” Bette’s lips curled into a half-smile.

“So am I.” Tina’s answer, coupled with her expressive gaze, left little to imagination. She would keep up with the flirting if it would wipe off the frown lines around Bette’s eyes for a little while.