By two o'clock, Danny Concannon had filed the day's article, cobbling together enough from CJ's briefings to keep his editor happy and off his back. Pulling his coat from the back of the chair, he headed out into the grey, cold afternoon and turned towards 14th Street. He had not been to the bookstore there in a few weeks and figured he would idle away the time with a decent cup of coffee before walking back to the White House for the last briefing of the day.

Glancing up toward the leaden sky, he wondered if the forecasters were right about the rain over the weekend. The air still held the cold of winter, and the remaining piles of snow were edged with ice. It seemed more likely they would have sleet, if not more snow. Danny shoved his hands into his pockets and walked faster. It was not the day for a leisurely stroll.

Ducking around two women pushing baby carriages, he pulled open the heavy glass door and stepped into the three-story space. It was busy, as it usually was. College students lounged in the oversized chairs, talking to friends and on cell phones as they took advantage of the store's free wifi. Men and women in business suits and winter coats stood in line at the checkout desk, trying to finish up their errands before returning to work for the afternoon. The dark, alluring smell of coffee drifted down from the café on the second floor, and Danny headed for the stairs.

Cutting through the New in Print section, he glanced at one of the students. Dressed in a dark wool coat, jeans and a baseball cap, the kid looked vaguely familiar and Danny slowed, trying to place him. At second look, he was older than Danny had thought at first, a grad student, unshaven and wearing gla--

"Sam?"

Sam looked up from the book in his hand. "Hey, Danny. Have you read this?" he asked, showing him the cover.

"Yeah, over Christmas. You really have to read the first book in the series to understand that one at all."

Sam put the book back on the table. "The first one?"

Danny glanced around and saw a clerk he knew. "Carrie, do you guys have the first Redcliff book?"

"Sure, upstairs in Fiction." She dropped her voice. "It's on sale because the softcover is coming out on Tuesday. If you wait a couple of days, you'll save even more."

"Hardcover's okay," Sam told her.

She smiled at him, a full wattage smile that Danny had never seen before. "C'mon, I'll show you."

"That's okay, I'm going up anyway," Danny announced and fought a grin at the glare she shot him. "I can point him in the right direction."

"Well, if you need anything, just yell."

Sam smiled. "Thanks."

"What are you doing? Day off?" Danny asked as they climbed the stairs.

"My parents sent a gift card for my birthday last year that I haven't had a chance to use. Thought I should do it before it expires."

Glancing at the signs, he led Sam to the aisle marked "Ra-Re", and Sam slipped past him to find the author he wanted. Taking a book off the shelf, he opened it and read the inside dust cover. Danny leaned a shoulder against the shelves.

"So you took a personal day just for that?" he pressed.

"Not really, I resigned last night. Do you really think this is worth reading?"

"You what?"

"Resigned." Putting the book down, he considered. "Maybe I need a good murder mystery. Read anything lately that you'd recommend?"

Danny glanced over the titles near him, and chose one. "This is pretty good. Could we back up a minute?"

Sam flipped over the book and read the back cover. "Sure."

"You resigned?"

"Last night. This sounds more like what I'm looking for. Has she written any more?"

Waving his hand toward the shelf, Danny stood back as Sam began pulling out titles. "You resigned," he repeated.

"Last night." Sam turned to him. "I suppose I should have said this is off the record."

"I'm asking as a friend, Sam."

"Damn few of those around," Sam mumbled, returning his attention to the books he had chosen. "I'm surprised CJ didn't lead the briefing with it."

Danny shook his head. "Not a word."

"Maybe they're waiting until Monday. Control the news cycle over the weekend."

"Why?"

"Why control the news cycle?"

"Sam!"

Sam looked over his shoulder. "You sounded amazingly like Toby just then. Believe me, that is not a good thing."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now stop pretending you're obtuse and answer my question."

Sam sighed. "It was time, Danny."

"Which means what?" Danny pressed. "You're the last one I would ever expect to see walking away from this administration."

Picking two books, Sam started past Danny to the staircase. "You know what? I'm hungry. I could go for a really good hamburger, maybe a beer."

Danny followed a half step behind. He could not stop the rapid-fire questions coming out of his mouth as both reporter and concerned friend joined forces. "Have you accepted another job? Going back to practice law?"

"Danny -- "

"How did the President take the news one of his senior advisors resigned?"

That stopped Sam short. "'One of his senior advisors'?" He snorted. "Give me a break."

"But -- "

"Thanks for the help with the books."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Lunch," Sam replied as if this answered everything.

"No, I meant -- "

"I know what you meant, and the answer is: I don't know. I've talked to a friend of mine who does environmental law, but I'm going to take some time and figure out what I want to do. The last time I rushed into something…" He shrugged. "Well, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be."

"Does -- "

"I'll see you around, Danny." And with a quick wave, he disappeared down the stairs.

Danny went into the café and ordered his coffee to go, drumming on the counter as he waited for it. The afternoon looked a lot more interesting than it had half an hour earlier.