There were, truly, no private moments when one became a Face Card, particularly when one was King or Queen. He lived every day on call, 24/7; if something went wrong, he was supposed to be the first to get a phone call. He'd known that would be the case when he challenged Ashley last year, but he hadn't anticipated how heavily it would weigh on him.

"I'm glad one of us is able to have a cleared mind, then. How are you?" And he didn't just mean with regard to her physical state. He expected honesty, Rachel.