Fake it with me
"We had a task. Tasks are easier than people."
"Sure," Mason said, in a tone that suggested he didn't entirely believe this but wasn't going to push it.
They walked out of the gym together into the early evening light, the particular gold that October produced in its final weeks before the days started going gray and short, and for a moment neither of them said anything, just walked toward the parking lot in a silence that had, somewhere in the last two hours, stopped feeling hostile.
"Hartley said we're done with public events for the week," Mason said. "Which means no campaign appearances for you."