Whether or not he acknowledges it, part of Peter’s mind would love to see Jim fired, and part of his mind is attracted to the other woman and is curious to see what might happen if he continues “being friendly.” If Peter introspected carefully enough, he could probably bring himself to notice these motives lurking in the back of his mind—but why bother calling attention to them? The less his Press Secretary knows about these motives, the easier it is to deny them with conviction.
