by Julie James
And he didn’t do too close.
Too close, in his opinion, was for the naïve. Too close was for people who got caught up in a moment with someone, without acknowledging the very real possibility that all the feelings and emotions that made the moment so great and perfect were entirely one-sided. So if Brooke had somehow managed to get in, to be on the verge of too close, then that, unfortunately, meant one thing.
It was time for him to say good-bye.
He and Zach left Charlie to enjoy the concert, and then walked in silence for a few moments.
“You didn’t know about the job offer, did you?” Zach asked quietly.
Cade stared at the stoplight ahead. “No.”
And, being brothers, they left it at that.
Twenty-nine
BROOKE CHECKED THE clock and began to wonder whether Cade was going to show up after all.
She’d texted him earlier, asking if they could meet. He’d said he needed to work late, but that he would swing by her apartment afterward. That had been over three hours ago, and she hadn’t heard from him since.
She planned to tell him tonight about the job opportunity with Spectrum. She was still shocked by Palmer’s offer, and hadn’t yet made any decisions. On the one hand, she hadn’t been looking to leave Sterling, but on the other hand, they were talking about a position where she’d earn $825,000 a year. She’d have be a fool not to seriously consider that.
Since Monday, she’d done a lot of thinking about what to say to Cade, and in the end had decided to simply go with the truth. Unless she was completely misreading the situation, they’d crossed beyond just-having-fun territory and had wandered into true, genuine feelings, and so she owed him that much.
She liked Cade; she didn’t deny that. But whether it was at Sterling—or more likely, Spectrum—her career needed to come first right now. After all her hard work, and with the opportunities available to her, she needed to stay focused on that. To keep her eye on the proverbial ball.
Knowing that, however, wouldn’t make this conversation with Cade any easier. But he, too, was a logical person, and they’d been honest from the beginning about their relationship hang-ups. If they kept going down this path, it would only lead to bigger disappointment in the end.
This was for the best.
Just before nine thirty, Brooke heard a knock at her door. Cade flashed that charming grin of his when she answered, the same one that had caught her eye the moment they’d first met at Sterling.
“Sorry I’m so late,” he said. “I got caught up in a witness interview that ran a lot longer than expected. Plus I had to make a stop on the way here.”
“It’s fine, I caught up on e-mail,” she said with a wave. “You know me—always something to do.”
He shut the door behind him. “I heard that congratulations are in order, Ms. Parker.”
Brooke cocked her head, not sure what he could be talking about since she hadn’t yet told him about her meeting with Palmer Green from Spectrum. “Congratulations?”
Cade reached into his briefcase and pulled out a bottle of champagne. “From what Charlie told me about your big job offer, I figured it was my turn to buy.”
Brooke’s hands fells to her sides. “Charlie told you about the job offer?” How the heck did he know? Then she realized that he must’ve heard about it from Ford.
“Sure did,” Cade said, taking the bottle into her kitchen. “I ran into him at Daley Plaza yesterday, during my lunch break.”
Brooke followed him into the kitchen, feeling horrible after hearing that. “Cade . . . I didn’t mean for you to learn about it that way. I just got the offer on Monday, and I wanted to tell you in person. That’s why I asked to see you tonight.”
He gave her an odd look as he grabbed a corkscrew out of a drawer and went to work on the champagne bottle. “It’s no problem. You don’t owe me an explanation. Sure, I was surprised to suddenly hear you might be moving to Charlotte, but I’m really happy for you, Brooke.”
He popped open the champagne, filled two glasses, and handed one over to her.
Brooke took the champagne flute. She’d been hoping Cade would understand what a great opportunity this job offer was for her, but she hadn’t expected him to be this cheery about it.
“So. What are we toasting to?” he asked, raising his glass in celebration.
She paused before answering, remembering how she’d said the exact same words to him just two weeks ago, when he’d found out he would be the acting U.S. attorney. They’d had a good time together that night. Actually, they’d had a lot of good times together.
Her eyes met Cade’s over their champagne glasses. For the briefest moment, she could’ve sworn she saw his smile falter, and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing.
But then the moment was gone, and his voice turned teasing. “You’re speechless, Ms. Parker. It must be something really good, then.”
“The CEO of Spectrum North America offered me the position of executive vice president of sales and business development.”
“That’s incredible.” Cade tipped his glass to her. “Congratulations. It couldn’t have happened to a more-deserving lawyer. Albeit one who once basically told me to stick my obstruction of justice threats up my ass.”
Brooke laughed at that, and took a sip. This was how it should be, she reminded herself. No need for an angsty good-bye—they would end things on a good note, joking around and teasing.
Then she pulled her glass away, and when their eyes caught again she remembered what had happened the last time they’d toasted with champagne.
How is it?
Not bad. Have a taste.
I think I will.
“So tell me more about the job,” Cade said.
Brooke blinked. Right. The job. “I don’t have all the details about the position yet—the CEO wants me to fly down to Charlotte to meet with the rest of the executive team. But we discussed the compensation package, and it’s—wow.” She took a deep breath and exhaled, still unable to believe it.
“That good, huh?” Cade said.
“That good.”
His next question got right to the heart of the matter. “Do you think you’ll take it?”
Brooke rested one hip against the counter. “I don’t know. I’ve been at Sterling for less than two years, and I’ve been so focused on developing the company that I hadn’t given any thought to leaving. And I love the work I do there.”
“But?”
“But . . . I’m not sure I can say ‘no’ to an opportunity like this. Spectrum is an eleven-billion-dollar corporation. To be an executive VP there would really launch my career into a different stratosphere.” She paused. “It just seems weird, though, the idea of leaving Chicago.”
They both fell silent at that.
Brooke set down her glass. “Speaking of which, I was thinking we should probably talk. About what this means for us.”
Cade set his glass down as well. “I had the same thought. Since there’s a good chance you’ll be leaving, I was wondering if we should cool things down.”
Brooke felt a pang of disappointment in her chest. Which was completely silly, obviously, since that was exactly what she wanted, too. “I was just about to say that.”
“You were?” He spoke quickly. “I mean—good. Glad we’re on the same page. Better to end things now, before the situation gets, you know, complicated.”
Brooke nodded, quickly regrouping based on his reaction. “Right. Of course.” Seemingly, she and Cade had not been on the same page—here she’d been thinking things already had gotten complicated—but there was no reason for him to know that now. As it turned out, they didn’t need to have any messy “feelings” talk, after all.
Which was just . . . great. Absolutely. Whew.
She saw him watching her, and felt the need to say more. “I mean, we both knew from the start that this wasn’t a permanent thing, right?”
“Exactly.” He gestured between them. “It’s
not like either of us has had a lot of success when it comes to serious relationships.”
“Very true.” That silly pang of disappointment poked at Brooke again, but she ignored it and kept right on going. She even went for a joke. “And hey—there’s always phone sex. Probably all I’ll have time for, from the way Palmer described the job.”
Cade studied her, then stepped closer. “Just tell me one thing, Brooke. You’re sure that this is what you want?”
She assumed he meant the job at Spectrum. And that was an opportunity she just couldn’t walk away from. “Yes.” Her voice came out quieter than she’d expected, so she cleared her throat. “This is what I want.”
He nodded. “So this is good-bye, then.”
She exhaled. “I’m not good at this part.” Especially not with you, she suddenly wanted to add.
But she didn’t.
Cade’s voice turned deeper. “Maybe we shouldn’t say anything, then.”
Falling silent, they looked at each other.
She reached for Cade at the same moment he pulled her closer, her lips parting eagerly as his mouth swooped down on hers. He edged her back against the counter, and she gasped at the feel of his hard, strong body against hers. The sound seemed to ignite him more—his tongue plundered her mouth demandingly as one hand cupped her bottom and pressed her against the hard length of his erection.
Yes. She may not have had the words to say good-bye, but she could have this one last time with him. She yanked his shirt out of his pants and smoothed her hands over the defined muscles of his stomach. She felt him tremble underneath her fingertips, and then he swung her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
They peeled off their clothes and Brooke reached for him, wanting him inside her. Instead, Cade took his time, exploring nearly every inch of her body. He trailed his lips down her stomach, then gripped her thighs and held her open as he lowered his mouth between her legs.
He was relentless. He brought her to the peak, and then pulled back, and then brought her right there again, until she felt stripped bare with need. “Cade,” she begged.
He hovered between her spread legs, rolling a condom on, then moved over her. Bracing himself on his elbows, he cupped her face and looked right into her eyes as he entered her.
“Brooke,” he said, nearly a whisper.
It was the tender way he said her name, his face momentarily so open and unguarded that it literally took her breath away. He began to move inside her, lowering his head to kiss her as he continued his achingly smooth rhythm. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist, holding on tight as she arched her hips to meet him. They shattered together, and afterward lay intertwined for several moments before she drifted off to sleep with her head on his chest.
* * *
IN THE MORNING, she woke up and saw the sun filtering in through the shades on her windows. Cade was sitting next to her on the bed, dressed in the suit he’d worn the night before.
He reached over and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I need to get going,” he said huskily. “I have to go home and change before heading into work.”
“Okay.” Brooke tucked her arm under her head and smiled softly at him, not quite sure what to say about last night. The sex had always been great between them, but that had been incredible. The way he’d said her name, the way he’d looked at her—she’d never felt that intimately connected with anyone before.
That is, until Cade leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
“Knock ’em dead in Charlotte, Brooke.”
Then he stood up and walked out of her apartment.
Thirty
IT TOOK BROOKE almost two weeks to rework her schedule so she could fly out to Spectrum’s headquarters. Granted, she was doing this on the sly, merely telling her secretary that she would be out of the office to attend to “personal matters.” Since she’d only taken three other vacation days in the two years she’d been with Sterling, she figured she was due for the time off.
She did, nevertheless, feel guilty. She hated going behind Ian’s back—although, obviously, she had no choice under the circumstances. She believed in loyalty, and she didn’t relish the thought of having to tell Ian that she was leaving. But at the end of the day, it was her career. She worked hard, she was good at what she did, and she owed it to herself to explore this opportunity with Spectrum.
Thus, on a Friday morning Brooke found herself on a seven A.M. flight to Charlotte, North Carolina. After takeoff, she reviewed the questions she wanted to ask Palmer and the other members of the executive team, and ran through her vision for retaining market share and growing Spectrum’s sports and entertainment division. She’d just begun perusing some articles she’d printed out about the city of Charlotte, when the first-class flight attendant came by to offer her breakfast.
“We have a choice this morning: blueberry pancakes or a Denver omelette,” she said.
Brooke’s mouth fell open. Get out of here. “A Denver omelette? Seriously?”
The flight attendant sighed, as if steeling herself for a two-hour ride with yet another fussy first-class passenger. “Yes, a Denver omelette. They’re one of our most popular breakfast entrees.”
“Oh, no—I wasn’t criticizing,” Brooke said quickly, trying to explain. “It’s just this inside-joke thing. I mean, not with you, since obviously we’ve never met before, but with this other person who . . . you don’t know and who isn’t here and, actually, he isn’t even really speaking to me right now, but if he had been here, trust me—he would’ve found this really funny.”
The flight attendant gave her a no-more-coffee-for-you look. “Omelette or pancakes, ma’am?”
Right. “Omelette.”
The flight attendant set the breakfast onto her tray and made a fast getaway. Brooke looked down at the omelette, knowing exactly what she would’ve done if circumstances had been different. She would’ve taken a photo of the omelette with her phone, and then texted Cade as soon as the plane landed with some sort of quip like, Didn’t realize you were moonlighting as a chef for United, or—even better—And I didn’t even have to put out this time.
Yep, that would’ve been a good one, all right.
A real good one.
Brooke looked out the window, trying very hard, as she had been for the last two weeks, not to wonder what Cade was up to. They hadn’t spoken, texted, or e-mailed since that last night together, when they’d agreed that it was better not to see each other anymore.
That part had been harder than she’d anticipated.
She turned back to the Denver omelette, trying not to hear Cade’s low, teasing voice in her head.
Nine o’clock it is. I’ll pick you up at your place.
I’ll have a Denver omelette waiting.
That’s cute.
She should’ve just gone with the damn pancakes.
* * *
IT WAS A whirlwind day from the moment Brooke touched down in Charlotte.
A car met her at the airport and took her to the Ritz-Carlton for a quick pit stop to drop off her bags. From there, she was whisked away to Spectrum’s corporate headquarters. She met first with Palmer, who then introduced her to several other company officers—she couldn’t say how many; she lost count after ten. She learned all about Spectrum’s mission to “transform the food hospitality industry,” and there was no denying that they were indeed the Goliath to Sterling Restaurants’ David: they were in hospitals, senior living facilities, schools, colleges and universities, corporate buildings, and, of course, sports and entertainment venues.
It was clear what Palmer was looking for in an EVP of sales and business development; in fact, he came right out and told her: someone aggressive and ambitious, someone who would do more than trot out the same old tired ideas and “corporate-speak.” He spoke about the fairly extensive travel that would be involved, and made a comment about that not being a good “fit” for the former EVP of sales.
“Fam
ily man, really good guy,” Palmer said. “We just needed someone who could step it up to the next level.”
Brooke had lunch with two of the executive officers she’d been introduced to earlier, neither of whom she’d describe as the most vivacious person on Earth, but then again, there were a lot of stiffs in the corporate world. Luckily, she clicked better with the general counsel, whom she met after lunch.
About two minutes into her meeting with the general counsel, his assistant stuck her head into the office. “Sorry for the interruption. Randy Kemp wants to meet with you today. He says it’ll only take five minutes.”
The general counsel rolled his eyes. “Randy Kemp wants to talk about his deposition in the Kentucky FLSA case, and that is definitely more than a five-minute conversation. Tell him he can have twenty minutes at four thirty.” He turned to Brooke after his assistant left. “How much are you not going to miss all this when you’re EVP of sales?” he asked jokingly.
“You mean, having at least two conversations a day that start with ‘So, um, how bad would it be, legally speaking, if I told you that . . .’”
The general counsel chuckled. “Exactly.”
Brooke smiled. Weirdly . . . she thought she kind of would miss that.
At the end of the day, she met up with Palmer again, and he led her down yet another hallway to a corner office.
“Thought you might want to try it on for size,” he said, with a wink.
“This would be mine?” she asked.
He nodded. “All you have to do is say ‘yes,’ Brooke.”
She stepped into the large office, modernly furnished with cream marble and ebony wood furnishings. The view from her office at Sterling was better, but it wasn’t the view that mattered—it was what the office represented. The money. The title. The fact that she’d be running the entire sales division of such a large corporation.
One simple word, and it was all hers for the taking.
All she had to do was say yes.