Cade noticed Huxley and Vaughn looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. “I’ve got an offer on the table that expires soon. Just waiting to hear back from the other side,” he said by way of explanation.
Vaughn seemed satisfied with that answer. Underneath the jokes, he was as committed to his job as Cade was to his. “Guess there’s not much else you can do except sit back and enjoy the game, then.” He gestured to the lush green outfield that stretched out before them, flanked by Wrigley Field’s distinctive ivy-covered walls. Eighty degrees and clear blue skies made it the perfect day for baseball—although for today, the day that pitted Chicago brother against brother, the stadium would’ve been packed even in inclement weather.
Cade had scored tickets to the Cubs/Sox game months ago, and Vaughn was right—he needed to forget about Brooke and enjoy the afternoon. They had good-quality man stuff going on: baseball on a sunny day, cold beers, and hot dogs. With that thought, he flagged down a beer vendor and bought another round for all three of them. Huxley and Vaughn were off duty and unarmed that day—FBI policy prohibited agents from consuming alcohol while carrying—which meant they all could relax and bask in the pure, feel-good fun of America’s pastime.
The inning was an exciting one, first with a base hit and then a two-run homer that made the crowd go wild. Cade was on his feet amidst the screaming and cheering, beer in one hand and high-fiving Vaughn and Huxley and the perfect strangers sitting in the row in front of them, when his cell phone vibrated in the front pocket of his shorts.
He pulled out the phone and saw he had a new text message from Brooke Parker. One word.
YES.
Cade noticed the time of the message and realized she’d conveniently accepted his dinner invitation one minute before it expired. He couldn’t decide if that made him want to laugh out loud or throttle his cell phone—perhaps both—but he did know one thing.
This woman drove him crazy.
Standing beside him, Vaughn tapped him on the shoulder. “So?” He raised his voice over the crowd’s roar and gestured to Cade’s phone. “Good news?”
Cade tucked the phone back into his pocket. “She said yes.”
Vaughn blinked—clearly having expected Cade to say something else—then threw out his hands. He had no clue what they were talking about, but right then everything was a cause for celebration. “She said yes! Hell, yeah!” He grabbed Huxley and pointed to Cade, shouting over the crowd. “She said yes.”
“Sweet,” Huxley said, tapping his beer to Cade’s. “Who said yes?”
“Brooke Parker. I’m seeing her tonight.”
“Fuck you,” Vaughn said, somewhat in awe. “I knew it. You’ve been digging her from the moment she told you to shove your obstruction of justice threats up your ass.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for the shy, quiet types.”
“When did all this happen?” Vaughn asked.
“We met for drinks last Friday to discuss a criminal matter related to Sterling. Things progressed from there.”
“Is that right?” Vaughn looked at him slyly. “Just how far did they progress?”
“Still not comfortable talking about Brooke this way,” Huxley interjected.
Cade held back a smile, grateful for the excuse to change the subject. For whatever reason, he didn’t feel like engaging in locker room talk about Brooke. “Huxley’s right. Try to keep it classy, Vaughn.”
Vaughn studied him for a moment. Seven years they’d been best friends, and they knew each other well. “You like her.”
Cade took a nonchalant sip of his beer. “Just watch the game.”
“Evading the question,” Huxley said under his breath to Vaughn. “I think we got our answer, Agent Roberts.”
“We sure did, Agent Huxley,” Vaughn said.
Cade shook his head.
He really needed to get some non-FBI friends.
* * *
IN THE STERLING skybox, Brooke smiled when Cade’s response came in a few minutes after her text message.
ABOUT DAMN TIME.
Quickly, she wrote back. WAS I CLOSE TO THE DEADLINE? OOPS.
OOPS, MY ASS. I’LL BE AT YOUR PLACE AT 7:00.
7:30, she texted immediately.
OF COURSE YOU’D SAY 7:30.
Brooke laughed at that, perfectly able to hear him saying the words. NEED TIME TO CHANGE AFTER CUBS/SOX, she explained. NOW STOP DISTRACTING ME—I’M TRYING TO WATCH A BASEBALL GAME.
There was a pause, then he texted back, WHERE ARE YOU SITTING?
Brooke shook her head. Such a guy thing to ask, wanting to know how good her seats were. SKYBOX, she wrote. TO THE RIGHT OF HOME PLATE.
She’d just hit “send” when Ford’s voice came over her