Brooke leaned back in her chair, blinking back an unexpected swell of emotion.
Probably, if she and Cade had been dating seriously, she would want to know what he’d been thinking while lying on that field. Undoubtedly, she’d also want to know why he never brought up the subject of football, and whether he missed that part of his life. And, if they’d been in a real relationship, it wouldn’t just be the past she’d be curious about. She’d also want to know about whatever was going on in his personal life, and whether he was okay, and whether, maybe, there was something she could do to help.
Good thing, then, that they weren’t serious.
Because that was a lot of questions for two people who, as Cade had once put it, could probably go their entire relationship without ever saying anything meaningful at all to each other.
Someone knocked at her door, interrupting Brooke’s thoughts. “Come in.”
Tony, the VP of sales, stuck his head inside her office.
“I heard about your meeting with the Bears,” he said. “Nicely done. Got a few minutes to chat?”
“Sure.” She clicked off her iPad.
Tony pointed. “I can come back if you’re in the middle of something.”
Brooke waved this off. “I was just messing around on the Internet.” She shoved the iPad back into her briefcase, and then turned back to Tony. “So. Soldier Field. Given the gleam in your eye, it’s probably best if I give you the same long-shot speech I just gave Ian.”
Duty called once again.
Twenty-one
“ARE YOU SURE you should be doing this?”
Standing a few feet away, Cade brushed off Zach’s question. Although, as a matter of fact, he probably should not be doing this. “Stop worrying about my shoulder. Focus instead on those slow feet of yours.”
They’d commandeered a deserted field behind a warehouse, where Zach apparently scrimmaged during the off-season with his football buddies. Staying true to his word, Cade had suggested they hang out someplace closer to his brother’s neighborhood this time—after not so subtly extracting a guarantee from Zach that Noah wouldn’t be there.
Deep down Cade knew, as his relationship with Zach grew, that one day he would have to face his father. But that day was still a long way out. For now, he wanted to focus on Zach. His brother lived on the south side of the city, in a neighborhood of modest homes that had been built right after World War II. Cade was familiar enough with the area to know that it was relatively safe, and that the football team at the public high school Zach attended was one of the best in Chicago. He’d bet that was one of the reasons Noah had chosen this particular neighborhood.
Cade stood midfield, waiting for Zach to take his place at the line of scrimmage.
“When’s the last time you threw a football?” Zach asked worriedly.
Aside from the few times Cade had tossed one around casually with friends, a long time. “About twelve years.”
Zach threw him a panicked look.
“I won’t push it,” Cade said. It wasn’t as if his shoulder was entirely unusable; in fact, on a daily basis it didn’t bother him at all. His rotator cuff simply couldn’t withstand the repetitive stress of competitive football. “I just want to see what I can do.” He pointed emphatically. “And if the answer is ‘not much,’ you better not tell a soul. I’ve got a reputation to uphold here.”
Zach smiled, loosening up. “All right. I don’t want to stand in the way of you reliving your glory days or whatever.”
“Good. But in case this all goes south, my car keys are in the outside pocket of my duffle bag. When you drive me to the emergency room, if I’m too busy mumbling incoherently from the pain, just tell them I’ve got Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance.”
Zach’s eyes went wide.
“I’m kidding, Zach. Now get moving.”
They started with shorter routes, with Cade faking the hike and dropping back while Zach sprinted for the pass. He pushed Zach hard that morning, just like every coach had ever pushed him, but he knew the kid could take it. He saw how good Zach was—so much so, that it got Cade’s own competitive juices flowing. Luckily, he’d kept in shape over the years, lifting weights, swimming, and running, so he was primed to be back on that field, every muscle in his body ready and raring to go.
Save one.
After an hour or so, Cade felt the soreness creeping into his right shoulder. “Why don’t we