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.