Brooke started to write back to Rachel, saying that next week was likely going to be busy. While she didn’t specifically mention it, she was already thinking about how she needed to catch up on things at work after her three-day weekend, particularly since she very possibly was about to tell Ian that she was quit—

Midsentence, she stopped typing and took her hands off the keyboard.

She was so sick of writing those words.

Sorry. Too busy. Can’t leave work right now.

Darn, I have a work thing that night.

Maybe after work.

Count me in tentatively, depending on work.

Work.

Work.

Work.

Brooke got up from the desk and walked over to the window. She looked out at the Charlotte skyline, which was pretty with the sunset. But it wasn’t Chicago.

She took a deep breath, realizing that for the first time in years, she didn’t have a clue what she wanted. It had been one thing when she’d accepted that her current lifestyle wasn’t conducive to a long-term romantic relationship, but what about all her other relationships? She saw Ford, she’d managed to at least protect that one friendship, but what about everyone else? Rachel? The book club? Her former co-workers at her old law firm—they used to get together once a month for Friday happy hour. When had she stopped doing that?

She could hear Ford defending her, even to herself.

Don’t beat yourself up, Brooke. Work, family, whatever—everyone’s busy these days.

Yeah, but there was busy, and then there was crap-when’s-the-last-time-I-called-my-parents busy.

Crap. When was the last time she’d called her parents? She e-mailed them fairly regularly, but an actual phone call? She could check her cell phone call log to find out how long it had been, but she was pretty sure she didn’t want to know.

This EVP position at Spectrum sounded every bit as demanding as her job at Sterling, perhaps even more so given the travel involved. And Brooke knew herself, she’d be starting over at a new place, which meant she’d want to prove herself and succeed—the same thing she’d strived to do at Sterling, ever since Ian had taken a chance on her two years ago. Just like she’d always felt the need to do, the girl from the Quads who’d had to work her butt off for every opportunity.

But maybe it was time to stop feeling like she had to prove something.

Maybe it was time to take a breath, to slow things down a notch, and simply enjoy her success—and all the other things in her life, too.

Except . . . she wasn’t sure she knew how to do that.

You’re a smart woman. You’ll figure it out.

Strange little tears sprang to Brooke’s eyes, and she half-laughed at herself. Of course, even though Cade wasn’t there, and they weren’t even speaking, he’d still managed to have the perfect line.

He’d said exactly what she needed to hear.

Thirty-one

FRIDAY MORNING, CADE met with Cameron and Nick McCall, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago office, to get him up to speed on the status of all open FBI investigations. It was the last agency they needed to cover—after this, Cade would be fully briefed and ready to take over as acting U.S. attorney.

They’d been going for over an hour when Cameron stood up from her desk. She took a deep breath and put her hands on her lower back, which parted her suit jacket over her very pregnant stomach.

Cade and Nick exchanged looks, speaking in silent man-code, as was necessary in such circumstances.

You’ve got this, right, if she goes into labor here?

You’re asking me? No, I don’t have this.

“You boys can stop staring at me like I’m a ticking bomb about to explode.”

Busted.

“I just need to stand for a few minutes.” Cameron marched on, turning to a Medicare fraud investigation into a large suburban home health care agency. “Next matter: Evergreen Healthcare. How are we looking there?”

“My agents tell me that we’re set to make all ten arrests late next week,” Nick said.

Cameron looked at Cade. “If I’m gone when that happens, make sure you keep SAC Lamont Johnson over at the Department of Health and Human Services in the loop.”

He nodded. “Got it.”

“And with that said . . .” Cameron checked the list on her desk, “I think that’s it. You are officially up to speed.” She smiled, as if relieved to have that out of the way, and then checked her watch. “Just in time for lunch, too. Jack and Sam are meeting with Rylann about the Arroyo homicide investigation. Maybe I’ll pop in and see if he’s almost done.”

“I’ll go with you,” Nick said. “I can give Wilkins a ride back to the office.”

As the three of them walked down the hallway, a young male paralegal saw Cameron coming with her power suit, heels, and stomach. His eyes widened and he quickly ducked into a cubicle, giving her a wide berth.

Cameron shook her head after they walked by, speaking under her breath. “You saw that, right? That’s been happening for a week now. Whenever I walk down the hallway, people literally leap to get out of my way.” She glanced at Nick and Cade. “I’m not that big, am I?”

“That’s not it,” Cade said with a laugh.

“What else would it be?”

“You might want to ask your husband about that,” Nick said.

Cameron stopped in the hallway, nearly causing both men to run into her.

“What did Jack do now?” She gave them both her best don’t-mess-with-the-U.S.-attorney look.