He should’ve known, however, that this woman would be tougher to impress.

Maybe he should’ve left his shirt off while cooking.

“So it is always the same omelette. Interesting.” With a teasing expression, she took another bite. “By the way, it’s delicious. I’m just usually more of a grab-an-energy-bar-on-the-way-into-work kind of girl.” She checked her watch. “Speaking of which . . . I really should get going.”

“You’re working today?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Cinderella had her fun at the Cubs game and on the dining room table, and now she must get back to work.” She glanced down at her plate. “Sorry about the omelette.”

Screw the omelette. Cade was more curious about something else she’d said. “Interesting analogy—you as Cinderella.”

She appeared surprised, as if she hadn’t even realized what she’d said. Then she brushed it off. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just an expression.” Quickly, she changed the subject. “What about you? Any big plans for the day?”

Cade tensed at the reminder. Actually, yes. Today he was meeting Zach for lunch, something he was both looking forward to and wholly dreading. He’d done a good job of ignoring the situation, of trying not to think about what the two of them would talk about, and pretending as though he didn’t have questions for Zach about the man who, technically, was his father.

He saw Brooke watching him. “No big plans,” he said casually.

“You have the same look you had the night we met at Bar Nessuno.” She studied him with her light green eyes. “Is everything okay?”

Well, since you asked. . . . My father abandoned me before I was born, then abandoned me again when I was ten after deciding I wasn’t worth the trouble. And for years, every time I stepped onto a football field, it was to prove how wrong he’d been about that. But I moved on. Until my kid half brother showed up at my office, stirring up all sorts of crap I really don’t want to think about.

Oh, sure. Because that info-dump wouldn’t leave her sorry she’d asked.

Brooke was a busy woman; she’d already said that she needed to get into the office. She didn’t want to hear his maudlin, angsty tale. Frankly, if he had the choice, he wouldn’t think about it himself.

“Everything’s fine,” he said. “There’s just this thing I have to do today. No big deal.”

Her eyes searched his, and then she nodded. “Well, I really should get going.” She got up from the table, looked around the apartment, and then remembered. “No purse. Right.” She patted the back pockets of her jean shorts. “Money. Keys. It’s like I’m in college again.”

Cade grinned. “I’ll drive you home.”

Brooke waved this off. “That’s okay, I’ll catch a cab. Just, you know . . . text me sometime.”

Text me.

She didn’t need to say another word; every single man and woman knew what those two words meant after a hookup. And if Brooke wanted to keep things casual, that was A-OK with him. Great, actually. He had a lot going on in his personal life right then and didn’t need any more complications.

In the doorway, he smiled at her, charming as always. “Don’t be a stranger, Ms. Parker.”

He watched as she walked away, and then firmly, decidedly, shut the door behind him.

Seventeen

CADE HAD BEEN waiting at a table at DMK Burger Bar for ten minutes when Zach showed up.

“Sorry I’m late.” Zach sounded winded, as if he’d been rushing. “There was some problem on the Blue Line and the train sat on the tracks forever.”

“The Blue Line?” Cade asked. That didn’t stop anywhere close to the restaurant.

Zach nodded. “I had to take that into the Loop and then transfer to the Brown Line. I’m starving after all that.” He picked up the menu and began reading through it.

Cade felt like a jerk, hearing that Zach had taken two trains to meet him. He’d suggested DMK because he’d figured that a place with twenty different types of burgers would be a teenaged boy’s wet dream. But he hadn’t even bothered to ask Zach what neighborhood he lived in—mostly because he’d been trying to avoid hearing anything specific about the rest of Zach’s family.

So many things he didn’t know about his brother. And he was quickly realizing that if he was going to have a relationship with Zach, avoiding the subject of Noah Garrity would be impossible. “You should’ve said something, Zach. We could’ve gone someplace closer to you.”

Zach shrugged. “I don’t want to be a burden to you or anything.”

Was that what he thought? Cade looked the teenager straight in the eyes, wanting to be sure they were clear on this. “You’re not a burden. I want to be here. And the next time, you pick the restaurant.”

Zach grinned, his face lighting up at the reference to them doing this again. “Cool. I’d really like that.”

Glad that was settled, Cade picked up his menu. “So what looks good?”

“No clue. I’ve never even heard of half this stuff.” Zach read out loud from the menu. “‘Roasted hatch green chile, fried farm egg, Sonoma jack, and smoked bacon.’ Or how about this one? ‘Fresh goat cheese, pickled red onions, and blueberry barbeque sauce.’ It says that’s on a bison burger.” He peered up at Cade. “That’s, like, a buffalo, right?”