Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Being surrounded by this much testosterone for a prolonged amount of time must be a hazard.
There hasn’t been a single work-related discussion in the forty-two minutes we’ve been gathered around the table. Winston and Cade bonded over having younger sisters, and Andy and Trevor gave him an in-depth review of every restaurant that opened since he left.
The worst part, however, is the man who keeps trying to catch my eye.
If it weren’t for our best friends’ inability to stay away from each other, Cade and I may have never spoken.
Our paths didn’t cross until Mallory asked me to mediate her and Kenneth’s ultra-competitive spelling bee freshman year.
I wasn’t keen on becoming friends with her rival, Kenneth, or their friend Cade, the baseball player Mallory had bonded with on the first day of college.
But when I walked into the study room, it was impossible to ignore Cade’s magnetic presence.
I surveyed the giant man sitting on the carpeted floor, carefully flipping through pages of a dictionary in a way that seemed almost pornographic. Golden skin glittered under the fluorescent lights, striped with tan lines from countless hours in the sun.
But it was Cade’s smile that drew me in, so raw and real.
Even as Mallory spelled onomatopoeia and Kenneth yelled random letters to mess her up, his grin never wavered. That’s how Cade and I became gamekeepers for the Brain Bowl.
Our switch from friends to friends-with-benefits during junior year was natural, and not much of a surprise.
When he was drafted by the California Hornets at the end of junior year, I assumed things would end.
Sure, we got along well, and the benefits were life-altering and toe-curling, but I didn’t expect anything more.
Then we agreed to try.
Sadly, only I tried. He didn’t.
Stop thinking about that.
“Education major?” Trevor asks. “Really?”
Cade straightens in his chair. “I had a great teacher and mentor in high school, and I wanted to be like him. Maybe one day I’ll go back to Clear Lake University and finish my degree.”
Trevor guffaws. “For what? Baseball is your future, golden boy.”
If I wasn’t watching, I might’ve missed the way Cade’s smile dimmed imperceptibly, as if a shadow crossed his face for only a moment before shining brightly again.
“Plus—”
“How do you like being back in North Carolina?” My voice cracks from being silent for so long, but I cut Trevor off.
Eight eyes slowly turn to me, but the room spins when I meet surprised hazels. I blame the sudden dizzy spell on the PCOS.
“It’s been really nice.” Cade’s throat bobs. “Leaving the people I care about wasn’t easy, so I’m happy to see them again. All of them.”
I can barely contain my groan at his poorly hidden attempt to say he cared about me. If he actually cared, he would’ve come home. Or at least he would’ve talked to me and explained why he didn’t come back.
“Speaking of CLU!” Winston points at me. “Turner finished her MBA last week and got another CLU diploma. We’re so proud of her. Turner, tell Cade a little about what you do for Permian.”
I’d rather not, but I’ve got this script memorized.
“I’m a junior agent and manage everything from contracts and negotiations to marketing and endorsements for my five clients.
I do support work for several other clients, and have certifications in soccer, basketball, and baseball. I also work with a tennis star.”
“Real jack-of-all-trades,” Winston beams.
Cade’s smile splits wide. “Wow. That’s amazing, Shay ba—” Those stupid, perfect lips roll, and he goes quiet, but it’s too late. My cheeks are already lit with fire. He almost used my old nickname in front of my coworker, supervisor, and CEO.
“So, now that we’re relaxed, let’s talk about your contract,” Winston jumps in, and I send him a silent thanks.
This is where I thrive. Work is safe. Something that not even Cade Owens can derail.
Since he’s Trevor’s new client, I’ll be his go-to person for day-to-day operations like I am for Trevor’s other clients.
The thought makes my neck itch, and I reach for my glass of water.
I’ll be forced to talk to the man who broke my heart. At least twice a week.
Could things be worse?
“And Turner will be your agent.”
The cup slips out of my grip and clatters onto the table, sending a wave of water across the gleaming surface. Embarrassment burns the back of my eyes as I accept the box of tissues that Andy slides to me. As I mop up my mess, I try to wrap my head around that bombshell.
Tossing the tissues into a trash can, I clear my throat. “Me?”
The blood vessel I named Chad in Trevor’s forehead throbs as he straightens in his seat. “Yes, you. He actually requested you personally, Turner. Says you two have history.”
His accusatory tone makes me bristle, but I don’t react. No one knows about our almost-relationship outside of our inner circle. Cade’s mom and Cade’s mentor from high school know too, but I trust them with the secret. Trevor knows nothing at all.
“We went to college together,” is all I manage. Not the whole truth, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of learning about my personal life. “But what about my exception for Garrett?”
Noticing Cade’s confusion, Winston faces him. “Junior agents at Permian are only allowed to have five clients, but Shay’s a bit of a superstar around here. She received an exception for a client she’s hoping to sign.”
“And Cade would make seven if Garrett says yes,” I say, hoping Winston understands this would be a super exception. One that clearly makes Andy uncomfortable.
Out of the four junior agents—me, Andy, Kyle, and Jonah—Andy has the fewest clients with two. Kyle and Jonah each have three.
“I have no problem with you having seven clients if Garrett chooses you. And Cade requested you, so who am I to reject that?”
“Wait,” Trevor says. “Their history isn’t a problem?”
Winston opens the manila folder. “Nope. Now, let’s sign a contr—” Chirping birds cut him off, and he pulls a phone from his suit jacket. “Hey, honey. I’m in a mee—” He stands. “Recess. Fifteen.”
His exit prompts Trevor to stand next, mumbling about another donut and a break. Andy, ever the dutiful minion, follows. I squeeze my eyes shut as they shuffle toward the door and count down from ten.
Ten. Nine. Eight.
It’s a bad dream. When I get to one, I’ll wake up in my bed.
Seven. Six. Five.
I’ll call Mallory, and she’ll organize a girls’ night.
Four. Three. Two.
Adri will set me up with guys while Jo denies them as a good match.
One.
The door clicks shut behind me, and I open my eyes. The feeling of safety doesn’t last long when I spot the words Cade Owens scribbled on my notepad.
Not a dream. This is my worst nightmare.
I glance over my shoulder and search for shadows under the door. Andy and Trevor might be lurking and waiting to overhear some juicy gossip.
“They’re gone,” Cade assures me. “No shadows.”
“Get out of my head,” I snap. Bringing my thumb to my mouth, I chew the skin until it’s raw. “You told Trevor we have history?”
He shakes his head, a firm and resounding no. “Absolutely not. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I have no clue what you would do to me, Cade,” I volley back. “I don’t know you anymore. I’m not sure if I ever did.”
Regret leaches into me when his broad shoulders slump forward and his head falls, but I’m angry. Hurt I didn’t know I still held sits heavily on my chest, and I can’t stomp out the flames right now.
“You’re right,” he says. “I met Trevor, and he reminded me of—” Stopping abruptly, he looks up at me. “It doesn’t matter why I did it. I shouldn’t have said that to him. I’m sorry, Shay baby.”
As if the heater turns on, warmth spreads through me at the nickname. Still, the ice around my heart remains frozen. No amount of nostalgia or reminders that he once was my favorite person can fix this.
I’ve done so much to be taken seriously here, and for what? For my former friend-with-benefits to waltz in and request to work with me? No wonder Trevor looked like he was going to keel over.
“They’re going to think I got the job because I slept with you.”
A slow grin tugs at his mouth. “You have slept with me more times than I can count, but that’s not why I want you to be my agent.”
“Cade,” I warn him, desperate to get away from the topic of us in bed. And in the car. And on the couch. And kitchen counters. My anger burns hot, but the memories are still sweet. “Because I’m a woman and you’re an attractive, talented athlete, that’ll be the assumption.”
“Well, that’s stupid. They are stupid.”
“Stupid or not, it’s my reality.”
I never got to tell him how angry I was when things ended. Maybe this is my chance. I’ll have to whisper-scream, but that’ll do.
“You’re right.” The tenderness in his voice makes all the fight leave my body. “I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry.”
Cade stands and rounds the table, closing the space between us in long steps. He’s bigger than he was when he left Clear Lake. More solid, filling his six-foot-five frame divinely with hard muscle and a soft spirit. My nose catches a faint whiff of mint when he leans in.
“You still bite your fingers when you’re stressed.” Pressing his hand against the table in front of me, he smiles. “I missed that about you. I’m glad not everything has changed.”
I start to speak, but he’s already walking away.
My breath hitches when I spot three Hello Kitty Band-Aids in front of me. In college, he carried these everywhere for his little sister, and he became my personal first aid kit.
There isn’t much time to figure out what I’m going to do. If I say no, they’ll—Trevor—will assume we had a thing. If I say yes, I’ll be on Trevor’s shit list for the rest of time.
There’s no winning this game for me.
“What are the odds?” he asks.
I rip open the bandage with my teeth. “What?”
“What are the odds you’ll be my agent?”