“Always,” I promise, tempted to lift my pinky in the air. “We should find Lula—”
“I have a confession,” tumbles out of his mouth before I can finish.
There’s a ferocity in his eyes as they hold mine, and it’s clear he’s not going to shoot this promo until he gets it off his chest, so I follow him back to the front door.
Putting an extra step of space between us, I keep my eyes on the parking lot through the large windows. “What’s going on?”
“This is going to sound weak, but bear with me.” A hand drags over his face. “Missing practice scares me. I haven’t skipped a practice ever. Optional or not. I’ve spent a lot of my life and pro career worrying about messing everything up. With baseball. With my friends and family.” He doesn’t say it, but I hear thewith youin the pause. “And I can’t afford to lose baseball.”
It’s as if a piece of the armor that he meticulously covers himself with has fallen off, giving me a glimpse into the mind of Cade Owens.
My hand itches to pat his shoulder, but I refer to rule five and play with a string on my blouse. “Thanks for being honest. You’re safe with me, okay?” I don’t expect him to respond, so I continue, “There’s one more thing I need you to approve of before we start filming.”
At that moment, my surprise opens the door behind Cade. Emma, Cade’s longtime loctician, steps beside him and leans against his arm.
“Guess who gets to retwist your locs for Loc & Key?”
Pretty hazels dart to me. The moment he agreed to come, I called Lula and requested Cade’s loctician to make him feel more comfortable. He’s taking a day off, and I want to make sure today is worth the break.
“Surprise,” I sing.
Cade’s mouth gapes, but Lula reappears. “You guys ready?”
I look to my client. “Cade, are you all good with the questions?”
Handing the folded piece of paper to Lula, he nods. Without looking at them, he agreed to whatever I wrote. The realization makes my heart stutter, because it sort of feels like trust.
As we walk, Lula dives into the vision for the shoot.Loc’d in. From the first inning to the last.Cade’s excitement grows as she talks, discussing the campaign’s focus on strength, moisture retention, and shine. First, he’ll get the full spa experience in the studio they transformed to look like a locker room. Emma will wash, retwist, and style his locs, and the day will end with an interview on top of the custom-built pitcher’s mound.
And I have work to do, of course.
I catch Lula’s eye and wave. “I’ll be in the lobby. Let me know if you need anything.”
“No!” she chirps, heels clicking as she sashays to me. “You’re part of the spa experience too! I hired an extra hairdresser for you.”
I shake my head in protest. “Today’s for Cade, butthanks—”
“Oh, so I’m the only one who has to relax today?” Cade shouts, spinning in his salon chair. “That doesn’t seem fair to me, Agent Shay.”
My arms cross defiantly. “I have a job to do.”
“Maybe, but I heard something important the other day. Someone I admire told me it’s okay to step away from the job sometimes. I think she might need some help taking her own advice though.” The grin across his face is equally smug and tender.
Somehow, using my own advice against me works.
“Fine, but I’m keeping my laptop.”
Within seconds, a drink is pushed into my hands as Lula leads me to an empty chair. It’s far enough away from Cade and the camera crew, but close enough for him to keep an eye on me.
“Ever had a client and agent spa day?” he asks.
Unlocking my computer, I take a swig of juice. “Can’t say I have.”
“So, this is a day of firsts, huh? First skipped practice. First spa day.”
Instead of answering, I focus on the endless emails awaiting me, but it is a day of firsts.
Cade was honest with me.
