“I’ve stumbled onto a major scoop, and I’m not sure if I should tell you or wait until the person involved tells you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I think Brooke might have a boyfriend.”

“What? No, she doesn’t.”

“You should maybe check with her about that.”

“What. Do. You. Know?”

“Do you promise not to flip out and let her be the one to tell you?”

“I promise.”

“I mean it, Trace. I have a feeling about this… It could be a big deal for her.”

“I hear you. I’ll be cool. I swear.”

“Remember Nate, the agent who worked at Ninth Street and now heads Eli’s detail?”

“Yes, I know who you mean. Wait, you think it’s him?”

“I know for a fact it’s him.”

“How old is he?”

Sam had to laugh that her first question was the same as Sam’s. “Twenty-seven, Eli thinks.”

“That would make him seven years older than her.”

“Yes, I was able to do that math on my own.”

“And Eli told you this?”

“He was doing recon for Nate, finding out whether there’d be objections on our part due to how they met.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That Brooke is a grown woman who can make her own decisions about who she dates.”

“I hate that that’s true, but it is,” Tracy said with a sigh.

“At least we know she’d be as safe as can be with him.”

“That’s something.”

“That’s everything, Trace. I got to know him well when he worked at the house, and he seems like a wonderful young man.”

“And handsome as hell, if I remember correctly.”

“That he is.”

“I wonder why she hasn’t said anything to me,” Tracy said. “She’s on her phone a lot when she’s home from school, but I figured that’s just what people her age do.”

“Soon enough, he’ll tell her the news is out. I’m sure you’ll hear from her about it.”

“Do you think it’s serious?”

“Seeing as how Nate asked Eli to mention it to me, I’d say it must be. Eli said Nate was cringing over it because it was so unprofessional. Trace? Are you there?”

“I’m here. I’m just feeling super emotional about this. After what happened, I wondered if she’d ever be able to get past it to have a healthy relationship with a man, and to know that might be happening…”

“I’m right there with you, sister.”

Chapter Thirty-Three