page25 (1/2)

They were quiet in the car on the way to Renegade, a special place where she and Brady hadand squawking, and as usual Brady was tuned in to the job

Yuki looked out theas they drove to SoMa After Brady parked the car, she took his arm as he walked her to the restaurant

He said, “We had our first date here, right?”

“Uh-huh”

She loved this restaurant In the entrance, behind the hostess, was a floor-to-ceiling copper ith a sheet of water falling into a pool The hall led into a dining roohts on the Bay Bridge

Yuki still re in a booth close to Brady, a handso down her desire to touch his shoulder-length white-blond hair, gawk at his impressive build, lock in on his lake-blue eyes

That night he’d char First there was the Southern comfort of his voice and the offhanded way he described the everyday violence of working in the Miami PD He told her about his first weeks with the SFPD and his take on the people she knew in his depart in midsentence to say, “You’re really somethin’ special, Yuki”

She had told him about her Italian-American father and Japanese mohed at that The conversation rolled on and the chemistry between them was immediate

Now, as they followed the hostess past the cascading copper waterfall through the near-eood would co her husband, hoped that they would feel that connection that had bonded theht they met

CHAPTER 30

WHEN YUKI AND Brady were seated in “their” booth, their drink orders in, Yuki put her hand on her husband’s arm

“Brady,” she said “Full disclosure My birthday is next week I called an eency dinner”

“You’re kiddin’ ?”

She looked down at the table, her rehearsed speech feeling thick and stupid and stuck in her throat She remembered what Claire had said: That man loves you to death

Maybe Brady didn’t realize the width of the gap that was opening between them