Page 25 of Fierce Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #3)
By the time they got back to Jade’s condo, she was too tired to finish the paperwork she’d been planning to catch up on. She forced herself to try, though. Work couldn’t keep taking a backseat to her chaotic life.
She sat at her small dining table, the steady hum of the space heater in the corner filling the room. Deke was puttering around the condo, trying to give her space, but it wasn’t helping. At the tiniest sound, her concentration slipped sideways like tires on black ice.
The reason for her distraction moved with quiet efficiency in her kitchen, the soft clink of a spoon against ceramic announcing his presence. Deke appeared at her elbow moments later, setting down a mug of tea—honey first, then a splash of milk, exactly the way she liked it.
“Thanks,” she murmured, wrapping her fingers around the warmth.
“You’ve been at it for hours,” he observed, his voice a low rumble that had become disturbingly familiar over the past few days. “Your eyes are going to fall out.”
“Pretty sure that’s not medically accurate,” Jade said, but she smiled despite herself. “Besides, these quarterly reports won’t file themselves.”
She watched him settle into the chair across from her, his massive frame making her IKEA furniture look dollhouse-sized.
The domesticity of it all hit her with unexpected force—how easily they’d fallen into rhythms, how he knew precisely how she took her tea, how she’d started suggesting they grab breakfast at Mountain Brew instead of Coffee Bar because she’d noticed he liked the lattes better there.
Small details that made the thought of returning to their previous barely-acquainted relationship increasingly painful.
Her phone chirped with incoming messages, breaking the comfortable silence. Lindsay’s name flashed on the screen, followed immediately by Becca’s.
“Oh no,” Jade groaned, reading the notifications. “The front desk vultures are circling.”
Deke raised an eyebrow. “Problem?”
“Nothing life-threatening.”
“You sure?” He leaned over her shoulder to read the screen.
Lindsay: Sooooo ... just checking in on your “security situation.” Emphasis on the SECURE part. Wink wink.
Becca: Is he still staying at your place? Details required immediately. For security purposes, obviously.
Heat bloomed in Jade’s cheeks as Deke’s lips twitched with poorly suppressed amusement. “Sorry,” she muttered, typing a deliberately vague response.
“I’ve been called worse,” he said, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.
Before she could respond, his phone erupted in a cascade of alerts, buzzing across the table like an angry hornet. Jade watched his expression morph from confusion to exasperation to reluctant amusement as he scrolled through the messages.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Define ‘okay,’” he replied dryly, passing her the phone. “Birthday party planning has reached DEFCON 1.”
Jade couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up as she read the team’s group chat:
Kenji: EMERGENCY. Chantal just announced she wants a mermaid-rainbow theme now.
WHERE DOES ONE BUY MERMAID-RAINBOW NAPKINS IN HOPE LANDING AT 19:00 HOURS ON A SATURDAY?
?? Izzy’s deep into baking mode. I don’t wanna disrupt her flow.
Plus, you know, she might sock me. Party tomorrow. Need solutions NOW.
Zara: Gonna have to hit the craft store in Reno.
Kenji: They close in an hour! Need Plan B!!!
Ronan: Sigh, I’ll fire up the Eurocopter. Meet me at Headquarters in twenty. Don’t tell Jack or the Admiral. This is a need-to-know mission.
Izzy: You are NOT using a multi-million dollar aircraft for party supplies, Quinn.
Kenji: What about overnight delivery from that military surplus site? They have everything. Deke still has that corporate account, right?
Axel: Hello? That’s for EMERGENCY security equipment.
Kenji: This IS an emergency! Have you seen a six-year-old’s meltdown? It’s scarier than most hostage situations.
Axel: We need GLITTER, not HAND GRENADES.
Ronan: Might need those, too, dude.
Axel:
Zara: Last time you borrowed stuff for a party, the equipment came back with a mysterious dent and smelling like nachos.
Kenji: THAT WAS ONE TIME!
Jade snorted, her shoulders shaking with mirth. “Your team is ... something else.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Deke said, reclaiming his phone. His fingers brushed against hers, sending a tiny electric shock up her arm. “Actually, since you’re caught up in this chaos anyway, got any bright ideas? You’re officially part of this disaster now. No escape.”
“Hmm.” Jade pulled her laptop closer. “Let me see what I can find.”
They spent the next hour huddled together, Jade’s dining table becoming command central for Operation Mermaid Rainbow.
She scooted her chair closer to his, their shoulders occasionally brushing as they scrolled through last-minute party decoration options.
The warmth of him beside her was distracting in the best possible way.
“What about these?” Jade tapped the screen, pointing to colorful streamers. “We could twist blue and green for underwater, then add rainbow ones across the ceiling.”
“Hmm.” Deke leaned closer, his breath tickling her ear. “Not bad. Izzy has those little clip things for hanging decorations.”
“Command hooks,” Jade supplied with a smile. “Every event planner’s secret weapon.”
“Is that what they’re called?” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’ve been calling them ‘those sticky hook things’ for years.”
“Clearly you need my expertise,” she teased, emboldened by the easy rhythm they’d fallen into.
“Clearly,” he agreed, his voice warming in a way that made her cheeks flush.
Jade clicked to another tab. “Oh! What about these fish-shaped balloons? We could add rainbow ribbons as tails.”
“Chantal would love that,” Deke nodded, his eyes lighting up. “And it wouldn’t require advanced crafting degrees.”
“Speaking of which,” Jade scrolled further, “forget specialty napkins. Buy plain ones and these mermaid stickers. Stick one on each napkin—instant mermaid theme.”
Deke stared at her. “That’s ... actually brilliant.”
“I once salvaged the church Christmas pageant with pipe cleaners and aluminum foil after the costume trunk got sent to the wrong address,” she explained, enjoying his impressed expression. “You learn to improvise.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Deke said, shooting off their solutions to the panicking team. “Kenji would’ve ended up supergluing himself to something vital.”
“That sounds suspiciously specific,” Jade raised an eyebrow. “Previous party disaster?”
“Let’s just say the last party we planned involved an ... incident ... with a paper-maché volcano and way too much red food coloring.” Deke shuddered dramatically. “The cleaning crew threatened to quit.”
“The mental image alone is worth it,” she laughed, surprised by how natural this felt—sitting close, sharing ideas, planning something as ordinary as a child’s birthday party. For a moment, she could almost pretend this was her life, that she belonged in this circle of warmth and casual affection.
A comfortable silence settled between them as the panic subsided and Deke put his phone away. The fading afternoon light softened his features, highlighting the exhaustion lingering around his eyes.
“Thank you,” Jade said quietly. “For all of this. I know it’s complicated—especially with DJ.”
Something vulnerable flickered across Deke’s face. “I’m not exactly winning Father of the Year.” He rubbed a hand across his jaw. “I keep trying, but it feels like I’m speaking a different language.”
“You haven’t given up,” Jade pointed out. “That counts for more than you know.”
“Does it?” His question held real doubt. “Sometimes I think I’m just making things worse.”
“Trust me,” Jade said, memories of her own father surfacing like bruises. “I know what it looks like when a father doesn’t actually care. You’re nothing like that.”
Their eyes met, something unspoken passing between them that made her heart trip over itself. The moment stretched, taut with possibility.
Then his phone rang, shattering the bubble of quiet intimacy. Deke answered, his posture shifting back to all-business as he listened. “Good. Keep me updated.” He hung up, turning to Jade with cautious relief in his eyes. “They’ve arrested Chad. He’s in custody.”
“It’s over?” Jade barely dared to hope.
“Part of it, at least,” Deke qualified. “The hit-and-run charges should stick. I can’t figure a guy like Chad will be able to make bail. Not anytime soon, at least.”
Relief flooded through her, followed immediately by an unexpected wave of melancholy. With the immediate threat contained, there was no reason for their current arrangement to continue. The thought left an empty ache in her chest.
“Well,” she said, fighting to keep her voice light, “I guess you can stand down from guard duty now. Get back to your real life—and DJ.” She managed a smile that felt too tight. “I should probably skip the birthday party tomorrow, give you all some space with your?—”
“No way. Chad wasn’t working alone. We both know that. Whoever hired him is still out there.”
“Besides,” he continued, his voice softening, “the team wants you there.” A heartbeat passed. “I want you there.”
The admission hung in the air between them, weighted with meaning beyond the simple words. Jade found herself nodding, unable to form a coherent response.
Deke reached across the table, his large hand covering hers in what started as a reassuring gesture.
But instead of pulling away, his thumb traced a small circle on her skin, the touch lingering several heartbeats longer than necessary.
Heat bloomed where their fingers connected, spreading up her arm and across her chest.
Their eyes met, acknowledging something neither was ready to name.
When he finally withdrew his hand, the phantom warmth remained, branded into her skin.
Jade watched him return to checking the security feeds on his tablet, her heart beating an erratic rhythm against her ribs.
She couldn’t help wondering which presented the greater danger—the unknown threat still targeting her, or the way her carefully guarded heart was opening to a man who could shatter it completely if he ever learned all her secrets.