Page 29 of Fierce Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #3)

Someone’s hiding something. Thurston’s reaction was too strong for this to be nothing.

Jade studied the storage facility contract under the harsh fluorescent light of the church records room. Deke was clearly ready to leave, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this seemingly minor detail mattered more than anyone was admitting.

“We could continue this investigation tomorrow,” he suggested from the doorway, keys dangling from his fingers. “After we’ve both had dinner and some rest.”

She looked up, registering the fatigue around his eyes. “I just need fifteen minutes. There’s something about Thurston’s reaction that doesn’t sit right.”

Deke’s stomach growled audibly, and she suppressed a smile. He’d been patient through the two-hour board meeting after a full day at their headquarters. Still, he stepped into the small room and settled against a filing cabinet.

“Fifteen minutes,” he conceded. “Then food. Non-negotiable.”

The records room was barely large enough for the desk, computer, and wall of filing cabinets that housed the church’s paper history.

Decades of financial records, meeting minutes, and correspondence filled labeled drawers, organized with the kind of meticulous care that spoke of someone’s loving attention—probably Mrs. Peterson, the church secretary who’d worked here since the Reagan administration.

Jade pulled out the drawer marked “Contracts/Vendors 2010-2021” and began rifling through the neatly arranged folders. If the church had been paying for storage all along, there should be a paper trail.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Deke asked, moving to examine the cabinet beside her.

“Evidence that this isn’t new,” she replied.

“If Thurston’s right and it’s just rummage sale storage, there should be previous invoices, a contract, something.

The church only consolidated all their records online two years ago.

Before that, it’s a mess, really. Most stuff is recorded in the online bookkeeping program, but anything that came with a hard copy got filed. ”

They worked silently for several minutes, the only sounds the sliding of drawers and rustling of papers.

Jade found herself hyperaware of Deke’s proximity in the small space, the occasional brush of his arm against hers as they maneuvered around each other.

It would be so easy to lean into him, to rest her head against his shoulder for just a moment . ..

She forced her attention back to the files. This wasn’t the time for distraction …

She paused as something caught her attention.

“Found something,” she said, pulling out a folder labeled “Annual Rummage Sale.” Inside were invoices from Advantage Storage dating back six years, but stopping abruptly. “Looks like we did rent a storage unit, but we stopped paying for it six years ago.”

Deke peered over her shoulder at the documents. “So this new contract is probably just a glitch. Hope Landing Church is in their database so the computer kicked out a fresh contract?”

“Makes sense.” She shook her head. “I never implied we were paying for the space, or that there was anything odd going on. Why would Thurston react so strongly?”

A soft knock on the doorframe interrupted them. Mrs. Peterson stood there, silver-framed glasses in hand, surprise evident on her lined face.

“My goodness, are you two still here? I just came back for my reading glasses.” She brandished them. “Left them in my desk drawer again.”

“Mrs. Peterson, perfect timing,” Jade said. “We’re trying to sort out something about a storage unit. The church received an updated contract to sign, but I can’t find any current contract. Or any evidence that we’ve been paying for a unit.”

“Storage unit? We haven’t used one in years, dear. Not since we got that shipping container for the parking lot.”

“For the rummage sale items?” Deke prompted.

“That’s right. We used to rent a unit at Advantage Storage over on Maple, but it got to be too much trouble.

Volunteers had to drive back and forth, moving things multiple times.

” Mrs. Peterson shook her head at the memory.

“The new container was Pastor Dan’s idea—folks can drop donations directly there, and everything stays in one place until the sale. ”

“Do you remember when you stopped using the storage unit?” Jade asked.

“Oh, must be five or six years now. The container came just after we finished the new wing.” Mrs. Peterson glanced at the invoice in Jade’s hand. “Is someone trying to bill us again? That’s certainly not right.”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Jade said, grateful for the confirmation.

Footsteps in the hallway announced another arrival. Sarah appeared with two Styrofoam cups, her expression brightening when she spotted them.

“I brought you coffee, Mrs. P,” she said, handing one mug to the secretary. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

“We’re just wrapping up,” Deke said hopefully, with a pointed look at Jade.

“They’re asking about the old storage unit,” Mrs. Peterson explained. “For the rummage sale.”

Sarah’s brow furrowed. “We have the storage container. It’s not even half full. Why would we need to rent storage?”

“The church received a new contract,” Jade explained. “I was trying to verify whether it was legitimate.”

“It can’t be,” Sarah said. “Everything’s in the container now. I help organize the children’s items for the sale every year.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Maybe I should call them tomorrow? Clear up the confusion?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it,” Jade replied. “You already have enough on your plate.”

Sarah smiled ruefully. “True. I’ve got my regular job, and then Bible camp with the preschoolers starts tomorrow afternoon.” Her expression softened. “But those kids are worth every minute. You should see them learning the songs—they get so excited, especially when we bring out the puppets.”

As Sarah described an elaborate puppet show about Noah’s ark, Jade found herself imagining what it would be like to help with the children’s ministry.

In her mind’s eye, she saw herself sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by eager little faces, perhaps with DJ among them.

Deke would pick them up afterward, and they’d go for ice cream, a family outing that felt so natural, so right . ..

She blinked the image away. Even if Deke were interested in something more than their current professional relationship, DJ had to be his priority.

And did she really think he’d want someone with her background influencing his son?

If he knew everything—about the vulnerable widows she’d helped her father con, about the investment schemes, about how easily she’d once separated people from their money with nothing but a smile and a story—would he still look at her the way he sometimes did when he thought she wouldn’t notice?

“—so we’ll have about twenty little ones tomorrow,” Sarah was saying. “Their energy is incredible.”

“You’re a saint,” Mrs. Peterson said fondly. “I don’t know how you manage it all.”

“It’s a joy, really,” Sarah insisted. She glanced at her watch. “Oh! I should get going. Early morning tomorrow.” She turned to Jade and Deke. “Good luck with the storage mystery.”

After Sarah left, Mrs. Peterson gathered her belongings. “Don’t stay too late, dears. Everything looks better after a good meal and some rest.”

When they were alone again, Jade carefully replaced the files and made copies of the relevant documents. “We should visit this storage facility tomorrow.”

“First thing,” Deke agreed. “But right now, food. You made me a promise.”

She hadn’t, technically, but her stomach chose that moment to rumble in solidarity with his earlier complaint. “Fair enough. I’ve got what I need anyway.”

As they walked to Deke’s truck, Jade found herself reluctant to end the evening. Working with him had begun to feel natural—the way they moved around each other, anticipated questions, filled in gaps. In another life, they might have made excellent partners in every sense of the word.

“What kind of food are you in the mood for?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

The question caught her off guard. “Oh, I assumed we’d just head home.”

“After I promised you dinner?” He looked offended at the suggestion. “I’m a man of my word, Villanueva.”

She hesitated, knowing she should refuse. This wasn’t a date. It couldn’t be a date. But the thought of returning to her empty condo held little appeal compared to another hour in his company.

“Pizza?” she suggested. “There’s a place on Grant that’s open late.”

“Sold.” He smiled, and she felt that familiar flutter she’d been trying to ignore for days. “We can compare notes on our board meeting suspects while we eat.”

“Very romantic,” she said without thinking, then immediately regretted it.

His eyes caught hers, something warm and unspoken passing between them. “I’ve had worse date ideas.”

The word “date” hung in the air, neither of them acknowledging or denying it.

Tomorrow, they would visit the storage facility and perhaps uncover what Thurston was so desperate to hide. Tomorrow, they would be investigator and protected witness again.

But tonight? Tonight they could just be Jade and Deke, sharing pizza slices and theories under the forgiving light of a neighborhood restaurant.

Until she told him the truth about her past. Because she had to, before his feelings grew any stronger. And her hopes ballooned out of proportion.