Page 27 of Unofficial

Kade doesn’t know what projects she works on anymore because she doesn't work with him anymore. Serves him right to lose the business of one of the better architecture firms in the area.

"Just here for a drink before heading home then."

"Yep," Landry says.

"Well, if you decide you don't want to go home alone and need a wingman..."

It was meant as a joke, but the look he gets is nothing short of pure hatred. "Go to hell. That woman is an emerald in a sea of diamonds. You couldn't see that, but I sure as hell can. And if you think I'm going to be as stupid as you are to lose her like you did, you're sadly mistaken."

Sitting back down, Kade finds himself intrigued. "An emerald in a sea of diamonds?"

"Exactly."

"What do you mean by that?"

Landry chugs the rest of his beer before turning and facing him. Sniffling, he shakes his head. "She's a professional woman who knows her worth yet will always give as much as she gets from others. Probably more. It's rare to find a woman who enjoys the little things in life, like domesticity, but can turn around and dress up and look like absolute fire. If you think I'm going to risk losing that like you did, you're an even bigger idiot than I already think you are."

Kade watches him throw a bill on the bar, stand, and walk out. He didn't hold back at all, and Kade feels a bit shaken.

"Hey, you okay?" Tim asks.

"Uh, yeah. I'll take my tab."

"What'd he say to you? It looked intense. I was preparing to have to separate you, which is weird because you're not normally a fighter."

Memories of the last time he got into a fight flash into his mind, but he pushes them away. The feelings those memories stir up don't go away as easily, and he hates how something he's kept locked up tight for the past five years keeps coming loose lately.

"Kade?"

"Yeah?" he asks, his eyes focusing on Tim.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

An emerald in a sea of diamonds. "Yeah, I'm fine. Here's my card," he says and pulls out his wallet.

Tim takes it and walks away, his eyes constantly glancing back at Kade as he does. A few other regulars seem to take notice of his change in demeanor, and he's sure he looks ill. Or maybe like he's seen a ghost or two.

"Here," Tim says.

Kade signs it. "Put whatever tip you want."

"Kade," he calls, but he refuses to turn around. He can't.

In his pickup, he stops and stares at the empty passenger seat. He hasn't gone this long with it empty in years. No, he always has someone to bring home with him, and up until the past few months, that person was Jessica.

Yet will always give as much as she gets from others. Probably more.

Jess used to always joke that she matched energies. When Kade was having a bad day and acting a certain way, she'd try and get him to open up. If he refused, she'd start acting like he was to give him a reality check about how he was treating her. Nothing has ever been more effective in getting him to shape up than that.

It's rare to find a woman who enjoys the little things in life, like domesticity, but can turn around and dress up to look like absolute fire.

Jess knew Kade's history with his family, and when his dad was released from prison, he had a difficult time dealing with it. His father was charged and convicted of killing his mother, and the idea of the man walking around free amongst society after that just didn't seem fair when the only parent who truly loved him lay in the ground.

He drowned himself in alcohol and took a two-week vacation from work, burning up all his paid time off. But he didn't care. He stopped talking to everyone, but Jess wouldn’t let him shut her out. Though he tried to get her to, she never gave up on him.

She knew where his spare key was after a drunken night out, and she let herself in after he'd been in his hole about a week. He shouted at her to leave because he didn't want her to see him that way, but she refused. Instead, she cleaned up his place. Took all the glass bottles out to recycling, and then she disappeared. He thought she'd left, but she came back an hour later with bags.

Needing to know why she refused to listen, he came out to find her putting groceries away in his kitchen. She told him he's in a rough place, but he can't stop taking care of himself. And if he can't do it himself, she'll be there to help him. She not only made him dinner, but she prepped two more days’ worth of meals for him. And she never once asked for a single thing in return.

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