Hostile Takeover ❖ Jake Riley | ✓ [book 1]

20~ To Dare Mighty Things

"Like you," he said. Jake smiled down at Quentin and gave him another hug.

"I love you, Quentin,"

"I love you too, Jake,"

As they pulled away, Jenna came back up to them, wiping away some of her tears with her sweater sleeve, "So, my dad really wants to meet you," she told Jake, "He was surprised to hear that another man besides himself was willing to put up with me for five days," she smirked.

Jake chuckled back, "Yeah, sure," he and Quentin started walking alongside her, "And for the record, you weren't that much of a pain in the ass,"

"You want to tell that to him?" she replied.

Peter saw Jenna walk up Jake, and he immediately wheeled himself over, blinking back his happy tears, "So, you're the boy who kept my pain-in-the-ass daughter safe, huh? I hope she didn't give you too much of headache," he laughed. Jenna glared back at him, but Jake just laughed it off.

"I was more than happy to help Jenna. You raised a great daughter, Mr. Desmond," he said.

"Please, call me Peter," he shook Jake's hand, then he turned to Quentin, "And you must be Quentin. Jana mentioned you quite a bit. You think you want to join the force one day?" he asked him.

"Yeah, as soon as Jake teaches me how to fire a gun," he replied.

Jake rolled his eyes, "Tell you what, I'll take you to the gun range for your sixteenth birthday," he said.

"Fifteenth,"

"Want me to bump it up to eighteenth?"

"Dude, take sixteen and be happy with it," Jenna warned him.

Quentin nodded back, "Okay, sixteen,"

Peter chuckled heartily, "Would you boys care to join us for dinner? Mrs. Weidemyer basically cooked us a Thanksgiving Dinner, and I don't have enough room in my fridge," he said.

"We appreciate the offer, Peter, but couldn't impose on you like that. Besides, I need a serious shower before I come within five feet of another person," he said.

"Aw, come on, Jake! You can shower at home," Quentin sad.

"I have to agree with your boy, Jake. I must insist," Peter said. Jenna rolled her eyes.

"My dad's a big believer in the Southern hospitality concept," she said, "Seriously though, come join us. Because it'll just be me and Mrs. Weidemyer; Dad's just going to drink beer with his buddies and reminisce about the old days," she said.

Quentin looked at Jake with pleading, hopeful eyes, while Jenna gave him a smile he couldn't refuse.

"Alright. But then I got to get my deputy home. You still got school tomorrow," he said.

"Don't remind me," Quentin replied, "What're you going to do tomorrow, then?" he asked him. Jake looked down at Jenna, who had a mischievous smile on her face.

"I'll think of something,"

Needless to say, it was one of the most enjoyable and unexciting dinners he ever had. Unexciting in a way that he didn't have to be called away to another case, or feel rushed to be somewhere else as soon as possible. He met new people, and ate great food, and he got to hear the wild stories of Jenna's childhood, especially the ones that made her go red in the face. But on top of everything, he had never felt more at home, then when he sat with Jenna laughing together as one of Peter's old cop friends told a story of a crazy run-in with a perp and a toilet plunger.

By the end of the night, poor Quentin was falling asleep on his feet, while the old cops were getting a little rowdy as they reminisced about the golden days. Jake decided then that it would be a good time to take Quentin home.