Christmas with Hope Read online

  Jim shook his head. "Aren't you going to eat?"

  "I'll grab something later. There's something I've gotta do." He grabbed his bottle of water and left.

  *****

  The thirty-by-eight Containerized Housing Units scattered throughout the base resembled shipping containers you see on railroad cars or ships. They housed anywhere from one to three personnel depending on rank. Similar units nearby were used as bathrooms and showers. It was the same set-up as his living area.

  Nick found the one assigned to Captain Hope Erickson and heard a familiar rock-n-roll tune playing inside. He knocked.

  A pretty blonde answered the door. "Can I help you?"

  "I hope so. I'm looking for Captain Erickson."

  "And you are?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

  "Nick Cunningham. Is this her unit?"

  "Maybe. What do you want with her?"

  "I just want to talk to her. We met earlier today." Nick wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  The woman grinned. "You're the ranger she rescued?"

  "The captain mentioned me?" he asked, trying not to sound too excited.

  "Briefly." She leaned against the doorjamb and folded her arms. "She said you were a jerk."

  He peered inside and saw no sign of the captain. "I am... or at least I was. Will you tell me where I can find her?"

  She twisted her mouth to one side, considering him. "She's at the gym... but you didn't hear that from me."

  *****

  Nick changed out of his uniform and into the clean PT clothes he borrowed from another soldier. He hoped the accidental meeting would be worth the twenty bucks it cost him.

  Hope was still in the weight room when he came out of the locker room. He considered his battle plan again. If she were still harboring ill feelings toward him, he would have his work cut out for him.

  "Hey, Cunningham, I thought you worked out in the mornings," a fellow officer in his platoon hollered.

  Hope glanced up from the weight bench midstride. They locked gazes. If she was surprised to see him, she didn't show it. She did two more reps before straddling the bench.

  Nick's carefully thought out plan just went out the window. Without a clue as to what he was going to say, he walked toward her.

  Lieutenant Garret, on the weight machine next to her, smiled at him. "Heard you got yourself in a bit of a jam today... bad Intel?"

  "Yeah, but thanks to Captain Erickson here, we all made it out alive."

  Lieutenant Garret glanced at Hope. "You were flying the bird that rescued them? I thought they only used women pilots to ferry supplies and VIP's."

  She tossed him a smug smile, "Not in this war," then grabbed her towel and walked off.

  Nick quickly followed. "Bet you get a lot of that, huh?"

  "I'm used to it." She stopped at a treadmill and stepped on, draping the towel across her right shoulder.

  Nick climbed on the one next to her. After programming his speed and incline, he began a brisk walk. "How long have you been flying?"

  "Since I was fifteen," she answered with barely a glance.

  "I meant in the army."

  "Nine years. Did Kylie tell you I was here?"

  "Who's Kylie?" he avoided her question, hoping to keep his promise.

  "Never mind." She met his gaze. "What do you want, Lieutenant?"

  He gave her his best smile. "For starters, I'd like for you to call me Nick."

  "There are rules against fraternizing."

  "We're only talking. Besides, if I did have aspirations toward you in that capacity, that rule refers mainly to relationships between officers and enlisted personnel."

  She shook her head as she glanced away.

  "Whoa... wait a minute, was that a smile I just saw?" he teased. When she refused to look at him, he stepped off the treadmill and moved to stand in front of her. "I was a horrible kid, I admit it. And I'm sorry."

  "Forget about it. It's no big deal."

  "Why don't I believe you?"

  "Believe me or not, that's your prerogative." She grabbed the towel from her shoulder and stepped off the treadmill. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

  He followed. "Now you see; if you didn't keep brushing me off, I might believe you."

  She paused at the door, turning to him. "Are you always this tenacious?"

  "Yes. It's one of my many attributes. Have coffee with me and I'll share some of my other qualities."

  Hope laughed.

  "Is that a yes," he asked, hopeful.

  "All right, I'll have coffee with you. Not tonight, though. I have a pre-flight briefing at oh-seven-hundred."

  "Tomorrow night then... after dinner with your crew, I'll meet you right here."

  "Okay."

  "It's a date then. Don't forget."

  "It's not a date, its coffee, and I won't forget."

  *****

  Hope entered the barely lit housing unit and tossed her towel in the growing pile of dirty clothes. Although there was a laundry service on the base, a lot of soldiers preferred to do their own in one of the laundry trailers. It was Kylie's turn to do theirs. "Not only are you a ratfink, you're a pig."

  Kylie removed her headphones and rose from her bunk. "What?"

  "I said you're a pig. It's your turn to do laundry, you know."

  Kylie chuckled before replacing her headphones.

  Hope squeezed past her roommate's bed to her own, then opened her locker in search of a clean bath towel. There wasn't any. Picking up a nearby slipper, she threw it at Kylie. It landed on her stomach.

  "Hey, I'm trying to get some sleep here."

  "There aren't any clean towels."

  "Check the cubby hole next to the fridge."

  Luckily, there were some left. Hope grabbed one, along with clean clothes from her locker, and headed to the door. "Oh, and don't think I won't get you back."

  "For what?"

  "You know what."

  Kylie grinned. "Hey, he looked desperate. And he is very cute."

  Hope shook her head as she reached for the doorknob.

  "So are you going out with him?"

  "We're having coffee tomorrow night, but only to get rid of him. He's the last thing I need in my life right now."

  "People change, Hope. You of all people know that. Give the guy a chance."

  "You've got a lot of room to talk. You won't give Brody the time of day and you know he's crazy about you."

  "All right, I'll make a deal with you. I'll go out with Brody if you'll ask Nick to come with us."

  "You mean like a double date?"

  "Yeah. Stu's having a cookout Saturday, we can do it then. What do you say?"

  "I'll think about it."

  On the way to the showers, Hope thought of her earlier musings. She'd met lots of guys since grade school, but none had the effect on her that Nick did. Despite his cruelty, she'd had a major crush on him and always suspected his behavior came from wanting to show off in front of his friends. The truth was; she owed her weight loss to Nick and his friends. They gave her the motivation she needed to find a diet and stick with it. The self-esteem she gained from that experience gave her the confidence to believe she could accomplish anything she put her mind to.

  Even to pilot her own Black Hawk helicopter.

  Chapter Three

  The following evening, despite her anxiousness, Hope kept her promise to meet Nick for coffee. Dressed in her usual base attire of fatigues, she walked the one-third mile to the gym.

  The moment Nick looked at Hope her tummy fluttered and her pulse soared. She took a deep breath and exhaled as he walked toward her.

  "I was afraid you wouldn't show," he said with a gorgeous smile.

  "Don't think I wasn't tempted," she admitted.

  "Well, I'm glad you're here."

  As they walked, her head told her she was making a dreadful mistake in being there. If that was the case, why did it feel so right?

  Not every base in Iraq had a Green Beans coffee
shop, but thankfully, theirs did. They served great coffee and lattes. Nick held the door for her then casually placed his hand at the small of her back as they approached the counter. After placing their order and receiving their drinks, Nick led her to a table in the back.

  "There's been something I've wanted to ask you," Nick said after a brief silence.

  Hope gazed across the table at him. When he didn't continue, she asked, "What?"

  "I don't remember seeing you around after middle school. What happened to you?"

  "My dad was transferred to Maine."

  "Don't you have a famous uncle who lives in Maine?"

  "Yes. Kenneth Hawthorne. He's a mystery author. How'd you know that?" She was surprised he knew anything at all about her family.

  "You did a report on one of his books once."

  "And you remembered that?" She chuckled.

  He shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say, I was impressed. I never knew anyone who was related to someone famous before. Does he still write?"

  "Yes, from his little island in the Atlantic."

  "He owns an island?"

  "No, he only lives there. It's called Dauphine Island. It's a really neat place, off the coast of Maine. I love going to visit him. When I would stay with him as a kid, he'd take me treasure hunting. We never found anything, but it was still fun."

  "Sounds like a magical place."

  "Oh, it is."

  "So, what made you want to join the service instead of becoming a treasure hunter?"

  She laughed. "My first flight instructor was a former army pilot. He talked non-stop about the missions he flew. He opened a whole other world for me, and I've never looked back." Hope took another drink of her latte and leaned back in her chair. The anxiety she felt earlier finally dissipated. "What about you? What made you want to join?"

  "Watching too many war movies as a kid, I suppose. Turns out, it was the best decision I've ever made. I can't imagine doing anything else."

  "Do your folks still live in Raleigh?"

  "Yeah, so do my brother and sisters. That's another reason why the military was so appealing; I didn't want to spend the rest of my life there." He took another drink of his coffee, his eyes steady on her. "Your roommate seems nice, how long have you known her?"

  "Almost six years." Hope thought of their agreement. She'd never asked a guy out before and wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. It was only a cookout, though, not really a date -- date. Besides, how else was she going to get Brody and Kylie together?

  "I have something I want to show you I think you're going to get a kick out of." Smiling, Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph. "I think you'll appreciate the irony."

  Hope took it and glanced at the large group of people standing in front of a brick building. She didn't recognize any of them. "I don't get it. Am I supposed to know these people?"

  He chuckled. "It was taken at my last high school reunion. Check out the three large guys in the back row, on your right."

  Hope looked closer. She had no trouble spotting Nick standing on the end, but the guys standing next to him weren't familiar. Then it dawned on her who they were.

  "Tommy is the only one who's still married. He's in real estate and lives on the east coast. Greg and Jimmy are partners in a car lot in Raleigh. I don't think either of them are very happy."

  "I'm sorry to hear that." Handing the photo back to him, she met his gaze and smiled. "You were just being boys, Nick. It was a long time ago."

  "So it never really bothered you that we were so cruel to you?"

  He seemed very regretful of his past behavior and that impressed Hope.

  "Of course it did, but if you spend enough time in therapy, you can overcome just about anything." She watched him lower his head and couldn't help but laugh. "I'm teasing, Nick. The truth is, I owe who I am today to you guys. If you hadn't given me such a hard time I probably wouldn't have lost the weight."

  "Really?"

  She took a drink and considered whether or not she should reveal anymore. "I'm not condoning your behavior. That type of bullying can be very detrimental to a person of any age, but in my case, it inspired me to change."

  "Then you forgive me?"

  "Both you and your friends... a long time ago." Is seeking forgiveness his only motivation for asking me out? She hoped not. "It took me awhile of course. Grace is a hard pill to swallow sometimes."

  "You see, this isn't so bad." He shot her one of his gorgeous smiles. "Good coffee, pleasant conversation--"

  "No, it isn't. Would you like to do it again?" The invitation slipped out before she even knew it. She held her breath anxiously, a part of her wishing she could take it back.

  "I'd love to, Hope."

  "It's not really a date... I mean not the type of date you're probably used to. There's a cookout on Saturday and Kylie, my roommate, has offered to go with Brody if you and I go with them."

  Still smiling, he asked, "And Brody is?"

  "My co-pilot. You met him yesterday."

  "So you're using me in your match-making antics."

  It was Kylie who was doing all the manipulating, she feared, but he didn't need to know that. "Do you mind? There'll be steaks, cheeseburgers, and hotdogs."

  "Use me all you want." He finished his coffee and then stood. "Will you allow me to walk you to your CHU?"

  "Sure." She grabbed both empty cups and deposited them in the trash on the way out.

  *****

  Midway to Hope's unit, Nick glanced over at the lovely pilot. The invitation to accompany her to the cookout came as a welcome surprise. Hopefully, in the next four days, he could charm his way into her heart enough so that she'd be open to a little romance in her own life. In order for that to happen, he'd have to come up with an ingenious plan or two so as not to scare her off. Most of the pilots he'd met were adrenaline junkies who lived life on the edge. Hope, however, seemed more cautious -- at least in her private life.

  "Thanks for walking me home."

  Nick scanned his surroundings; disappointed they had already reached their destination. "It was my pleasure. Thanks for having coffee with me. I enjoyed it."

  "Me too," she answered with a smile. "Well, goodnight then."

  He smiled back. "Goodnight, Hope. Pleasant dreams."

  Nick waited until she was inside before he left. As he walked back to his own CHU, he found he couldn't stop smiling.

  "So how was your date?" Jim asked as soon as Nick walked in the door.

  "Best cup of coffee I ever drank." He moved to his bed and lay down, folding his arms behind his head.

  "Oh, man. I've seen that look on a lot of guys, but never you. You just met the woman. What, are you nuts?"

  "Maybe." All he knew was he couldn't wait till Saturday to see her again.

  "Remember, we won't be here long. They'll be shipping us out soon."

  Nick let out a heavy sigh. His roommate was right. It'd be insane for him to get involved with Hope. They both had dangerous jobs that demanded their complete focus. Any lack of concentration could endanger both their lives and those around them.

  "Hey, I'm not saying not to have a good time with her while you can. Just don't get too carried away. We have at least another six months here in Iraq, you don't want to spend it writing love letters to some woman you may never see again."

  Nick looked up just as Jim took a drink of his soda. "Do you always have to be such a downer?"

  "Just pointing out the inevitable, my friend." Jim grabbed a jacket from his locker. "You wanna go over to Crocket's and play video games. He has a new one."

  "No thanks." Their quarters were tight as it was, squeeze half a dozen over-grown kids in one and it was a nightmare.

  "Suit yourself."

  As soon as the door closed, Nick took out his laptop from the cubicle next to his bed. After several seconds of waiting to get online, he checked his messages and then started an email to his mother. Hi, Mom. Guess what? I've met someone.

&nb
sp; Chapter Four

  Tuesday's morning briefing took longer than usual, and it was almost 0400 before Hope, Brody, and their crew chiefs headed to the airstrip. Their mission today was to take a brigade commander and his staff to three forward operating bases, covering over 400 miles of flying. They knew where and when they would refuel, where they would be eating, and what time they would be taking off and landing at each base. If everything went according to plan, they'd be back at Camp Adder by 1500 hours.

  After loading their gear to the flight-ready aircraft, they went to breakfast with the other Black Hawk team they would be flying with. Black Hawks almost always flew in pairs, so that if one were to get shot down, or have mechanical trouble, the other could fly cover until recovery teams could get there. Today, Hope was flying with Chief Warrant Officer Tom Jenson and his crew.

  "Okay if I take the lead today?" Jenson asked as he sat down across from her.

  Although she outranked him and was usually the lead aircraft, she nodded her approval. She'd received some complaints recently about his tendency to put on a show for his passengers, from the other pilots flying in formation with him, and today would be a good day to see how serious the infractions were. As leader of Team Twilight, part of her responsibility was to ensure the safety of the pilots and aircraft personnel under her command. She took that responsibility very seriously.

  Midway through her meal of Belgian waffles, Hope caught a glimpse of a familiar smile two tables in front of her. Nick nodded as she met his gaze. She nodded back. He sat with a group of men she recognized from the extraction at the desert village a couple of days ago. Were they about to leave on a mission too?

  "I had an interesting call last night from your roommate," Brody said from his seat next to her.

  "Oh yeah," she answered absent-mindedly.

  "She invited me to a cookout Saturday."

  Hope looked at him and tried not to smile. "What'd you tell her?"

  "After I almost dropped the phone, I said I'd go. I thought she and Tyson were together."

  "Nah, they split up over a month ago." She took another bite of waffles and washed it down with the rest of her coffee.

  "Why didn't you tell me they broke up?"

  "I didn't think you were interested."

  When he didn't reply, Hope grabbed her tray. "I'm going to the latrine. I'll meet you on the airfield."

  *****