Simple Man

by Lydia Michaels

  When Kate called that night, he told her what happened. She was quiet.

  “Do you know something?” he asked.

  “Shane, you know I can’t talk to you about this.”

  He blew out a frustrated breath. “Can you at least tell me if Logan’s in any trouble? I mean, I know Nadine loves him, but Will’s never there. It’s weird.”

  “You see him. Logan’s fine. Nadine is wonderful with him. You see for yourself that he isn’t in any danger.”

  He finally said what had been bothering him. “But she isn’t his mother.”

  “I know. Listen, I talked to Stephanie today and I think you may have a really good chance of getting Logan back, not because he’s in any danger there, but because you’re a good father figure and the circumstances are turning in your favor.”

  Her words reminded him of what Nadine said that day. “She called me Logan’s daddy today.”

  “Who did, Nadine?”

  “Yeah.”

  She was quiet. “I don’t know how things are going to work out, but you’re more that child’s father than anyone else in this world. No one can ever take away the time you raised him, Shane. It’s okay to call yourself his dad.”

  But he wasn’t his dad. “I’m not ready to say that, not when the court doesn’t see it that way.”

  “What about the way Logan sees it?”

  Her question jarred him. At one point, Logan had a mom too. Did he miss her? Remember her? Wonder why she wasn’t around any more? He didn’t want to fall into the same category as his sister.

  He thought about her question, as he got ready to go play at the Grill. Did Logan see him as his father? Shane definitely saw him as his son.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  His phone was going crazy. Shane sat up and reached for his cell. When he found it, he rubbed his eyes and squinted at the screen. He didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello?” he answered in a scratchy voice. What time was it?

  “Hi, Shane?”

  “Speaking.”

  “This is Russ Myers from the township.”

  He sat up. “Oh, hi.”

  “Is this a good time?”

  “This is a great time.” Shane looked at his watch. It was eight-thirty, but raining out, so his room seemed darker than usual.

  “Good. I was calling to let you know that we really liked meeting with you and have decided to push you forward. If you’re still interested, we’d like to submit your name for the job.”

  He was smiling so wide it was difficult to form words. “That’s fantastic! Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. The raffle will be drawn this Friday and we should have a final answer for you by Monday. Best of luck.”

  “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

  He ended the call and dialed Kate. She’d already be at work.

  “Hello?”

  “Guess who made it to the top ten…”

  “Really? That’s great!” she shouted then lowered her voice. “I have news too, but I can’t talk to you about it now.”

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  “Everything’s great. I’ll call you tonight when I leave here.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “Love you too. Bye.”

  * * * *

  Shane was tuning his guitar when Kate called.

  “Hello?”

  “I’m coming over,” she said by way of greeting.

  “Okay. Everything all right?”

  “Everything is perfect!”

  “Good day?”

  “Great day! I just need to know if I should pick up pizza or Chinese on the way.”

  “Whatever you want.” Shane didn’t have the pockets to be picky. A little of his manhood withered each time she bought him dinner.

  “Pizza. Can you call ahead and order?”

  “That I can do.”

  A few minutes later the green bug pulled up and Kate climbed out holding a steaming box of pizza. She bounced up the step of the trailer and gave him a smacking kiss. Her happiness, whatever it was about, was contagious.

  “I have a bottle of wine in my trunk. Will you grab it?”

  Shane went to get the wine and when he came in Kate was carrying two plates of pizza from the counter.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Wine first,” she said, digging in the drawer for the bottle opener.

  He pulled down glasses and she uncorked the bottle.

  He poured them each some wine and waited.

  “Sit,” she said, cheerily.

  He sat.

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “I talked to Stephanie today.”

  His stomach flipped at the mention of Logan’s new caseworker. “And?”

  “And you know I’m not allowed to talk to you about that.”

  He frowned. “Then why are you bringing it up?”

  “Did you ever play Hot and Cold when you were a kid?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s play that game. The warmer you get me the more naked I’ll get.”

  “Um, okay.”

  “Guess how my day was,” she said.

  “You’re day was good.” They already established that.

  She removed the thin purple scarf around her neck and dropped it to the floor. “Try to guess what else happened.”

  “You talked to Stephanie about Logan and Will.”

  She unbuttoned her cardigan and put it on the back of her chair. She wore a purple slinky tank top underneath. “What else?”

  “They said I could have Logan back,” he hoped.

  She pressed her lips together and picked up her scarf, wrapping it back around her neck.

  “Will didn’t get a good report,” he said, more realistically.

  She smiled and removed the scarf again. “And why do you think that is?”

  “Come on, Kate. Is Logan okay?”

  She tsked at him. “You know I can’t tell you the details of his case. Logan’s fine.” She took a bite of pizza. Cheese strung from her lips and she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

  He sighed and thought for a minute. His mind rolled over the facts, Nadine and the house and Will suddenly showing up the other day. He was never there. “Will missed an appointment.”

  She kicked off her shoes, stood and undid her pants, sliding them down and folding them neatly on the chair to her left. She sat in just her panties and a little tank top. “Keep going.”

  “It’s hard to think with you sitting there half-naked.”

  “And holding pizza. Give me a fresh beer and I’m a man’s wet dream. Keep going, you’re almost there.”

  He rolled his eyes. He couldn’t care less about the fucking pizza. He had an appetite for something totally different.

  He groaned. “Um, Nadine said something in my favor to the social worker?”

  She grinned, reached in her tank top, undid the clasp of her bra and slid it off through the sleeve. It was fucking hot.

  He knew this was a long shot, but he hoped. “Nadine thinks I should have Logan.”

  The tank top came off. His skin tingled as possibilities shot through his mind.

  “Are you serious? What did she say?”

  She shook her head. “Ah, ah, ah… I can’t share that information.”

  She sat at his table eating pizza, her bare breasts tipped with rosy tight nipples and an expression on her face that would give the impression she was dressed in a power suit. How did she do that, come off so confident no matter what?

  “Is it because she likes me or something Will did?” She shook her head. He needed to phrase the question as a statement to play the game. “Will did something that broke the court order.”

  She stood, placed her crust on the plate, and dropped her panties to the ground. She was standing in his kitchen buck-naked.

  “Holy fuck, what did he do? This is huge, Kate. You have to tell me.”

  “I can’t, but you’re really good at this. I’m really ho
t.”

  He groaned. “You have no idea.”

  “Think, Shane. What did you tell me the other day? What was Will holding when he came in.”

  “I don’t know. A bag. It looked like laundry.”

  She gave him a pointed look.

  “Oh, my God. He’s not even living there!”

  She threw herself at him and kissed him. He kissed her hard then pulled back. “What does this mean?” he asked, wanting to truly understand what was happening.

  “It means that you’ll likely be getting a notice in the mail that your appeal’s been moved up. I, of course, can’t tell you why or share anything I may have been told in confidence, but I will of course be there when you go to get your son back.”

  His son.

  He kissed her again and she began to ride him through his jeans. “You have too many clothes on, Mr. Martin.”

  “I think I can fix that. I’ve been told that I possess great resolution skills.”

  Her mouth bit at his neck. “Then you better resolve to get naked.”

  He stood, lifting her with him as he headed to his bedroom. “Will this be going into your report, Ms. McAlister?”

  “Yes, so you better please me.”

  “Oh, I aim to.”

  * * * *

  Three days later he got a letter from the District Court of Lakota. His appeal date was moved to Wednesday. He brought the letter to Nadine’s that afternoon.

  His greatest fear was that this was all a misunderstanding, that Kate was wrong and nothing had changed. But if she was right and Will wouldn’t be Logan’s primary guardian, where did that leave Nadine?

  He liked Nadine. She was a good grandmother. But since the beginning with Logan, Shane noticed an inherent gift among women to connect with children. What if Will not being there wasn’t enough for him to get Logan back? What if the court picked Nadine over him because she was a woman? Who would be seen as the best choice, a child’s uncle or grandmother? They both had a link to Logan and, again, Shane feared he wouldn’t be enough.

  When they sat at the table he withdrew the letter from his pocket and placed it on the table. “Do you want to tell me what this is about, Nadine?”

  She sighed and looked sad, knowing he was watching her. “I’m sick, Shane. I have arthritis and my body isn’t what it used to be.” She smiled at Logan and slid a toy car closer to him. He grabbed it and put it in his mouth.

  “Will you be okay?” He liked Nadine. He didn’t want to think of her as unwell.

  “I’ll be fine. I just have to be realistic about what I’m capable of. I raised two kids with a good husband there through most of it. I know you know what it means to be a parent. You worry about everything. Are you loving them enough? Are you smothering them? Did you tell them no when you should have and yes when it was right?

  “Liz was a great daughter. She never got into trouble, always did what she was told. I raised her and Will the exact same way, I believe, but from the time they were babies they had their own likes and dislikes and were their own person.

  “When Will got in trouble I was crushed. I always wondered if Will still had Frank in his life…a boy needs a strong role model, a good father to guide him. When your child does something to shock you, something wrong, your first instinct as a parent is to say, no, not my child. But the truth is, we can teach our children the difference between right and wrong, but that doesn’t always mean they’ll make the best choices when we aren’t there for them.

  “I never met your sister. I imagine if she was anything like you, Logan lost out on having a wonderful mother. You’re so different from my William. You’re responsible, patient, and you want—so very much—to be a father.”

  She looked down and picked up a teething ring, turning it this way and that. “When Will told me about Logan I was confused and then, after it sunk in, I was thrilled—a grandbaby to love and spoil. I don’t have many friends since Frank died. I told William he had to do what was right and be a father to his son.

  “I didn’t realize the mistake I was making at the time. Logan has a father, an amazing one who’d sacrifice anything for him. But being a parent isn’t about the bloodline you share. It’s about what’s in here.” She placed her hand over her heart.

  “It’s been three weeks and William barely knows his own son. I love that baby boy, but he’s not mine. It isn’t right that I keep him when he has a father who’d do anything to be there for him.”

  He held Logan tight and looked at Nadine. “What happens now?”

  “I told the caseworker I think Logan should live with you.”

  His heart raced so fast he thought Logan might feel it pounding through his chest. “What about Will?”

  “William won’t contest. I sort of pushed him into this in the first place, thinking I was doing what was right. He’s been away for so long, he wants to be out in the world, not home with a baby. He’s not as mature as you. He just doesn’t get that the simple things in life are what makes it magical.”

  He looked at her and she sighed. Shane’s voice was tight. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I just hope that you’ll let me still be a part of Logan’s life. I adore him and think of him as my grandchild.”

  “You’re his grandmother, Nadine. I’d never deprive him of that.”

  “I hoped you wouldn’t.” She smiled at him. “You’re a good man, Shane. I’m sorry I put you through this.”

  That afternoon when he drove home, his mind was numb. He was getting Logan back—for good. He’d be Logan’s legal guardian and Logan would be his son. His son. It was almost too good to believe.

  As he stepped into his trailer, he looked around. The laundry was all put away. The sink was empty and the counters were clean. His mother’s quilt covered the couch and the pillows sat neatly in each corner. There was only one thing missing.

  He went to the closet and pulled out the two trash bags. He turned on his stereo and put in his Skynyrd album. Taking his time, he carefully pulled out each piece of clothing and folded it into a pile. Carrying the clothes to the bedroom, he placed them back in the drawers. He set out all the toys and baby paraphernalia. His son was coming home.

  * * * *

  That Wednesday Nadine and Will showed up in the courtroom with a large suitcase. Logan opened his arms to Shane the moment he saw him.

  The judge spoke to Stephanie the caseworker and asked Will questions. Nadine didn’t speak.

  Everything sounded so cut and dry on the surface. The judge asked if Shane was still interested in custody and he immediately agreed. Kate was there beside him the entire time.

  Once Will renounced his sole guardianship the judge dismissed them and Tabitha took them to a private room to go over paperwork. Nadine and Kate sat in the hall with Logan while he and Will signed what needed to be signed.

  The other man looked resigned. “I really appreciate this,” he said.

  Shane simply could not wrap his brain around the other man’s decision to give up his child. He nodded, too afraid to say too much and maybe cause Will to change his mind.

  He signed on the dotted line and they shook hands. It was surreal. He knew there would be more paperwork to follow, but the basics were done.

  Will left the private room and Tabitha handed him his set of copies. “Congratulations, Shane. You deserve this.”

  He smiled at her. “I’m so glad you found me.”

  “Me too,” she said and shook his hand. After gathering her things, she quietly left.

  Shane stood alone in the room for a few minutes, feeling the rest of his life waiting for him on the other side of the door. He folded his papers and shoved them in his back pocket when his phone suddenly vibrated.

  “Hello?”

  “Shane?”

  “Yes?”

  “Russ Myers. How are you?”

  “I’m great,” he said calmly. “How about yourself?”

  “I can’t complain. Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to be the fi
rst to tell you that your name came up first in the lottery. The job’s yours if you want it.”

  Breath settled in his lungs as a thousand worries took flight. Tension he’d been walking around with for weeks slowly unraveled inside of him. His shoulders unknotted and, for the first time in months, he felt like he could finally breathe again.

  He’d lost everything, yet was the richest man in the world. Not because he’d be making money again soon, but because he’d managed to find security in a tumultuous world that came without promises. Emotion locked down on his vocals as he realized he’d done something good for himself. Not one to pat himself on the back, the due praise felt good. He was proud of himself.

  He didn’t want his new boss to think he was crying, even if he was. He cleared his throat.

  “Thank you, sir. That’s great news. I’d love to take the job.”

  “Good, good. Can you come in on Monday and we’ll get you all set up?”

  “Monday’s perfect.”

  He hung up the phone and wiped his eyes. As he pushed open the door the first vision he saw was Kate holding a sleeping Logan. She smiled at him. He loved them. They were his everything.

  “Congratulations. It’s a boy,” she whispered as he stepped close and kissed her discretely. His hand tenderly brushed over Logan’s head and he smiled. His son.

  “Guess what?” he whispered.

  She looked up at him, asking with her eyes.

  He smiled. “I got the job.”

  She jumped and Logan stirred. She quickly comforted him back to sleep and pressed her face close to his chest as if it took everything she possessed not to kiss him right in the courthouse. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “I love you,” he said back, needing for her to understand how much she meant to him. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I could have never done this without you, Kate. Thank you.”

  She smiled. “Come on, let’s take your son home.”

  They left the courthouse with Logan’s new belongings in tow. Shane put him in his car seat, which he was getting too big for, and drove them all back to the trailer.