13. Shane
Chapter 13
Shane
The house I bought for my mom had been turned into a women’s shelter, which meant security. I used to have wait for someone to let me in while I shielded the boxes from the bakery in my arms from the driving rain, but I’d recently paid for a new, thicker door, with programmable keyless entry. I’d finally told mom it would be safer if the girls didn’t need a key to get in, in the case of an emergency. The security was unfortunately necessary. Not every man took being left with grace and maturity.
Mom met me at the door and ushered me inside. She had her apron on, which meant she was likely baking. “It’s really coming down. You’re soaked through. Let me take these and you can get your shoes off.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Kieran and I got our looks from our father. He’d been a mountain of a man. Beefy and thick with intense blue eyes and a mouth that hadn’t known how to crack a smile. He’d loved Mom, though, and us boys. Just not enough to stop himself from draining the accounts, losing the house, and walking away after.
Brodie looked like Mom. Short and slender with round, doe eyes and dimples when they smiled. Like a true middle child, I often thought I didn’t fit anywhere. But with Brodie gallivanting around the world, and with the work I did at the shelter to help Mom, the notion that I didn’t fit could no longer take hold. I knew it was leftover hard feelings from childhood and that it was stupid, but it wouldn’t be the first—or last—stupid idea I ever had.
“What smells good?” After I’d taken my shoes and coat off, I went to the kitchen. Mom was at the stove, stirring. A new face was at the counter chopping things. Mom probably gave her that job so she’d feel secure with a strange man wandering into the house. I tried to limit how often I came here for that reason. And sometimes Mom would text and ask that I wait a few days before coming over.
“Vanessa and I are making chili. I see you brought french bread for us, so we’ll make that into garlic bread later. How are things at the bar?”
“You’ll have to come by one night and I’ll buy you dinner.”
“Maybe one day soon. I’ve got a few irons in the fire just now. Vanessa, dear, can you add the mushrooms now and then I’ll get you to open those jars of tomato sauce.”
I loved watching my mom in the kitchen. She’d always been cooking and wanting to take care of people. It wasn’t hard to figure out where I got my urge to fix things for people from. Mom had always been the first one to her feet when someone was in need. Even when we didn’t have anything, Mom would find ways to help if she could.
Seeing her in her own little house, along with her brood of daughters that came and went, made me glad that I was able to give this to her. A lot of the women who left here went on to rebuild their lives and they often came back to see Mom and have coffee with some of the new residents and give them hope.
Mom set a cup of coffee in front of me. “Kieran tells me you have a new tenant.”
“I’m sure that’s all he told you.” I rolled my eyes. Even as an adult, I felt like Kieran was still tattling on me .
Mom patted my shoulder. “He worries about us bleeding hearts.”
“Better to have a bleeding heart than no heart at all.”
Mom’s mouth twitched as she suppressed a smile. “Be nice to Kieran. He puts up with a lot between the both of us.”
Mom took a seat next to me and Vanessa kept the counter between us as she puttered around making the chili according to Mom’s specifications.
Some of the women who came here didn’t have many skills beyond surviving. Mom always did her best to teach them as much as they wanted to learn. For some women, that was nothing. They wanted a safe place to plan their next move and then they were gone. At one point, I asked Mom if that bothered her, but she shook her head and explained that everyone healed in their own way on their own time.
“Cyrus’s younger brother ran into trouble a while back and he’s been staying with Cyrus and Marshall.”
“Didn’t they buy that adorable house? I don’t seem to remember it being very large.”
“Archer was sleeping on the couch. He used to own a tattoo shop and wants to get it going again, so I’ve leased him the space above the bar.”
“Kieran made it sound like you’d given him the building.”
“Kieran wants me to rent the space for more than Archer can currently afford. If it wasn’t for the fact that I know I can trust him more than I could ever trust anyone else, I’d hire someone different to look after my finances.”
“Oh, don’t talk that way. You know he just wants you to be looked after.”
I was a grown man who was capable of looking after himself, but I didn’t say that.
“Have you heard from Brodie recently? ”
“He emailed about a week ago and moaned about missing my cooking, among a few other things, so I told him if he was so miserable that he should come home for a while. Then at least he could be miserable here and complain to my face.”
“Did it work?” Mom was often trying different ways to get the baby of the family to come home for a while.
“He hasn’t responded yet, but that’s not unusual for him.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it. Mom hated cell phones at the table and I wasn’t going to stay long anyway. Whatever it was could wait.
“He’s about due for a visit, though. He usually blows in like a tornado once every six months or so and it’s been longer than that now. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
Even before I had money to funnel to his account, my little brother had been a resourceful person. There were programs that let you volunteer in a country for a short amount of time in exchange for room and board. You weren’t allowed to earn money, but it offered people a way to see the world. Brodie had done that a few times and had no trouble using the opportunities to his advantage.
Now with money trickling into his account, he didn’t have to depend on the kindness of strangers. It made traveling easier and safer for him, and it lifted a load off our mom’s shoulders, which was the only reason he took the money.
Vanessa excused herself and skittered out of the kitchen, taking the long way around so she didn’t have to pass by too close to me. I never took offense to the way some of the women gave me a wide berth. I used to argue about the sense of coming here at all, but Mom had simply stated that sometimes it did the girls good to see a man who wasn’t a villain .
“She’s come a long way in a short time. A week ago, she might have stuck you with that knife.”
I drank my coffee and didn’t comment on the mental image she’d given me.
“Kieran cares about you. If he’s harsh sometimes, remember it comes from a good place.”
“I know.” I let out a sigh and my phone buzzed again. I itched to see who it was. Truthfully, I hoped it was Archer. I’d agreed to be irresponsible with him, to not say no to things happening again if they were meant to happen again. And the more I tried not to want him, the harder it was to stop thinking about him. I felt like a kid with his nose pressed against the window of a toy store. All I had to do was go inside and I could have whatever I wanted, but something kept my feet from moving.
When my phone buzzed a third time, I gave Mom an apologetic smile. “Sorry, the stupid thing has been going insane.”
I yanked my phone out of my pocket and was greeted with pictures Archer had sent me of the upstairs. He’d been holed up there for the past few days, only venturing out to eat and harass Cyrus. By the looks of the pictures, he’d finished unpacking and setting his space up for business. He’d hung art after being given permission to put holes in the walls.
I hadn’t had a chance to see much of his work up close, but that was easy to rectify. But I knew what would happen if I went upstairs to have a look. If I were to get another tattoo, and I went to Archer for the work, it would give us an excuse to spend time together. And I wouldn’t mind letting him get his hands on me. I’d have to see his work before I committed to anything, but the idea was hard to shake.
I shot him a text asking him to bring some examples of his work to the bar tonight so I could see them. I had other ideas on ways to help Archer get his business off the ground and get back on his feet, but I didn’t want to have the conversation on the phone.
“Shane Taggart, are you texting at my table?” Mom chided.
“Just a business thing, Mom. Sorry.” I tucked my phone away without waiting for a reply from Archer. I’d have to get going soon anyway to meet the liquor delivery.
Mom eyed me like she knew all my secrets, but wasn’t going to spill them, even to me. A quick glance at the time had her getting to her feet.
“I hate to rush you out the door, but Maggie is due to arrive.”
Maggie was a social worker who frequently stopped by to talk to the women about their options and the programs available to them.
I stood and gave Mom a quick hug. “Text me if you need anything.”
“You know I will.”
“You know that’s a lie.”
Mom walked me out and, after another brief hug, she went back inside. The locks clicked into place behind me and I made a mad dash for my truck. It didn’t matter how fast I ran, the rain soaked me through again in seconds. It had been years since I’d seen rain come down this heavy.
I got equally soaked running from my truck to the bar. I threw the door open and ducked inside just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was another text from Archer. This time it was a gif of a wet dog shaking the water out of its fur. Another quickly followed. This time it was a drowned rat.
Need a hand drying off? Archer sent.
Arousal thrummed through me. I could feel his presence like he was in the room with me. I blushed, even though there was no reason to. Archer had this uncanny ability to turn me into a whimpering puddle of a person and I was quickly discovering that this talent wasn’t reserved for in-person encounters only.
I have a delivery to get ready for. Raincheck?
Have it your way, funny man. Still want me to bring those samples by tonight?
Eight sound good? I’ll buy dinner.
It’s a date.
Archer sent a winky face and I tucked my phone away. Before I gave into the urge to run upstairs and let him have his way with me, I took my wet jacket off and got to work getting ready for the liquor delivery.