26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ryan
S imeon fashioned a leash and collar out of stuff he had in the garage. To my relief, he took Chia outside. He had a second jacket that wasn’t soaked. My coat was still wet. Likely wouldn’t be dry until morning.
As I waited for him, I wandered back into the living room. Nanny gestured for me to sit next to her.
I did as I was bade.
“You seem like a nice young man.”
“Uh…I try.”
“You’ve had some bad times.”
“That’s true.” I’d been here three days ago, but couldn’t remember what we’d talked about. I didn’t think it had been anything serious, but his grandparents must’ve been aware why we’d come here in the middle of the day. My mind had been muddled from the remnants of the panic attack. “Uh…yeah.”
“Simeon’s a nice young man.”
“Yes.” Definitive. Strong. Unquestionable. “He’s one of the best men I’ve ever met.”
“We know he’s gay.”
“Okay.” How was I supposed to respond to that?
“She’s trying to tell you to be gentle.” Bops lowered his legs and slowly used the chair remote so he was able to stand without much physical effort. “We love him, but…” He met my gaze with eyes so like Simeon’s that my breath caught. “Just be gentle.”
Chia barreled into the room and leapt into Nanny’s lap.
The woman giggled, and the dog licked—delivering serious kisses. “Do you want to stay? I think you want to stay. Such a good girl. You’d be happy here.”
Simeon entered the room and our gazes met. A small smile crossed his face. Made me wonder what the constable had wanted to say to Simeon in private. That had been a little rude, to me at least, but I had to believe the cop had everyone’s best interests in mind.
“D-dogs are a lot of w-work.” Simeon tried for a serious expression.
“Myrtle Windsom has a dog. A little Chihuahua. They get along great.”
He didn’t hide the smile this time. “M-Myrtle Windsom is seventy-eight.”
Nanny tisked. “Are you being ageist?”
“Uh…” His eyes widened.
Bops waved him off. “Only thing I can’t do is scoop poop. But there’s a grabby thing you can buy, right? Or we mark it with spray paint and you scoop it when you get home. That’s a humbling experience.”
“I s-scooped Tiffany’s poop once.”
A tad defensive?
“Well, I’ve never scooped, so you’re going to have to show me.” I offered my brightest smile.
Simeon frowned and subtly indicated my chest.
“Oh, well, you know, grabby thing.” I wanted him to keep the dog. Despite the obstacles, I felt in my bones this was the right thing. Divine providence had brought us all together on that road. Well, or Mother Nature. Someone—or something—had intervened. Of that, I was certain.
“Chia?” Simeon gently stroked her head.
She gazed up at him with adoration.
“B-bedtime.”
To my surprise, she gave Nanny a quick kiss, then hopped off and gazed up expectantly at Simeon as if to say okay, dude, what’s next?
I almost laughed.
Nanny rose.
I would’ve offered to help, but she managed, and I worried she might be ornery if I stepped in. Plus, Simeon knew her. If she needed help, he’d be the first to offer it.
“I’m b-buying you a recliner for Christmas.” He gave her the stink eye.
“Too much money.” She glared.
“I c-can afford it.”
“There’s no room.” She gestured around the space which was, admittedly, tight.
“N-new couch. Smaller.” He glared right back.
“On that note, we’re off to bed.” Bops met Simeon’s gaze and nodded.
“Oh, you always take his side.” Nanny scowled.
“When it’s the right side.” Bops grinned. “I love my recliner, and I think you should enjoy one as well. Good for the circulation. Night, boys. Night, Chia.”
The dog perked up at her name.
Then Nanny and Bops were gone.
Simeon shook his head. He had the rope collar and leash. He caught me watching. “In c-case she needs to go out. I’m assuming s-she’ll let us know.”
I chuckled. “Yes, let’s hope so.” I headed toward the door to the basement. Funny how I’d only been here once, and I was already comfortable in the space. “Your grandparents like the dog.” I headed down the steps after Simeon flipped on the lights, careful to watch my step. The last thing I needed was to injure myself.
“They d-don’t understand the responsibility.”
As Simeon arrived at the bottom step, Chia joined him.
Impressive that she didn’t race down or trip us . For which I was grateful. “Uh, they used to have a dog. I think they know exactly how much work she’ll be.” I pointed to the general direction of his computer. “You should look for, you know, grabby things.” I’ll survive. It’s just a search on the internet.
“Yeah. Except it’s s-stopped working.”
I frowned. “What do you mean it’s stopped working? ” That didn’t sound good.
He shrugged. “I can’t connect to the internet. Which is bad because Bops does my billing. He’s printing out invoices, and I’m mailing them instead of emailing them.”
I blinked. “Your grandfather does your accounting?” Had he already mentioned that? When I was having my panic attack? I couldn’t remember. What are you going to do when he passes?
As if reading my thoughts, Simeon winced. “I know I h-have to learn before he dies. He’s l-left instructions.”
“But you’ll be mired in grief.” I moved toward him. “The last thing you’re going to want is to be learning accounting software.”
“I’ll h-have to hire someone.”
Which would cost him some of the precious money he worked so hard to earn.
I swallowed. Hard. I wanted to offer to learn. So that in the future I could either do the billing myself or teach him how to do it. I didn’t have an accounting background, but I was a quick study. A few manuals and I’d know enough to guide him. Plus, help desks were a thing.
But I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t promise something I likely would never be able to deliver.
“It’s f-fine. I’ll b-be okay, Ryan.”
His saying my name caught my attention. He didn’t do it often. My father used to insist I learn and use all his associates’ names. A sign of respect. Ryan wasn’t difficult, but with how Simeon sometimes struggled on r words, I wouldn’t have blamed him for shying away from using the name. “I…want to help.” I gazed back and forth between the dog and Simeon. “Does she need water? And maybe a bed?”
She was also gazing back and forth between the two of us. Expectantly. I didn’t know dog, but clearly we weren’t meeting at least one of her needs.
“I c-can make a bed with spare blankets. I have l-like twenty of them.”
That made me smile. “Really?”
“Nanny’s friends all b-buy her blankets. As if l-living in the mountains means we don’t have heat.” He cocked his head. “We l-lose power more often than down in town. F-falling trees.”
“So we might lose power tonight?”
He pursed his lips. “Always p-possible. We have a g-generator.”
Which made sense. He might be able to do without power, but that would be hard on his grandparents. “Okay, maybe grab some blankets? Should we make a bed for her out here or in your bedroom? I mean here should be fine.” I eyed the couch. “Don’t forget blankets for me.”
“Huh?”
I met his gaze. “Well, I have to sleep somewhere.”
“You’re s-sleeping in my bed.” He pointed to my chest. “You c-can’t sleep on the couch.”
As a teenager and young adult, I’d done it many times. After sixteen hours of gaming, I often just pulled up a blanket and fell asleep where I was. Now, as a wounded adult, that wasn’t so much of an option. “I can’t kick you out of your bed. You rescued me.”
He pursed his lips. “This isn’t u-up for debate.” With that, he stalked out of the room.
I eyed the couch. I could fit. He could not. Although maybe it pulled out into a bed? Some sectionals did that. I thought…
Then I gazed over at the computer. He needs your help . I could offer to hire a technician, but that meant spending more of Daddy’s money and, more importantly, convincing Simeon to accept help. He was like me—stubborn as fuck.
After a moment, I inched toward the box holding the new laptop. This isn’t manning a drone. You’re not killing anyone. No one is going to try to kill you. If you really care about Simeon, you would do this for him. And that was the crux of this—I really cared for Simeon. Like, serious feelings. Hell, if only for the fact he’d rescued me tonight. I would’ve survived at Maddox and Ravi’s house, of course. But here was so much better for me. Whether I took the bed or the couch, I didn’t have rugrats around me. Great kids , but a little much.
“P-precious, I have a b-bed for you.”
I spun. Simeon thinks I’m precious? Oh my God, that’s so sweet — My cheeks heated as I realized he was speaking to Chia and not me.
Said pup went on her back paws as Simeon dropped a huge pile of blankets on the couch along with a pillow and what appeared to be a set of sheets. He put those aside and snagged a wool blanket. He laid it in front of the sectional.
“Does that pull out into a bed?”
With clear regret, he shook his head. “N-no one has ever needed to stay.” He squinted. “You could stay in the g-guest bedroom upstairs. Nanny and Bops wouldn’t—”
I held up my hand. “They’ve already gone to bed and don’t need to be startled in the morning. I swear, Simeon, I’ll be fine.”
He pursed his lips as if to argue.
Both of us knew the couch was too short for him. He might not be willing to admit it aloud, but he wasn’t someone who wasn’t quick on the uptake. In fact, he was rapidly proving himself to be one of the smartest men I knew. Sure, my dad’s associates made millions of dollars. But many lacked basic common sense. Or were incapable of social niceties. Even toward the boss’s son. That being said, perhaps they perceived my father’s lack of caring for me and they felt they didn’t need to waste their time and energy on me.
Simeon carried on making the dog bed. On the outer edges of the blanket he’d laid on the laminate floor, he fashioned a donut of sorts with another blanket.
Chia cocked her head.
He smiled. “In a m-minute.” Then he set about trying to turn the couch into a bed with sheets and blankets. Finally, he sat on the couch and gently patted Chia’s bed.
Warily, she approached. She stepped over the donut, spun three times, then plopped, settled, and sighed.
Simeon did as well.
The sighing part.
As if some great weight had lifted off him.
He glanced up to meet my gaze.
In turn, I glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s only nine o’clock.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you tired?”
He shook his head “W-wired.”
“It’s been…an interesting day.” I drew in a deep breath. “I want to set up your new computer. Get your data ported over, set up all the programs, and get you properly connected to the internet. I know this is a stupid question, but do you have your Wi-Fi password?”
He pointed to the desk. “H-hard-wired.”
I hadn’t looked closely enough to pick up on that.
Slowly, he rose—mindful of Chia. He approached me carefully. As if he worried I might break.
He wasn’t entirely wrong about that.
With exquisite gentleness he grasped my right hand.
Although I’d seen it coming—because he’d telegraphed it clearly—I was still startled. I didn’t touch people. That wasn’t a thing. Marcus touched me in a detached clinical way. So did the doctors. But no one ever offered me physical comfort. Like Simeon was obviously doing now. Like he’d done before when I desperately needed a hug.
I blinked. Several times. “I can do this.” I whispered the words fiercely. “I want to do this. For you. Because of all you’ve done for me.”
He cocked his head.
I let out a shaky laugh. “Do you want me to start enumerating them? Because we’d be here half the night. We’d start with you calming me down after my freak-out and end with you allowing a dog into your life who you really don’t need.”
Where I’d expected him to laugh, his eyes flashed. “I w-want to keep her. But my grandparents d-don’t need the stress.”
“I…” I wracked my brains. “Aren’t people with dogs healthier and happier? You saw Nanny. She was ecstatic.”
“Right until Chia pulls her over, and she breaks a hip.”
Damn. He wasn’t wrong. We didn’t know Chia. Or what she was capable of. I’d spotted a couple of canes and a walker by the door—but that didn’t mean Nanny and Bops would actually use them. Stubborn was a word I associated with both. On the other hand, I’d seen no sign of vanity. They were logical folk. Hopefully if a cane would help, then they’d use a cane. “If I set up the internet, will you look at grabby things?”
He blinked. “You r-really want her to stay that much?”
I shook my head.
Then nodded.
“I want what’s best for all of you. And if that means finding a different home for Chia, then I’ll support that. But…” I flashed back to earlier. “She brings life into the house. And I remember.” I used the hand he wasn’t holding to gently poke his chest. “You told me how much you wanted a dog growing up.” Go for it . “And I did too. If you adopt Chia, I’ll feel responsible to make certain she’s getting everything she needs.”
Simeon chuckled. “You p-planning to come up here and check on h-her?”
“Absolutely. She’s, like, my goddog. Or, like, my dog niece. I rescued her.” Okay, you might be overplaying your hand .
“I c-can search for grabby things on my phone.”
The phone he used to communicate when he didn’t want people to know about his stutter. The stutter I didn’t even notice anymore. “No. Computer.”
He huffed. Then appeared to relent. He squeezed my hand. “Do you w-want something to drink?”
Yes. Victory. Even as I had the thought, though, my chest tightened at the thought of sitting at a keyboard. “Yeah. A tea would be great. Or hot chocolate. A bit of caffeine won’t be too bad.”
“Two h-hot chocolates coming up.” He glanced down to Chia.
Who was fast asleep.
“She’s tired after her adventures.”
“W-we can maybe…” He blinked. “W-we could give it a test run. But only if Nanny and Bops b-behave.” His smile turned rueful.
“I think, for you, they’d try.”
He met my gaze.
I winked.
He released my hand and gestured to his mini kitchen. With a bar fridge, a sink, a microwave, and an apartment-sized dishwasher, the space ran along the back wall of this massive room.
When he headed that way, I slowly spun back to the desk. “Oh, Simeon?”
He was back at my side in an instant.
“Could you lift the box and maybe remove the laptop? I don’t know how heavy it is.” Probably something I could do myself, but I didn’t want to touch the thing until absolutely necessary.
He nodded. Then, with little fanfare, he shifted his current laptop to the side, moved the box from the floor to the desk, and set about removing it. To my relief, he also sorted out the power cord and plugged in the new laptop. I hadn’t considered that, and leaning over to figure out the power bar wouldn’t have been a good idea. “D-do you want me to grab a second chair? Bops used t-to sit next to me while he showed me how to work it.”
“That’s a great idea.”
Another quick nod and he headed upstairs. A few moments later, he returned with a kitchen chair. Not the most comfortable, but it’d do. I was to be treated to a beautiful, ergonomic chair. Probably set to Simeon’s large frame…but I’d manage.
When he stepped back, I stepped forward. I swiveled the chair, gingerly sat, and slowly turned to face the two laptops. See? Nothing bad is going to happen.
“Ryan…”
I turned and, in just a moment, I had a ball of black fur on my lap. She licked my face, then settled on my knees. Quizzically, I gazed up at Simeon.
He held up his hands. “I d-didn’t tell her that you needed her. But I think you do.”
Slowly, I stroked her curly wool-like fur. “Yeah, maybe.” I eyed the computers. “This is going to be awkward.”
Simeon held out his hands. “I c-can take her.”
Instinctively, I curled my arms around her. “We’ll cope.”
He grinned. “Yeah. I t-think you will.”
With that, I tackled the laptops.