Page 44 of Out Of A Fix

“I’m cooking bacon,” Griff groused at me.

“I want mine with pepper,” I said to distract him.

He scoffed. “Like I don’t know how you like your bacon.”

Pulling my phone from the pocket of my sweats, I texted Shaw that I was fairly certain the kids were far too invested in their relationship with me and that someone needed to get to Washington and relieve me. Since he was ahead of me time-wise, being in Chicago, I sipped my coffee, peripherally listened to the kids talk about their father, and waited for Shaw’s response.

“You won’t leave me, will you?”

I turned to Tatum. “Love, you know I don’t live here.”

“You can’t leave me. What if Dad goes again? What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re trying to make me feel guilty,” I accused her.

“Is it working?” The smile I got was huge, all teeth.

“That’s not fair or nice. And someone will be here with you and your family, I promise.”

“What does someone mean?”

She missed nothing.

I opened my mouth to answer.

“Your coffee’s getting cold,” she told me, just as my phone rang.

Seeing it was Shaw, I got up and walked over to the sliding glass door. Amazing to see the rain coming down so hard, creating long rivulets of water. Between that, the steadiness of the storm and the darker-by-the-second sky, it was hard to see five feet out into the yard.

“Hey,” I said to him in greeting.

“No,” he replied.

“You can’t say no. I’m compromised here. You need to send someone to relieve me.”

“How ’bout…no.”

“But—”

“I can try and swing it after Thanksgiving, but not before. You’re insane.”

“Shaw, the kids like me and⁠—”

“Of course the kids like you. Everybody fuckin’ likes you.”

“That’s not—and normally kids aren’t all that⁠—”

“Please, for once, try and see what the rest of us see.”

“What are you⁠—”

“You’re a good man, Nash Miller, one of the best I know. Try and accept that, all right?”

“What does that have to do with⁠—”

“Maybe have a nice Thanksgiving with the kids.”

“And you’ll get me a replacement right after?”