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Shane
On Valentine’s day, I leave a single rose on Ruthie’s pillow, along with the storybook Izzy and I finished the previous night. It’s about a superhero single mom and the van she uses to save the day.
I have another offering planned, but it’ll take longer. It’ll also take maneuvering—what Ruthie would probably call manipulation—but that’s my specialty and I’m never put off by a challenge. Still, it might take months.
I head into the other room to get some work done, and am interrupted by her laughter a few minutes later. Ruthie and I both get up early—me, because it’s my habit, and her because she needs to get Izzy ready for school. Smiling to myself, I keep sipping my coffee and answering emails until Ruthie walks into the dining room with a wrapped package.
“I got something for you too, stalker,” she says.
“Oh?” I ask, oddly excited.
She walks up and hands the present over.
“Is this going to kill me?”
“Probably not, but it’s hard to say. You’re a difficult man to read.”
I tear into the wrapping paper, laughing as I pull out a pair of flannel pajamas that’s the same style as the ones in my drawer.
“What do you think?” I ask. “Should I wear them to work?”
“Mr. Freeman probably wouldn’t care,” she says with a twinkle in her eyes, like she knows how much I’d prefer for him to care about things like that. Then she leans in to kiss me. And I feel a buoyancy in my chest that I’m starting to recognize as happiness.
“Say, Ruthie,” I start, my heart speeding up.
“Say, Shane.”
“Izzy told me something I think we should discuss…”
And I tell her about our Dad talk the other night. Ruthie looks like she’s on the verge of tears, so I feel like I made a mistake, probably a stupid one, but when I finish, she mutters, “Oh, my sweet little girl.”
“What should I tell her?” I ask.
“I’ll talk to her. It’s…” She caresses my face and then kisses me. “It’s too soon. But someday…”
“Someday,” I say firmly, because I’d like to think of it as something that’s on the horizon.
From the way she kisses me, she doesn’t object.
At work, I explain the situation with the Callaghans to Freeman, who immediately agrees to represent Ruthie in civil court. Ruthie and I go to Mira’s party at her bar that night, while Izzy stays in with Uncle Danny.
The week passes, days falling through the hourglass like sand, full of moments to remember. The dog pissing in my shoes. Ruthie and Izzy dancing to Taylor Swift and then laughing hysterically when I join them. I know the lyrics despite myself, since it’s part of the soundtrack of their lives. Our lives. Having dinner with Danny and Mira. Visiting my mother with Izzy and seeing my mom’s eyes light up. Working on some wills and a couple of property disputes at Freeman & Daniels while I wait for Josie’s day in court. Attending a work reception with Ruthie and Izzy. We both wear our rings for it, and neither of us take them off afterward. It’s not something we discuss, just something we do.
The police call us after they arrest Rita. And again when the perp who was paid to break into Ruthie’s apartment confesses and asks for leniency for turning in the people who hired him. The Callaghans are arrested. I’m positive they’ll get off without more than a scratch, because people like them—and the Burkes—usually do, but they’ll have to pay for the privilege. Money that will go into Izzy’s college fund.
Meanwhile, Ruthie has gotten at least half a dozen calls from potential clients who want Vanny events. The buzz will keep building, I think. She’s already gotten around to setting up a website, and if we add an online store, it’ll generate more business.
Another week passes, and I’m…happy. But I also feel like a teetering domino—with the potential to fall and take everything I’ve been building down with me.
This situation I’m in is supposed to be a placeholder.
My marriage, fake.
My job, temporary.
But I care about my wife and stepdaughter, and my job…
I’m employed by a firm that’s middling to mediocre, a place that will never make legal magazines or history, but a voice in my head has been suggesting that maybe I could help them think bigger. It’s been getting louder.
