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“Don’t be,” I said. “Kidnap and ransom work isn’t fun. You might win here and there, but there’s always the chance you’re not going to get the captive, and that doesn’t end well. I’m telling you, it’s hard to see some of those animals on the other side as people with some of the shit they pull. Part of the reason they took me out of the field is because of how I was starting to, well, take care of things, so to speak.”
“I’m not talking about the details of your job,” Robin replied. “I’m talking about how smart you were to invest what you had into the bank. It multiplied, didn’t it?”
“Investing is smart. I did more than just put it in the bank. I used the capital for a lot of investments, and it’s come back around to benefit me.”
“Wish I had. I mean, I’m living well enough off my retirement, but I know it pales in comparison to what you’ve got,” he said.
“Thank God it’s not a competition,” I told him. “Kind of hard to come up against a billionaire.”
“Holy shit, you’re a billionaire?” he asked. “Good for you. But if you’ve got that kind of money, then why are you going to Discord to ask about a nanny?”
“It’s not just paying someone to take care of Libby,” I explained. “I have the money to pay. It’s about finding the right person for the job. You know how your own kid is your world, and Libby is everything to me. I want to give her everything, so I have to know the person who is helping me with her is the right person for the job.”
“That’s fair,” he said. “And I’m sure Erin will fit the bill perfectly. Although, with the way this conversation has gone, I’m tempted to charge you a finder’s fee. I’m the one who set this up, so who is to say I don’t get a cut of the pay? If you can afford it, that is.”
I laughed again. “Remind me why I agreed to talk to you on the phone?”
Now it was his turn. “Like I said. It’s been way too long since the two of us have caught up properly, we can chat online all day long, but I feel there’s something lost when you don’t have an actual conversation. I wanted to hear how things are going straight from the horse’s mouth.”
“Then why did you want an ass to call you?” I joked.
Now, it was his turn to laugh. “You have always been an ass, haven’t you? Dumbass, smartass. Asshole.”
“Whatever you want to call me, I’ll take it,” I said. “But I do have to say, when I put that thread up in our Discord, I didn’t expect you of all people to be the one to answer. From what I heard; you became quite the recluse when you got home.”
“Happily, so,” he agreed. “I’ve done my time, paid my dues to society, and I’m happy to be left the fuck alone these days. But, as Lady Luck hasn’t been the kindest to my daughter as she’s starting out, I’m hoping to give her a hand.”
“It does make me feel better at least knowing her father,” I told him. “I talked to Libby the other day about getting some help around the place, and she was okay with it. But then I realized I had to find someone who wasn’t going to treat her like she’s being babysat while at the same time is someone I can count on to be responsible enough to take care of her while I’m trying to get work done.”
“That’s Erin for you,” Rob said. “She’s very responsible, very mature. I mean, she better be now that she’s twenty-four, but these days, it doesn’t seem like you can find very many kids who grow up until they’re almost thirty.”
“Exactly,” I said. “And that’s not what Libby needs. She’s been through enough in her life already. I don’t want to expose her to someone who isn’t going to keep her on the right track. Or worse, bring in someone, have her get all attached, then have to let that person go for one reason or another. It’s like she’s already lost enough, I don’t want to do that to her again. I don’t even know if she can emotionally handle it.”
“Well, if there’s one thing I can say about my Erin, it’s that she is the best option for this job. You don’t have to worry about a thing. She’s reliable, responsible, and she’s going to follow your rules to the letter. Just let her know what you want her to do, and she’ll do it. Not to mention she’s still young enough being fresh out of college that she’s got the energy to keep up with Libby.”
“That’s another thing I was concerned about,” I admitted. “All I could think when I decided I was going to find someone to give us a hand was that I would have to hire some old broad who was going to come in and be a total witch. I know Libby would hate that, and she would likely let the woman know in no uncertain terms, too.”
Robin laughed. “What do you expect? She is your daughter. You were always the one in my unit I had to keep an eye on even more than the new recruits. Of course, you were also the one I knew I could rely on no matter what was happening, so I guess there is a real give and take with the situation. But still.”
“If your daughter is as much like you as my daughter is me, then we’re probably going to be setting up a recipe for disaster by bringing the two of them together,” I said.
“God help the world,” Rob said. “Then again, I’ve all but handed off society to the next generation anyway. I did what I could when I still gave a fuck, and I no longer do, so there’s that. I don’t know what to tell you with the rest of it.”
“Same,” I said. “I want to just be left alone and write my book and raise my kid and not have to put up with the shit I had to do for years.”
“You moved about as far on the edge of the States as you could,” he told me. “So, you at least have the location part of that down. But I don’t know about picking the tourist destination you did. I mean, if you really wanted to be the crazy old writer, you might have wanted to climb to some mountain and just have done your thing up there.”
“There’s not a lot of Wi-Fi up in those parts,” I said “Trust me, I did think about it long and hard before I settled on moving here for good. I just wanted a place where I didn’t have to deal with driving all that much, you know?”
I felt the tone of the conversation change as soon as I said the words, and I knew my old best friend felt for me.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said. “You know I am. I can’t ever express to you how much I feel for you and your daughter. I’m lucky to have Erin in my life, and I really hope she’s able to help you out with your situation here.”
“I’m sure she will,” I said. “Libby still struggles with things at times, but I think with the right influence in her life, she’s going to work her way through this. I’m not asking Erin to be her therapist or anything, I just want her to have the influence of another woman. One who can give her the attention I can’t, and who has the patience to keep up with her.”
“That’s Erin,” he said.
“There is one thing I do want to toss out there,” I added.
