Page 16 of Shelter for Shay
Margaret narrowed her stare. “I had a daughter to raise. Troubled kids to take care of. I was busy.”
“Sounds like a laundry list of excuses.”
“Don’t go tossing my words back at me, young man.” Margaret scoffed. “Now, I know there are more men on that team of yours, so keep talking.”
Moose wasn’t about to deny this woman anything. “Sloan’s steady and just kind of always there. He’s the quiet one of the group.” Moose raised his hand. “I know. That’s usually me, but Sloan takes grunting responses to new levels. He talks to us, but outside of that, he’s like a vault. Or as Thor calls him, the Onion. The man who needs to be peeled. It’s a horrible metaphor. Not like the ones you always come up with.”
“Yeah, that’s my superpower.”
“Lief’s got a sharp eye. He’s detail oriented. He’s the man Thor goes to when he wants a second set of eyes on mission plans.”
“Wait, I thought that was you,” Margaret said.
“Nope. I’m just the guy Thor bounces ideas off of. Once the plan is done, it’s Lief who goes through it one last time, making sure we didn’t miss anything in hopes we’re not gonna die.”
“Now that’s a flippant way of looking at things.”
“Sometimes we have to be that way,” he said softly, wishing he hadn’t put it in those terms. “Every time we’re deployed, we know the stakes. It’s the job we signed up for.” He rounded his shoulders. “Jupiter… he’s the glue. Tech genius. Smart-ass. Loyal. But sometimes, the way he talks, he makes all of us feel like we’re dumbasses along for the ride.”
“They sound like brothers.”
“They are.”
She smiled softly, eyes crinkling. “And you’ve got them. That matters.”
He nodded. “They’re the reason I stay sane. They’re the calm before the storm. The white noise in the chaos.” He tapped the back of her hand. “They’re you.”
“That’s a very sweet sentiment.” Margaret smiled, though weakly. He could tell she was getting tired. That the conversation had taken all her energy, but he could also see the glee in her eyes. That this moment had been something she needed. Wanted. Valued.
And God, so did he.
They sat in silence for a moment, the sound of the oxygen machine the only interruption.
Then Margaret spoke again, her voice thinner. “Shay would be mad at me for saying this, but… she’s about to be alone in the world now. She’s had to take care of me this year. I hate that she has to sit here and watch me die.”
“She could have put you in a home or had hospice do the heavy lifting,” Moose said, holding Margaret’s hand. “Shay wants to be here. She made that choice and don’t you ever forget that.”
Margaret gave a single nod. “But she deserves more than this house. More than caretaking and grief and duty. After I die, she’s going to struggle. The bills will be hard. I don’t have a lotof money and she’s going to be stuck dealing with it all. She deserves to fall in love with someone who doesn’t run at the first sign of chaos.”
Moose froze. The way Margaret looked at him spoke volumes. “That’s not?—”
“Matthew,” she said gently, cutting him off. “All I’m asking is for you to be there for her. She’s strong, but she hides things, kind of like you.”
“I just met her.”
“Please promise me that you won’t turn your back on her. That you’ll be that sounding board,” Margaret pleaded. “All I’m asking is for you to be her friend. To be the letter that comes on the darkest day. To be the one person who answers the phone when everyone else has gone on about the business of living. She’s going to need someone after I’m gone.”
Jesus. He couldn’t deny this woman that single request, even if it was massive and, at the same time, not too much to ask. “I can do that for you… and for her.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m glad you came.”
“I’d have regretted it every day of my life if I hadn’t.”
Her hand squeezed his once before her eyes drifted closed again, sleep pulling her under. But the smile on her lips stayed long after she was quiet.
5
SHAY – LAKE GEORGE, NEW YORK
