Page 13 of Simon Says… Fight (Kate Morgan Thrillers #11)

K ate stared at Simon and blinked, then blinked again. “And you took him where?” she asked cautiously.

“He’s down at the Running Mate, ” he replied. “I didn’t know where else to put him right now.”

She just nodded, but inside her mind was still drawing a blank. “I’m really surprised you took him to the Running Mate .”

“In a way, I am too,” he admitted, eyeing her intently. “I wasn’t sure what to do with him. I did ask you about shelters, but there didn’t seem to be an easy answer for him.”

“Yes, of course.… While there are shelters for men, you’re right. They don’t seem to allow pets,” she agreed.

Simon frowned, adding, “So, there’s a business opportunity.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “I don’t think anybody would consider a shelter for homeless men and their pets as being a business opportunity,” she noted carefully. “I think, in most cases, that would be considered financial suicide, assuming it’s run the same as the women’s centers.”

“Which is also wrong,” he snapped.

She nodded. “From your perspective I can see that, but, short of good citizens willing to step up and to do something more, it’s definitely an issue.” He grumbled about it but didn’t say a whole lot more. She stared down at the leftovers he was serving up. “Did you take him food?”

He turned to her and steadied his gaze. “Not yet. Honestly, I’m not even sure he’ll be alive when I get back there.”

Her face was almost a mask, and she knew it, because she was still trying to figure out how to react. The fact that he had done this was so very much Simon . It was the part of him that she didn’t see very often.

“Are you upset?” he asked, turning to look at her.

“No, not it all. It’s you being you , and I like that. I was just thinking back and remembering how much of you I don’t necessarily know.”

He stared at her and then went back to serving up the food.

“I realize this is something you would do,” she shared, “and I think, the farther along in life that you get, the more of this you’ll do. So, I was thinking that you might want to set up something a little more… official.”

He turned to her. “What does that mean specifically?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know about these buildings that you rehab. I don’t know anything about your financial situation,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “but…”

“But what?”

There was almost an aggressive note in his tone. She took a step back and added, “But maybe you would want to consider setting up something that would be available to men like him.”

He stared at her, then brushed back the damn lock of hair from his forehead that just drove her crazy. “That would also be very typical of you ,” he said finally.

“What’s that?” she asked, as she sat down across from him and reached for the plate he handed her.

“Instead of moaning and groaning or complaining about the system and just helping where I can, you’re telling me to step up and to do more.” He gave her a wry look. “When you first started talking, I was afraid you would be upset.”

“I’m not upset, and I shouldn’t even be surprised because it is very much you,” she stated, with half a smile. “But I have to admit that I was surprised to hear that you took him to the Running Mate .… That felt like it was just ours . So, I didn’t know what to say.”

He nodded. “And I won’t argue with that because I had some qualms over that aspect as well,” he shared and grinned at her. “But it’s still ours, and, in a way, Arnie and Elsie taking refuge there makes it ours even more.”

She laughed. “I can see that too,” she stated, with a smile. “Does he need to see a doctor?”

“He says he’s well past a doctor. He’s dying and so is his little dog,” he told her. “Honest to God,… I won’t be at all surprised if they’re not alive when I go check on them.”

She nodded. “In which case, you gave them a nice warm place for their last night on earth.”

“Yeah, I was hoping you would see it that way.”

“I’m not an ogre,” she muttered, “not at all, and I know your heart is a whole lot bigger than you’re allowing other people to know about.”

“People take advantage of you if they know your weakness,” he pointed out.

“They can, but that doesn’t mean they will, because not everybody is out there to take advantage of others.”

He laughed. “Is that really you saying that?”

She winced. “Yeah, it’s me,” she muttered.

“It’s funny how something like this brings out such different reactions.

… I have no right to the Running Mate .” She shook her head.

“It’s yours, but it’s felt kind of special, as if it was ours.

And you’re right. It shouldn’t make a difference that you’re helping somebody in a big way for whatever time period he has left, as long as you realize that it could be months. ”

“It could be—or even longer than that. For all I know, he lied, and he’s not sick at all.”

“But you don’t believe that.”

“No,” he replied, staring at her. “He did look quite ill.”

She didn’t say anything for a bit. “I’m not sure what is available, officially at least. I know the shelters don’t allow for pets, so, depending on the state of his dog, that could change Arnie’s outlook fairly quickly.”

Simon nodded. “Elsie didn’t look like she would make it through the night at all. She seemed so cold, although she was looking better when I left her snuggled up against him.”

Kate nodded. “It’s a tough world out there for the homeless, and it’s even tougher for those who have pets.

They want the pets because of the companionship, and, in some cases, they’ve had these pets for a very long time.

Then their circumstances changed, and they found themselves homeless,” she explained.

“So, for him, it would be a heartbreak to lose his beloved pet.”

“And yet I think he almost feels it would be a kindness for Elsie to die because things have been so rough.”

“Of course,” she murmured. She took several bites, wondering at the softness of a man like Simon. “I guess you’ll just have to do something about it then,” she declared, with a shrug.

He tilted his head at her. “It won’t be easy.”

She smiled. “Maybe not that easy, but I don’t think it’ll be that hard, not for you.”

Frustrated, he shook his head. “I think you expect too much of me.”

She laughed. “I don’t know that I expect too much from you,” she argued, as she looked across the table.

“But, when we see a problem, something that needs to be addressed, we need to look for a solution. And, if this is a problem that you see as needing to be addressed, then we need to find a solution.”

Glum, he nodded. “And I can clearly see from your point of view that’s exactly what you’re thinking,” he replied. “I’m just not sure I’m at that point.”

“No, of course not,” she said, with amusement.

“That’s because you’re still thinking that, when you go back there, you can send him on his merry way, and everything will be hunky-dory.

Like he’ll heal overnight, and the dog will be fine to go out in this terrible weather.

You do realize we have a storm coming for the next few days, right? ”

“I didn’t even check on that,” he muttered, as he stared down at the table.

“Nor should you,” she added. “Your heart is always in the right place, and I’ll never argue with that. You might just want to see if we can find a long-term solution for him.”

He smiled over at her and added, “That would make more sense, wouldn’t it?”

“You gave him a place, a safe space in a rough world,” she noted, “so don’t ever feel bad for that. Now it’s a matter of finding a long-term strategy that would work for him, for Elsie, and for you.”

“And I have no idea what that is,” he admitted, sitting back and staring at her. “I really didn’t expect to run into this.”

“You could contact some people for ideas, and your women’s center might very well be one of them.”

“Yes, that’s true. I could contact Lisa and see what she knows about options for men.”

“Exactly. I’m sure something is out there,” she murmured. “I’m just not sure it’ll be the answer to what you really need right now.”

“Of course not,” he said. “I didn’t even think about Lisa as a possible avenue for more info.”

“And that’s fine,” she murmured. A smile drifted across her face. “You really are all heart, aren’t you?” He glared at her, and she chuckled. “I know. You don’t want anybody to know that.”

“And yet you already do know it apparently,” he muttered in disgruntled disdain, as he worked at his food. “Why aren’t you eating? You are not even tasting it.”

She patted his hand. “I really do love everything that I pick up from you,” she shared. “I don’t particularly care if the powers that be agree or not. There isn’t enough heart in the world as it is, so, anytime I see a little bit extra, it makes me happy.”

“You better watch it,” he teased. “Otherwise your coworkers won’t understand you either.”

“Not sure they do now,” she stated, with a smirk. “I admit we’re definitely dinosaurs in a world that doesn’t quite understand. Yet that’s okay too.”

He laughed and looked better. “I knew that you came from the heart,” he admitted, “but I wasn’t sure how you would feel about helping a stranger.”

“How about that old line,” she noted, “ a stranger is just a friend I have yet to meet .”

He laughed. “The world doesn’t function like that.”

“I know,” she agreed, “but, the more I’m around you, I realize that’s too bad and that we need more people to function like that.

We need more heart in this world,” she stated.

“I won’t argue with that. But I do think you have potentially addressed a need that we as a community might want to take a look at.

The problem for me is that I don’t make the kind of money you do,” she pointed out, with a laugh, “so I’ll offer ideas as I get them. ”

“You don’t make the money I make is so true.” He rolled his eyes. “You don’t make any money. I don’t know how anybody would even decide to do the work you do when the pay is so poor.”