CHAPTER 1
HOLT
We were running late. Again.
“Come on, Lane. We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago.” I knelt down next to his bed, hoping he’d be able to pull himself together enough to get out the door. We’d had another rough night, and he was overtired, overstressed, and overstimulated. As someone who hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in almost four years, I could relate.
“I can’t go without my dinosaur socks, Dad.” He’d been flip flopping back and forth between crying and raging. Unfortunately, that was typical behavior for him, and I was fresh out of ideas on how to make things better.
“Where did you last see them?” Forcing him to go without his socks would only make things worse. I’d learned that the hard way, though it had taken me awhile.
“At camp. I took them off when we went swimming.” His face fell as he tried to remember. “I think I left them there.”
“I’ll stop by and see if they’re in the lost and found after my meeting. How does that sound?”
He sniffled. “What if they’re not?”
“Then I’ll get you some new ones.” I’d just need to ask my sister Jessa where she’d found them in the first place. It’s not like a town the size of Hard Timber had kid-sized dinosaur socks readily available at the Hard & Handy. Guilt made my stomach twist. Knowing how much Lane loved those damn socks, I should have thought of that already. I’d learned over the years it was easier to have multiples of the things he loved the most. That way, when something inevitably got lost, I wouldn’t find myself in a situation like the one I was trying to claw my way out of now.
“Will they still have a T-Rex on them?” Lane wiped the back of his hand across a tear-stained cheek.
Sensing a light at the end of the very dark tunnel we’d been stuck in, I nodded. “Absolutely. But if you want me to check camp after my meeting, we need to get you to Miss Nellie’s.”
Lane took in a deep breath and climbed off the bed. “Okay.”
I gathered him into my arms, wishing I had all the answers so I could give him what he needed. Clearly, love wasn’t enough, but I was trying. “Love you, Laneosaurus.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
We found a pair of orange socks, his favorite color, and finally got out the door. Twenty minutes later, we parked in front of The Huckleberry Cafe, and I held Lane’s hand as we walked inside.
Nellie smiled and waved from behind the counter. “Good morning. How are two of my favorite fellows doing today?”
“Good. Thanks again for doing this. I shouldn’t be more than an hour.” I set Lane up on a stool at the counter and pulled my tablet out of his backpack. Usually, he’d be at summer camp, but the director had called me in at the end of last week and told me she didn’t think camp was the right place for Lane anymore. That they weren’t equipped to handle “a kid like him.” Thank goodness for Nellie. She’d volunteered to watch him this morning so I could get to my meeting. I needed to find a more permanent solution, but I was taking things day by day.
“Lane and I are going to have lots of fun, aren’t we?” She handed me a huge cup of coffee to go and leaned down, so she was eye level with my son. “I need to make some snickerdoodles now that the morning rush has died down. Do you think you could help me?”
He looked up at me. “Can I, Dad?”
“Yeah. As long as you don’t eat them all.” I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I’ll be back soon. Listen to Miss Nellie, okay?”
“I will.”
Nellie handed him a plastic cup of apple juice. “We’ll get started in a minute. I just need to talk to your dad real quick.”
Lane nodded, his attention already snagged by the dinosaur cartoon playing on the tablet. I didn’t have time for one of Nellie’s chats, but it didn’t seem like she was giving me a choice. She came out from behind the counter and motioned for me to walk with her to the door.
“You can’t keep doing this, Holt.” Her thin arm linked through mine. “You need to find someone to help. I’m more than happy to pitch in when I can, but a boy needs to be playing outside, not stuck in the kitchen with an old woman like me.”
“First of all, you’re not old. I wish I had half your energy.”
Nellie waved me off with her free hand.
“And second, I know. He had another bad dream last night. It’s taking everything I’ve got just to get him up and dressed every morning. I’ve been looking, but I haven’t been able to find anyone yet.”
She patted my arm. “I’ve got someone for you.”
“Thanks, but I need someone who has experience working with challenging kids.” I hated acknowledging it, but Lane had some pretty significant needs. There was no way some local high school girl looking for a summer babysitting job would cut it.
