Doorstep daddy (9 page)

_{"Here, sit down, Mr. Jones." She motioned to the chair next to her desk. He sat down with a hard thud. She smiled at him. "I'm Callie, Mr. Jones. I can understand your frustration. I'd be frustrated, too, if I were declared dead without the evidence. Unfortunately I'm going to frustrate you more because this office doesn't handle social security, pensions or bank accounts. You need to contact the state - "}

_{"I already did. They say they'll fix it, but they haven't."}

_{"Social Security?"}

_{"You been in that office?" He harrumphed indignantly. "They couldn't find their way off a sliding board. Not surprised they decided I'm dead."}

_{"Oh." She tried again. "Have you gone to your former employer to rectify your pension?''}

_{"Yep. They say I'm too dead to live, girly." "Callie."}

_{"Girly."
He eyed her sourly. "My bank ain't interested in my being alive, either, in case you was about to get to them. I came to you because you helped my neighbor Marsha Towell get her pension back after her company tried to drop her widow's portion. You fix me up and I'll call you Callie. Not before."}

_{Callie smothered a grin. He was a gem. She remembered Mrs. Towell, a sweet little old lady in tears because she'd made no headway with her problem. Callie's heart had gone out to the woman, and she'd gone out of her way to intervene. Old Lester tugged on the heartstrings, too. She wasn't sure how yet, but he did.}

_{"Bureaucracy sucks," she announced. "Okay, Mr. Jones. There are some people at the state and in Social Security who owe me favors. I'll call your employer and your bank, too. I can't wait to have you call me by my first name. You keep calling me girly and I won't speak for my actions."}

_{The old man grinned lopsidedly. "I'll take my chances... girly."}

_{Callie chuckled.}

_{Lester relaxed with a heavy sigh. "Gotta say it's nice someone thinks I'm alive. I was beginning to wonder if I
had
died and gotten trapped in hell."}

_{Callie shuddered at the thought of never-ending offices where one was spun in ever more frustrating circles. "I'll do my best, I promise. Now, I'll need information from you."}

_{As she took it, she knew he'd probably become overwhelmed and bewildered, or had filled out something
wrong, which had caused the problem for him. Computers didn't just decide someone was dead. Some human error somewhere had kicked Lester Jones's name out of the system. Even though he should be able to rectify it through normal channels, occasionally that didn't work. It might not be her job, but she stepped in for people from time to time. She just believed people should help others when they could.}

_{She got all the information she needed from Lester, and he left her office almost smiling. Almost. She had a feeling that the other half of his problem was his bristly exterior. People probably refused to budge on his behalf. She intended to ream him out for his rudeness,
after
she helped him.}

_{She made a few phone calls to people who promised to check into the problem and call her right back. With amusement, she flipped her calendar over two days and wrote down Lester Jones's name to remind herself to follow up with her contacts. If they actually called back before then, it would be a miracle. Bureaucracy held no miracles.}

_{When her telephone rang a short time later, she wondered if a miracle
had
occurred.}

_{"Hello?" she said when she picked it up.}

_{"Hi. Am I calling at a bad time?"}

_{Richard. He didn't identify himself, but she knew the voice too well already. It sent a shiver of anticipation along her nerve endings. She could feel again that searing kiss he'd given her. Every kiss he'd given her. They'd been far too few and far too memorable. How could she be just friends with a man who kissed like that? Her body said it would be a lot more than friends if it had the least opportunity - and that scared her.}

_{"Hi," she said, glad her voice sounded fairly normal.}

_{"I'm helping a dead guy come alive again, but no big deal."}

_{"Is his name Lazarus?"}

_{Callie laughed. "By the time I'm done with Lester Jones, it will be. Poor Lester is a victim of human error - and a first-class curmudgeon."}

_{"Why help him, then, if he's so nasty?"}

_{"Because I'm a very nice person. And because
after
I help him, I'll take him to the woodshed. There'll be so much more pleasure in it then."}

_{"Getting thrashed by you would be a pleasure in and of itself."}

_{Callie's face heated. She was glad he couldn't see the blush. "What can I do for you, Richard?"}

_{"Oh, the temptation. I've always had this thing about women's silk panties - "}

_{"I'm sure they look lovely on you," Callie said, having had enough of the nonsense. "Now, could you be serious?"}

_{"Cut a guy's heart out, why don't you." "One phone call from me, and you'll be as dead as Poor Lester. And I promise I will
not
rescue you." "I'll be good." "Good."}

_{She had to admit the sexual innuendo and the bantering appealed to her feminine ego. Hells bells, it
was
nice for a man to view her as a potential bed partner. She would be very tempted if he didn't want and need more from a woman than she could give. Unfortunately, if he didn't, she knew she would want and need more for herself. Why were men such a catch-22, instead of being such a great catch?}

_{"I called to see how you were after the other night. I didn't handle things well, and I apologize for that."}

_{"I'm fine." After a soul-searching Sunday, she acknowledged. "I didn't handle things well myself, Richard, and I apologize for that, too."}

_{"We're getting good at apologies, aren't we?" He chuckled.}

_{Callie smiled. "Too good."}

_{"I thought about what you said, and I want to be a friend to you, too."}

_{"You do?" The notion didn't sit well with her. It felt like... like a rejection.}

_{"I do. Callie, you're a terrific person, and like I told Amanda, we need a friend like you in our fives."}

_{"You talked to Amanda about me?" she asked, shocked. What was this "need a friend like you in our fives" stuff, let alone discussing it with a child?}

_{"Amanda was upset about catching us kissing. Probably she was upset because Joey was with her. By the way, your nephew is practically living over here now."}

_{"Put limits on the visits so the two of them get their homework done," she said automatically, then returned to the subject at hand. "I really wish you hadn't talked to Amanda about us. There is no 'us' for one thing."}

_{"I told her that." He chuckled again, sounding far too amenable to their new status. ' 'She got defensive of me, which was nice."}