The Deliberate Guardian: A Nigel Manning Novel

By Sloane McQuiston

With the passing of his grandfather, 5-year-old Nigel is left to guide himself through the next phase of his life. His mother has stepped up her game, but will she relapse into a life of drugs again? If she does, who will help him? The rightful owners of the flash drive are still out there looking for it. Will they find Nigel? What is so special about this information and what lengths will they go to get it back? If Nigel can decode the file will it bring closure to this drama or put him in more danger? Does he have anyone to protect him? And what about the pirate money his grandfather told him about? Is it real? Can he access it? Will Zamir continue to be a part of Nigel’s life? Find out all the answers with the continuation of Nigel’s adventures.

The Deliberate Guardian is the second book in the Nigel Manning series. Nigel is just five years old, but he is not like other 5 year-olds. He possesses an intelligence and understanding well beyond his age. With his grandfather he was able to find a place of acceptance and a place to grow. Now he is back in the care of his mother. Marina does the best she can as a mom but is battling problems of her own. His Uber driving friend Zamir is not friends with Marina so Nigel is unsure if he will see his big friend anymore.

Join what other readers have called:
•A beautiful story
•Great read
•Fantastic read
•Terrific book
•Great read, not what you expect
•Heartwarming story about purpose in life
This book, like “The Dropoff: A Timeless Novel”, has a fun, engaging and energetic story that will make you laugh, cry and think. There will be someone in the story you can deeply relate with. It also makes a great gift. You can find all of Sloane’s books at www.sloanemcquiston.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sloane McQuiston
• Release date: Jan 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005677435

Sloane McQuiston

Sloane McQuiston is the "nom de plume" for Scott Sloan. It is a tribute to his mother and father who he credits for his sense of humor and his writing skills.Scott lives with his wife of 32 years in Oklahoma City Oklahoma. Scott is a native Okie who grew up in Mustang Oklahoma. So did his wife, Brenda. They moved to Texas when their oldest son was just two years old. They lived in Texas for many years and took the opportunity to move back to Oklahoma when Brenda retired from teaching and Scott got a job offer in Oklahoma City. Together they live by the lake and enjoy walking their Welsh Pembroke Corgi, Ranger, near the lake where she enjoys chasing the ducks.Scott is a Safety Professional and Risk Manager and has enjoyed a 27 year career in commercial insurance where he helps his clients on issues related to risk management and safety. He holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Safety from the University of Central Oklahoma, an M.S. degree in Business and Human Relations from Amberton University in Garland TX and an M.P.H. in Environmental Health and Safety from Texas A&M School of Public Health. Additionally, he holds four professional certifications; ARM (Associate in Risk Management), CRM (Certified Risk Manager), CSHM (Certified Safety and Health Manager), and CSP (Certified Safety Professional).Scott also enjoys public speaking and has been a featured speaker at local, regional and national events. If you would like to book Scott for a speaking engagement please contact him through email.Along with a love of writing, Scott enjoys motorcycles and has ridden his bike to every state in the Union except Hawaii and Alaska. Both Scott and Brenda enjoy travel and Scott has visited every state in the U.S. along with nine other countries. They also love riding around in their convertible, with the top down of course.Brenda and Scott have two grown children and are very proud of both of them.Scott wants to thank you for visiting the website and reading the book, The Dropoff - A Timeless Novel. He is hopeful you enjoyed his first book and he is busy working on the follow-up. Stay tuned for details and availability.

Book preview

The

Deliberate

Guardian

A Nigel Manning Novel

Book 2 of the Nigel Manning Series

Sloane McQuiston

Dedication

Writing a novel is both a work of love and just simply work. There are days when you don’t feel like writing and days when you can think of doing nothing else. There are people you talk with the book about and people you don’t. Finding that right combination is critical to success, at least for me. What is even more critical is finding someone who understands, or least tries to understand, what you are going through. Having a home where you are encouraged, loved and understood, makes the work part much easier. It also makes sharing the book so much more enjoyable.

I found that person more than 3 decades ago and I am still amazed she puts up with me. This book, like all my books, is dedicated to her.

My love, my friend, my wife, Brenda Sloan.

You are the best, sweetie!

CONTENTS

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Book 3 Preview

Afterward

Meet the Author

Chapter 1

There’s a peacefulness that comes with death. Not everyone feels it at first but knowing a loved one had 100 years of life makes it more apparent. So, when Jason Bergstein called Sam about the reading of the will, together they decided Sam would come with his wife, Lisa, to Jason’s office on Monday. The 100th birthday party/memorial had concluded on Saturday and Sam was anxious to get started on taking care of business. He knew what was in the will as he and his father, Steve, had discussed the changes within the last couple of weeks. He was confident there would be no surprises, for him at least.

Sam and Sierra were children from Steve’s first marriage to Beth. Sierra had passed away years ago. Sam was a Navy man and procrastinating was not his style. He was ready for things to happen and waiting never really suited him. Lisa, while much like him, was different enough to compliment him nicely. She was more thoughtful, where he typically charged ahead. She was softer, when he was usually tough. Together they were a formidable team. Their children were both military and served in different branches. After a brief discussion with Lisa, they decided that Star and Marina should attend as well.

Star and Marina were the daughters from Steve’s second marriage to Venus. Star was a motivated Public Defender who had made a nice career for herself and her husband David greatly complimented her. When Star was ready to make a decision or pass judgement, David was more introspective. He was not a pushover, but he softened her tough image. Their two daughters were beautiful young ladies and were on a great path. They had two caring and loving parents who guided and directed their kids and never tried to be their best friends.

Marina was different. While both Star and Marina had a tough childhood, Marina had struggled the most. There were drug and alcohol issues and like her mother, until Venus got clean, Marina knew how to make money with her body. She had never been married and refused to talk about Nigel’s father. Nigel was five years old and had stolen his step grandfather, Steve’s, heart. In truth, Nigel stole everyone’s heart when they got to know him. He was small, kind of shy, but very intelligent. He seemed to have a maturity about him that contradicted his age. Perhaps it was because he was the only black child in an all white family, or perhaps it was because living with his mom, Marina, wasn’t always easy. But his maturity, humor, innocence and intellect had captivated his 99-year old step grandfather. Nigel lost his best friend and grandfather on his 100th birthday. He was struggling with the loss.

Just before Steve’s death, Sam and his father had discussed how to best take care of Nigel without giving Marina enough money to tempt her to stop working and get involved in drugs once again. Together they had developed a solution and on Monday everyone would know what it was. They would also find out what would happen with Steve’s possessions and stock portfolio, which was sizable. Steve had told Sam years ago about his fortunate investments in Apple, Dell and Google, which made up the bulk of his IRA. Only the Apple and Dell stocks were purchased in IPO’s, but all of them, along with the indexed mutual funds, had grown substantially over time. Sam was the only one that knew Steve had never spent a penny of that IRA money, he had lived for 40 years on his 401K savings, pension and social security. Yes, on Monday, there was much to discuss. So, he contacted Star and Marina and asked them to join him for the reading of the will. He received no resistance. The only questions were when and where and could Star bring David.

When 10 am arrived, everyone was accounted for and joined Jason in the conference room. Jason took inventory and noticed they all dressed nicely for the occasion, however Marina out did herself. Even Lisa was wowed. For a woman of 45 she could look amazing. She received all the attention as she walked in, including David’s, her brother-in-law. That earned him a stern look from his wife, who was gorgeous in her own right. She however, had the good sense to dress appropriately. It appeared to everyone that Marina was expecting to receive something, and she dressed like she had earned it.

She had not. Her son had earned her anything she would get. Marina and Steve had not seen eye to eye on almost anything, but their relationship had improved toward the end. Marina had dropped Nigel off with Steve, unannounced, and then not checked on him for four days. To be fair, on day three she was jailed for having a dead body in her bathroom. It is difficult to chit-chat from a jail cell. If it wasn’t for the work of her sister, the public defender, and her stepfather, Steve, she might very well still be in jail. And here she was, dressed like a trophy wife, ready to receive what she obviously thought she was due.

Little Nigel, who had become Steve’s favorite grandchild and best friend the last few weeks of his life, was the only reason Marina was invited. He, of course, was not at this meeting, but he would take center stage for much of it.

Jason greeted everyone and got right to business. That is what Steve had loved most about him, he was a man of action, not words. Jason had known Steve for many years, even he couldn’t remember how many. Jason was aged himself and was about ready to retire. He hadn’t realized how close he was to retiring until Steve passed away. Steve was his oldest client, both in terms of age and tenure. While the two of them weren’t close, because Jason wasn’t close with anyone, except his wife, Jason always felt a kinship with Steve. The old man had always been easy going and always took care of the people he loved. Jason had been a lawyer long enough to know that wasn’t always the case, especially when there were multiple families to deal with. Now, in retrospect, he was relieved that Steve called him a couple of weeks ago to discuss changes to the will. Jason knew what the old man wanted, and he felt confident those concerns were properly addressed.

Let’s begin, shall we? Jason started. This is the last Will and Testament of Stephen A. Laird. I was in contact with Steve about the changes he wanted to make to this will over the course of the last few weeks, as Sam can confirm.

Jason looked at Sam and Sam nodded once.

Starting with the real property, there is only one item, the house that Steve occupied at the time of his death.

Sam and Lisa noted everyone leaned in a little closer. This made both of them smile quietly. Neither looked at the other because they both knew what the other was thinking, who will be the most surprised?

Marina Manning is to receive the house. It has a free and clear title which will require transfer. Jason looked at Marina and smiled. Then the smile left his face and he spoke directly to Marina after taking off his reading glasses. You will be required to pay all necessary taxes associated with ownership of the property. There are currently none owed. Further, you will have to put all utilities into your name and insure the property. You will need a copy of the death certificate in order to do that. He smiled slightly at Marina, paused, then said, are you willing to do these things?

Marina was floored. She expected something, but the house!? Steve had facilitated her moving into a rent house near him so that he and Nigel could spend time together and had paid for the first six months’ rent. She thought that was a lot. But to give her his house? Marina was rarely at a loss for words and she never cried, at least no one in that room had ever witnessed her crying. Today that would change. The little rent house Steve helped her get was the first house she had ever lived in. Now she owned one outright. It was more than she could take in all at once. She just managed a smile that was holding back a floodgate of tears. The room was quiet as everyone watched her, and that made keeping it together even harder.

Congratulations, Marina, I hope you and Nigel will be very happy there, Lisa said breaking the awkward silence. Then everyone else chimed in with their congratulations.

Proceeding on. Jason was ready for order to be restored. Regarding Nigel Manning, Marina’s son, Steve wants a trust fund to be set up in his name with Sam Laird as Executor. The fund will revert to Nigel’s control upon his twenty first birthday. Until that time, Sam will be responsible for any and all withdrawals from the account. The fund will be opened with the sum of $500,000. These monies will come from the dissolution of the 401(k) and any money in the IRA account necessary to obtain the $500,000.

Everyone was quiet as the shock of Nigel inheriting half of a million dollars began to sink in; everyone but Sam anyway. He already knew about this. Marina was attempting to manage the floodgate of tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Sam, my office would be more than happy to assist with any legal matters concerning the implementation of this Trust Fund, Jason said directly to him.

Sam responded with no words, only one nod of his head.

Continuing on. There is a provision for two 529 college savings plans for the granddaughters, Sherry and Kim Williams, both minors. These plans are to be funded from the sale of enough investments in either the IRA or remaining 401(k) plan. The plans are to be initially funded at $150,000, each. Jason took off his glasses, looked directly at Star and David and then smiled.

Now it was their turn to be speechless. David turned to Star with an open mouth unable to speak. Star turned to him and hugged him for all she was worth. For two women who were tough and used to emotional situations, both of Venus’ girls were overcome today. David and Star, like most parents, had previous conversations about how they were going to pay for their daughters’ college educations. Now the problem was solved. They too were overwhelmed with the old man’s generosity.

Congratulations, Lisa said to both of them.

Before anyone could say anything else, Jason proceeded. Furthermore, David and Star Williams are to receive a one-time cash payment of $350,000. Jason paused to let this sink in.

If they were overwhelmed before, they were in shock now. They both just looked at Jason with open mouths and wide eyes.

Jason asked them if they wanted him to repeat this portion of the will and in unison they both nodded their heads slowly. It looked cartoonish to Sam and Lisa and they both almost broke out in laughter. Jason repeated the provision for an inheritance of $350,000.

Star and David’s minds worked faster than their mouths and they both realized that now they could afford the larger house they had hoped to provide for their girls before they moved away to college. Once again, Steve’s generosity was more than they could believe.

Congratulations. I know my father was very thankful for all of the help you gave him over the last few weeks, Sam said in his best military tone. I also know he was sad that the girls never got the chance to come over and babysit him. Then he winked at Star.

Sam had spoken with Star about how much his father had grown to enjoy Sherry and Kim. Sam even knew the joke Steve made about having the girls come babysit him so that Star and David could have a night out together. Steve had done this so that the girls would think they were doing him the favor and watching him, not the other way around. And now Sam, displaying some of his father’s emotional intelligence used that joke to put two people he hardly knew at ease. This maneuver did not go unnoticed by anyone.

Tears were streaming from Star’s eyes as she saw Steve on full display in his son. She couldn’t help herself, she ran over and gave him a big hug. Sam was a little surprised, said nothing and accepted the hug for what it was. This differentiated him from his father who would have said something like, if I had known $350K would get me this, I would have made it a million.

Jason cleared his throat rather loudly and tried to regain order, even though he was suppressing a smile. Continuing on. He stopped to survey the room and made sure everyone was seated and listening again, Sierra’s two adult children, Dianne Brown and Cheryl Lee, will both receive a one-time payment of $500,000 each. Jason looked up to measure the reaction in the room. There was none as only Sam and Lisa knew the girls. They were Sam’s nieces, daughters of his deceased sister.

Finally, the remainder of the assets go to Sam Laird, Jason said.

The room was quiet, everyone was trying to take in all that had happened. Sam realized that his father had just given away $2.15 million in cash and that was less than 20% of the value of his investments. One advantage of leaving money alone to earn interest for more than 40 years is how quickly it grows. He remembered his father quoting Albert Einstein about compound interest being the most powerful force in the world. While the investments weren’t exactly earning compound interest, his old man’s analogy was close enough. Another advantage of living so long is that you learn to live a lifestyle you are happy with. Steve had never been extravagant and once Venus passed, the large home they once owned together was sold for something more to his taste. He bought his present home, which was much smaller, with the proceeds from the previous house and just invested what remained. It was going to be a great home for Nigel and Marina.

Any questions? Jason asked.

Before anyone could answer, Sam stood up and said, thank you Jason for your time. I’m sure you will be in touch with everyone as the assets are sold and the checks are made available. Now if you all will excuse me, Lisa and I must be heading back to D.C. He walked over to every person, congratulated them and thanked them for making his father’s life better. He meant it too, these were not just platitudes. He had learned from his father that a happy life was worth infinitely more than a wealthy life. These people had helped his father have a happy life, especially at the end. He knew the money would change their lives and he was happy they would receive it. He was about to leave the room, when he turned toward Marina. Marina, with your permission, I would like for you and Nigel to join us when we start cleaning out dad’s house in the next week or two. If there is anything you want to save from the house, I’m sure we can make that happen.

Uh…yeah…sure, that would be fine, Marina said, she was not ready for this request.

Excellent. Thank you very much. Then Lisa and Sam left.

Everyone stood around a little while and asked some questions of Jason about timeframes for disbursement of money and he assured them he would stay in contact. He explained to Marina that Sam, with his help, would set up the trust fund for Nigel and she would know all about it. He was also quick to point out that per Steve’s wishes, Sam would oversee the fund and he alone could authorize withdrawals. Within a few minutes everyone was on their way and Jason went back to his normal routine.

Once he got back to his office, he reflected on the meeting. It was nice to have a reading go so well. Many were not that smooth. Of course, everyone got a nice chunk of change, and that always helped. Chunk of change, those had been Steve’s words when the two of them discussed the will. Jason would miss the old man and he hoped he was doing well in the afterlife, whatever that looked like.

***

Nigel, I’m home, Marina called as she walked into the house.

Hey mom, how did it go? Nigel asked running up to hug his mother’s leg. He had stayed at home while she went to the reading. Nigel wasn’t exactly sure what a reading was, but he knew it had something to do with his recently departed grandfather. He assumed it went well, because his mother was smiling. She did that more now than he could ever remember her doing. He didn’t know why, but he knew he liked it.

It went very well. Marina bent down and lifted her son up. She was 45 years old, and Nigel was 5 and picking him up and holding him was getting tougher. But today he seemed as light as a feather. She looked at him and in a sly tone of voice she asked, which house do you like better, this one or Steve’s?

Nigel looked at her suspiciously and said slowly, Why do you ask? Deep down he was afraid his mother had done something to mess up their current living situation. They had only recently moved in and Nigel loved it here. This was the first house he and his mother had ever lived in. It was so much better than the apartments. It was close to the park and was close to grandpa’s house. But that didn’t really matter anymore. His grandfather was gone. The renewed thought of this made him sad.

As though reading his thoughts, his mom said, Don’t be sad Nigel. Guess who now owns your grandfather’s house?

Nigel’s eyes got wide and he started to squirm. Who mom? Who? Is it you? The idea of moving back to his grandfather’s house was starting to sink in. In truth, he only lived there four days, but he had grown to love it. He didn’t realize what made it such a great home was his grandpa had lived there and he was becoming very excited.

Marina set Nigel down and said, Yes! He left it to me. Now we own it and get to live there. Isn’t that great!? Nigel’s contagious excitement had infected his mother. She rarely showed much emotion, except negative emotions, but she was showing them now. The two of them began jumping up and down while holding hands.

Oh wow! That’s great! We get to live in grandpa’s house. We get to live in grandpa’s house. Nigel was chanting now so Marina joined in for another chorus of we get to live in grandpa’s house.

They were both smiling and laughing and couldn’t contain their excitement. Nigel stopped in the middle and ran off.

Where are you going? Marina asked with a confused look on her face.

I’m going to pack up my stuff. Let’s go! Then Nigel ran to his bedroom.

Marina laughed and followed him back there. Uh, kiddo, we don’t get to move in right now, she explained.

Nigel turned and his face had dropped. Why not? He was almost crying.

Marina went over to him, picked him up again, hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. We still get to move in, just not today. There is some legal stuff that needs to happen. And, Sam needs to get anything he wants out of the house. She was wiping away his tears. So, don’t worry. We will still move over there.

Nigel was feeling better. He couldn’t remember the last time his mom gave him two hugs in the span of five minutes. It felt really good. He hugged her back as hard as he could. He was missing his grandfather, but at least his mother was here for him. He loved her for that. He knew his mother struggled with showing emotion and he was so glad she had started doing it more. He ceased the hug and just nodded his head indicating he understood what she had told him.

Hey, let’s go celebrate, OK? It’s almost lunch time, where do you want to go for lunch? What do you want to eat? Marina asked.

She no more than had the words out before Nigel yelled, Shrimp and lobster mac-n-cheese!

Marina smiled and said. Okay, let’s go. She knew what restaurant he wanted to go to. His grandfather had taken him to a local seafood restaurant and there he was introduced to shrimp and lobster mac-n-cheese. She knew the restaurant meant more to Nigel than the food, but she didn’t care. It was the least she could do to memorialize the man who had just given her a house, and more importantly, reminded her what a great kid she had.

Nigel was wired after their lunch. Unfortunately, his favorite waitress, Miss Ann, did not wait on them, but the restaurant manager remembered both Nigel and Marina and he made them feel special. Nigel noticed he paid particular attention to his mom. He didn’t care though. He knew if she liked the place they would get to go back more. Then he would get to see Miss Ann. He wanted to ask this waitress to have the chef add liquid smoke to the mac-n-cheese like his grandfather had taught him, but he decided to wait on Miss Ann for that request. He was sure she wouldn’t make him feel weird. Last time, she had taken him to the kitchen so he could see his food being made. That was less than a week ago when his whole family met there to talk about his grandfather’s 100th birthday party. It never became a party really, because his grandfather wasn’t there. This thought started to make him sad again.

Mom, can we go to the park when we get home? Nigel thought going to the park would cheer him up. Maybe he would get to see a dog. He hoped Miss Cindy would be there with her dog Buttercup. He loved Buttercup’s soft fur. She was a Corgi and she had lots of fur especially around her butt. But Mr. Joe’s dog, Ranger, was