It's Only Love(23)

“And you know how proud we are of that,” Elmer said.

“He never misses a chance to tell people that you’re a partner in a big Boston law firm,” Lincoln added.

Grayson smiled at his grandfather. “Means a lot that you guys are proud. Thanks for that.”

“You’ve earned everything the old-fashioned way,” Elmer said. “Through hard work and determination. I admire that greatly.”

“Which makes it that much harder to tell you I’m thinking about leaving the firm.”

“How come?” Lincoln asked. “Thought you loved that place.”

“I do. I did. It’s just . . . Ever since I made partner, I seem to have lost my drive or something. I feel like I’m going through the motions. And one thing hasn’t changed—all I do is work. Nonstop. Then I turned thirty-six last week, and one of my colleagues made a joke about how thirty-six is the ‘this side of forty rather than that side of thirty’ birthday. He was kidding, but it struck home. I’m going to be forty in four short years. I’m spending my entire adult life in an office, slaving away doing stuff I don’t even care about most of the time.”

“So what would you rather be doing?” Lincoln asked.

“That’s just it. I’m not sure. I only know I don’t want to be where I am anymore.”

“Have you thought about coming home and hanging out a shingle?” Elmer asked.

“It’s crossed my mind.”

“You won’t make bank like you do in Boston, but there’s a genuine need here for a lawyer,” Lincoln said. “Closest one is over in St. Johnsbury. Butler could use its own general counsel, if you ask me.”

“I’ve been sort of toying with that idea. Mom also told me the town will soon be taking applications for town solicitor. I wouldn’t mind doing that and working with Mom, too.” Hannah Coleman had been the Butler town clerk for more than thirty years.

“That’d be a nice steady gig on top of the other work you’d be sure to get,” Elmer said. “You’d bring the family business account home with you, of course.”

“Yeah,” Gray said. “I’ve always made it clear that account is mine whether I’m with the firm or not. They know that.”

“We’ve got a lot going on with the acquisition of the new acreage up on the mountain and the new website about to go live, and now there’s rumblings of a catalog and distribution center,” Lincoln said. “We’ll keep you busy.”

“Who’s rumbling about a catalog and distribution center?” Elmer asked.

“I’m going to be after the first of the year,” Lincoln said with a cheeky grin.

Elmer chuckled. “Can’t wait to see what the kids have to say to that.”

“I got them to buy into the website, didn’t I?”

“With a lot of help from your new daughter-in-law.” For Grayson’s benefit, Elmer added, “It’s mighty hard to say no to Cameron when she’s got a big idea.”

“I’m hoping she’ll be on my side with the catalog,” Lincoln said. “If she’s all for it, Will would be, too.”

“You guys are a couple of old schemers,” Grayson said, laughing at their back-and-forth.

“You have no idea,” Lincoln said with a smile for his father-in-law.

“No idea at all,” Elmer said. “But it sure will be nice to have you back in town, Gray.”

“It’ll be good to be home.”

Hannah came to the door looking for her son. “What’re you guys feeding my boy?”

“Bourbon and bullshit,” Lincoln said, making the other men laugh.

“You ready to go, Mom?”

“Whenever you are.”

“Some of us have to work tomorrow,” Hannah said, “and you’ve got a long ride back to Boston.”

“Yeah,” Gray said, seeming depressed by the idea of that long ride. “I do.”

Lincoln and Elmer stood to hug them both.

Elmer patted his grandson’s face. “Keep us posted.”

“I will. Thanks for this. It helped.”

“We’re always right here.”

“Thanks, Gramps. I’ll see you all soon.”

“We’ll be here,” Lincoln said.

They kissed Hannah good night and then returned to their spots in front of the fire.

“That boy is in pain,” Elmer said.

“I thought the same thing.”

“There’s more to this than unhappiness at work.”

“Wasn’t he seeing someone for a while there?” Elmer asked.

“I thought so. I’ll see what Hunter knows. They’re tight.”

“We’re going to want to keep an eye on our Grayson.”

“You read my mind.”


*

Driving back to Ella’s place, Gavin thought about her family and how they were always fun to be around. The joking, the good-natured teasing, the obvious love they had for each other combined to give Gavin a sense of well-being that had been sorely lacking in his life of late. There was something about the Abbotts. You couldn’t help but be sucked in by them, in the best possible way.