“Thanks, Gramps.” Grayson raised his glass to his grandfather. “I only beat Hunter and Hannah by a month.”
“Got in right under the wire. That was such a happy time for Sarah and me—three grandbabies in one month. And now, I’m gonna be a great-grandfather thanks to my youngest grandchild. How’s that for funny?”
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Grayson said, swirling the bourbon around in his glass.
Lincoln took note of the pensive expression on his nephew’s face. “Something on your mind, son?” He’d taken a special interest in Grayson and his siblings after their father left. Elmer had, too. They’d done what they could to fill a void that could never really be filled.
“I’ve been considering some life changes,” Grayson said.
“What kind of changes?” Elmer asked.
“I worked for years to make partner in the firm,” Grayson said.
“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.