“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.
“Thanks for signing up to help at the tree farm,” Ella said. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know I didn’t. It sounds fun, though, and you’ll be there, so it can’t be all bad.”
She smiled, but he couldn’t help but notice she seemed troubled by something.
“Everything okay?”
“Sure,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. You seem . . . off . . . since we left your parents’ place.”
She had no reply to that, which set his nerves on edge. What could’ve happened in the time they spent with her family? He supposed she’d tell him if she wanted to. It amazed him to realize how badly he wanted to be privy to her thoughts. Was she happy? Was she worried? Did she regret taking him to dinner? Had someone warned her away from him? That wouldn’t surprise him. It wasn’t like he didn’t deserve to come with a warning label attached to him—may be hazardous to your health and emotional well-being.
As he pulled up to Ella’s house and parked behind her car, it occurred to him that having his truck here all night would be equivalent to telling the town of Butler they were sleeping together. “I’m going to run home for a minute, but I’ll be right back. If you still want me.”
“Yes, I still want you. Hurry back.”
He leaned over to kiss her. “I will.” Gavin waited until she was inside before he pulled out of her driveway and headed home. Once there, he packed a bag with a change of clothes and his toothbrush and was heading for the door when the house phone rang. He took the call from his mother.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, honey. How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Busy with the inn, but we’re enjoying it.”
Running the inn that Hannah had opened for war widows had given his parents a new purpose that they’d badly needed. “Glad to hear it’s going well.”
“Dad and I were saying tonight it’s been weeks since the three of us had dinner. Want to come tomorrow night? I’ll make ribs for you.”
“Mmm, ribs.” Even though he’d just eaten a huge meal, his mouth watered at the thought of his mother’s ribs. “You know how to get my attention.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Could I bring a friend?”
His question was met with dead silence on the other end of the line.