by Force, Marie
“Can we come back sometime soon?” Simone asked.
As Emma said, “Simone!” Molly said, “Sure, any time.”
“I’m trying to make her civilized,” Emma said.
“She’s very civilized,” Molly said with a warm smile for Simone.
“Yeah, and she ought to know,” Simone said. “She has ten kids.”
“Many of whom are highly uncivilized most of the time. I know civilized when I see it.”
Emma and Simone laughed at that.
“Let’s go bag up some treats for the plane,” Molly said.
“Thank you,” Emma said silently to Molly, who nodded. She’d probably overheard Simone being cranky and had come to the rescue.
Feeling like she was wading through hip-deep mud, Emma moved through the motions of getting dressed and finishing packing. She had zipped up Simone’s suitcase and was working on her own when Lucy appeared at the door.
“Help has arrived,” her sister said.
“You’re about twenty minutes too late.”
“I wish you guys didn’t have to go,” Lucy said, pouting as she stretched out on the bed Emma had stripped of sheets and recovered with the down comforter.
“So do I. Believe me.”
“It’s like that, is it?”
Emma sat on the bed next to her sister and rested her head on Lucy’s shoulder. “Did it hurt this bad when you met Colton and had to leave him?”
“It hurt so bad any time we had to be apart. Still does. Have you talked about trying to keep it going?”
“He said he wished we could move here, and that he’ll be coming to visit next Friday.”
“That’s so awesome, Em. He’s totally into you.”
“And vice versa. I feel like I’ve lost my mind or something, talking this way about a guy I hadn’t said more than hello to a week ago.”
“When it’s right, it’s right.”
“Like you and Colton. Did you talk to him?”
“Not yet.”
Surprised by Lucy’s unprecedented reticence where Colton was concerned, Emma raised her head and looked her sister in the eye. “What’s that about?” Lucy further surprised her when her eyes went shiny with tears. “Lucy! What’s wrong?”
Lucy spun her engagement ring around on her finger. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. Why can’t I bring this up with him? Why don’t we ever, ever talk about actually getting married or anything beyond what’s for dinner or when we’re going to the city or… Logistics. We talk about logistics.”
“Why is it that you don’t feel you can talk to him about this?”
Lucy sighed. “We both agreed to our current arrangement. I worry that he’d think I was changing the rules on him, and he’d be right.”
“You have to tell him this, Lucy! He’d want to know that you’re unhappy.”
“I’m not unhappy. He makes me so happy.”
“You’re ready for the next step. There’s nothing wrong with letting him know that.”
“What if he’s not ready?”
“If you’re wondering if he still wants you, the answer is yes. Emphatically yes. The guy never takes his eyes off you if you’re in the room. The second you walk through the door, he’s looking at you and only you.”
“I’ve never noticed that.”
“Well, I have, as recently as last night at Will and Cam’s. He loves you, Luce. If something’s bothering you, he’d want to know.”
Lucy wiped away her tears. “It makes me feel stupid and weak to be crying over a guy.”
Emma laughed. “You are anything but stupid or weak. You’re in love with a great guy, and you want a life with him. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I have a life with him—a great life.”
“Okay, so you want the next step. Tell him that. You know as well as I do that sometimes guys have to be led to where they want to go.”
“What if he says he never wants to get married, that what we have now is working just fine for him?”
“He’s not going to say that. If I know Colton at all, and I’ve come to know him pretty well, he’ll hear that you’re unhappy about something, and he’ll want to fix it. Because he loves you that much.”
Lucy sighed deeply.
“You’ll talk to him?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“And you’ll tell me what happens the minute you talk to him?”
“Yes,” Lucy said, laughing. “I’ll tell you.”
“Have you said anything to Cam about this?”
Lucy shook her head. “I didn’t want to put her in a weird spot with Will. If she told him, he might feel compelled to say something to Colton, and that’d be way too high school for me.”
“You don’t need anyone to do your dirty work for you with Colton. Has it occurred to you that he might be waiting for you to bring up the wedding? Maybe he’s wondering the same thing you are—why doesn’t Lucy seem to want to plan a wedding? Don’t all women live to plan their wedding?”
“Hmm,” Lucy said, “you may be right about that.”
“Just put it out there, Luce. You love him. He loves you. It’ll be fine.”
“Thanks for listening.”
“That’s what sisters are for.”
“Let’s talk about you and that sexy Grayson Coleman.”
“Mmm, he is some kind of sexy. My body feels like I’ve just taken up kickboxing after not working out in ten years.”
Lucy snorted with laughter. “I love that kind of working out.”
“Turns out I do, too. Who knew?”
“I’m so damned happy for you, Em. You’ve waited so long to find someone special.”
“And when I finally do, he lives six hours from me.”
“Try not to focus on the obstacles. I know it’s hard not to. Believe me, I get how hard it is. Just focus on him. He’s what matters.”
“I’ll try.” Emma glanced at the bedside clock and saw it was five minutes until nine. “I need to get our stuff downstairs. Grayson will be here any minute.”
Lucy hugged her. “Come back again soon. Promise?”
“I promise.”
Feeling as if he’d run a marathon since he left the diner, Grayson arrived at the Abbotts’ barn a few minutes before nine. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been more excited about anything than he was about surprising Emma with his plan. What if she didn’t go for it?
“Don’t be stupid,” he muttered as he let himself into the mudroom. “She’ll go for it.” Though he was fairly confident that she would be excited, he wouldn’t relax until he was sure.
In the kitchen, Max held Caden as he ate breakfast, Linc read the morning paper, and Molly was doing something with Simone, who smiled brightly at the sight of him.
“Want a cookie, Grayson?” she asked.
“I never say no to a cookie or a pretty girl.”
Her smile did crazy things to his insides. She handed him a napkin containing two chocolate-chip cookies.
“Gray,” Linc said. “A word in the study?”
“Sure.” Eating one of the cookies, Grayson followed his uncle to the study he used as a home office. “What’s up?”
“Mary called from the office. We’ve received a letter from a law firm in Burlington that’s been retained by a former employee at the Christmas tree farm. Ed Sheehan was let go after he told Gavin, in a bar, that we wasted our time in Iraq and the two of them got into a fight over it.”
Shocked, Grayson stared at his uncle. “Someone who worked for our family actually said that to Gavin of all people?”
“He did, and when Lucas found out about it, he fired him on the spot.”
“Which is exactly what he should’ve done.”
“Sheehan disagrees. He’s retained an attorney, and he’s looking for damages. Can you get the letter from Mary and see what you can do?”
“Absolutely. I’ll start by talking to everyone involved, if you agree.”
“Please do.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with it.”
“Thank you.”
“I should tell you I’m going to be working from New York this week and for the foreseeable future.”
After a long pause, Linc said, “Is that right? I didn’t realize you and Emma were to the point of making plans.”
“We’re not,” Grayson said with a laugh. “Not even close. I haven’t told her yet I’m going with them today.”
“What brought this on?” Linc asked.
“A conversation with Gramps. He told me if I feel something special for her, which I definitely do, don’t let her get away.” Grayson shrugged. “So I’m not letting her get away. Had a go-round with my mother about it, but that’s a whole other story.”
“She doesn’t want you to leave. You just got home.”
“I understand that, but I need to do this. I have no idea what it is I’m even doing. I just know I have to go with her.”
“For what it’s worth, I agree with you and your grandfather.”
“It’s worth a lot, as you certainly know by now.”
“I was supposed to spend a semester in England that I was so excited about, but I never made it there. You know why?”
Grayson shook his head.
“I met your aunt Molly the summer before when we were down South building houses for the needy. One week with her, and England didn’t look quite so good to me anymore.”
Grayson smiled at his uncle. “Thanks for telling me that. It makes me feel less certifiably insane for chasing after a woman I just met.”
“You’re not insane. In fact, I think you’d be insane not to chase after her. She’s a sweetheart and so is her daughter.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“You’ve given a lot of yourself to your family and worked like a dog for that firm in Boston. If anyone has earned the right to focus on himself for a while, it’s you, Gray. Go do what you want and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. You only get one life. You should live it the way you see fit, as long as you’re not hurting others with what you’re doing.”
Moved by his uncle’s heartfelt encouragement, Grayson said, “I’m only hurting my mother.”
“She’ll get over it. She’s gotten over worse.”
“I guess. So listen to this…” He told him about his father’s illness and what he’d asked of his children.
“You gotta be kidding me.”
“Wish I was.”
“He’s got some nerve.”
“My mother said the same thing.”
“She must be furious.”
“That’s one word for it.”
“I’ll tell Molly to call and check on her.”
“I’d appreciate that. She wasn’t too happy with me when I left.”
“Because you’re going to do it, right?” Linc asked. “You’re going to be tested?”
“Like I told her, I don’t want his death to be my fault in any way. I don’t want to have to wonder for the rest of my life if I could’ve saved him, you know?”
“I do. I get it. I don’t like it any more than you do, but I get it.”
Grayson checked his watch and saw it was inching closer to nine. “We’ve got to get going to make the flight.”
Lincoln extended his hand. “Have fun in New York.”
“I will. Thanks.” Grayson’s throat closed around a lump of emotion. “For everything. You’ll never know…”
Linc dropped his hand and hugged him. “I do know, and being there for you and your siblings has always been my pleasure.”
On the verge of losing his composure, Gray nodded and ducked out of the study before he could embarrass himself. Emma was coming down the stairs with her suitcase and stopped short when she saw him there. His heart lurched at the sight of her, and he knew—he absolutely, positively knew in that one second of charged glances—he was doing the right thing going with her.
He went up the stairs to relieve her of the suitcase.
She smiled at him, and he noticed the sadness in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
“No. I’m terrible.”
He loved that she didn’t tell him what she thought he wanted to hear, but rather laid out the truth. “I have a little surprise for you that I hope will make you feel less terrible.”
“What kind of surprise?” she asked warily, as if life had conditioned her to fear surprises rather than relish them. He’d have to work on changing her expectations when it came to surprises.
“The kind I hope you’ll be happy about.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Mom! I need you! I can’t get my sweater on.”
Emma handed him the suitcase and turned to go back up the stairs, but the look she gave him over her shoulder told him she was dying to know what he’d been about to say.
Grayson smiled at her and then took the suitcase downstairs to wait, impatiently, for them to come down.
They appeared a few minutes later, Simone wearing a cardigan with her sling on over it.
“You don’t need your coat for the car,” Grayson said. “You’ll be too hot on the ride.”
“Keep it handy in case we stop anywhere, though,” Emma added.
Lucy, Lincoln, Max and Molly, who was holding Caden, came to the mudroom to see them off with hugs and bags of cookies for the ride.
“Come back any time,” Molly said when she hugged Emma and then Simone. “Our barn is your barn.”
“We had the best time ever,” Simone said.
“So did we,” Linc said, tweaking the little girl’s nose and making her giggle.
Simone gave Caden noisy kisses while Molly held him low enough for her to reach, and when Max kissed Emma’s cheek and said, “Thanks for everything,”
Grayson knew a moment of pure jealousy at realizing she had formed a friendship with his younger cousin. Ridiculous. He wasn’t a jealous sort of guy. Or he never had been before.
“I’ve got to get to work,” Max said. “You’re all set with him, Mom?”
“We’ll be perfectly fine. Go on ahead.”
Max went out as Elmer came in, bringing freezing air and drifting snow. “Glad I caught you,” he said to Emma. “Wanted to say good-bye—for now—to you and Simone.”
“That’s so sweet of you, Mr. Stillman,” Emma said.
“Call me Elmer. Please.”
“Can I call you Elmer, too?” Simone asked.
“Of course you can.” He bent to carefully hug her. “You take care of the crooked elbow, you hear?”
“I will. I can’t wait to get to ski again. Can we come for February vacation, Mom?”
Emma laughed and rolled her eyes. “Let’s get home from Christmas vacation before we start planning February. Thank you again, everyone. We’ll never forget this week.”
Lucy hugged them both at the same time. “I’ll see you very soon. FaceTime me tonight, Simone.”
“I will, Auntie Lu. You’ll get sick of me FaceTiming you.”
“Not possible.” She hugged Simone again. “Safe travels.”
“I’ll text you when we get home,” Emma said to her sister.
Grayson took their suitcase to the back of his car and stowed it next to his, smiling at the possibility of keeping his secret until they got to Burlington. Yes, in fact that was a brilliant idea. It would be so much better to tell her there, right when she thought they had to say good-bye.
* * *
Chapter 19
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Grayson held the passenger doors for both “ladies” and waited for them to get settled before closing the doors and going around to the driver’s side. When he got in the car, he said, “I have to make a quick stop in town and then one more stop on the way to Burlington, but I’ll have you there in plenty of time. Don’t worry.”
“What were you going to tell me before?”
&n
bsp; “It’ll keep until we get there,” he said, winking at her.
“Seriously?”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s just mean.”
Grayson smiled. He couldn’t wait to tell her the surprise—and he hoped she was as happy about it as he was. They pulled into the parking lot behind the store. “Why don’t you take Simone into the store and let her pick out something from me for Christmas?”
Simone let out a happy squeal and had her seat belt off and door open far faster than she should’ve been able to with one working arm.
“That’s not necessary, Grayson.”
“Mom! Come on!”
“I didn’t give her a present for Christmas. Simone, you can pick out whatever you want.”
“No way! You can’t give her carte blanche!”
“I just did.”
“What is carte blanche?”
“It means,” Grayson said before Emma could, “you can pick out whatever you want.”
“Within reason,” Emma added. “You have to be able to carry it on the plane.”
“Well, that rules out a pony or a go-kart,” Grayson said.
Simone giggled, and he lost his heart to that joyful sound.
He held out his hand to her. “Come on. I’ll show you where the good stuff is, and you can pick something out while I run up to the office, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, taking his hand. “Thank you, Grayson.”
“You’re very welcome.”
He left them browsing the extensive toy department and dashed up the back stairs to the offices, eager to get back to them as soon as possible. It was ridiculous, really, how gone over the two of them he was. “Hi, Mary,” he said to the family’s longtime administrative assistant.
“Hey, Grayson. How’s it going?”
“Very good. Uncle Linc told me you had the letter from Sheehan’s lawyer.”
“Right here.” She handed him the packet. “Hope you can make that go away.”
“That’s the plan.”
“I hear you’re moving home. Your mom must be thrilled.”
“She is. It’s nice to be home, but I’m actually heading to New York for a week or so.”
“That sounds fun. I’m hoping to get down there myself in the next few weeks.”
