Chapter 15 Grayson
GRAYSON
Grayson bent over a stack of two-by-fours the next morning at the open air market, checking them over for inconsistencies and splits. This wood would be the framing for the low stage at the special farmer’s market and Christmas Campfire event next weekend, and it needed to be sturdy.
“Hey,” a familiar deep voice boomed.
“Levi?” Grayson said, straightening to find an old buddy standing there with a toolbox and a friendly smile.
Levi Williams was a local attorney. Like Grayson, he had served in the military and was home for good now.
Since the upcoming festivities were sponsored by the Homecoming Heroes Foundation, a ton of local veterans were volunteering to help out with it during the setup and with running the actual event.
“Good to see you, man,” Levi said, extending his hand.
“You too,” Grayson said, taking it and shaking firmly. “You on stage duty too?”
“Absolutely,” Levi said. “Lily has a helper at the toy store today so she can be home with Flora, which means I can get my hands dirty.”
“A lawyer who wants to get his hands dirty,” Grayson teased, shaking his head.
“Hey, I’m a farm boy at heart,” Levi said. “I get a little restless sitting behind a desk all day.”
“I could see that,” Grayson said.
It was interesting to hear the other man say it. Thanks to the investments he’d made, Grayson wasn’t going to have to worry much about work. But he often thought that he should be doing more than just volunteering with the center.
But what would he do, and would he even like it?
He caught Levi up on the simple blueprint for the project and the two of them dove in. They worked on without saying much, the whine of the DeWalt and the clatter of moving wood blending with the sounds of talking and laughter echoing around them.
People were working all throughout the big space. Nearby, a crew of vets was setting up a big train set display, while others carried tables, chairs, and even a few booths.
Captain Anderson was probably around here somewhere.
He was the one who’d started the foundation here in town, and the one who’d come up with the concept for this event.
The man was like a tornado of charitable acts, but he was going to have to take a break soon since he was also planning a New Year’s wedding.
The morning melted happily away, like it often did with honest work and good company.
At one point, another old friend, Ransom Wright, swung through with a big German shepherd that he was socializing to be a service animal.
He’d stopped and chatted for a minute while the dog sat at perfect attention by his side, then he’d been on his way.
When the sun was high in the sky, there was a small commotion near the entrance.
Grayson looked up to see that the town’s matriarchs had arrived, and it looked like they had brought lunch for all the volunteers.
“Oh wow,” Levi said. “Do you think Shirley brought chicken and dumpling soup?”
The idea of it made Grayson’s mouth water.
Betty Ann Eustace, Shirley Ludd, and Ginny Davies had been pretty much running the town for as long as he could remember. Grayson had thought of them as older ladies even back when he was a little boy, but they worked with an energy and purpose that could put a lot of soldiers like him to shame.
“Time for a break,” Betty Ann called out. “Wash up and serve yourselves, everyone.”
A few minutes later, Grayson and Levi were sitting on the edge of the unfinished stage, eating bowls of chicken and dumpling soup, with a thick slice of cold apple pie each for dessert. There were sandwiches for later in the big fridge at the back of the space.
Grayson made short work of his soup, his eyes closed and humming over every bite.
“As good as you remember?” Levi asked him, his eyes twinkling with humor.
“Better,” Grayson said firmly. “The woman is a magician.”
“So, what are you doing with yourself these days?” Levi asked.
It was a friendly question, asked in a casual tone, but Grayson wasn’t sure how to answer.
On the one hand, he was proud that he’d invested his pay so well and had so much luck. On the other, he couldn’t help thinking of his grandfather quoting, It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven.
Grandpa had probably been trying to make him feel better about the limits on the family’s finances, but something about the age-old statement felt true.
Is it okay for one person to have so much when others have nothing?
He’d been generous where he could, but in time he was going to have to make plans if he wanted the number on his account statements to do any real and lasting good.
For now, I’ll have to satisfy myself just spoiling the nanny.
He winced at the thought, even though it had given him great pleasure to treat her to all the clothing and Christmas cheer she wanted.
“I’m, uh, between things,” he told Levi. “Not sure what I want to do next.”
If Levi knew how long he’d been home, he probably had no respect for him.
“That’s understandable,” Levi said. “You have choices now. That’s a good thing. No need to rush.”
So, he knew about the money.
In a place as tiny as Trinity Falls it was probably a good bet that everyone knew. But it was still an awkward idea for Grayson.
“I’ve got the baby now,” he heard himself tell his friend. “It’s changing the way I think about how I want to spend my time.”
“A baby?” Levi said. “Wow, that’s great. I had no idea.”
So, he didn’t know all of Grayson’s business.
“I… didn’t know about him,” he heard himself admit. “Until his mom dropped him off on Thanksgiving night. She said she can’t take care of him anymore.”
“That’s heavy,” Levi said, nodding with sympathy in his eyes.
“It was a surprise, for sure,” Grayson said. “And I’m sad for her. He’s incredible—the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Maybe she’ll be back,” Levi offered.
“She said she wouldn’t,” Grayson said, shaking his head. “And there was nothing between us anyway, just one night I’m not particularly proud of.”
He cast his eyes to the ground, hating what Levi would probably think of him for that.
“Mind if I put on my lawyer hat for a minute?” Levi asked.
“Go for it,” Grayson said, frowning at what was likely to come next.
“Did she sign over full custody to you?” Levi asked.
Grayson blew out a breath, wondering exactly how much he had to tell his friend.
“If I tell you something, can you keep it quiet?” he asked.
“Of course,” Levi said, nodding.
“He’s not actually mine,” Grayson admitted, the words feeling like sandpaper on his throat. “Don’t get me wrong, he is my son now, and I’m his dad, no question there. But biologically, it’s… well, it’s just not possible. I’ve done the math. He can’t be mine, even though she said he was.”
“Oh,” Levi said. “That does make things more complicated.”
Levi’s expression was so sad that Grayson couldn’t even look at him. Panic shot through his veins like ice water and his chest felt like someone was sitting on it. He’d known that he would have to deal with this at some point. He’d just been doing his best not to think about it until now.
“What do I do?” he bit out quietly.
“Come by my office tomorrow morning,” Levi told him. “We’ll see what we can do to stabilize the situation.”
“Thank you,” Grayson told him.
“I have to warn you—this may not be easy,” Levi said. “But it’s best to work things out now, while he’s still little.”
He stopped there, but Grayson couldn’t help filling in the rest in his mind.
If I have to give him up now, at least Leo won’t remember the home he had with me…
His heart felt like it was breaking.
“It probably goes without saying that money is no object,” he grated out.
“That’s good,” Levi said. “But as you know, there are some things money can’t buy. It sounds like his mom wants what’s best for the baby and that’s why she brought him to you. She knew you would take good care of him. But we need to formalize things, so you can sleep at night.”
“Okay,” Grayson said.
“Do I have your permission to do a little digging on your behalf?” Levi asked.
“Of course,” Grayson said. “Anything you can do, I’d be grateful.”
“Great,” Levi said. “I’ll get started tonight. Who has the baby now, by the way? I thought your parents were down in Florida these days.”
“They are,” Grayson said. “I’ve got a nanny to look after him when I’m volunteering.”
“Oh yeah?” Levi said. “That’s great that you found someone. Does he like her?”
“We both do,” Grayson said without meaning to. “Evangeline is really special.”
“Is that so?” Levi asked, one brow arching and a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, like he already knew Grayson was half in love with the nanny.
“It’s not like that,” Grayson said right away. “She’s my employee. And besides, I need to put my focus on Leo.”
“I get it. When Flora came into my life, I was really glad to have Lily around,” Levi said. “Babies need the best of you, it’s good for them to have a team.”
“A team,” Grayson echoed thoughtfully.
“Maybe Leo would like to have two parents,” Levi said, winking.
“You’re going to shake up everything in my life, huh?” Grayson asked, giving him a friendly shove.
“Being a busybody is like ninety percent of lawyering,” Levi said, chuckling. “That’s why I’m so good at it.”
“Let’s hope so,” Grayson said, thinking again of his son, and the possible complications ahead of them.
I’d give every penny in my accounts for Leo. But like Levi said, there are some things money can’t buy.