Chapter 5
Present day
The buttered toast churned in Gray’s stomach as he grabbed his key fob and headed out the front door. It was strange to be
back at his grandmother’s lake cottage. Since shortly after her passing he’d been renting it out as an Airbnb, using a local
company to handle the details. Fortunately it was now the offseason and the cottage had been available for his stay.
It was still strange to see the place barren of Granny’s personal effects. The family photos, afghans, and stacks of crossword
puzzles. She had sure loved those crossword puzzles—and was good at them. When he was a kid he got her a booklet each year
for her birthday, and she acted like it was the best gift she’d ever gotten.
He started his Tahoe, blinking against the sunlight sparkling off Cedar Lake. Granny’s cottage was one of the few original
lake homes still standing. Most of the properties had been bought and leveled to make way for sprawling mansions.
Gray liked Granny’s home the way it was—though he’d replaced the furnishings and flooring to bring the place up-to-date. He
took a sip of coffee, brewed by the Breville he’d splurged on. Most of his guests appreciated the touch of luxury—as did he.
Quality coffee was his one guilty pleasure.
He’d paid dearly for his stop at Latte Da yesterday.
Renee Remington had been there with a friend, and her face turned to stone at the sight of him.
That familiar old shame returned, tingling his face with heat.
It was her son Troy that Gray’s dad had killed.
An accident, perhaps, but still. Gray was guilty by association.
The Remington family obviously hadn’t forgiven or forgotten, and they were a big, influential family. Back when he lived here
most folks in town showed their loyalty to them by aiming disapproving looks his way or, if he was lucky, ignoring him altogether.
All of the above filled him with shame somehow.
But he was an adult now and able to process his feelings in a more mature way. He wasn’t responsible for what his dad had
done. Wasn’t responsible for the gossip that had fueled his bad reputation. He’d never deserved their derision.
As the caffeine kicked in he pushed the past in its place and thought back to his conversation with Shelby yesterday. He had
his work cut out for him there. A lot of making up to do where she was concerned.
She seemed so different from the girl she used to be. He’d known from the beginning she was way out of his league. She was
smart and beautiful, the popular girl in school. Not one of those uppity clique girls, but a well-liked, cheerful sort whom
classmates rallied around. She was on student council, played on the softball team, and was always willing to lend a sympathetic
ear. Classmates flooded to her for advice and encouragement. She somehow seemed more mature than the rest of them. If anyone
needed anything, Shelby Thatcher was there to lend a hand.
He gathered all this information from observation throughout their school years.
In middle school he’d privately scoffed at her people-pleasing ways.
But in high school she’d shot up a few inches, developed curves, and grown into her big brown eyes and wide smile.
She always seemed to have a novel in hand, and he often found himself trying to glimpse the title.
Somehow this bit of insight into her reading habits made him feel closer to her.
He never actually spoke to her though. Why would Shelby Sunshine want anything to do with a ne’er-do-well like Grayson Briggs?
He’d found it best to keep his head down, quietly ace his tests, and focus on planning a better future for himself.
But he noticed her. How could he not? And he later learned she noticed him also.
The memories sent a wave of heat through him. Bad idea to let his mind go there again. He just had to do this one last thing
for Viola—and really for Shelby—and then he could put Grandville and its judgmental people in his rearview mirror.
She’d no doubt have those papers for him to sign this morning. Even though the plan had been his idea, he had mixed feelings
about it. On the one hand, signing over the store was the right thing to do. On the other hand, he was severing the only connection,
however tenuous, he had with her. He had two weeks to make things right with her though. At least there was that.
But in order to fulfill his end of the bargain, he needed to check in with his boss back home.
At a stop sign he placed the call, connecting through Apple CarPlay. Gavin picked it up after three rings. “Robinson Construction.”
“Hey, Gavin, it’s Gray.”
“Hey, buddy. How’s everything going?”
“Pretty good. How’s the Franke project?”
“The roof shingles came in yesterday. I’m glad you called them. I think the order would’ve slipped through the cracks, and
the Frankes aren’t the easiest of customers.”
Understatement. The husband was complicated and the wife was indecisive—the pairing made for a very difficult project.
But they were nearly done. “Good, good. How’s Eric doing?
” Gray had recently hired and trained a new project manager as the job had become too much for one person.
The company had grown by leaps and bounds the past few years.
“He’s doing great. He’s out checking the Harding job right now. They love him.”
“Good to hear.” Gray paused long enough to formulate his thoughts. “Listen, you know how you were recently urging me to use
some of my acquired PTO?”
Gavin chuckled. “Let me guess. You wanna catch up with your family and friends.”
Gray hadn’t exactly opened up to his employer about his family’s reputation in his hometown. “Something like that. Can you
spare me?”
“I can hardly say no, the way you’ve poured your heart and soul into this company over the past few years. It’s been a tremendous
load off my plate. My wife and kids are thankful to have me home for supper most nights.”
Gray had been working dawn to dusk since he’d gotten the job. What else did he have to do? “I love my job and I hate taking
time off. But I’ve got some loose ends here I need to take care of. I’m happy to check in—do some scheduling, run interference
as needed. I can even manage the bookkeeping from afar.”
“I might take you up on that. I’m sure Eric can handle the construction end though, and I can pick up some slack. How long
you thinking?”
“A couple weeks?”
“Sure, buddy. We owe you a lot more than that. And the bookkeeping can probably wait till you’re back.”
Relief swamped Gray. “I really appreciate it. I didn’t expect to extend my stay, but something’s come up. Don’t hesitate to
call if you need anything. I’ll stay in contact with Eric and step in wherever I’m needed.”
“I’m sure we can hold it together till you get back. We still have plenty of mild weather before winter sets in.”
“Thanks for being so understanding.”
“Just don’t go moving back home. I’ve grown attached to weekends off.”
Thinking of his family’s reputation in this town, Gray smirked. “Not likely, my friend.”