“Sit and rest,” Ginger said, putting out two glasses of tea.
“Thank you, Miss Ginger,” Evelyn said.
“And she’s polite, too,” Ginger said.
“So tell me what you’re doing coming all the way out here,” Bill said.
“I had some extra time, and I know it’s been a while since I’ve been back. Besides, I wanted to show Evelyn the campus.”
“Ohhh,” Bill said, winking at Evelyn. “Trying to impress you, is he?”
“Apparently.” Evelyn smiled at Gray. She knew he was making it up as he went along, and he appreciated her follow-through. “Though I am very impressed. This is a beautiful school.”
“Where did you go to school, Evelyn?” Ginger asked.
“Georgetown.”
“Also a lovely place. Bill and I had occasion to take a trip to Washington, D.C., a few years back. Toured a few of the colleges there. Georgetown is quite the place.”
“Thank you. I enjoyed attending school there.”
There was another knock on the door. “Lordy, but this is a busy place today,”
Ginger said. “Come on in,” she hollered.
“I smell roasted chicken. Is it lunchtime yet?”
“Oh, good heavens. Is that Trevor?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Trevor said. “And I dragged Drew with me.”
Bill blinked, then frowned and looked at Gray. “Did you know they were coming?”
Gray smiled. “We talked about it yesterday. They were at the ranch with me. We got all nostalgic about times at the dorms, and talking about you and Miss Ginger. They said they might come by today.”
“I can’t believe it.” He got up, moved around the table—slowly, Gray noticed—and made his way down the hall. He was enveloped by both Trevor and Drew.
“Man, you’re gettin’ old,” Trevor said. “I might be taller than you now, or you’re shrinkin’.”
Bill laughed. “I can still whup your butt, young ’un.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Trevor said. “I was always just a little bit afraid of you.”
“That was my master plan to keep you all in line.”
After the guys hugged Ginger, she set more tea at the massive table. “Sit, boys,” she said.
“Yeah, well, you had to be intimidating to handle all of us, didn’t you, Bill?” Gray asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Ginger said. “You were all such good boys.”
Bill snorted. “That’s just what I told her. She didn’t know the real you. All a pain in my butt, sneaking out past curfew, smoking in the dorm rooms—”
“Who smoked in the dorm rooms?” Evelyn asked.
“That was Garrett,” Drew said.
“No it wasn’t. It was you,” Trevor said. “You got drunk one night and decided to smoke an entire pack of cigarettes. And that was after all that Jack Daniel’s.”
“Oh. I remember that,” Gray said with a snicker.
“So do I,” Bill said, giving the evil eye to Drew. “Who do you think sat up with your sick ass all night long while you puked your guts up.”
“Funny,” Drew said. “I don’t have much recollection of that night.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it wasn’t the last time you did it, either,” Bill said.
Gray listened as they reminisced, his heart aching as he looked over at Bill. It was obvious Bill wasn’t in good shape, but he wouldn’t let on that he wasn’t feeling well.
When Bill took Trevor and Drew into another room to go find old photo albums, Gray took Ginger by the arm.
“How bad is it, Miss Ginger?”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “It’s bad, Grayson. It’s in his liver. Doctors say there isn’t much they can do.”
Gray took a deep breath. “Is there anything I can do to help? If you need money, if he needs to go somewhere else for treatment . . .”
She squeezed his arms. “Darlin’, if I thought throwin’ money at this would help him, I’d have been on the phone callin’ in favors from every kid who’d ever passed through our doors.” She shook her head. “Money can’t help him now. It’s in God’s hands.”
He bent his head and closed his eyes. Ginger put her arms around him and he hugged her close. When he opened his eyes and looked across the kitchen, Evelyn had tears streaming down her face.
*
EVELYN’S HEART ACHED FOR GRAY. IT WAS CLEAR HE loved Bill and Ginger Briscoe, that the four years he’d spent at the school and in the dorms were some of the best of his life, and that Bill had helped shape the man he’d become. The Briscoes were kind people with good senses of humor and a belief system that would help Ginger get through the rough times ahead.
She also had a strong support system, an entire school apparently, because it was clear a lot of people loved them both. Gray, Trevor, and Drew all worshipped Bill.
She listened to story after story about what a hero he was to them, how he’d saved their butts when they’d almost gotten into trouble, or how he’d disciplined them when they’d crossed the line. But it was all said with such respect that it left Evelyn with a sense of awe about the man.
He’d be leaving an amazing legacy behind. It was a shame he’d be leaving at all.
Ginger was preparing roasted chicken and said there was plenty for everyone.
Evelyn had convinced her she could be useful in the kitchen, despite Ginger’s protests that company didn’t help out. So she’d sliced carrots and peeled potatoes and had made a huge salad, not used to feeding a bunch of hungry men. But it was nice to stand side by side with Ginger and do something quietly for a while.
“You dating that boy?” Ginger asked.
Evelyn didn’t quite know how to answer that, so she started with the truth.
“Actually, I work for his father.”
“The senator?” Ginger took a side step back. “What do you do for him?”
Evelyn explained her job and what she was doing with Gray.
“Now that’s interesting work. You must be very smart.”
Evelyn laughed. “I think I do okay.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s important to always hold your own, Evelyn. Never rely on a man to be your everything in life.”