“Not the Gail who owns the café in town?” He watched the smile crease the corners of her lips and a dreamy glaze settled over her eyes.
“Yeah, that Gail. ‘All hail Gail.’” She grinned at him across the table. “She was crazy then and I doubt she’s changed much even though she is an old married lady with a family.”
And what a nice family too. One day maybe. “Kyle tells me he’s looking forward to going to the school here. Wants to get to know Gail’s son, Mitch a bit better he said. I think he’s hoping they have the same kind of friendship you did with his mother.”
She looked at him, her eyes cool now. “Seems he’s talked quite a bit to you then.”
Uh oh. Adam sat up straight in his chair. “Look, don’t think I’m interfering or anything. He talks and I listen, simple. It seemed as though he needed someone to rant to and I was happy to help. He’s a great kid. You should be proud of him.” I would be.
She took a breath and relaxed. Her shoulders drooped and the cool stare turned to one of sadness. If he knew her better, Adam would have gone over and wrapped her in his arms and held her, but he didn’t think she would appreciate it right now. Lena oozed defensive and he needed to respect that until she got to know him better.
“Yeah, he’s the best kid ever. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to snap but the last few weeks have been hard on both of us. Thank you for being there for him, I do appreciate it.”
But you still don’t love it. Understandable I suppose. “It’s not a problem. My pleasure in fact. We get on well and it’s nice to have someone to talk things out with as well. I get bored with my own company and he’s a breath of fresh air. Besides, Spencer likes him so that means he must be okay.”
She laughed, her head back and the chortles coming from her throat hit him straight in the gut. “Spencer, isn’t that your dog? The little fluffy eared one?”
“Yes and don’t judge him by his breed either. He’s a bit poncey I guess, but you have to know him to appreciate him. He’s a very intelligent little animal and can pick a nice person a mile away. He adores Kyle.” Who can blame him?
Lena smiled and shook her head. “I do too. Tell me, Adam, what made you decide to go into deer farming? You from country stock?” She sipped her wine and waited for him to talk.
He shrugged his shoulders. If she was baring her soul, so could he. “My father’s a judge, a very good one too from what I believe. Anyway, his dream was always for me to follow in his footsteps.” He smiled at the memory of himself as a young boy sitting in the back row of the courtroom watching his father work. “In the school holidays I was allowed to go to work with him and I loved it. I decided early on that law was going to be my life and he encouraged that. I left high school and went to law school, studying my butt off to make him proud of me.” A pang of guilt stabbed at his gut. “Somewhere along the way I noticed things weren’t as black and white as I’d thought. I hated the way lawyers did deals to save court time, or to keep someone out of jail when in my mind they should have been locked up. People with less money than others seemed to be incarcerated more than those with plenty.” He looked at her over his glass before he took a sip, savoring the plumy flavors of the wine.
May as well tell her the lot since she asked. “I started to query rulings and urged my teachers to prove to me why I was wrong.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Imagine his son calling him out on his decisions. Suffice to say, it did not go down well. The more my father tried to pull me into line, the more I stepped over it. Not long after I passed my bar exams, my aunty—my father’s older sister—died and left me her estate along with Spencer. After a few years of trying to fit in the world of law, I decided we both needed a change of scenery and here we are.” Still the rebel.
“Did she know you were having problems accepting what your father was doing?”
“I’m sure she did. She left me a letter telling me to do what my heart desired, not what my father dictated. She knew he was a bit of a bully. Being the only son of wealthy parents, he was rarely put in his place. As much as Aunt Veronica loved her little brother, she wasn’t blind to his shortcomings, I’m sure.”
“Well, you’ve certainly got yourself a beautiful spot in a wonderful town. I loved growing up here. So peaceful compared to the city, I’d almost forgotten how nice it was until I came back home.”
“Yes it is. When I decided the law wasn’t for me, I took trip around the country to see if I could find what I wanted to do. I’ve always loved the idea of farming and it wasn’t until I saw the place next door for sale that I knew I’d found my calling.”
“Why deer? I mean, from a lawyer to a deer farmer. That’s quite a stretch.” Lena twisted the glass in her fingers and Adam noticed the short cut nails and a small burn on the side of her hand. Guess it must be an occupational hazard.
“Dairy was too much work and I’m not that keen on getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning, especially in winter so that was out of the question. This land lent itself to something delicate and
