Page 26 of Slow Kind of Love

Link grabbed the folder on his way out and was halfway down the stairs when he spied Boone Avery chatting with a man Link didn’t recognize. As he stepped down off the last stair, he realized it was the lumberjack his cousin was keen on. The man was tall, with thick hair the color of burnt tobacco that touched the tops of his shoulders, and at least a week’s worth of beard on his face. He was dressed casually in jeans, boots and a black and red plaid overcoat.

He approached the two men at a steady pace and paused when Boone glanced over. For all of two seconds, Link thought there was going to be a problem, but then Link nodded to his companion. “Mansfield, this is Link Major.”

Link offered his hand, and they shook.

“Mansfield Davis.” The guy flashed a smile and pulled his cell from the front pocket of his jeans. A quick glance brought a frown to his face.

“Everything okay?” Boone asked.

“I guess we’ll see,” Mansfield replied with a slight shake to his head. “I’ve got to head to the sheriff’s office. Apparently, one of the teens who graffitied the back of the grocery store last week has been picked up and asked for me.”

After the man left, Boone pointed to the Club House, an onsite eatery that wasn’t officially open, though they’d been serving a limited menu to the staff and workers for weeks.

“I’m about to grab a late breakfast. You eaten yet?”

Link had eaten two hours ago, but he knew this was a chance to clear the air with Boone, and he was happy to do it. The two men walked inside and grabbed the first booth, even though they had the place to themselves. Katrina, who was running the kitchen, came over and took an order of bacon and eggs from them both, and after she came back with coffee for Boone and a hot tea for Link, he settled back in the seat and waited. He knew this was weird for Boone and that he and his mother were close. But her relationship with Link was her business to tell, and she’d chosen to keep it a secret for months. He had no problem honoring her wishes, but if Boone expected some kind of apology, he wasn’t getting it.

“So you and my mom…” Boone said, taking a sip of coffee. He placed the mug back in the center of the table but kept his gaze lowered.

Link took a moment, because again, this was something he needed to get right. Elise would never take up with him if there was tension between her son and Link.

“I didn’t know she was your mother when we met. When I found out last summer, she made me promise not to say a word. This was new for her, and I gave her all the time I could, until…”

“Until?”

“Until I couldn’t. Until I came back from England and saw her with that bloke—”

“David?”

“Yeah. The guy is way too slick for Elise. He looks like he spends more time on his hair than she does. And the fake tan isn’t a good look on a guy past fifty.”

“I can’t argue with you there.”

“Look, your mother drives me bloody crazy. She’s all I thought about when I was in England. Trust me, she’s not some little bird I’m messing about with.”

Boone met his eyes, and he looked skeptical. “I’m aware of your reputation, Major. Even Poppy can’t make your past disappear. Google was very informative. Your face was plastered all over the British rags for years. Always with a different woman, mostly models. So, I’m having a hard time figuring out you and my mother.”

Irritated and more than a little pissed at Boone’s take on the situation, Link considered his words before continuing. This was a delicate situation for the guy; he got that.

“You’re selling your mum short if you think she can’t compete with someone ten or fifteen years younger than her. She’s one hell of a woman. Anyone who’s met your mother is aware she’s exceptional. She’s the most alive woman I know, and our age difference means nothing.”

There was silence for a few moments. Then, when Boone spoke, his voice was husky. “My mom was barely sixteen when she had me. She missed out on a lot. She could have gone places. Done things. But she had me, and she married my dad because he was forced to do the right thing by his father and her father, and it made for a shitty household.”

Boone tossed his napkin and sighed. “My dad was the worst kind of man. The kind who takes and never gives back. The kind who uses and then throws away. He had so much right in front of him. He had my mother and me, and it wasn’t enough. He was weak. He let it eat at him, used it as an excuse to be the kind of husband who cheats and uses his fists and words to hurt. He was everything I never want to be, and she was not happy with him. I never understood why she stayed. And for the longest time, I blamed her. I thought she was the weak one. Now I know it took strength to stay and make some kind of home for me. And I left her with him. I took off and played football and lived my life and left her here with him. But now he’s gone, and I would move the moon if that’s what she needed to make her happy. I want her to live. I want her to do all the things she missed out on because of me. And if being with you makes her feel alive and happy, I’m not going to stand in your way.”

Boone rested his elbows on the table. “She means the world to me.” The warning was clear, and Link understood. Screw with Elise Avery and there will be hell to pay. Hell, if the positions were reversed, he’d feel the same.

“She’s one hell of a lady.”

“Got that right.”

“I’m not going to hurt her.”

Boone’s eyes narrowed a bit, and then a ghost of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. “If you do, I’ll kick your ass all the way back to England.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

With the business of Link’s personal life out of the way, the two men got down to the task of eating their hearty breakfasts while discussing their two programs. When it was all said and done, Boone mentioned his son’s hockey game and made sure to let him know it was at the old arena on the other side of town.

“Mom’s coming.”

“I know.” Link stood and headed for the exit. She hadn’t exactly invited him to watch, but she’d not forbidden him to go either. “I’ll see you there.”

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