Page 2 of I Still Do

“I guess this is some sort of gathering to remember his grandfather. Some kind of last wish. I wouldn’t even consider attending except that Grandpa Jackson included me in the list of people he wanted to invite before he died, and I respected the guy too much to turn the invitation down.” Not to say she hadn’t regretted her decision to go at least a dozen times. She might have escaped the funeral without facing Grey, but it was highly unlikely she’d be able to do the same when they were all in a big cabin together in the mountains.

She shrugged as though it were no big deal. Truthfully, it’d touched her heart more than she could say to have Grandpa Jackson remember her like that. As much as she dreaded seeing Grey or dealing with Flynn’s disapproving stares, she did want to honor Grandpa Jackson’s memory.

She still wondered what possessed him to plan such an interesting event in his final weeks. Attending this reunion would be anything but easy, though.

Jen touched her arm. “It sounds like he was a really nice man.”

“Yeah, he was.”

“How long has it been since you’ve seen your ex?”

Cora forced a casual smile. She hadn’t spoken to Grey since they’d signed the final divorce papers over five years ago. “Probably not long enough.” They laughed, although Cora really felt like crying. Or drowning the memories in a big bowl of chocolate ice cream.

Grey and his family lived in San Antonio. She’d moved to the Dallas area shortly after their divorce and now lived in Denton. Texas was a big state, but she supposed it was inevitable that they’d run into each other again. She never would’ve guessed it’d be in Colorado, though.

She wondered if Grey had changed much. Had he attended the funeral with another woman? Cora went over everything in her mind and didn’t remember seeing anyone. That meant nothing, though. He was probably remarried now, and his wife was somewhere watching over their kids. For the first time, she regretted not keeping track of him over the years. She’d considered checking up on him several times but decided that it wouldn’t do her any good. She’d needed a clean break back then, and time didn’t change that.

Still, it would be nice if she knew exactly what she was getting into this weekend. Pushing that thought away, she chose to focus on her job. She might not be able to do anything about her own painful past, but she could at least lessen her patient’s discomfort.

~*~

Grey Jackson sighed as he went over his list of things to accomplish by the end of the day. He knew his manager, Brody, could handle everything while he was gone. At the end of the day, though, Defending Yesterday was something he’d built from the ground up, and it wasn’t a secret how much the store meant to him.

He’d worked for his mom and grandfather in their family’s antique shop in San Antonio since he was in high school, traveling frequently in search of collectibles for them to sell. Once he’d saved up his own money, he’d opened a shop of his own in Fort Worth. Flynn, eight years Grey’s senior, had been less than happy about Grey moving away from home instead of continuing to help Mom and Grandpa run the family business. Grey had to get out of San Antonio, though, for a variety of reasons. He hated that it’d put strain on his relationship with Flynn, but he’d never regretted his decision.

While Mom and Grandpa focused on household antiques and kitchen collectibles, Grey was more interested in modern as well as antique guns, knives, and anything that could be used camping, hiking, or in survival situations. Those first few months after the store opened were slow until word got around that Defending Yesterday often had items that couldn’t be found elsewhere.

The bell over the door rang as a customer came into the store. Grey recognized Abe, a long-time customer who had been coming to the store since it first opened. “Hey, good to see you, man.” They shook hands. “I’ve got it right over here.”

Abe’s eyes danced with excitement as he rubbed his hands together. “I appreciate the call. I’ve been looking for one of these for years.”

“Not a problem.” Grey unlocked the glass case where he displayed the handguns he had for sale. As his hand closed around the Colt 1911, he was instantly aware of the history that he held in his palm. He’d only seen the classic from World War II once or twice before. It was also exactly what Abe had been looking for.

He demonstrated the gun was unloaded before handing it over to Abe.

“She is a beauty.” Abe took his time inspecting the gun, but there was no doubt he was happy with it. “You don’t see one of these every day.”

“No, sir, you sure don’t.” It’d cost Grey a lot when he’d traded for it earlier that week, but he knew he’d make his money back and then some. Deals like this were what he thrived on.

Abe examined it for several more minutes before nodding definitely. “I’ll take her.”

Grey grinned. “Fantastic. Okay, let me get the paperwork. While you fill that out, I’ll get everything together for you.”

He carefully packaged the gun in a plastic gun case. After getting payment squared away and allowing Abe to inspect the gun and agree that all was present, Grey reached for one of the plastic bags he had hanging up next to a sign that read, “Prayer is the most powerful weapon in your arsenal.” He handed the bag over. “It was great doing business with you, Abe. You’ll have to come back and let me know how it shoots.”

“You’ve got it, Grey.” They shook hands. “You have a good day.”

“Yep, you, too.”

The door closed behind Abe as Brody, the store’s manager, walked up. “Impressive sale, Boss Man. It kinda hurts to see that gun leave.”

“That it does.” If it hadn’t been for the high price tag, Grey would’ve kept the gun for himself. “I think that was the last thing I had hoped to get accomplished today. You sure you don’t mind if I leave early?”

“Nah, I’ve got it all under control.”

“Great. Remember, if you guys need anything, feel free to call. I’m not sure what kind of reception I’ll have at the cabin. They’re predicting a blizzard, so getting in touch may be tricky. I’ll try to check messages frequently.”

“Don’t worry about it, Boss Man. We’ve got this,” Brody said, his voice tinged with amusement. “Like I said, if there’s a problem I can’t handle, I’ll call you. Meanwhile, enjoy getting away for a while. And try not to break a leg on those ski slopes, huh?”

---