Linc didn’t have to tell Elmer that January was usually one of the slowest months of the year in the store. “Great news all around.”

“We’ve got Charley moving in with Tyler and now Grayson looking for a place big enough for three as well as in-law lodging for Ray. Lucy is over the moon that her family is moving north, she and Colton are finally planning their wedding, and baby Callie is getting stronger every day.” Linc rubbed his hands together gleefully. “It’s all coming together. And, in other news, my very talented nephew and your grandson has made Ed Sheehan and his pointless complaint go away.”

“Did he now?”

“Yep. He dropped the complaint after Gray talked to his attorney and made him see he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

“Hot damn. That is good news.”

“Everything’s going our way, my friend.”

“So it seems. Have you heard any more about why Mary is leaving the company?”

“Nothing yet, but I’m working on that. I’ve got Cameron talking to Patrick to see if he can shed any light.”

“There’s a story to be had there. Mark my words.”

“Oh, I know it.”

“What’re you hearing about Coleman?” Elmer asked, scowling.

“Grayson heard from the doctors that he had the transplant. I guess it’s a waiting game now.”

Elmer grunted in response. “Still can’t get over the gall of that guy coming to kids he abandoned, looking for one of them to save his life.”

“Desperate times, I suppose.”

Elmer scowled at that. “Anyway,” he said, “since the last time we talked about our little project, I’ve done some digging into the situation our friend Wade finds himself in with a woman he wants but can’t have.” Elmer withdrew sheets of paper from an envelope and placed them on the table in front of Linc. On the pages were copies of newspaper articles about a huge heroin bust that had gone down in Caledonia County. It had been all over the news for days now.

“What the heck does that have to do with Wade?” Lincoln asked as he scanned the headlines.

“I have reason to believe that the woman our Wade has set his sights on is mixed up with this guy.” He pointed to the photo of a man identified as the ringleader of the drug operation.

“How do you know?”

“The day Caden was born, Wade drove me to Burlington. He told me just enough to give me the gist. I put the rest of it together on my own. The question now is what’re we going to do about it?”

“We’re not doing anything. I don’t want my son mixed up in something like this.”