The conversation quickly turned to other things at that point, but it kept him thinking about what his plans were because he didn’t really have any.
When his sister stopped by later that next day, he mentioned to her, “I’m at least starting to think about what’s coming after this,” he murmured. “I’m just not getting any answers.”
She stared at him and then nodded. “It’s not an easy thing to decide either, and we tend to think that there’s only one choice and that, if we make the wrong one, it’s a lifetime decision.”
He looked at her, frowning. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
She smiled. “I’m just a little bit ahead of you on that pathway,” she noted. “And I already went the wrong direction once.”
“Meaning?”
“I jumped back into law,” she replied, “and I’m not sure it was the right decision, but I’ve spent so much time and energy getting there that it feels like something I can’t walk away from.”
“Maybe it’s time to change the type of law you do?” he asked curiously, because he’d never heard her talk like this before.
“Maybe,” she agreed, “it’s definitely something I’m thinking about now.”
“Because of Stan or Shane?”
“Both in a way. Because of what I want out of life after this too.” She flushed. “I’d really like a family,” she shared. “Particularly after thinking for the longest time that I could never have one.”
“Why couldn’t you have a family?”
“Just think about my boss, for one,” she said, with an eye roll. “And the fight I had to even get a few weeks off to recover here.”
“I would say, tell them to stuff it and move on with your life, but I know it’s not that easy for you.”
“It isn’t,” she stated. “And it’s definitely something I have to work my way through.”
He nodded. “I agree. At the same time, I understand your earlier point. You’ve spent an awful lot of time getting to where you are, and it would be a shame to throw it all away.”
“That’s what I mean though,” she explained. “It becomes something that you hang on to because it’s something you accomplished, and a lot of work and money went into it, but if it’s not something I’m enjoying…”
“What if it was something different, still law but, you know, different law?”
“Meaning?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Does Dani have a lawyer on speed dial around this place? Maybe she would like one.”
Quinton snorted. “I have no idea.” She frowned. “It never even occurred to me, but I’m sure she has some lawyers involved. She would have to. There’s an awful lot of legal paperwork involved when running a charity, like here.”
“Exactly,” he said, “and I know that you and Stan spend a lot of time together, which means you are here a lot, so maybe that’s something that you could look at, that you could run by Dani one day.”
“Maybe,” Quinton replied, staring off in the distance. “Certainly worth talking to her about.”
“Exactly. And now that we’ve solved your problems,” he quipped, “what about mine?”
She burst out laughing. “Wouldn’t it be nice if it were that easy?”
He nodded. “I keep hoping, but, so far, I’m not really finding any clarity that I need.”
“You will,” she declared. “I promise you will. It’s just got to take its own time to wrap through your head. You’ve always been really interested in having your own business, so that seems like something you could easily do.”
“I was thinking about it,” he admitted, “because again it is something I want to do, but I wasn’t sure I wanted a sedentary lifestyle. I’ll end up in trouble just because I can’t get out and do enough to keep my body limber and moving freely. Although I was reminded, not too long ago, that contemplating a business of some kind doesn’t have to be behind a desk.”
Lana’s earlier suggestion from one of their many discussions had merit too. If he provided supplies for hiking and outdoor activities, like camping equipment, he might be able to resurrect an old hobby—photography—and build that up, while out testing the equipment. Have an online profile where he was out takingpictures. He frowned, considering it, when he realized Quinton was still talking to him about it.
“What about a business linked to some kind of fitness program?” she suggested. “I think it’s all about balance, and you and I? We tend to be all or nothing. We went into the service, and that was definitely an all-or-nothing lifestyle for us. And, when it became nothing, we were both kind of stopped in our tracks, not sure what we would do next.”