"You're back to thinking you would?" he says, and though there's surprise in his tone, it's faint. "More than hypothetically, I mean." He does have to take a moment or two, thinking through the idea and weighing his own feelings, silencing the gruff sound of his grandfather's voice at the back of his mind. Eventually, he nods.

"Like we've said, I don't love the idea," he says. "And, yeah, a lot of that is down to my own hangups, but I'm also thinking about the closing shifts you used to pick up, and the doubles. And all the assholes you've ever told me about." A muscle twitches in his jaw at that last, something protective clenching tight within the center of him--even though he knows she can fend for herself, and has, and would. "But if going back would make you happy, if they can give you a schedule that works...I think you should do it."