Page 86 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

“Maybe I feel the same way sitting at the table alone too.”

“I like the big glass doors,” she said, moving over to open them.

She unlocked one and slid it open, then walked out onto his deck. “My favorite spot.”

“I can see why,” she said. “If you look straight out you see the water in the distance and not the roofs that are below you. It’s wonderful they build all these houses tiered like this.”

“I thought so too,” he said. “If I’m off the deck though and on the patio below, I can’t see much or as well.”

She moved to the edge of his deck and looked down where the land sloped some.

“Can’t do much with this yard either,” she said.

“No,” he said. “And I never worry much about it, but like that, there is a patio there too if I want to go down and sit.”

She turned and went back into his house. “Bedrooms on the other side?”

“Yep,” he said. “You can’t get lost here.” His cottage was barely eleven hundred square feet but laid out well enough to seem more spacious.

She popped her head into his spare room that he’d converted to an office with a daybed in there. Not that he had guests other than Gabriela, but that was rare.

“Cute, but small,” she said. Her head went into the bathroom next with his shower tub combo and single vanity. It was where the small size came into play for the house too. “Yikes. Can’t fit more than one person in here, but it’s updated.”

“That’s exactly it,” he said. “It’s the only full bath I had in the house and it didn’t even feel it to me.”

“Let’s see your room,” she said, moving into his. “Bigger and kind of tight with your king-sized bed, but I bet worth it.”

“Extremely,” he said. “I’m not doing much more than sleeping in here. I don’t need a sitting area or much more than a dresser. The closet is small too, but again, a weekend home.”

“Yeah,” she said. “If you had all your possessions and clothing here, you’d be in trouble.”

“That thought has crossed my mind,” he said.

More recently with him feeling like he wanted to stay on the island. If he did make that decision, he’d need more space and have to decide if he could add on or just buy something else. Neither sounded appealing, but one or the other would have to happen.

She walked to his bathroom and stepped in. “More room in that shower for sure. But not to have more than one person in here at the same time.”

“We can’t do that at your place either,” he said, giving her an elbow nudge when she stepped out.

“Nope,” she said. “It was nice to be able to do it at your condo though. Might have to do it again.”

“Anytime you want,” he said, smirking.

“We just have to find a time where I’ve got a weekend off,” she said. “Which might not be for a while. I’m sorry about that. Does it bother you?”

“No,” he said. “I know how it works with your job. You know how it works for mine.”

He’d never hold that against someone. Especially since it’d been held against him.

“I do,” she said. “I understand you get calls all the time and have to deal with things. I think that is why I wasn’t too worried that you’d be bothered but figured I’d ask.”

“Have you had people not like it in the past?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “But I’ve told them going in. I knew I’d never have a Monday through Friday job and days. It’s not a secret and it does bother some. It makes it hard to go out and do things at times and some men have gotten frustrated over it. My mother and stepmother both hated it with my father but were happy enough with the perks of his income to overlook it.”

It was the forced laugh she did that had him rolling his eyes.

“I’ve had the same thing,” he said. “Until it wasn’t worth it for them to overlook.”

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