Page 24 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“Thank you again. I’m not sure what would have happened if you weren’t there when I fell.”

“Not a problem. Guess it was fate.” And the minute those words were out of his mouth he was reminded of the lore of this damn island and how he’d never believed in it before.

“I never thought much of that one way or another,” she said. She was still putting her groceries away and he noticed she was neat like him.

Not over the top, but everything was lined up and made sense where it went.

“Not many do,” he said. “What do you know about this island?”

“Quite a bit,” she said. “If Amanda didn’t fill me in, but I don’t see her much, then my clients do. I know the lore and the legend. I know all about your family finding the island. I just don’t know who is who. Like since you’re last name is Bond, you come from one of the three sons.”

“William,” he said. “The poor side.”

She snorted. “Do people think of it that way? In this day and age?”

It kind of put him in his place. “More than you realize.”

“That’s sad,” she said.

“Guess I’m used to it.”

“I try not to get too used to anything in life. Too much can change.”

It was the quiet way she said it that told him that she wasn’t going to say much more, but he knew she was hiding something.

“That goes for everyone,” he said.

“You’re right. This is me and my pity party. It will pass. Been a bad couple of days, but I’ll be happy to get back to normal.”

“What’s normal?” he asked. “Formethat is working nonstop and then going home to work on my house.”

“Alone?” she asked. “Sure I can’t get you something to drink?”

“I’m good,” he said. “And yes, alone. Seems to be the story of my life.”

He added a cocky smirk to that statement and she matched it. “I think we might have that in common now.”

8

MY LUCKY DAY

“Andi,” Amanda said, rushing toward her on Friday morning. “I’m so glad to see you. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” she said. “At least better than I was over the weekend and even Monday.”

“Are you sure you should be working today?” Amanda asked. “We could have rescheduled it for you.”

“I’m fine. I need to get out and do something,” she said. “If I have to sit around watching stupid talk shows one more day I might lose my mind.”

She thought it’d be fun. Yeah, not.

She’d never been someone to sit around doing nothing. She even went for a few walks but nothing in the woods where she might trip and fall again.

Andi was still so mad at herself for not paying attention. But she’d been taking in the beauty around her and getting in what she thought might be the last nice day of the fall.

Thoughts of her and her father hiking were recycling through her brain. She needed that reminder and bond with him again.

But she was worried about the terrain and turning an ankle and should have worn her hiking boots rather than sneakers. It’s just,shedidn’t think she was going to veer off the road and go on the trails and should have planned better.

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