Page 59 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“Everything okay?” Andi asked him when he walked in the door.

“Yes. Nothing to worry about. My cousin’s boyfriend is having some trouble with break-ins, but nothing was taken either time.”

“Someone searching for something,” she said. “That is worse than anything. You don’t know their motive then.”

“No,” he said. “It’s unsettling and I know Kelsey, my cousin, is worked up, but Van used to be a detective. He’s got a good handle on it.”

“He had traps set in the house to know, didn’t he?” she asked.

Which meant her father did the same thing. “Do you do that?” he asked.

“No,” she said sighing. “I don’t see a need to though I know how to. I don’t want that stress in my life to come home and wonder if something was moved. Did I move it? How long had it been moved? All those things. Do you do it?”

“I do,” he said. “I can’t help it. But it’s not something that I do daily. I’ve got alarms too, but this is more that I’ve got things set at the back door that I don’t use often. Each night I check the lock and make sure the trap is still in place.”

Just a piece of paper in the corner that would falldownif the door opened.

“Too much for me,” she said.

She was on the couch and he was next to her. She snuggled under his arm some. It was close to eight.

“How was your day?” he asked. It felt like her playful mood was gone. That was fine. He just liked to hold her.

“Good. It was a long one, but I got some big tips,” she said, smiling. “I’m getting more and more clients from word of mouth and that is always great.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. It just told him she was fitting into the community more.

“Me too,” she said.

When she yawned, he picked up the remote and handed it over. “Let’s find something to watch on TV before bed.”

“Sure,” she said. “You find something.”

He was scrolling through and five minutes later realized she was out cold. He didn’t want to move to wake her so found some show to pass the time.

His phone ringing an hour later had her jumping and him reaching for it to see it was Mac.

“Hey,” he said. “What is going on?”

“Kelsey’s house was vandalized. They went there and she found spray paint on the back of her house when she let her dog out.”

“Jesus,” he said, listening to what Mac had been up to for the past hour. “Do you think it’s connected? I should have been called.”

“I’m not sure. Kelsey says no. It didn’t make sense that it was, but I never discount anything. Van made some comments about a guy that Kelsey met on social media. It could be anything from kids to someone she knows and has pissed off or something to do with Van.”

“Can you send that report to me?”

“You’ll get it when I’m done. I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m ready to call it a night.”

“Me too,” he said. “Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Everything okay?” Andi asked.

“Just more going on with my family tonight. Nothing for you to be concerned about.”

No reason to draw her into his drama or maybe bring up any bad memories she had of her own.

The most important thing he learned tonight was that she seemed almost unfazed over the interruptions and that told him that, no matter her secrets, he’d been waiting for her most of his life.

---