Page 44 of Family Bonds- Jarrett & Andi

“I’m always going to worry,” Jack said. “I can’t help it. I think it’s a good thing I never had a kid of my own.”

She laughed. “You can’t keep a woman long enough. Maybe you should try harder.”

“I’m too set in my ways at this point. Most women see I’m in my early forties and still single and they want to know why. There has to be something wrong with me, right?”

“There is a lot wrong with you,” she said, “and a ton right. But not all women like that a man isn’t around. I know that. I lived that with my father.”

“Our jobs make it hard to have a relationship,” Jack said. “You know that. You have to find the right person and it’s not easy. Marshals are on the road more and have crazier hours than other law enforcement too. I heard it enough from Sarah and I’m glad she left before it gotany moreserious.”

“I heard it from my mother and father. I get it.”

She also had it with Jarrett right now.

Then she had to remind herself she was just as guilty. He was home a few nights early enough and she was the one working until eight.

If they were going to try for more than a few dates here and there or make this into more than a casual thing, they’d have to figure that out.

She got the impression he was willing and she knew she was.

“And we don’t need to talk about it now either,” Jack said. “If everything is good with you then I’ll let you relax. You said you had a lot of appointments tomorrow and Saturday.”

“I do,” she said. “Or a few appointments, but they are long ones.”

Which she found at times was better. More money for bigger services and less moving around and cleaning up or breaks in between.

“I’m lucky I’ve got time to go into the barber shop and wait for a cut, so I’d take a hard pass at a salon.”

“You’d be uncomfortable in my place,” she said, laughing.

“I’m sure.”

Jack wasn’t one for small talk though he did it with her enough. Only because he knew her.

“Have a good weekend,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll be in touch.”

They hung up after that and she cut herself another small slice of her pumpkin bread and then made a cup of tea and brought them to the living room.

She wasn’t one for watching parades and they were done at this point.

There was a football gameonthat started an hour ago that she could watch. She didn’t even know who was playing and it’s not like she was into it all that much. She only watched it with her father at times.

She picked the remote up and started to look for a movie to watch and when she noticed all the Christmas ones that were now playing she stopped her search. No way she was considering that.

An hour later, she was starting her second episode of some older medical series she decided to give a try when there was a knock at her door.

She frowned and got up to look out the window and noticed Jarrett’s SUV in her driveway, found the smile filling her faceandmoved quickly to the front door.

“Hi,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”

“I know,” he said. “I was on my way home and thought I’d stop.”

“You mean you drove by to check on the house and saw the light?”

“That too,” he said, grinning. “Does that bother you? I don’t want you to think it’s creepy by any means.”

“No,” she said. She wouldn’t say that she found some comfort in it. That he was looking out for her.

It seemed she had a lot of men in her life that did that. Guess she was lucky in a way.

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