Page 38 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

“Technically,” she said. “Then when I saw you, I got this idea in my head that I could prove her wrong.”

He frowned. The sound in the room was his ego deflating pretty rapidly.

“That is the only reason you asked?”

She had turned her back on him to stir the chicken and add some seasonings when he asked that.

This time she whipped back around. “No,” she said. “Not at all. I don’t know. I’m making a mess out of this. I told Jordan that I feel comfortable around you and I can’t say that about a lot of men. It’s been years since I’ve been in a relationship.”

“Years,” he said, lifting an eyebrow.

“I’ve dated,” she said. “Just haven’t had good luck with someone I was willing to do more than that with. How about you?”

“I had a serious relationship.”

“How serious?” she asked. “Or you don’t have to answer it.”

“About a year together. We didn’t live together but had talked about those things. Let’s say that she didn’t care for my job or the time I spent doing it.”

Nor gave him the support he could have used.

“Got it,” she said. “She had to know going in.”

“You can tell someone all the things in the world, but they have to experience it before they can make that decision.”

He hated wasting his time with that and figured that Justine was the same way.

Not a horrible thing.

“I agree,” she said. “It just sucks to put time into something and find out you tried to say it all along.”

He nodded his head.

“So, this thing with us?” His hand was going back and forth. “This is our third meal together. Still friends all you want or do I have to pass some more tests?”

She held his stare. “I don’t test people.”

“I’m trying to joke and it came out poorly.”

“I get it,” she said. “For me, I’m not here long.”

“Understood,” he said. “Neither am I. Or I could be. Or you could be. We don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring.”

“As my sister said,” she said. “So how about we say it’s more than friends, but what else it is, we have to figure out.”

“I’ll take that,” he said, smiling.

12

BEEN PLEASURABLE

“Thank you for indulging me with this,” Justine said on Saturday.

“Not a problem,” he said. “We did a class trip here years ago. It will be fun.”

“Then you can give a guided tour,” she said.

They were on the ferry heading to Plymouth. Garrett drove and she was just as happy to not have to worry much about it. Boarding the ferry, navigating the ports, and trying to find their way about the historical city.

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