Page 67 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

“I think she has good core values. She was close to her father. She is close to her sister. She hasn’t had a lot of romantic relationships because she says she’s fussy, but I think she keeps people at arm’s length. Not sure the reason yet.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to get that answer,” his mother said.

“I’ll try but don’t want to push her away either.”

“Don’t always put others before yourself,” his mother said. “You’ve done that a lot in your life.”

“You do it too,” he said. “And it worked for you. I’d like to think if you find the right person it’s okay to do that. Or it’s expected.”

“Only if they put you first back,” his mother said. “Do you think Justine will?”

“I think so,” he said.

He’d seen signs of it for sure.

She didn’t make decisions without talking to him.

She opened up and told him more than she admitted she had to other people.

She let him in early and, in his mind, he wanted to think that was her way to try to put his feelings first.

At least that was what he was telling himself and hoping for the best.

20

BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH

“Hi,” Justine said three weeks later. It was a little after eight at night and she was only two hours into her shift.

Dina went on a break and Colleen was on the phone. That left her to get the counter.

“Justine Keller, right?” the woman said.

“That’s me,” she said, pointing to her name tag. “How can I help you?”

The woman stuck her hand out. “Gabriela Mills. Nice to finally meet you.”

Garrett’s sister.

“I can see the resemblance now,” she said. “If I knew you were coming I would have realized it sooner.”

“It was a last minute decision,” Gabriela said. “I’m on the island for the rest of the week filling in and just got here. I was on my way to my parents’ and decided to swing by and see if I could meet you.”

“You knew I was working?” she asked.

“A guess,” she said. “My mother mentioned that Garrett had said you were on nights this week. It’s not like I called him first and told him what I was doing.”

That was something at least.

She’d like to think Garrett would have given her a heads up.

“Was there a reason you didn’t want him to know you were coming to see me?” she asked.

“No,” Gabriela said. “But I’m being nosy. You’ve been here almost two months and have had some kind of a relationship with him the whole time. The past month a much closer one.”

She wasn’t going to deny that. There was no reason to.

The past several weeks had been wonderful for her and Garrett.

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