Page 9 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

“We’ll have them ready by then,” she said.

“That’s my cousin,” Troy said. “Guess no tech was available to run down.”

“You look alike.”

“Do you think?” Troy asked. “We live together.”

“You do?” she asked. Here they went again, over sharing.

“Yep. I was here first and talked her into it. She couldn’t find a place and I decided to get a two-bedroom apartment, and splitting it with her was cheaper for us both. Hinders our dating life some, but living here does that anyway. What about you? Are you single?”

Urgh. She didn’t want to talk about her life.

“Yes,” she said. “And happy to stay that way.”

“You never know on this island. Stranger things have happened.”

It was the way Troy was wiggling his eyebrows at her and she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “What does that mean?”

“You don’t know anything about this island at all, do you?” Troy said, laughing.

“I have had little chance to learn about Boston before I found out I was coming here. I’ve been working the whole time too.”

“Then let me fill you in. There is this thing called the lore or legend of the island.”

“I don’t even want to know,” she said and put her head down hoping he got the hint.

He didn’t.

“Yes,” Troy said. “You do. Because maybe it will hit you.”

“I’ve been hit with enough things in my life lately. I’ll pass on any kind of folklore, thank you very much.”

“Fine,” Troy said, laughing. “I’ll stop. For today.”

3

HAPPENS TOO MUCH

“Hi, Mom,” Garrett said, answering his phone as he was walking in the door after work.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” his mother asked. “You sound like you’re doing something.”

“Getting home now,” he said, putting his bag down and clipping his badge to the bag so he’d have it when he left tomorrow.

“Sorry,” his mother said. “You’re later than normal. Do you want to call me back?”

“Nope,” he said. “As long as you don’t mind me banging around as I look for food while I talk.”

“Never,” his mother said. “I’m just happy to hear your voice.”

He frowned. He was in contact with his parents all the time.

Maybe he didn’t see them as much because when he’d been working in Boston, he could see his father daily if he just walked to his office, but he had rarely done that. It was more that they passed in the halls like other colleagues.

“What’s going on?” he asked. He opened the fridge and looked at his choices of dinner. Rather than make something new, he pulled out the leftover spaghetti and meatballs from yesterday.

Jarred sauce and frozen meatballs with spaghetti that he made were still better than takeout.

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