Page 26 of Home for Justice
She smiled, leaning forward to gently place her hand on his arm. “I understand. I know you’re not ready to make major decisions, and I respect that. But I have to admit that, selfishly, I’m enjoying getting to know you.”
Impressed with the unwavering honesty, he grinned. “I feel exactly the same way.”
They cleaned the dishes and then leaned against the kitchen counter, comfortably facing each other. “Besides seeing your dad, how was your day?” Tyler asked.
“Work is good,” Justice replied. “Everyone pitches in. Dad has always treated his employees like family. When we’ve needed them, they’ve always come through for us.”
Tyler sensed there was more she wasn’t sharing. He angled himself to face her directly. “But…?”
She looked at him, eyebrows knitted together. “But what?”
“It feels like you’re holding back. I like to think we’re becoming friends and that you could share.”
She chuckled lightly, nodding. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“One thing you’ll learn about me, Justice… I never say anything I don’t mean.”
Holding his gaze steadily, she nodded slowly, her smile genuine. “Good to know.”
13
Justice shifted in her seat, fingers curling around her warm mug. The familiar scent of her tea drifted upward, but she barely noticed. Her gaze wandered to the view of familiar stretches of trees and pasture, where the late afternoon sun slanted long shadows over the land.
Tyler sat in a chair next to her on the back porch. He hadn’t asked more about what she’d dealt with today, but he seemed to be waiting patiently. She pondered how much she should say. The story of her family wasn’t a secret, not around here, but putting it into words meant sharing pieces of herself she didn’t offer lightly.
Before she could sort through the tangled knot in her chest, Tyler spoke with a low and steady voice. “Justice, you don’t have to tell me anything you’re not comfortable with.”
Her head jerked up in surprise, and she met his gaze. Concern was there, yes, but not pressure. Just quiet patience.
“No,” she murmured, shaking her head. “It’s not that. Honestly, there’s not much I can say that folks around here don’t already know. It’s just…” She hesitated, lifting a shoulder. “I didn’t want to assume you wanted to know all the details.”
“If it has anything to do with you,” he said, his voice gentle but sure, “I’d like to know.” He lifted his hands in an open gesture, palms up. “I have nowhere to be. I’m all yours.”
That made her laugh, and she eased back into the chair, comforted by the warmth in his voice and the sincerity in his eyes.
“I was born and raised here. So were my parents. And their parents before them. Our family has been part of this land since the early settlers arrived. My grandparents had a house right in town where they raised their two boys. My dad, Jack, and his younger brother, Jordy.”
She paused, as if picturing them as boys running through the streets of a much smaller town, when life might’ve felt simpler.
“My grandfather ran an auto repair business. Did real well, too. It was the only shop around back then. My dad joined him after his stint in the Army. He was a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic in the motor pool, so it was a natural fit.” Her lips curved with affection. “Granddad would’ve loved for both his sons to take over the business, but he always said he just wanted them happy.”
Her voice dropped, tinged with dry humor. “Only, the problem with Jordy was… he didn’t really want to work at anything.”
Tyler let out a chuckle and shook his head. “I’ve known a few people like that.”
She smiled, but the amusement faded quickly. “Jordy tried working at the garage in high school but hated the manual labor. He decided he wanted to go to college. That lasted only one semester, then he came home. Granddad put him in the office, thinking maybe he’d be motivated to work there. But Jordy didn’t like the paperwork either. Got bored. There were even whispers that he’d been skimming money.”
That made Tyler’s brow lift, and he shook his head. “Damn.”
She looked around, drawing strength from the view again, where the fields rolled gently in the distance. “Almost thirty years ago, Charlie sold these ten acres to my parents. They wanted to build out here and have some space, some quiet. Dad said he wanted me to have room to run and breathe. To grow up surrounded by something good.”
Tyler glanced toward the land outside, then back at her. “It’s a great place. Peaceful.”
A soft smile touched her lips. “Yeah. I was only a few years old, so my memories are all of this place.” She glanced at him and laughed. “I remember seeing you occasionally when you’d visit with your parents. But you were a teenager, and I was still in elementary school.”
His eyes widened, then he shook his head, a blush covering his cheeks.
“Don’t feel bad.” She chuckled. “I don’t know any teenage boy who would pay attention to a little girl still playing with dolls!” She held his gaze, then sadness crept into her thoughts. “After you joined the Army, and especially after your parents passed away, we always kept our distance when you were visiting. We didn’t want to interrupt any time you had with your grandparents. And I had the flu when your grandmother died, so I stayed away then, too.”
