20. Been Through Enough
20
BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH
“H i,” 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.
They spent the weekends together when she wasn’t working, and if she was, they had dinner during the week.
He’d spent the night at her apartment every time they stayed the night together. She’d yet to see his house.
She didn’t know why that was and part of her wasn’t thinking much of it until recently.
Could be it just fell that way, that he was always coming to her.
“You could say that,” she said.
“So,” Gabriela said, “what are your intentions with my brother?”
“What?” she asked.
She’d had no one ask her that before.
Wasn’t that something that a father asked a guy?
Not that her father ever did because half the time she wasn’t with someone long enough for her father to meet them.
It’s not that her father wasn’t interested, but more likely he’d make some comments when she was dating someone and she’d know her father wouldn’t approve of them.
Why bother to get further into a relationship with a person if she’d end up listening to her father? He always had good sound advice when it came to her life.
Gabriela motioned for her to go to the side, so she walked out from behind the counter and went to talk.
“My brother has had a rough year,” Gabriela said. “And I know you have too. I’m not saying anything in regards to that. But he locks everything in and is there for everyone and puts himself last. I don’t want to see him hurt any more than he’s been. He’s been through enough.”
She wanted to be annoyed but wouldn’t.
“I’ve got a younger sister who is much more outspoken than me,” she said. “She’d probably do the same thing as you.”
Which reminded her she hadn’t talked to her sister in weeks. Nothing more than texts.
“So you’re okay I’m talking to you?”
“I’d hope we’d talk,” she said. “I like your brother a lot. I care for him. But what we have is between us. We are working it out. I’m not someone that likes drama and I’m carrying a lot on my shoulders.”
Gabriela nodded her head. “He does the same.”
“He does a good job not showing it,” she said, frowning.
“Exactly,” Garrett’s sister said. “Which is why I’m worried.”
“There is no reason to be worried,” she said. “I have no intention of hurting your brother. But I don’t move fast. It’s the way I am. If your brother is okay with it, why can’t you be?”
Gabriela laughed. “I like that you’re not afraid to speak your mind.”
She frowned again.
She’d never been one to do that with anyone other than her father or Jordan.
“It doesn’t happen often,” she said.
“Then maybe what is going on with my brother has more meaning than you want to admit.”
Her lips twitched while she thought of that. “Could be.”
“And you’re honest so I can’t fault you there,” Gabriela said. “I’m the same way. I don’t want to cause problems.”
“No problems,” she said. “I can’t be upset that you are looking out for your brother. I’ve got to imagine that based on your family background you might be sought after for the wrong reasons.”
Gabriela laughed. “You don’t know the half of it. But my bullshit meter is very sensitive to it. When I’m close to it, it starts dinging without me saying a word.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Is it making a noise right now?”
Gabriela smirked. “No. Which is why I’m apologizing if you feel like I’m cornering you, which I’m not. My mother will have my head if she finds out. I’ll have to confess my sins to Garrett at the very least. He’ll protect me.”
She smiled. “Like a good big brother. I will not rat you out, don’t worry.”
“Thanks for that,” Gabriela said. “But I am going to tell Garrett and he will most likely call you.”
“I appreciate the heads up.”
Gabriela left after that and she returned to work.
“So it’s true,” Dina said. She hadn’t been aware Dina returned from her break.
“What’s true?”
“That you’re dating Dr. Mills.”
She laughed. “Which Dr. Mills are you talking about?”
“Garrett,” Dina said, smiling. “I don’t know Gabriela. I’ve never seen her before, but I overheard a bit.”
She was positive it was more than a bit.
“I am dating him. Is that a problem?”
“No,” Dina said. “The other single Bond men in the family are dwindling and they are all good catches. Anyone should feel lucky to land one.”
She didn’t like the way Garrett was being talked about.
“I don’t look at it that way. I don’t care if someone thinks someone else is a good catch. I only care about how the two of us are together. I’ve got to get back to work now,” she said.
She walked away and knew she might have come off sounding like a bitch, but didn’t mean it. She just didn’t want to talk about it.
It was no one’s business.
But four hours later, a little after midnight, her cell phone was ringing and she saw it was Jordan.
She’d texted earlier to say she was working nights if her sister got a break or could talk. Not that she knew if Jordan was working or home, but her sister didn’t go to bed early.
“Hi,” she said. “Can I call you back in two minutes? I just want to finish this order and then I’m going to take a break. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Yep,” Jordan said. “I’m only studying.”
“Two minutes,” she said. “I promise.”
She finished what she was doing, then went to her office where she normally ate her meals. This time she shut the door when she didn’t do that often.
There was only Colleen working right now and she’d let her know she was going on break.
“Hey, Justine. What is going on?”
“I just needed to talk. I realized we haven’t in weeks. How are you?”
“Busy,” Jordan said. “But that is normal. Are you struggling?”
“Not with Dad. I mean, that is going to happen, but it’s with other things. Mom called me a few weeks ago.”
“Why are you just telling me now?” Jordan asked.
“Because I didn’t want to burden you with it. And I’m not saying it for that to happen. I know you get worked up, but I handled it.”
No way she was going to say everything that had been talked about. Jordan and her mother didn’t talk at all.
That was between them.
“I’m sure you did handle it,” Jordan said. “So if it was weeks ago, then what else is going on?”
“She kind of set me off a bit.”
“I knew it,” Jordan said loudly.
“It’s all good. It made me open my eyes some. The next night I had a date with Garrett. We went to the casino and had so much fun. I won over ten thousand.”
Jordan laughed. “That’s great. Good for you. I would have blown it trying to win more.”
“I’m not you,” she said. “But I met some more of his family that night. It’s hard not to when they own the place. I got to meet Emma French. You know she’s one of my favorite authors and she was there doing research.”
“You told me that was Garrett’s cousin. Sounds like you had one hell of a night.”
“I slept with him that night too,” she admitted.
Jordan laughed even louder. “Good for you. I don’t even want to know how long it’s been since you’ve had sex. You’re not me. I’ve got friends and we take care of those itches.”
“What?” she asked. They’d never talked about those things before.
“Don’t be a prude, Justine. Sometimes you need a sexual release without it meaning anything. Many people feel the same way. That’s why it’s called friends with benefits. I might have had a colleague or two like that over the years.”
She didn’t want to know. She’d start to lecture and sound like a prude, as her sister accused her of.
“Okay,” she said. “It’s your life.”
“That’s right. We live them differently. Tell me more about Garrett. Things have to be getting serious then for you to take that step.”
“I’m not sure I’d use the word serious. But we get along well. He’s confided in me about things and I’ve done the same with him. I think he wants to move faster than me and he gets a little annoyed, but I can’t be someone I’m not.”
“Nope,” Jordan said. “You can’t. Your pace is slow, but if that works for you and he’s fine with it, then so be it.”
“It has more to do with I’m kind of holding back because I’m not going to be here much more than four months.”
“Which you could change if you wanted, right? Or do they have someone else hired already?”
“They don’t,” she said. “My boss checked in with me last week to see how I’m doing and my thoughts on the island.”
“Do you think you might want to stay there?” Jordan asked.
“I haven’t put a lot of thought into it. I’m not sure what Garrett is doing either.”
“So if he stayed, you’d stay?” Jordan asked. “I don’t think you should decide based on that.”
“I’m not going to,” she said. “But I’ve said that has to come into play. He hasn’t said what he is going to do.”
“Maybe he’s waiting for you to stay,” Jordan said.
“No clue, but there is plenty of time. I called because his sister just showed up tonight without him knowing. She wanted to check me out.”
“And do what I’d do to Garrett if I was close by?” Jordan asked, laughing. “Make sure you don’t mess him up just like I wouldn’t want him to mess you up?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No,” she said. “Because I knew that you’d do the same thing. But in the past, it would have bothered me. Why doesn’t it now?”
“Because you’re not the same person you were before,” Jordan said. “Neither am I. We can’t and won’t be that person anymore with Dad gone.”
She started to sniffle and didn’t want to cry but knew talking to her sister it would happen.
“I know. I miss him so much. It has me rethinking my life.”
“Like what?” Jordan asked.
“Why I never gave men a chance before, for one,” she said.
“Because Dad always had some negative comment and you listened and then ended things. I know that. I thought it was stupid. Dad was saying things based on what you were relaying to him. He’d pick up on the negatives you said and he’d ask questions. You always took them further than they needed to go.”
“Really?” she asked. “I didn’t know I did that.”
“You did,” Jordan said. “All the time. Now with Dad not around, I’m the only one you can say those negative things to and you haven’t said anything once. How come?”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Do you have anything to say negative about him?” Jordan asked. “I mean no one is perfect, but in a few months you might find something wrong.”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “But nothing that is standing out either. We haven’t had any fights or disagreements. Nothing more than I told him I don’t need him paying for everything. He listened and I’ve paid for a few things now.”
“Good,” Jordan said. “I’m glad you’re speaking up.”
“I did with Gabriela too. It feels like it’s not me to do that.”
“It’s all a good thing,” Jordan said. “I’m telling you right now. You needed to stand up for yourself more in life and if Garrett is helping with that, it’s great.”
“It’s not him,” she interrupted. “He only knows what I’ve been like for two months.”
“Then maybe it’s just a change you needed rather than one you forced on yourself by moving. Only you know that answer, Justine. But I’m telling you now—it’s not a bad thing. Don’t look for that. Go with the flow and see where it takes you.”
“That’s what I’m doing,” she said.
“And don’t worry what people might say about you dating him either,” Jordan said. “It’s hard to turn your back on gossip or being talked about, but I don’t want you to run or leave or whatever terms you want to put on it if you’re feeling uncomfortable. Do you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” she said, smiling. “Thanks for the pep talk. I needed it.”
“Any time,” Jordan said, yawning. “I’m going to try to study for another hour and then get to sleep.”
There was no reason to lecture her sister. She did her own thing all the time anyway.
“Take care of yourself, Jordan. I don’t want to worry about you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m good,” Jordan said. “And it sounds like you are too.”