They’d gone to a few different home goods stores so it’s not like they had to walk through a mall carrying everything she bought. Nothing was that heavy, but she got some pillows and throw blankets, a few knickknacks to put in the built-in shelves that were bare and drove her nuts. She wasn’t sure if what she got would be enough to look better or worse though.

  “Sometimes you hit a good deal,” he said.

  “I did. I’m cheap if you haven’t noticed.” She had her keys out and unlocked the door, then walked into the kitchen.

  “We all are in our way,” he said. “It’s called living within your means. My last name may be Bond, but I don’t have an infinite amount of money in my bank account. I never will either.”

  She put her bags down and turned to look at him. “Do you want to?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” he asked, grinning.

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “With money comes power and responsibility that not everyone wants. I’m aiming for comfortable. I just want to be stable. I don’t want to get a big car repair bill and sweat that I’m not sure where the money is coming from to fix it. I don’t want to put off one bill to pay another and then worry I’ll get behind.”

  “There is something to be said about that in life,” Alex said. “I think a lot of people struggle on the island because it costs so much. They come here because the wages are higher at times and they see that rather than the cost to stay.”

  “Trust me, they are higher,” she said. She’d been shocked at her salary but got it now. “I don’t know if I’d make this much anywhere else. At least not this soon in my life. But again, the cost to live here eats that up. Now I understand what it might be like to live in California when you see all those shacks selling for a million.”

  “It’s not quite that bad here, but bad enough. My family has done a good job trying to balance it.”

  “That’s right,” she said. “Your whole family. Not just those with the money. You and your brothers provide a much-needed service here.”

  “We do,” he said. “Someone has to do it. There are a lot of ways to contribute to the island. I’m doing my part.”

  “Because the history means more than the money,” she said.

  He turned and pulled her into his arms, her hands going around his neck. “You’re pretty smart for someone who hasn’t lived here long.”

  “And I don’t think you’re as laid back or not serious as much as you want people to think you are.”

  His mouth lowered to hers and she wondered if he was trying to distract her. “Guess you’re going to have to continue to think that another time,” he said.

  This kiss was going to be much better than the one in the car.

  She could touch him. Push her body next to his.

  Hold him tight and not let go.

  Her mouth opened under his, his tongue slid in and she might have just groaned. She could be getting wet on top of it but sure the hell wouldn’t admit it.

  His hands went into her hair and held her head in place and this kiss that started slow was now turning into a mission to seduce her.

  She might be falling for it and had to reel it back.

  “Whoa,” she said. “You sure the hell know how to kiss.”

  “A lot of practice from picking up hot chicks in hardware stores.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like you. Someone who could poke fun at himself as much as you do.”

  “It’s not poking fun at myself,” he said. “I know who I am. If people choose to see something else, that is on them.”

  He’d stepped back when he said that. His voice was more serious and she wondered if she hit an exposed nerve.

  “I know what I see. You’ll have to tell me if I’m right or not though.”

  He crossed his arms and her eyes went right to his biceps straining at his shirt. She was so weak when she never thought she was before.

  “And what do you see?” he asked.

  “Someone who wants people to see what’s not there. That you’re closed off to most, even those closest to you. The question is why?”

  “I’m not closed off,” he said.

  “But you didn’t deny you want people to see something that might not be true?” she asked.

  “Let’s say I’m complicated. Just like I’m sure you are too.”

  And since she didn’t want to talk too much more about her past, she had to let it drop. “You’re probably right and I’m sorry I’m prying.”

  “It’s not prying when you’re trying to find out about people. That’s what we are doing, right?”

  “It looks it,” she said. “Since we aren’t going to jump in bed any time soon.”

  He grinned at her. “I might make you change your mind.”

  “Maybe I’ll welcome that. But while you’re changing my mind, you better not be trying to change someone else’s too.”

  “Never,” he said. “I don’t cheat.”

  “And there is that nerve I touched again. I’m not saying you do. I’m just saying that I’ve learned from experience that you have to tell someone where you stand in a relationship. Open or not. I’m not open. That’s only a fact I’m expressing.”

  “As I heard. Neither am I,” he said. “And though I had a great day, I do need to get home now.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. She’d planned on cooking dinner for him tonight. “You should have said you had plans.”

  “No plans,” he said. “Not really. But the hardware store texted that my tiles are in and I need to get them before they close.”

  “Oh,” she said. “That’s great. And was fast.”

  “Some things are.”

  “I had a great time,” she said. “I really did. Not that I want to try to do that again anytime soon, but I’m glad we got to go together.”

  “We can try for another date sometime soon,” he said.

  She smiled at that. “You’re working this weekend?”

  “I am,” he said. “Saturday and Sunday days, then Monday and Tuesday nights. If I’m not running late, I could do dinner on Saturday if you want.”

  “I was going to offer to cook for you tonight, so how about we do that Saturday?”

  He leaned down and kissed her one more time. “Sounds like a great plan to me.”

  She watched him walk out the door, her eyes on his ass. He sure did have a nice body that she couldn’t wait to see more of.

  Jennie was putting all her purchases away when her phone rang. She picked it up and noticed it was Penelope and the time. “Hi, Penelope. Did you get out early or are you working from home?”

  “Working from home,” Penelope said. “It’s great being the boss. Between Griffin going in later sometimes or my mother taking Zandra, I’m able to make my own hours. Not sure what Emily is going to do when the twins come in September though.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t have a nanny,” she said. “One you both use.”

  “Funny you should say that,” Penelope said. “My father brought it up when my mother offered to watch all three kids. I know it’d be too much for her. And we are all flexible with our hours so that is something we are looking into. Emily and I don’t live far from each other, as you know. But again, finding that right person is never easy.”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Are you just checking in on me? Or warning me about something with Griffin?”

  Penelope laughed. “Neither of those things. Not much longer until the wedding. My mother and Emily wanted to get together on Sunday to go over some last minute things.”

  “You are so calm about it all,” she said.

  “Emily is the uptight one that has to have everything perfect. Me, I just want to call your brother my husband.”

  “You are so good for him,” she said softly.

  “Thank you. It took a long time for me to get him to see that.”

  “I think he probably already knew but didn’t want to admit it.”

  “Are you like your brother?” Penelope asked.

  “Meaning what?”

  “Meaning you’ve been here almost ten months. Have you even dated anyone? Have you done anything other than work?”

  “Maybe,” she said.

  “Did you do something today?” Penelope asked, some humor in her voice.

  “Is Griffin having me watched?” she asked, frowning.

  “Of course not,” Penelope said. “Or I don’t think so. No, he wouldn’t. I’d know. What are you trying to hide from him? Tell me. Tell me. I’ve got to know.”

  She laughed at the tone Penelope was using. “I bet you drove Emily nuts as a kid.”

  “I did,” Penelope said, laughing. “Well, what did you do today? Did it have anything to do with a guy?”

  “I went shopping in Plymouth,” she said.

  “Good for you. No problems getting on and off the ferry?”

  “Nope,” she said.

  “Did you go alone?”

  She paused. She didn’t want to lie. “No.”

  “Did the other person have a penis?”

  Penelope was a riot. “That’s funny.”

  “You didn’t answer me, so I’m going to say yes. Now the question is if you’ve seen that penis.”

  “No,” she said.

  “Hmmm, okay. Do you want to see it?”

  “I do,” she said.

  “Woohoo. Good for you. Need some help?”

  “I can figure out how to see a man’s penis just fine, thank you very much.”

  “Are you going to tell me the name attached to this penis or is that a secret right now?”

  “Since it’s only the first date, can I keep it to myself for now?”

  “You sure can. When is the second date?” Penelope asked.

  “I’m cooking dinner for him on Saturday night,” she said.

  “Then good luck.”

  “Thanks. And I appreciate you not pushing me.”

  “Never,” Penelope said. “I reserve that for pushing your brother. And since I know he pushes you too, it’s not right to get it from both of us.”

  Jennie grinned and hung up the phone and then went back to putting everything away in the house and making a plan for Saturday night with Alex.

  Yep, she wanted to see what was in his jeans but still didn’t think she was quite ready for it on Saturday night. But not much longer. Or at least her overactive hormones wouldn’t let it be much longer.

  11

  Being A Hero

  “There is my favorite boy,” Alice Bond said when he walked in the door.

  “I’m only your favorite because I’m here on time for once. I beat my brothers. If they were here first, you’d say that to them.”

  His father laughed. “I thought Mac was the favorite since he was giving you the first grandchild.”

  “Mac is always going to be the favorite,” his mother said, “because he was my firstborn. And now it stands to reason he’d give me my first grandchild. Though I’d like my other boys to catch up.”

  Alex forced the smile on his face over the first grandchild comment. It shouldn’t have been that way, but he’d never say because no one else knew.

  It was something he tried to forget himself, but it never was far from his mind.

  “Give Alex a break,” Mac said, walking in the door behind him. “He has to find a woman willing to put up with his ways and past first.”

  He laughed at his brother’s comment knowing it wasn’t meant as an insult. “You found Sidney to put up with yours.” He leaned in to kiss Sidney on the cheek. “How are you feeling?”

  “I feel great,” Sidney said. “Like nothing is going on in my body. Tell your brother to get off my back.”

  “Mac is good at never smiling and being on your back,” he said of the most serious of the Bond brothers.

  Mac had a history too. Of being boring and never putting women first. Or never trying. Whether it was on purpose or his dull personality, Alex didn’t know, but his brother found his mate and sure was happy now.

  Lucky bastard.

  “I smile, asshole,” Mac said. “No reason to do it to you though.”

  “Boys,” his mother said. “No fighting. I haven’t had you all in the same room since the holidays.”

  “And you still don’t. Jarrett is late,” Alex said. “Did he find a way to get out of it?”

  “He’s on the way,” his mother said. “He got held up at work. And I’m glad you were all able to make it. I know you are going to work tomorrow and it’s hard for you to make plans, Alex.”

  He was hoping that he wasn’t late tomorrow since he wanted to get to Jennie’s on time for dinner.

  They’d been in contact since he’d dropped her back home yesterday. Texting more than anything. He wasn’t one to talk on the phone and he didn’t think she was either.

  He’d never been one that liked clingy women and didn’t seem to have the problem right now.

  He was actually more worried that if he didn’t reach out, she wouldn’t to him.

  “It is,” he said. “The life of a hero.”

  “Please,” Jarrett said, coming in the door. His parents’ house wasn’t that big. He and Jarrett had shared a room when they were younger. Now they were all in the living room to see Jarrett stroll in. “Until you have to fire a gun or arrest someone, you’re no hero.”

  “Sorry I’m not like Mac shooting men to save the damsel in distress,” he said, winking.

  His brother had shot Sidney’s ex and stalker a few years ago on the island, disarming him while he had a gun on Sidney.

  To the best of his knowledge, Alex didn’t know how many times Jarrett might have had to fire his gun and hadn’t asked. There were things that didn’t get discussed much. Least of all in front of his mother.

  “Your brother pulls people out of burning fires,” his father said. “There isn’t one of you in here that isn’t a hero and you know it.”

  “That’s right,” his mother said. “You all had to continue on and make me worry. Alex, how are you feeling?”

  She’d been asking him every time she’d seen him since two months ago when he ended up in the ER.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Smoke inhalation is part of the job at times. I walked into the ER on my own two feet and out the same way.”

  “I wonder how Griffin’s sister is doing,” his mother said. “Has anyone heard? Talk about being a hero.”

  “Stupid is more like it,” he said. “And she knows it. Griffin has been giving her hell.”

  “How do you know that?” Jarrett asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  Shit. He might have put his foot in his mouth on his own but could play it off. “I was talking to Griffin at the casino the night you met up with me. I asked how she was doing. You know, Mom taught me to be polite like that.”

  His mother rolled her eyes. “I did. And she’s good?”

  “She’s fine,” he said. No reason to volunteer anymore, though on an island this size he was sure it was going to get around soon enough.

  “Do you need any help with your floors?” Jarrett asked him.

  “If we can meet up on a day off, that’d be great. I picked up the tile yesterday but haven’t had time to do it yet. I’ve spent the past few days off priming and painting the cabinets. They are done and I’ll put the new fixtures on. It already looks better and brighter in there.”

  “You’re doing a great job,” his mother said. “I’m so proud of you owning your own home now. It’s almost like being a grown up.”

  Mac laughed, proving that he had lightened his tight ass up over the years. “Leave Alex alone. Owning a home isn’t easy. There is a lot of shit to do around the house and we know he’d rather go out and play than work.”

  “I work a shit ton,” he said to Mac. “Two jobs and you all know it.”

  “Mac is only busting on you, Alex,” his mother said. She always played the peacemaker.

  “See,” Mac said. “Not so serious anymore, am I?”

  “Ass,” he said.

  They’d gotten through dinner bickering and laughing like they always did growing up. Alex and Jarrett leaving together. “Hey,” Jarrett said. “Want to get a beer?”

  The last thing he wanted to do was go to a bar. His brother would think he’d want to pick someone up and he wasn’t going to. He had someone he was working on and didn’t want anything to get in the way.

  “Sure, if you want to go back to my place,” he said. “No reason to push my luck being out late since I’ve got to get up early.”

  “True,” Jarrett said. His brother knew they could get pulled into a long night in a bar.

  “Then you can see what I’ve done in the kitchen.”

  He jumped in his truck, his brother in his, and they drove the few miles to his place.

  “Don’t you clean your house?” Jarrett asked when he followed Alex in through the side door, wrinkling his nose.

  “I told you I was painting.”

  There were tarps on the floor in the corner where he was trying to protect the counters. He didn’t care about getting anything on the floors since they were coming up, but when he was done he’d pulled them off the counter and balled them up in the corner.

  Dishes were in the sink that he hadn’t gotten around to loading into the dishwasher. He’d have to empty it first and he’d forgotten.

  He opened the fridge and got out two beers and they walked to the living room.

  “Not too bad in here,” Jarrett said. “Though you could clean your floors.”

  “I didn’t know you were a cleaning inspector,” he said. He looked down at his floors and saw some dust and dirt. Mainly footprints since he didn’t take his shoes off and it’d been wet out a few times this week.

  He supposed he wasn’t that neat of a person and should try to get into the habit of cleaning more. He didn’t think he was a slob, it’s just he didn’t get out a bucket and mop once a week either.

  “Only commenting on the fact women might not be so keen on this.”

  He narrowed one eye at his brother. The smirk there telling him something. “What makes you think I’ve had one here recently?”

  Jarrett took a sip of his beer out of the can. “Something you want to share?”