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“That’s because I had plenty of time to catch my breath while I waited for you.”
They walked down the hallway to the apartment and Sawyer opened the door.
She scowled at him. “You didn’t lock it?”
“I never lock it unless I’m leaving the building.”
“This isn’t the greatest neighborhood.”
He looked at her for a moment. “Not to brag or anything. But do you really think someone would try to mess with me?”
She sighed. “No, Hercules. But now you have a poor defenseless woman living with you.”
Sawyer laughed. “I have a feeling you’re far from defenseless. At least now that you’ve left the wedding cult.”
“Still. When you’re not here, I’m locking the door.”
She went to the couch and sat down. “Why do you live here? I know you can afford someplace better.”
He sat in the chair. “It was the first place I moved into. And I just never felt like leaving. It’s not home. It’s just a place to stay when I’m here. I couldn’t care less if someone came in here and cleaned the place out.”
“Where do you stay when you’re in Castle Springs? Are you still staying in the house?”
“No. I moved into the loft.”
She leaned forward on the couch. “The really cool loft over the barn? We used to go up there. But it was empty and a little musty.” They’d go to the loft on rainy days and listen to the rain hitting the metal roof of the barn. It was even better if there was thunder.
“J.T. asked Dad if he could fix it up when he was a senior. It’s really nice now. He lived there until a year or so ago. Then he built a house next to the old Bradford place.”
“That place was always so cool. We thought it was haunted.”
“Turns out, it’s not. Joey refurbished it and turned it into a bed-and-breakfast.”
“Joey Pierson. Or I guess O’Connell?”
“Yeah. Her dad bought it, then we bought it from him and gave the house and some acreage to Joey. Then they got married, so it’s basically back in the family again.”
Jade leaned back on the couch. “Sounds confusing.”
“Maybe. But the place is great. She opened in November. Did really well over the holidays. Not sure how it’s doing now. But it should pick up once spring hits.”
“Interesting. Do they live there?”
“No. They live in J.T.’s new house. It’s a quarter mile away. Closer if you walk through the meadow.”
“So J.T. built his house right next to the Bradford place?”
“Yeah. Before Joey came back. Just a really weird coincidence. But it turned out to be quite convenient.”
“And everyone is okay with Joey keeping the child away from J.T. all that time?”
“For Finn’s sake, yeah.”
“Phew. That’s a big forgive.”
Sawyer shrugged. “You do what you got to do.”
She cocked her head. “So if I had shown up at your door with a child and said it was yours, you’d forgive me?”
