Family Bonds- Ava and Seth (Amore Island Book 5) by Natalie Ann (ebook reader screen .TXT) 📗

“And living in a hotel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when you’ve got to go to work the next day,” she said.

“I know. I thought of that too with the noise. You can’t get away from it especially this time of year. They put us up close to the top floor because they said it’d be quieter and we are on one end, but there is still noise. I’m not complaining because the view is wonderful and I can use all the amenities there too.”

“Then it’s a win win for the Bond family,” she said. “I’ve got one of my favorite nurses here with me and my cousins sound like they’ve got a good man too.”

“See. It’s things like that. You are so down to earth and sweet.”

“I’m just me,” she said but then wondered what others thought of her. Obviously not what she thought of herself and though she should be used to it, so many things in life bothered her more now than they did years ago.

Was it because she had things going wrong in her life, or maybe because things seemed to be going so right and she was fearful of losing them?

31

Goes On And On

“Look at you,” Seth said when Ava opened the door for him a week later. The first weekend in August and Mary was back in town and Adele had been dying for a sleepover with her grandmother. That gave Ava and Seth the night to themselves and she was looking forward to it.

Seth had told her she could plan the night out and she figured why not? She’d been letting him take the lead in everything else for their relationship and this was a little thing.

Dinner at The Bond Retreat since it was so close to her house and would allow them to dress up more than normal. Then a show at the other end of the island at the Casino. When that was done they were coming back to her place because Seth wanted to stay with her here. She wasn’t sure why but figured it wasn’t a big deal.

“Do you like it?” she asked of her summer dress. It wasn’t anything she’d wear to work or a wedding. It was a date night dress. Sleeveless, fitted and colorful. Normally she was more plain and simple in her attire. “Maybe Adele is wearing off on me with the color choice.”

“No,” he said, holding his hand up for her to spin. “It’s just right. Not too bright, but more than what you usually have on. Blue and purple are good colors on you.”

The blue and purple print wasn’t harsh on the eyes, but it was bold and she found she was pretty much in love with it herself. And it gave her an excuse to wear the purple pumps she’d purchased last year on a whim and never found much to match.

“Thank you. And though I’ve seen you in a suit for work, this is a nice look for you too. Fancy but not over the top. You almost look like Eli does on occasion. More like flashy.”

His black pants and light gray shirt, tailored to his large frame. He had a nice thin black belt on, black shoes that looked almost like designer sneakers. The two top buttons undone on his shirt made her want to reach in and release the rest to get her hands on his chest.

Later, she’d promised herself.

“I’m not sure anyone in your family is as flashy as Eli or has his wardrobe.”

“Probably not,” she said. “Why don’t you come in and I’ll get my purse. Dinner reservations are at six so we’ve got a few minutes before we need to leave.”

“Will we have enough time to eat and get to the show by eight?” he asked.

“Of course. Dinner will be fast. We will probably be out of there in an hour or less, the drive to the casino is about forty minutes. That still gives us plenty of time to park and get our seats. No worries.”

She picked her purse up that was in the living room, locked the front door, then went to the back door and set the alarms.

“How is that working out for you?” Seth asked, nodding his head to the panel of buttons.

“Fine. I don’t notice much to be honest. I know there are cameras all over the property, but I’m not sure where they are. Griffin didn’t tell me.”

“Seriously? Are they in the house?”

“No. Drew said he wouldn’t allow it anyway. It’s probably not legal for renters. And though Drew knows where the cameras are, Griffin felt it would be more natural for me not to know myself so that I’m not looking at them or for them. If anyone was watching me, which my guess is no one is, then they wouldn’t see me doing that.”

“Smart I suppose. Though it still bothers me. You say there is nothing going on?”

“Nope. I did check in with Griffin a few times and he said nothing is triggering anything. Who knows? Maybe it was a one-time thing. A tourist just looking around? Nothing is missing in the house. I’ve been here long enough to know.”

“We’ll just have to deal with it then,” Seth said and they walked out to his SUV.

“And we are. I’d rather not talk about this tonight. This is about us. Adele was fine going to your mother’s and knowing you were coming here?”

“I didn’t tell her I was coming here for the night. She knows we are together, but if I said I was coming here, then she might not have gone to my mom’s even though she missed her.”

“I find that sweet and a very good parenting decision on your part.”

He laughed and pulled out of her driveway. Less than five minutes later they were parking at The Retreat. When they walked into the lobby, he said, “This place is just stunning.”

“You haven’t been in