Page 32 of Jay Bird

“Yeah.”

They walked a little farther onto the patio, and Willow could see a small private dock extending over the water.

“The whole property is fenced?” she asked.

“Yep. And cameras cover every exterior entrance and most of the property. Motion sensors too. I can show you the camera feeds later,” he added. “That way you know exactly what you can see from inside.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded as though it wasn’t a big deal, but it was.

They went back inside and crossed toward the opposite side of the house.

“This side will be yours and Lily’s.”

A short hallway branched away from the main living space with two bedrooms separated by a full bathroom.

Jay Bird opened the first door. “This is my office.”

Willow glanced inside and found a simple, no-frills office with a desk and computer, a set of bookshelves along the wall, and, unsurprisingly, very little decoration.

“I see a theme here,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Jay Bird leaned against the doorframe. “What theme?”

“Possessions are unnecessary.”

Jay Bird snorted. “Less shit to clean.”

Willow laughed, and he closed the door.

“I don’t spend much time on this side except when I’m working in there, and I clean the spare room every so often so it doesn’t turn into a science experiment.”

He opened the next door. “This is yours.”

Willow stepped inside and almost died of shock. The bedroom itself was simple but comfortable, with a queen-size bed, matching nightstands, a dresser, and a chair near the window. But Willow barely noticed any of it because the bed was completely covered in shopping bags. There had to be dozens of them scattered across the mattress like someone had tried to hide a small store in plain sight.

“What is all this?”

Jay Bird stepped behind her. “Some things friends dropped off for you and Lily.” He pointed toward several brightly colored bags. “There are clothes, shoes, toys. Somebody bought books. I think there’s a nightlight in there.”

Willow couldn’t believe this. There were bags from children’s stores, department stores, a bath store, and several places she didn’t recognize.

She peeked inside one bag and found tiny pajamas; another held toiletries, and the next held clothes in her size.

Her eyes stung with tears.

“This wasn’t necessary,” she said, turning towards Jay Bird.

“You haven’t met my friends yet.”

Something in his tone made her suspicious. “Should I be worried?”

“Probably.”

Willow laughed softly through the emotion tightening her throat.

Jay Bird’s mouth twitched. “They mean well. They just don’t understand moderation.”