Page 13 of Safe With You

Trust Katie to notice when things weren’t quite right. She’d always been a very sensitive person. He released a slow sigh. Things had gotten better, but it had been a long several months—even longer years. “You’re not wrong about that.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything. I just wondered.”

Ethan cast her something of a sad smile. “No, I’m sure you’ll pick up bits and pieces if you’re around long enough anyway. You should hear it from one of us. She’d prefer it that way.” People had been kind for the most part, but there were always those who couldn’t help themselves and loved to talk and share all the sordid details of town gossip.

Katie shifted in her chair to face him better, worry creasing her brows. She and Becca had always been good friends too.

He sighed again and rubbed his neck, the memories still so fresh. “Becca went to college in Duluth and met this guy there. Kevin. They dated for a while, and he talked her into getting a job up there when she graduated. Then they ended up living together.” He paused and swallowed down the bitterness in his throat. This part was the hardest. “She got pregnant but lost the baby.”

Katie gave him a pained look.

“It devastated her, especially when she discovered Kevin was relieved about it and had been seeing this other woman, who was pregnant with his kid too.”

Now, Katie’s eyes rounded. “That’s horrible. How could somebody do that?”

Ethan shook his head. He still had a hard time dealing with the fact that someone had used and betrayed his sister like that. “We didn’t know about the baby or any of it until she broke down and called Mom a few days later. She was in a really bad place. Mom and Dad were in Green Bay when they got the call, so Joel and I drove straight up there to get her so she wouldn’t be alone any longer than necessary.”

That drive had felt like an eternity, one filled with hypothetical conversations about throwing Kevin into Lake Superior with weights around his ankles. Thanks to their upbringing, neither he nor Joel had laid a finger on the man when he’d shown up at the apartment shortly before they’d left with Becca. However, that didn’t mean they hadn’t told him exactly what they thought of him.

“How long ago was this?”

Ethan snapped out of his memories and focused back on Katie. “It happened just before Thanksgiving.”

“I can’t imagine what that was like for all of you, especially right before the holidays.”

Ethan wouldn’t forget the nights he had spent here on the couch, worrying Becca might do something drastic. He didn’t think any of them had gotten adequate sleep for months. “It was a rough time. But she’s getting better now that she’s been home and attending church again. Understandably, that was hard for her at first. You know how people can be. Thankfully, everyone has treated her with kindness and love, minus a few minor exceptions.”

“I hear you. I’ve seen the damage even well-intentioned people can do. But I’m glad she’s doing better and can go with you.”

“Me too.”

Katie shivered then and rubbed her hands along her arms. The dampness in the air brought out the chill. Ethan set his mug on the little iron table between them and pushed to his feet. Near the door hung a row of mismatched hooks where Mom always kept a collection of throw blankets just for weather like this. He grabbed one of the thicker ones and handed it to her.

Katie thanked him with a smile and wrapped it around her shoulders. Settling into her chair again, she peered off beyond the porch into the trees at the edge of the property toward her grandma’s place. Ethan looked too. Through the brush, he glimpsed white siding. When he looked over at her again, her eyes had turned watery.

“I wonder what will happen to Grandma’s cottage.”

“She had to have put it in her will, right?” Surely, she’d left it to Katie. He couldn’t imagine her doing anything else. It wasn’t like Ruby and Leah had ever gotten along, and they had no other close family that he knew of.

Katie nodded, though she didn’t seem as sure as he was.

“I suppose you’ll find out on Monday. Do you know why you need to see the attorney?”

“I guess that’s what Grandma requested.” She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, her expression taut. “I suspect it’s because my mom and Grant won’t like her decisions. She probably knew someone would need to mediate instead of just sending out the will.”

Which meant Leah and Grant would be there too. “You won’t have to be there alone. I’ll be there.”

Her gaze jumped to him.

“I got notified as well. Your grandma must have left something for me. I assume it’s just a little something for looking after the cottage for her.” He shrugged. He’d never needed or wanted any compensation for taking care of the place. After all, until four years ago, she’d been around his entire life. Like Katie, she’d been family.

Katie tipped her head. “You’re the one who’s been taking care of it?”

“Yeah. She asked if my family would mind watching over the place, and I volunteered.” Deep down, he knew he’d done it because of Katie—because of all the memories they’d shared there. It had helped him remember the past.

“I guess she did mention your family, but I didn’t realize you were doing it.”

“I was happy to maintain it. There are a lot of good memories there.”

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