Page 23 of Safe With You

She darted a glance at him. “Grandma was adamant about it when I moved back. That and the bank account. I thought she did it so I could help her with financial matters. I didn’t do it so I would inherit everything.”

“No, of course not.” She didn’t have to explain anything to him. Grandma Ruby clearly had this all planned out long before her stroke.

“I knew my mom would be livid when she found out, but I guess I thought things would be split more evenly and hoped that would pacify her. I understand why Grandma left it all to me, but I’m afraid my mom and Grant won’t let it go. Especially if Mom has any clue how much is in the account.” She rubbed her arms as if chilled, and Ethan switched on the heat even though the cab was already warm. “Grandma and Grandpa always lived so frugally that a good chunk of his retirement is left.”

Ethan didn’t like the ominous sensation that settled in his gut. With that kind of money, he worried too. He’d just promised her he wouldn’t let Grant hurt her again, but once she left for Elling, there would be little he could do to make sure Leah and Grant didn’t terrorize her or worse. Hopefully, her boyfriend would be there for her, but that didn’t comfort Ethan.

A couple of minutes later, they pulled into the hardware store, where Katie picked out a couple of new doorknobs for the cottage and the door to Grandma Ruby’s shed. When they left town, they headed back to Mom and Dad’s.

“I’m going to change,” he told her as they stepped out of the truck. “Then I’ll grab my tools.”

Katie motioned to the house. “I’ll change too.”

She walked inside, where Mom no doubt waited anxiously to hear how the meeting had gone. She and Ethan had discussed it at length this morning before Katie had gotten up. Everything had turned out as they had expected, except for the fact that Katie had already owned the cottage.

Ethan hurried to the cabin and changed into work jeans and a hoodie before grabbing his toolbox from the workshop. Inside the house, he found Mom and Dad in the kitchen.

“Sounds like things got pretty heated.” Mom’s pensive expression matched Ethan’s feelings.

“Yeah. I’m glad I was there.” He didn’t like to think of how Katie would have fared without an ally to back her up. Would Grant have threatened or hurt her if he hadn’t been there to step in? It was hard to say if he’d take that chance now that she was an adult, but Ethan didn’t trust him. He traded a knowing look with Dad right before Katie joined them, back in her patched jeans and sweatshirt.

Not wanting her to have to think about the confrontation again, he put on a smile. “Ready?”

She nodded, and they returned to his truck, where they’d left the bag of knobs. They drove the short distance over to the cottage. When they stepped out, Katie paused to look at it for a long moment as if things were only now sinking in. Though nothing had changed since they’d visited two days ago, he could understand the significance of the moment.

“I’ll start on the front door first.” Ethan broke the silence, snapping her from thought.

Still looking dazed, she followed him into the porch. While he changed the knob on the door, she wandered around the kitchen, peering in the cupboards as if reacquainting herself. Finally, she leaned against the counter near the door to watch him.

“Thanks for doing this for me.”

“Happy to. If Mr. Walden hadn’t suggested it, I would have.”

She glanced out the door as if making sure they were the only ones here. “I hope it will prove unnecessary.”

Turning one of the screws, he met her gaze. If only he could tell her it would be. “Me too.”

A moment later, Katie’s phone dinged. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the text. “I’m going to make a call quick.”

She stepped past him, out onto the porch, and then outside. He caught the muted sound of her voice, though it was too quiet for him to make out any words. Not that he had any desire to eavesdrop on her conversation. Most likely, she’d called Drew to let him know about the meeting. After hearing the indistinct voice at the other end of the call three days ago, Ethan wondered what the man was like.

Losing himself in these thoughts, Ethan finished the doorknob and moved on to the deadbolt. A few minutes later, Katie’s returning footsteps approached. Strangely, she giggled. He looked over his shoulder as she entered the porch, cradling a big orange tabby cat. The sunny smile it brought to her face was one of the most carefree he’d seen since she’d arrived in Two Lakes.

“I see you’ve met Mr. Ginger.”

The cat rubbed his head against her chin. “Mr. Ginger?”

Ethan shrugged. “We couldn’t call him Tom with that being Dad’s name.”

She laughed again. “No, I guess not.”

He wiggled the deadbolt into place before grabbing a screw. “He’s been hanging around for the past few weeks, and I’ve been putting food out for him. Megan posted about him on social media, but no one has claimed him, and none of the neighbors recognize him. He’s been ear-tipped, so he was fixed at some point, but it’s looking like someone dumped him here. I’ve been meaning to take him to the shelter.”

“Aw, how could someone have dumped such a sweetie?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty chill. He even gets along with Rosie.”

Katie continued to love on and sweet talk the cat, whose loud purr and blissfully closed eyes showed just how much he loved the attention. Katie always had liked cats. Well, most animals, really. She’d loved the petting zoo at the local fair when they were kids and had said she wanted to be a zoo keeper in third grade. Ethan grinned to himself, recalling the time they had used every chair and blanket they could get their hands on to build a zoo in the basement for their stuffed animals. Mom had even indulged their fanciful play by making them popcorn and putting it in little paper bags like at a proper carnival.

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