Page 30 of Safe With You

The upbeat and excited ring to her voice this morning brought a smile to Ethan’s face. He didn’t think he’d heard it like this since she arrived. “Yeah, it’s not very big, but they’re usually well stocked.”

“Would you mind if I stopped in there quick? I’m not sure how long I’ll stay, but I could use a few things, especially for working around the cottage.”

“Sure, no problem. If you want, I can drop you off there and run to the hardware store to get a faucet.”

She sent him a look, one brow raised. “Just make sure you get a receipt so I can pay you back.”

“Really? You’re going to make me do that? Can’t just let me pay for it?”

“It’s my cottage. I’ll pay for repairs. The fact that I can is mind-boggling, considering I was nearly penniless a week ago.”

Ethan thought about that for a moment. Maybe he shouldn’t ask, but it was one topic she never mentioned. “How long have you been out of work?”

He regretted the question as soon as the mood changed. She sighed, and he was about to say never mind when she spoke.

“About two months.” She ducked her head as if embarrassed. “I’ve never had a particularly well-paying job, so I didn’t have much for savings when things happened.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” He quickly added, “You don’t have to.”

“It’s all right.” She sounded tired and just over the whole thing. “I worked at a little boutique and consignment shop owned by this couple in Elling. They come from two very influential families. Well, he made a move on me. I emphatically turned him down, but his wife found out and accused me of trying to steal her man. She fired me and has been telling everyone who will listen how horrible I am, that I’m a home-wrecker and husband-stealer, and that I can’t be trusted. If she has her way, I won’t be able to find a job anywhere in town. Even if I do, I’m sure half the population will be looking at me crooked from now on.”

Ethan took a deep breath as he stopped at the intersection to turn onto the highway. He couldn’t stand a cheater, but the man’s wife didn’t have to take it out on Katie. “Sounds like she needs to redirect her anger at her cheating husband, not you.”

“Well, to do that, she’d need to accept that he is a cheater. I don’t blame her for being upset her world is coming apart; I just wish she wasn’t trying to destroy mine along with it. Having your name dragged through the mud is hard when you know you’re innocent.”

“Do you have any friends who can back you up?”

Katie shook her head, shoulders sagging. “Not in Elling. I attend church with Drew and his parents in Madison, so most people I know are there. Even then, it’s not like I’m close to anyone besides Drew. Turns out I’m not very good at making friends.”

“Maybe you just haven’t met enough of the right people. You never had trouble making friends with all of us.”

He caught her smile from the corner of his eye. At least he’d accomplished that.

“I think that’s more because you’re all the type who were willing to take in a sad and lonely waif like me.”

He looked over at her now, matching her smile. “It wasn’t a hard thing to do.”

Once they got to town, Ethan dropped Katie off at the thrift store before delivering the benches and heading to the hardware store to get what he needed. When he returned, he browsed while she finished shopping, and they both went to get groceries.

On their way back home, Ethan made a quick decision and pulled off Main Street, parking at the corner. “I know we can’t stay long because of the groceries, but we did say you needed to stop at The Ice Shack while you were here.”

She grinned, dimples coming out in full force. They exited the truck and walked up to the ice cream shop with its colorful red and white awning. He pulled the door open and gestured inside. “After you.”

He followed her and watched her take in the shop. As far as he could remember, it hadn’t changed much since they were kids. It still had the same black-and-white checkerboard floor and red-and-white serving counter, which gave the place a fun retro vibe. The black metal tables were new but not that exciting. Even so, her face lit up like a kid seeing it for the first time.

He leaned toward her as they approached the glass-domed ice cream case. “You might not let me pay for your faucet, but I will pay for the ice cream.”

She gave him a playful smirk. “Okay, fine, if you insist.”

“I absolutely do.”

The display case contained nearly two dozen ice cream flavors, ranging from the usual favorites like mint chocolate chip to more creative combinations like orange cranberry. Ethan found himself more interested in watching Katie’s face as she tried to decide what to choose than figuring out which one he had a taste for today.

After a minute or two, she glanced up at him. “This is as hard as it was as a kid. There are so many flavors. More than I remember.”

“Yeah, they like to cycle through their more unique ones. It’s always fun to stop in and see what’s new.”

She debated for another minute before making up her mind. “Okay, this is probably a boring choice, but I have to go with the blue moon. It was my favorite as a kid. I’ll get more adventurous next time.”

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