Page 76 of Safe With You

“Charlie is awesome. I’ve loved getting to know her. Your Sunday family dinners are the best.”

He gave her a thoughtful look. “Your grandma used to join us on Sundays too.”

“Did she?” A bittersweet longing rose within her.

Ethan nodded, his expression mirroring the same feelings. “Yeah, I miss that.”

If only Katie could have experienced more time for them to share such visits. However, she found thankfulness that, even though Grandma’s death had hurt terribly and still did, it had brought her back to Two Lakes. Back to Ethan and the Harts, and back to where she knew she was meant to be. Because of that, she could smile.

Letting the upwelling of emotions settle, she gestured toward the house. “I’ll see if your mom has room for these in the fridge and then come help you.”

“As long as you’re going in, would you grab the tablecloths? I forgot them.”

“Sure.” She walked up to the porch, passing Tom on the way in as he prepared the grill for what she knew would be a giant stack of hot dogs and hamburgers. He also had a large deep fryer heating for fish. Katie’s mouth watered, thinking about all the food.

Inside, she greeted Evelyn and Becca, who were also working on food preparation. She left the appetizers in the fridge, found the red, white, and blue tablecloths she and Becca had picked out, and carried them back outside.

Tearing open one of the packages, she spread the tablecloth on the folding table Ethan had just set up. “So, how many people are coming?”

“We typically have around thirty adults, depending on who can make it. I know Bradley and his wife and kids are coming this year. Pastor will be here, so I assume Adam will be too.”

Katie sent him a curious look. “What do you think the vibe will be between him and Becca?”

According to Ethan, Becca had agreed to coffee with Adam on her lunch break on Friday. However, she hadn’t brought it up, and Katie didn’t want to pry.

“Good, I hope. Adam thinks coffee went well. Maybe they’ll have fun together today if she lets her guard down.”

“I hope so.” Katie never wanted to meddle in anyone’s business, especially not where relationships were concerned, but she did think Adam would be good for Becca if she gave them a chance. They’d make a cute couple. But she’d keep those thoughts to herself. Becca didn’t need any pressure, considering everything she’d been through.

A few minutes later, Joel’s navy blue minivan pulled up to the house, barely coming to a standstill before the oldest kids jumped out. Katie laughed at the way their excited chatter already filled the air. Sharing a smile, she and Ethan walked to the van to see if they needed help carrying things.

Naomi handed Katie two delicious-looking cherry pies and grabbed Jackson. Meanwhile, the men gathered camp chairs, lawn games, bags of chips, and various other items. Megan, Taylor, and Harper were the next to arrive. Before long, the Harts’ backyard filled up with people and laughter.

As the men congregated around the grill, Katie helped the women organize the food on the tables. As soon as they were ready, Joel called all the kids to the tables, where Tom prayed over the meal. A line formed for everyone to fill their plates. Katie hung back, not wanting to jump in first when there were so many guests, but Ethan caught her eye and motioned to her.

He handed her a paper plate as she joined him in line. “Just a heads up, if there’s any left when we get there, make sure you take a piece of Naomi’s pie. It’s to die for.”

“Oh, I will. I was already eyeing them up when they got here.”

Ethan glanced around and then gestured farther up the line. “That bodes well.”

Katie scanned the guests ahead of them and realized Becca and Adam stood in line together and were actually talking. Though Becca’s demeanor appeared tentative, it wasn’t closed off. Hopefully, it meant the beginning of a rekindled friendship, at least.

When they reached the food tables, she filled her plate. She tried to keep her portions small so she could try everything. The dessert table made it more challenging. There was so much to choose from, including an apple pie Adam’s mom had brought, forcing her to choose between it and the cherry. She didn’t want to take more than one slice with so many other people. Ethan must have realized her dilemma.

“How about this: you take the cherry, and I’ll take an apple we can share?”

She shook her head. “I won’t make you share your slice of pie with me. If anything, we’ll both share.”

Ethan accepted this compromise, and they carried their full plates to one of the picnic tables, where there was just enough room left for them to squeeze in.

Ethan didn’t remember the last time he’d eaten so much food. Even Thanksgiving didn’t compare to the spread they had today. Once everyone had eaten more than their fill, groups formed for different lawn games. He particularly enjoyed a couple of rounds of corn hole with Katie, Becca, and Adam. The kids took to the water almost immediately, and he was happy to join them after the food settled. This turned into a competition to see who could do the best cannonball off the end of the dock. Ethan managed to rope Joel, Adam, Bradley, and some other men into it, though they couldn’t settle on a definitive winner.

When Katie and Becca brought out the stickers, the kids flocked around them. The boys wanted stickers arranged around their eyes like superhero masks, and Katie and Becca happily obliged. Of course, Charlie wanted the same. Katie did as requested but with more flair. Charlie squealed when Katie held up a mirror so she could see her handiwork. His niece then raced off to where the boys appeared to be reenacting their favorite superhero battles.

Watching her play with them reminded Ethan of Katie when they were young. The most significant difference was that a stable home life and loving parents had given Charlie much more confidence. But Katie’s confidence was growing. He had seen it happen over the last two months. She was not the same as when he’d first found her standing in the parking lot at the funeral. While it hadn’t been easy, she’d found where she belonged and could allow that confidence to grow.

Ethan smiled as he watched her until someone came up alongside him. He snapped his attention to Bradley, who glanced at Katie before facing Ethan fully.

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