Page 79 of Safe With You

Following the finale, everyone began packing up. Katie helped Becca fold up the blanket before pulling out her phone. The screen showed two missed calls and voice messages from Christopher. She frowned and stepped away from the group. Tapping on the first message, she put her phone to her ear.

Christopher’s angry voice came through, spewing obscenities and calling her all sorts of vile things. It was similar to the text message she’d received, but this time, he took it further by warning her that he’d make her pay for keeping the cottage and money to herself and that she better watch her back.

Despite still wearing Ethan’s hoodie, cold flowed through Katie’s body. Her hand trembled as she played the second message. More of the same vulgarity and ominous threats. It was almost as if he’d forgotten he’d made the first call. That probably wasn’t too far from the truth, considering how slurred his words were.

“Katie?”

She jumped at Ethan’s voice right behind her. Turning, she looked up at him, his concerned expression illuminated by the lights from the church. She swallowed hard, her blood still running cold.

“Christopher called me twice and left messages. This time, he made threats.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened, and Katie motioned him farther away from everyone. She didn’t want any kids to overhear when she played the messages for him. In the corner of the parking lot, she played the first message. His expression remained tense, especially at the threats. When the second one ended, she tried to take a calming breath.

“He sounds drunk, so I don’t know how serious he is. He might not even remember he called me tomorrow, but I don’t like not knowing where he is.”

“Neither do I.” Ethan glanced around as if Christopher might be lurking in the shadows right now. “Stay at the house tonight. We’ll go home and get O’Malley and see what happens. Like you said, he sounds drunk, so it’s probably just the alcohol talking. We can report it to Eric in the morning. Between this and the incident with the cat, hopefully, it will be enough for you to get a restraining order just to be safe.”

Katie stuck her phone in her pocket and rubbed her arms. “If he’d even abide by it.”

Ethan looked no more comforted than she was, but then he offered her an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry; you’ll be safe at my parents’. We won’t let anything happen. I’ll camp out on your porch for the rest of the summer if I have to.”

Katie couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks.” She thanked God that she didn’t have to deal with this alone.

Ethan gestured toward where most everyone had gotten into their vehicles and left. His parents, Joel’s family, and Adam were the only ones still lingering. When they approached the vehicles, they found the adults waiting for them.

Evelyn eyed them with concern. “Is everything all right?”

Katie shook her head and explained the situation. It left a grim expression on all their faces, yet they quickly assured her they would do whatever they could to ensure she was safe. Even Adam volunteered to help guard the cottage if that was what it came to. The overwhelming support brought tears to Katie’s eyes. She just prayed none of it would be necessary.

With nothing they could do about the situation tonight, they traded goodbyes and got in their vehicles. As Tom drove toward home, Katie pulled out her phone to check her security camera.

Ethan leaned toward her. “Anything?”

She shook her head, scrolling through the video clips. “No, just the raccoon that keeps showing up.”

That, at least, was encouraging. She hated not knowing if Christopher was in town or making empty threats from hours away. For a brief moment, she contemplated calling her mom to ask where he was, but she couldn’t trust Mom’s answer. Either she’d have no idea, which was likely, or she’d lie if it meant keeping Christopher out of trouble.

Chapter Thirty-five

Christopher didn’t call again in the week following the Fourth. While a judge had granted Katie a temporary restraining order against him, she would have to go to a court hearing to make it lasting. Just the thought of it tied her stomach in knots because Christopher was supposed to be there too. However, she had put it out of her mind for the day to enjoy her birthday.

She hadn’t planned anything for it. Birthdays weren’t a big deal since she was a kid. Drew had always done something nice for her, but it was never a big celebration. She hadn’t been sure anyone here would even remember her birthday, but she shouldn’t have wondered, especially not with Ethan. He brought it up earlier in the week and asked if there was anything specific she wanted to do to celebrate. When she had no ideas, he told her he’d take care of it, and she was happy to let him. He seemed to know her better than she knew herself most of the time anyway.

After a fun morning of rummage sales with Ethan and Megan, followed by games and old home videos in the afternoon, Joel and Naomi joined them for supper. Almost too full to enjoy cake after delicious homemade tacos, they carried their dessert plates outside to the fire pit to enjoy the warm summer evening.

“How do you feel about joining me in the big three-O?” Ethan asked as he sank into the chair next to Katie.

She shrugged, having given little thought to turning thirty until today. “Okay, I guess. I’m much more optimistic about this decade than I was about the last.”

When she compared her life now to what it had looked like when she’d turned twenty, the difference was stark. For the first time, she was excited about the future.

As soon as Katie finished her last bite of cake, Evelyn announced it was time for presents. Everyone, even Joel and Megan, had something for her.

“You guys didn’t have to do this for me. It was more than enough to spend the day together.”

Evelyn gave her a motherly look. “Everyone in this family gets something on their birthdays, including you.”

Megan offered her gift first, a gorgeously wrapped box containing various candles she’d made. Katie breathed in the delicious scents and couldn’t wait to use them, especially when fall came around. Naomi gave her a beautiful, delicate shawl she had crocheted in shades of red and gray yarn. The next gift came from Evelyn, which turned out to be a scrapbook she and Becca had put together, filled with memories from Katie’s childhood and even some from the last couple of months. She had to work not to get emotional as she flipped through the pages, cherishing the collection.

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