Page 10 of Safe With You

“Take all the time you need.” Evelyn then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Alone for the first time since this morning, Katie set her suitcase down near the closet door and looked around. Like downstairs, honey-brown wood covered the walls. The curtains over the window matched the red and black buffalo plaid comforter on the bed. A painting of a loon adorned the wall above the headboard, and the lamps sitting to either side were made from two repurposed lanterns. It was a world away from the dingy motel room, and the soothing, warm smell of cinnamon and vanilla from the plug-in air freshener was a vast improvement over the stench of cigarettes.

Sinking down on the edge of the bed, she released a long sigh. After so many intense emotions and lack of sleep, she wasn’t sure how to feel, and she welcomed this quiet moment to breathe. After a few minutes to let herself process and decompress, she reached into her purse for her phone. Now that she was settled, she should call Drew back to make sure he wasn’t still hesitant about her staying here. This house was one of only two places she’d ever felt safe.

Shifting farther back on the bed, she propped the pillow behind her and brought up his contact. Instead of hitting call, she tapped the video chat. It would be easier to gauge his mood if she could see his face. After the third ring, he appeared on the screen. His brown hair looked freshly washed and still damp. Surprisingly, he hadn’t shaved, but she liked it when he had a bit of scruff. His blue eyes held an apology as the video quality sharpened.

“Hey, sorry about before. It’s just been fifteen years since you’ve visited Two Lakes or anyone from there. I worried about you staying with someone you haven’t had contact with in so long.”

Katie dragged the second pillow onto her lap to set her arms on. “It’s all right. You’ve never met the Harts, but if you had, you’d understand why I accepted the invitation. They’re good people, and fifteen years hasn’t changed that. They didn’t hesitate to welcome me into their family when I was a child, and the same is true now. I’m not sure how I would have made it through today without them.”

Without Ethan. But she kept that detail to herself. No point in planting a seed of jealousy or guilt.

“I’m glad they were there and that you have someplace safe to stay tonight. You should have told me how bad the motel was.”

Katie winced. “I don’t think it sank in until today. I’m just glad I’m here now. I spent almost every day here in the summers and as many days as I could the rest of the time. I basically grew up in this house.”

“Well, I hope it helps. I’m sorry I can’t be there.”

She shrugged, fighting the feelings of betrayal from earlier. “It’s all right. So, how did the surgery go?”

He got more animated, telling her all about it before apologizing for boring her with the details. She just shook her head and assured him she wanted to hear it. Not that she understood much of anything, but she wanted to show her support for his work and dreams. They then discussed the next couple of days and Katie’s appointment with the attorney on Monday before ending the call.

By this time, the scent of baked cinnamon downstairs competed with the air freshener. Setting her phone on the nightstand, she slipped off the bed and left the room. On the way downstairs, she paused to look at the photos like she’d wanted to earlier. Each one drew a little more of a smile to her face. The collection included images of birthdays, holidays, and simple everyday moments. She did not expect to find herself in so many of them. It hurt to see her young self—to pick out the pain always hiding behind the smiles—but the moments in these photos were what had kept her going.

“A lot of good memories.”

Ethan’s voice drew her gaze to the bottom of the stairs, where he leaned on the railing. He’d changed into jeans, a heather gray tee shirt, and a dark green flannel with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Pushing away from the railing, he climbed the stairs to meet her halfway.

Katie nodded to the frames. “I didn’t know I was in so many of your family photos.”

“Well, you were family. I don’t have many childhood memories you weren’t a part of.” He reached out and took one photo off the wall, smiling down at it. “You remember this Fourth of July weekend?”

She leaned in to see it. She, Ethan, and his siblings stood in front of a red pop-up tent, grinning like they didn’t have a care in the world. “That’s when the five of us tried to camp out on the point. Just us kids.”

“Yup, and then Dad pretended to be a bear. I’m not sure who screamed the loudest, but we all ended up sleeping on the living room floor.”

She laughed at the memories. “Except for Megan, who claimed the couch despite our protests. And Joel insisted he wasn’t scared; he just thought it would be stupid to stay out there all by himself when it was supposed to be a sibling campout.”

Ethan joined in with her laughter. “I still remind him of that. And Dad is completely unrepentant to this day.”

Katie shook her head. If only she could relive a few of those precious moments again. She would have to take pictures of the photos before she left or find out if Evelyn had digital copies she could send her.

With what sounded like a wistful sigh, Ethan hung the photo back on the wall and turned to her with a smile that made her heart ache with the memory of how it had broken when they’d said goodbye.

“Mom’s got the cinnamon loaf sliced and ready if you want some.”

Swallowing down the emotions that lingered so close to the surface today, Katie managed to smile and nod. She followed him down the remaining steps and into the kitchen, drawn by the warm smell of cinnamon bread. Though the kitchen layout had remained the same, Katie found that, in the last fifteen years, the Harts had painted the previously stained cabinets a deep, rustic red that made her heart happy. It added the perfect pop of color to the predominately wood surroundings.

Ethan’s mom stood at the peninsula that divided the kitchen from the dining area, talking to Megan, who must have arrived while Katie was upstairs. They hadn’t been able to speak much beyond exchanging pleasantries at the funeral. She’d always been the social butterfly of the Hart siblings, and you could tell just by her infectious grin and sparkling eyes.

Becca stood with her, holding Megan’s nearly two-year-old daughter, Harper, a darling little thing with blonde pigtails. The way Becca grinned at Harper was the most animated Katie had seen her today. Opposite them, Ethan’s dad, Tom, sat at the table with Megan’s husband, Taylor. He seemed to have a laid-back personality that complimented Megan’s bubbliness.

Megan turned as Katie joined them. “Hey, I hope you don’t mind we came over. I thought it would be nice to visit, but I know you must be exhausted.”

Though mentally and physically drained, Kate didn’t want to inconvenience anyone while she was here. “No, I don’t mind. This is your family home. I’m just a guest.”

Evelyn’s arm wrapped around her. “You’re more than just a guest. You’re family too.”

---