Page 25 of Safe With You

“Oh, thanks, but you don’t have to do all that right now if you have other things to do.” She’d already taken up most of the day yesterday. It wasn’t a very good start to a work week for him.

He just smiled. “I don’t mind.”

Then, he disappeared outside to work on the chimney, and Katie climbed the narrow steps upstairs. She entered Grandma’s bedroom first since the door was the closest. The soft lavender walls and adorning Scripture artwork invited a peaceful feeling. Against one wall stood an old wardrobe that made Katie think of Narnia. She’d checked the back of it more than once as a kid after Grandma had read all the books to her, desperate to discover a different world to escape into. Of all the rooms in the house, this one would likely remain untouched the longest. A pang of grief constricted her heart, and she drew a deep breath to release it.

Finally, she turned and entered the second bedroom. Two twin beds sat tucked under the slope of the roof, each covered with mismatched vintage quilts. An antique white hutch stood under the window between them as a nightstand. Mint green paint colored the wainscoted walls, while white wallpaper dotted with pink floral covered the ceiling slant on either side of the room. Everything remained exactly as it had been when Katie had left. Grandma must have been just as reluctant to change things as Katie was.

Fighting back another wave of melancholy, she gathered the bedding from both beds and hauled it downstairs to the washer and dryer tucked in a small closet off the kitchen. She’d just started a load of sheets when her phone rang from the kitchen island—a jarring ringtone she’d reserved for just one person. Mom.

She walked over to it. Sure enough, Mom’s name lit up the screen. She stared at it as it rang, her middle cramping with the debate over whether to answer. Ignoring it would only frustrate Mom, but if she was still on the warpath, it wouldn’t matter. Not ready to have any conversation with her, Katie just let it ring until it went to voicemail. She waited for Mom to leave a message, but none popped up.

Breathing a sigh to release her tension, she returned to the closet and found a cleaning bucket and rag to do a preliminary pass at the dust that had collected everywhere. She’d begun working in the living room several minutes later when the front door opened, and Ethan called her name. Something in his tone stabbed the same dread into her stomach as when her phone rang. She turned to him, and his tense expression confirmed it.

“Your mom and Grant just drove in.”

Katie drew a trembling breath as she approached the door. Mom, Grant, and Christopher were just getting out of their car. Had they suspected she was here? Or, worse, did they think she wouldn’t be? She clenched her fists. Why couldn’t they leave her alone?

“Do you want me to take care of it?”

Ethan’s offer tempted her. She forced herself to shake her head. “It won’t end if I don’t stand my ground.”

He nodded and shifted to let her pass. “I’ll be right beside you.”

Katie held on to that assurance. As long as he was here, Grant held no power.

She walked out of the porch, steeling herself. Ethan remained only a step behind her, and she caught Grant mutter what was likely an expletive under his breath. Mom’s face looked deceptively calm as they approached, unlike yesterday. Christopher, however, sneered hatefully at her. He was a terrifying mix of Mom’s selfishness and Grant’s abusiveness; only he took it a step further by being dangerously unpredictable.

Katie stopped a few feet from the porch, and Ethan came alongside her. Mom led the way, darting a glance at him before focusing on Katie and attempting a disingenuous smile.

“We came to talk now that the emotions from yesterday aren’t as high.”

Katie crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “About what? I thought it was clear that there wasn’t anything to talk about.”

Mom sent another look at Ethan, the smile wavering. “Why don’t we go inside where we can talk privately? This is a family matter.”

“I’m not going anywhere alone with any of you, least of all him.” She nodded toward Grant, whose eyes narrowed at her.

Mom scoffed, her act slipping. “Stop being so dramatic.”

“It’s not dramatic to refuse to put myself in a position to be abused again.”

“You need to grow up and learn to let things go.”

Katie gaped at her. Before she could form a reply, Ethan spoke, his voice cold. “Or maybe she needed a mother who would have protected her from a monster.”

Mom’s lip curled. “This is none of your business.”

“Katie is family. She always has been, so her well-being is my business.”

Shaking her head in disgust, Mom pinned her gaze back on Katie. “Fine, you want to talk here. Let’s talk. We spoke to a realtor this morning.”

Katie sputtered, unable to believe the sheer audacity of these people.

Mom just forged on. “He thinks we could get close to four hundred thousand for the property if not more. Split between us, that’s a lot of money. Surely, you can’t afford to pass that up.”

Katie hated the assumption about her financial state. There was no way Mom could know how she was doing. She let her gaze dart briefly to Grant before summoning a boldness she never would have had the courage to possess if she’d been alone. “I’m not selling the cottage.”

“What are you going to do? Live here?”

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