Page 31 of Safe With You

Ethan turned to the kid waiting on them behind the counter. “A scoop of blue moon for each of us, please.”

In short order, they had their cups of ice cream and carried them back out to his truck. After the first bite, Katie sighed contentedly. “It’s just as good as I remember. There’s nothing like blue moon.”

Ethan agreed. It would always hold a special place in his heart because of the memories. It was the same flavor they’d been eating in the photograph. “No, there isn’t.”

As soon as he finished his, he started the truck and pulled away from the shop. Back home, they stopped at the cabin first, and she helped him carry his groceries in and put away the refrigerated items. Then, they headed over to the cottage. When they arrived, the cat lounged on one of the wicker chairs on the porch in the sun.

“I let him out for a bit this morning and then put him in the porch when I left so he wouldn’t disappear on me now that I’ve decided to keep him,” Katie said as they carried in her groceries.

The cat followed them and sniffed the bag of cat food Ethan set on the floor.

Katie scooped him up and scratched his ears. “I think I’ll call him O’Malley.”

“O’Malley?”

“Yeah, you know, like inThe Aristocats.”

Ethan struggled to place the name.

“You rememberThe Aristocats, don’t you? I adored that movie as a kid.”

Though the memories were fuzzy after all this time, he was pretty sure he knew which one she was talking about. “I may have a vague recollection. I think you and my sisters enjoyed it more than Joel and I did.”

“Probably.”

Another childhood favorite film popped to mind—one he had no trouble recollecting. “Now,The Rescuers Down Under. That was prime entertainment.”

“Oh, I lovedThe Rescuers! We must have watched those movies dozens of times in your basement den.”

“Good times.”

“They were. Have Joel’s kids seen any of these movies?”

“I don’t know, but if not, we’ll have to rectify that travesty.”

He went back out for the rest of the groceries while she put them away, and then he got to work on the bathroom faucet. Once he’d finished with that, he helped her carry the cat tree in from the garage. They had to rearrange things in the living room to make room for it, but O’Malley promptly came to check it out as soon as they finished.

“Anything else you need help with?”

“I don’t think so.” Katie looked around the room, her expression sinking. “I’m not sure what to do while I’m here. I don’t even know how long I’ll stay. If I am here for a while, it seems there should be a point where I make the cottage my own, but I don’t know what to do about all of Grandma’s things. I don’t think I could bear getting rid of anything.”

“Just take it slow. You don’t have to get rid of anything. You can always get a storage locker until you’re ready to make those decisions.”

A smile broke out again. “You’re right. Thanks. For everything. For the ice cream, fixing the sink, last night, all of it. I haven’t had anyone willing to sacrifice so much time and effort for me. Not since I left.”

Not even her boyfriend? He didn’t ask, of course, but it stuck in his mind. “It’s no sacrifice. I’m happy to do it. It’s been good to have you back.” He paused, scanning the room to see if there was anything else he could do as an excuse to stay, but the cottage seemed to be well in order. “Anyway, I should grab something for lunch and get some work done.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to take up all your time.”

Not that he would have minded, but he headed toward the door just the same. Before letting himself out, he turned to her again. “Just in case you wanted to come, church is at seven tonight. I won’t be in the service because I teach the young teen youth group on Wednesdays, but the rest of my family will be.”

She grinned. “You teach youth group?”

“I do. Is that a surprise?”

“No, actually. You seem suited for it.”

“Is that a compliment, or…”

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