Page 40 of Safe With You

That was pricey for a weekend visit.

Internally, Ethan cringed and scolded himself for immediately judging the guy’s lodging choice. If he had the money, there was no reason he shouldn’t stay at the Lodge.

“I’m sure he’ll enjoy it there. Joel helped out on a recent remodel, and it looks really nice.”

She only nodded and boosted herself up to sit on an empty portion of his workbench as she surveyed his project again. Something about her sitting there short-circuited his brain. It put her just at the right height to kiss.

Ethan snatched his tape measure again, pretending to mark a board since he suddenly found it impossible to read the numbers. He wrestled to shove the thought of kissing her as far away as possible. Thanks to his older siblings’ intrusive conversation at the fire, he found it harder to live in denial since they’d called him out on his feelings. But thoughts of kissing definitely could not stand, especially not with Katie’s boyfriend coming to town.

“I’m not sure what he’ll think of everything.” Her words filtered through the struggle inside him. “It’s very different from the lifestyle he grew up in.”

Ethan looked up, observing the uncertainty in her expression. It didn’t seem right for a couple who had been dating for three years. Concern cleared the muddled fog from his brain. “But it’s how you grew up and is a big part of who you are. That should be important to him, even if it’s different. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Her shoulder lifted in an unconvinced shrug. “I just hope he’ll think it’s as special as I do.”

“Even if he doesn’t, you know what it means to you. Nothing can change or diminish that.”

Katie lay in bed early Friday morning, staring at the patterned wallpaper above her. Why was she so nervous? Maybe because this was the first time Drew would see where she came from and who she was. So much of the time she’d known him had centered on Grandma and simply surviving day-to-day. Being here somehow seemed to bring out the person she always wanted to be, but what if Drew didn’t like that person?

Sliding out of bed, she shook her head. She shouldn’t be so worried. It wasn’t as if she’d changed. She’d just managed to find peace and comfort here in the wake of losing Grandma. Drew would be happy about that.

Downstairs, she ate breakfast and focused on tidying the cottage like she had before having pizzas with the Harts last night. For the past two days, she’d poured herself into making it as presentable as possible. Grandma probably would have told her she was going overboard, but she really wanted Drew to like it and see its charms.

Just after eight-thirty, her phone rang, and she accepted a video call from him. He stood in the hallway outside her apartment door. They exchanged good mornings as he unlocked the door using the key she had given him in case of an emergency.

“So, what do you need me to get?”

How strange to see her apartment when she wasn’t there. Even stranger that it barely felt like hers. “Clothes, mostly.”

She directed him to the bigger suitcase in her closet and told him where to find the clothes she had in mind. He didn’t say much, but after placing a few pairs of jeans, shirts, and skirts into the bag, she caught a slight edge to his voice.

“Just how long are you planning to stay?”

Katie swallowed, her stomach dropping out. “I don’t know. I just want to be prepared.”

Forgoing any other clothes, she had him grab her Bible and a few things from her bathroom before calling it good. He zipped up the suitcase and walked toward the door.

“All right, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” He set the suitcase down to close and lock her door. “I should make it there about noon.”

“Okay. I’ll have lunch ready when you get here.” She forced a smile despite lingering discomfort over the clothing. “What do you think about having supper with the Harts? It’s up to you. They just wanted you to know you’re invited.”

She watched him think about it as he walked down the hall of the apartment building.

“Yeah, we can do that. Then, we could have supper together at the Lodge tomorrow night.”

Katie’s smile gained strength. “That sounds fun. I’ve only eaten there once, and that was years ago.” It had been some formal dinner for Grant, so she hadn’t even enjoyed it.

Any irritation Drew might have felt before seemed to have faded. “Good. I’ll see you soon, then.”

Just like he’d estimated, Drew arrived shortly after twelve. Watching his car pull in next to hers stirred up a nest of butterflies in Katie’s stomach, a combination of nerves and excitement. She looked forward to showing him around, even if it came with underlying anxiety. She stepped outside as he exited the car and met him there. He welcomed a hug from her, which proved how much he’d missed her. As they parted, he bent to give her a quick kiss.

“I missed you.”

She smiled up at him. “I missed you too.”

His gaze swept past her, toward the lake and around the yard. She also turned to look, drawing a deep breath as she tried to see it through his eyes.

“This is nice and private,” he said after a moment.

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