Page 48 of Safe With You

Katie thanked him, unsure how she’d even survived the last fifteen years without the support of this family.

Chapter Twenty

Wednesday morning, Katie made sure O’Malley had enough food to last until tomorrow and hurried over to the Harts’. Ethan and his dad were hooking up the trailer, and Becca and Evelyn joined them a moment later.

Evelyn handed Katie two containers. “I made snacks for the road.”

The bottom container warmed Katie’s hands and smelled distinctly of blueberries—most likely muffins—and she was willing to bet the top container held cookies of some kind. “Thank you.”

“Drive safe,” Evelyn told them as they gathered around the truck, and Ethan assured her they would.

With quick goodbyes, they climbed in—Katie in the front passenger seat so she could give Ethan directions. They stopped briefly at the coffee shop in town before setting out toward Elling. It was hard to believe nearly three weeks had passed since Katie had last come this way. Three weeks since losing Grandma. Pressure built in her chest at that thought, but she breathed through it and focused on the day ahead.

Whether Ethan sensed her melancholy or just wanted to start a conversation, he brought up a memory, and they soon talked and laughed as always. Halfway into the trip, the conversation shifted to her sewing. Now that she would have all her supplies, she wanted to move forward with turning it into a business. The only problem was that she needed a business name.

“Do you have any ideas?” Becca asked.

Katie shook her head. “My mind has been frustratingly blank whenever I try to come up with something. I guess I’m not as creative with names as I am with clothes.”

They threw suggestions back and forth. Becca had a few creative ideas, but they laughed at some of them. Though a couple had potential, none of them grabbed Katie. It would be hard to change a business name once she started, which created a lot of pressure to get it right. Though Ethan had remained silent through the exchange, he suddenly spoke up.

“What about The Ruby Thread?” He glanced at her. “Your grandma taught you how to sew, right? So it could be a tribute to her, plus red is your favorite color. And you can’t sew without thread.”

She repeated it in her mind. It was just the sort of catchy yet cozy name she’d been looking for, and the thought and meaning behind it left warm feelings in her chest.

“Wow, that sounds perfect.”

He shared a smile with her.

Becca reached over to smack her hand against his shoulder. “Who knew you could come up with a creative business name, Mr.Hart Woodwork.”

“Hey, my business doesn’t need a creative business name. Simple and practical is all I need.”

Still smiling, Katie considered the name, imagining what it might look like on a website or a business card. Suddenly, all of her business dreams seemed so much more tangible. It took it from a hobby to a brand she could build upon. She looked over at Ethan again. What would she ever do without him?

Katie winced as the buildings of Elling flashed by. No one even knew she was back in town, yet she still felt unwelcome. It did help to have Ethan and Becca here with her. At least she had allies this time. She directed Ethan through town to the small apartment complex on the east side, where he backed the trailer into a parking spot. She and Becca waited in the truck while he unhooked it and parked beside it. Grabbing their bags, Katie led the way up to her second-floor apartment.

The small two-bedroom wasn’t spacious by any means. After spending the last couple of weeks at the cottage, the bare, drab walls jumped out at her like they never had before. She didn’t have a single piece of artwork or picture on the walls, and the only color came from a couple of throw blankets and pillows on the couch. She hadn’t built much of a life for herself in the last four years. She’d returned to Wisconsin with only what she could fit in her car. Since then, she had acquired little to make the apartment feel like a home.

She glanced at Ethan and Becca. What must they think to see how she’d been living? She’d seen dorm rooms cozier than this. “Kind of bleak, isn’t it?”

Becca shrugged. “It’s serviceable.” She gave Katie an understanding smile. “But it’s not the cottage.”

“No, it’s not.” She already missed it.

But there wasn’t time to think about that. They had to have this entire place cleared out by tomorrow.

Ethan set his bag down and returned to the truck to retrieve the boxes they’d brought. They packed the kitchen first, leaving out what they thought they might need later. Then they gathered in the sewing room, which Katie knew would take the longest. At least this room looked like she had a life.

Halfway through packing her supplies, Katie reached into a black garbage bag from the closet and lifted out a dress. An ugly tear slashed down the front of the Bohemian-style bodice. She winced at the damage.

“What happened?”

Katie looked up, not realizing both Ethan and Becca were watching her. She dropped the dress back into the bag with a sigh. “It’s one of the dresses I stocked in the consignment shop where I worked. After everything happened, Amanda, my old boss, did this to all the items I had there and threw them in the dumpster. I’m lucky she even told me where to find them.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched, and Becca looked mildly horrified. When he spoke again, Ethan sounded like he had to put effort into keeping his voice neutral.

“Did you report it to anyone? She destroyed your property.”

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