Page 64 of Safe With You

“I don’t like how real and ominous this makes everything feel.”

Ethan put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently with his thumb. “I know, but I think it’s important you report it, just in case things escalate further.”

A little while later, Eric exited his car and approached them again. Katie and Ethan stood to meet him.

“Well, I tried calling Christopher to see what he had to say about his whereabouts last night, but he didn’t answer—big surprise. So I called your mom. She insists he’s in Lake Geneva with friends. Of course, she has no way to confirm this. I got the make and model of his car, though. It’s a green Toyota Camry, so you can be on the lookout for that. After some digging, it turns out he already has an active restraining order against him. Looks like it was issued on behalf of an ex he got too aggressive with. He also has various drug possession charges, but it looks like he got off easy on them, no doubt because of his father.”

“So what does that mean?”

Eric looked at her regretfully. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean anything other than to confirm he is someone you should watch out for. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do at this point without a direct threat. I hate having to tell you that. I wish I could do more.”

It was just as she expected. “I understand. I figured as much.”

“I’ll keep him on my radar. If he sends any more texts, let me know. In the meantime, I suggest getting one of those doorbell cams or another security camera to monitor who drives in.”

Katie nodded. She’d already been thinking that would be a good idea.

Katie spent another night with the Harts, but when Ethan installed her security camera, she returned to the cottage. She remained on edge at first, especially at night, and she hated keeping her doors locked all the time again, but the paranoia slowly wore off as the days passed.

They celebrated Father’s Day with an entire afternoon out on the lake that involved swimming, tubing, fishing, and everything she’d always loved about summer. Ethan started on her shelves on Monday and had come over every afternoon for an hour or so to work on them. Now, by Friday afternoon, he was over half finished. Katie loved how they were taking shape and how she could sort out all her fabrics and supplies.

While he worked, she sat at her sewing table, putting the finishing touches on her dress for the wedding. The pleated bodice and handkerchief-style skirt had come together even better than she imagined, and she couldn’t wait to wear it tomorrow.

During their conversation, they discussed Joel’s kids and how they compared to when they were young.

Katie raised a brow at him as they talked about how Marshall had nearly shoved Charlie off the pontoon and how siblings could be to each other. “You know, you weren’t always nice to me either.”

Ethan gave her an exaggerated frown. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb. You and Joel got into your ‘no girls allowed’ moods and tried to exclude me, Becca, and Megan. And you said I had cooties.”

This drew a smirk from him. “Girls do have cooties.”

Katie snorted. “If anyone has anything, it’s boys. Boys are gross.”

“Yeah, okay.” There was laughter in his voice. “I better not kiss you then.”

Silence followed that statement. They both froze until Ethan shook his head as if brushing it off.

“Because, you know, that would be weird.”

He went back to work, but Katie was still trying to wrap her mind around what he’d said. It was such an odd concept…except why was she looking at him now and wondering what it would be like if hedidkiss her? If he came over and put his hand on her cheek like he had at the attorney’s office when she was having a panic attack…

She jerked her eyes away from him, flames bursting to life across her face. What on earth was she thinking? Ethan was her best friend, and she already had a boyfriend. She’d clearly taken leave of her senses. Ethan had focused on his work, but what if he saw her blushing? How would she explain such a reaction to his joke? She drew a shallow breath, trying to focus on something other than her complete and utter lapse in sound thinking. She cleared her throat as discreetly as possible and prayed her voice didn’t betray her.

“So, what time is the wedding tomorrow?” Of course, she already knew the answer…at least she did when her brain was functioning correctly, but she needed something to redirect her thoughts. She focused on the fabric in front of her in case Ethan looked at her and found any lingering blush on her face.

“The ceremony starts at four. It’s about a half an hour drive, so I think we’re all planning to leave at three.”

Thankfully, she didn’t pick up anything odd in his voice and breathed a little easier. She had no idea how she would have explained what had just happened if he’d asked. She didn’t even know how to explain it to herself.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Ethan buttoned up the dusty red shirt he’d chosen to wear to the wedding. He’d tried to pick something that would complement Katie’s dress without clashing. The fact that it was her favorite color may or may not have influenced his decision.

He shook his head. He needed to get a grip, especially after what he’d said yesterday. What had even possessed him to make the comment? It was one of the stupidest things to ever come out of his mouth, and that was saying something. Thankfully, she seemed to have brushed it off as a joke. Another slip like that could ruin their entire friendship.

He rolled up his sleeves and stepped into the bathroom to fix his hair and smooth his beard. They were going to a wedding, after all. It was a perfectly legitimate reason to look nice.

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