Page 84 of Safe With You

She shifted her focus to her menu. Sure enough, one of the prominent items was cinnamon rolls with the words ‘baked fresh daily’ in bold letters. There were also several varieties of pies available. Her mouth watered again.

“We’ll have to come back again after this. There are too many good desserts to try.”

Ethan looked more than happy with the suggestion. “I think you’re right.”

The waitress came to their table shortly to bring them coffee and take their orders. They chose the eggs, pancakes, and bacon that were the breakfast special and a cinnamon roll for each of them. Katie looked forward to returning for lunch or supper sometime to try the soups, sandwiches, and chicken dinner on the menu.

Once they’d received their food, Ethan prayed, and they fell into easy conversation. Their already deep friendship made it the most comfortable and enjoyable first date Katie had ever been on. While the excitement and fun remained, it was much deeper because of their existing relationship.

Thinking over what had led to all this, one particular memory returned to Katie’s mind. “So, that day in the sewing room when you made the comment about kissing me…”

Ethan shook his head, cringing in embarrassment. “I have no idea what came over me or how that slipped out of my mouth. I thought I’d just made the stupidest mistake of my life and ruined everything.”

A grin tugged at Katie’s lips as she recalled her own reaction. “I have to admit, after you said it, I started wondering what it would be like if you did kiss me.”

“Really?”

“I wasn’t fully aware of my feelings, but I think they’ve always been there. It just took returning to Two Lakes and seeing you again for them to surface.”

“Maybe I should have been honest and told you how I felt sooner. I was just afraid it would ruin our friendship. I know how much you need it, and so do I.”

But Katie had no regrets other than the part she’d played in their misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that, thankfully, hadn’t lasted long. “I think things needed to be resolved between me and Drew first. I needed to figure out this is where I belong.”

Ethan savored the deep contentment and happiness that only seemed to grow as he and Katie drove toward home. At this moment, he couldn’t imagine anything being more perfect. When they were just about home, he looked over at her. “Can I show you something at the house?”

“Of course.”

He pulled onto his parents’ driveway a moment later and parked the truck by the shop. Inside, he led her to one of the workbenches. The old thing had been there since before his birth and had been used not just by him and his dad but also by his grandpa. It had a lot of sentimental value for that reason alone, but there was another, more personal reason.

He paused, eyeing the sawdust-strewn floor and dark space beneath the bench. Perhaps he hadn’t thought this through.

“Hold on a sec.” He scanned the shop and grabbed a big piece of cardboard that he shoved under the bench. Then he took a rag and dropped down to scoot back underneath it, where he tried to swipe away all the spider webs. Some probably ended up in his hair anyway, but better his than Katie’s.

He looked up at her once he finished. She watched him quizzically, and he patted the cardboard beside him.

“Care to join me?”

She laughed, her brows quirked in confusion, but she got down and joined him under the bench. Shifting, he tugged his phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight.

“Look at this.”

He shined the light on the underside of the bench to illuminate a heart drawn in black Sharpie with a message inside:Ethan loves Katie. He looked over at her. A wide smile had replaced the confusion.

“I drew that when we were fourteen. You and your family were gone on a trip. I got myself sent out here to clean from mouthing off to Mom. I was worried about you and moping that you weren’t around. Clearly, I didn’t handle it in the most mature way, a trait that unfortunately carried into the next several years.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why I thought professing my love on the underside of a workbench would help, but then I did many stupid things as a teenager.”

Her smile only grew. “I think it’s cute.”

“Yeah?” He stared at her, studying her eyes in the dim light from his phone. “I thought about it so many times while working out here over the years, wishing I could have told you.”

Her shoulder pressed into his. “Well, I know now.”

He couldn’t help himself. He leaned over, and she met him for a kiss. Only after a few heartbeats did his brain remind him of their surroundings. Underneath a messy workbench, where there were probably still spiders and other bugs, was not the most romantic place to be kissing.

Reluctantly, he backed away. “Come on, let’s go before Dad walks in and finds us kissing under here like immature teenagers.”

She laughed, seeming to see the absurdity of it as well. He scooted out from under the bench and pushed to his feet. Then he reached down to pull her up, holding her hand as they walked out of the shop.

Chapter Thirty-seven

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