10. Ethan
10
Ethan
B EEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Ethan fumbled in his pocket, silencing the insistent alarm before sliding the phone back into his jeans. “Shoot. I gotta run.” He waved the brochure. “This okay to take?”
Kara gave a small nod. “Of course, that’s what they’re for.”
“Thanks. I’d love to stick around, but I can’t be late.” Ethan whistled, patting his leg. “Come on Hero. Time to head home, buddy.”
As Ethan moved to leave, Kara’s voice blew through the air, light and just as beautiful as his memory afforded her. “If you really want to help, feel free to stop by while you’re in town. I’ll be here tomorrow—and the next day. Pretty much every day.” She chuckled, the sound soft, almost nervous, cute.
Her smile lingered, and Ethan’s gaze caught on her eyes—deep brown, just as he remembered. There was something both familiar and different about them: traces of the girl he once knew, but now grounded in a quiet confidence earned through years of life. They were inviting, magnetic even, and Ethan felt a sudden reluctance to leave.
“Maybe I will. It was good seeing you again—Kara.”
“You too.” She gave him a polite, tight-lipped smile.
Ethan shifted his weight, offering a small smile of his own. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
Kara raised her hand in a half-wave, her fingers barely moving, before turning on her heel and disappearing under the billowing tent.
Twenty minutes later, the crunch of gravel under his tires signaled Ethan’s arrival at his dad’s driveway. He stepped out, unlocked the door, and headed straight to the kitchen, Hero at his side. As he moved through the familiar space, his thoughts wandered back to Kara.
Does she have a partner? ... Who am I kidding? Of course she does. A woman like Kara doesn’t stay single for long.
The idea of Kara’s gentle hands intertwined with a faceless figure standing beside her ... on endless repeat. The thought—it stirred an ache in his chest, something deeper he couldn’t quite name.
Ethan rubbed his temples, willing the unwanted thoughts to dissipate.
You don’t get to wonder about that anymore. You gave up that right a long time ago.
As he cranked open the window above the sink, letting the crisp air rush in, an image of Charlotte flashed in his mind. The resemblance was uncanny—a mirror of Kara—tall, slender frame, and chestnut hair. Save one difference: Charlotte’s eyes were blue.
Hero whined, a paw striking Ethan’s thigh.
“You can go outside if you want,” Ethan said, looking down at Hero. “I’ll be an hour—you know the drill.”
Hero let out a sharp bark before trotting out through the doggy door.
Ethan shook his head and stepped into the hallway, grabbed a backpack from the pile of bags, and returned to the kitchen table. Sitting down, he pulled out his laptop, set it in front of him, and switched on the hotspot from his phone. A few minutes later, he was logged in and ready for his weekly therapy session to begin.
Ethan glanced at the clock—two minutes past the scheduled start time. Still no sign of his psychiatrist.
He began scrolling through his calendar, double-checking that he had the correct day.
As he was about to send a message to confirm, the video call ringtone chimed from his laptop.
“Hey, Ethan. Sorry about the wait. I had a session that ran over.” A middle-aged woman with kind eyes smiled at him.
Ethan let out a chuckle. “No problem. Glad I didn’t screw up the time this week.”
Dr. Hartman adjusted her glasses, her face inching closer to the camera. “This isn’t your usual setup. Are you at home?”
“No, I’m at,” Ethan said, glancing around. “I’m at my dad’s place. In Hadley Cove.”
“Of course, you mentioned this trip. How’s it going so far?”
“It’s been,” Ethan rubbed his jaw, feeling the day-old stubble scratch against his palm, “a lot. Non-stop since I arrived yesterday.”
“Walk me through it, Ethan. What’s been going on?”
“Heh. Where do I even start?” Ethan exhaled slowly, his fingers drumming on the table. “I guess when I first got to the house ...”
As Ethan recounted the events, his eyes remained fixed on the computer screen. The psychiatrist’s image occasionally froze for a split second before catching up, her head nodding in gentle encouragement. Occasionally, her gaze shifted slightly to the side, perhaps glancing at her notes or typing something into the computer out of view.
In the corner of the video feed, Ethan watched the call duration tick upward: ten minutes ... fifteen ... twenty ...
A slight crease appeared on Dr. Hartman’s forehead as she listened, her posture unchanged except for the occasional shift in her chair.
A notification popped up on his screen: Battery Low: 20% remaining.
Ethan blinked, realizing how long he had been talking.
“And you just found out about this?” she asked. “About the missing deed?”
“Last night,” Ethan said. “Anyway, I gotta find it soon.”
“I see. It’s got to be tough dealing with all of your late father’s affairs.”
“Wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the deed. Thought I’d be back home in a few days. But now? I’m looking at a week, minimum. And if it doesn’t turn up? The lawyer’s talking about courts, legal proceedings.” Ethan ran a hand through his hair. “Says it could drag on for years. I just—” He sighed, rolling his shoulders. “I need this over with to move on, you know?”
Dr. Hartman nodded. “I understand. I would be just as frustrated.”
“Well, I’m not thrilled about it. And then last night, there was this accident.” He shook his head.
“An accident? What happened?”
“This girl crashed into a tree on the side of the road. Right outside the house. The rain was terrible last night, but by some miracle, she wasn’t badly injured.”
“Sounds like she was very fortunate.”
Ethan nodded. “Yeah, actually ran into her today. And then ... well, I saw someone else I knew.”
Dr. Hartman raised a brow. “Really?”
Ethan sighed. “Yeah. Kara.”
“Kara? As in the Kara we’ve discussed before?”
“Yeah, that Kara. Right before our session, I was grabbing something to eat in town. Ended up at this animal rescue event. And who do I see? Charlotte—the girl from the accident—introducing me to her mom. And of all people, it’s Kara.”
“Small world. What do you think about all of this?”
Ethan laughed. “That I’ve forgotten what this town is like—everyone knows everyone, and everyone knows everyone’s business too.”
“And how was it talking with Kara again?”
“It was ...” Ethan thought back to the conversation. “Surreal. Her face went pale when she saw me. Can’t blame her.”
“What did you talk about?”
Ethan shrugged. “The animal rescue, mostly. Then her daughter suggested I volunteer there. Can you believe it?”
“Didn’t you enjoy volunteering at the other animal rescue?”
“Yeah, but—” Ethan’s head snapped up. “Wait, you think that’s a good idea? I mean don’t you think it seems like a lot?”
She studied Ethan’s face. “Do you? If so, why? What’s really stopping you?”
Ethan laughed. “Well, for starters we’d be working side by side, and I—What do you say to someone after all these years? And maybe it’s too late for us, you know? Plus, I’ll be gone soon once I find this deed. And—”
“Too late for what? Too late to pick up where you left off?”
Ethan shook his head. “No, no. That ship’s long gone. At least I think it is, might be, I-I don’t know. Maybe we could be friends? Is that crazy?”
“It’s not crazy,” she said. “Let me ask you something else. That animal rescue you worked at back home—have you found anything else that gives you that same sense of purpose?”
“No.” Ethan slumped in his chair. “Nothing’s come close since.”
Dr. Hartman tapped her pen. “Maybe this is your chance to get back to something that fills your cup. I know Kara’s presence might complicate things, but getting back to animal work could be beneficial, or it might be too much too soon. But you’ll have to decide that for yourself.”
Ethan chewed his lip, thinking it over. “I’ll need some time to decide.”
“Take your time,” she said, leaning back. “And remember, if you decide to volunteer and need me in the middle of it all, I’m only a phone call away.”
Ethan nodded. “Thanks, Doc. That means a lot.”
She glanced at her computer screen. “Oh, before I forget—you’re due for a medication refill. Want me to send it to a pharmacy in Hadley Cove?”
Ethan winced. “Yeah, that’d be great, just not Walker’s though. Any other place works.”
“No problem. I’ll have my assistant call it in. You’ll get a text later.”
“Perfect, thanks.”
“We’ve covered a lot today. Anything else on your mind before we wrap up?”
A scratching sound drew Ethan’s attention to the doggy door. He smiled as Hero trotted in. “Nah, I think that’s it for now. See you next week?”
“Absolutely.”
With a soft click, Ethan shut his laptop and reached down to stroke Hero’s fur.
“What do you think, boy? Should I volunteer at the rescue?” Hero woofed softly, then padded over to his water bowl. He pawed at it a couple of times before giving it a nudge, sending it toppling over and splashing water across the floor.
Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. “Nice move, Hero. So, is that a yes, or are you just dodging the question?”