4. Chapter Four
The rain had slowed to a fine mist by the time they reached the southern edge of town, though Ethan figured it was only a brief lull. When he’d checked his weather app this morning, it had predicted rain showers throughout the late afternoon and evening and scattered thunderstorms. Maybe it would hold out just long enough to collect Katie’s things and settle her at home.
Two miles outside town, they pulled off the highway into the pothole-riddled parking lot of the Night’s Edge Motel. The place belonged in one of the serial killer documentaries Megan always talked about. How it saw enough business to stay open all these years left more questions than answers.
They pulled up in front of the room Katie indicated and got out. When she let them inside, Ethan cast a glance around. The room didn’t look like it had been updated since the seventies, with cheap wood paneling bowing out from walls and stained brown carpeting. The floral bedspread looked like something his grandparents might have had back in the day, and the reek of cigarettes infused every surface. Katie should never have had to deal with this on top of everything else. If only he’d known, he could have invited her to stay with his parents sooner. Not that he’d had any way to contact her. Though he’d thought about asking Grandma Ruby for her number over the years, if she had been in a place where she wanted to contact him, she would have.
Katie grabbed a suitcase from the floor and set it on the bed. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to change quick. Then I’ll have to go check out. That manager you mentioned does give me the creeps.” She rubbed her arms.
“Yeah, Johnny has that effect.” And Ethan wouldn’t put it past him to have let it slip that a single woman had rented the room. It left him cold to think Katie had stayed here alone last night. Thank God no one had come knocking.
Her shoulders drooped. “I’ll probably still get charged for the rest of the nights I booked.”
The dejection in her voice weighed on her entire being and sent a surge through Ethan’s chest. “You finish packing up. I’ll go talk to Johnny.”
She cast him a look of tired thankfulness that only reinforced his determination that she wouldn’t have to worry about money or anything else he could take care of as long as she stayed in Two Lakes.
Leaving her to pack, he stepped outside and scanned the parking lot. A beat-up blue Pontiac sat parked at the farthest door, but it was otherwise empty save for Katie’s car and Johnny’s old Dodge by the office.
No one greeted him when he entered the cluttered office space, so he rang the bell. While he waited, he leaned on the counter and turned enough to keep an eye on Katie’s door. Maybe he was paranoid and overly cautious, but he didn’t trust people these days. Especially not the sort Johnny attracted. At least one of Johnny’s friends had a sexual assault charge on his record, and Johnny himself was no saint around women.
A minute later, rustling drew Ethan’s attention, and Johnny stepped out of a back room. Skinny as a board and sporting scraggly long hair, one would guess his age to be around fifty even though he only had a year on Ethan—the result of alcohol and drug addictions that had started as far back as high school. Even when Ethan had gone through his rough patch during those years, he’d still had enough sense not to hang out around him.
Johnny eyed him over the counter. “What do you want?”
“Katie’s checking out early. Room 5.”
Johnny’s gaze darted past him, out the door toward Katie’s room. He sniffed. “As long as she pays for the nights she booked.”
Ethan straightened away from the counter. “Yeah, that isn’t going to happen. It will only be the one night.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“Come on, her grandma just died. She’s here for the funeral. Have a little sympathy.” He didn’t think Johnny would go for it, but it was worth a shot.
Sure enough, Johnny just snorted. “This is a business, not a charity house.”
If that was how he was going to be… “Let me ask you a question, Johnny. How would your other guests like it if an anonymous tip came in to the police about some sketchy goings on out here? I imagine having cops nosing around the place wouldn’t be good for business.”
Johnny’s eyes narrowed, something of a growl edging his voice. “Are you threatening me?”
Ethan kept his own tone light. “Of course not. I’m just having a hypothetical conversation. You never know who might drive by and get ideas about the sort of establishment you run.”
Johnny glared at him for a long moment before huffing. “Fine, I’ll only charge her for the one night.”
“Thank you. That’s very generous and thoughtful of you. What’s the total?”
Johnny shifted to the computer, grumbling what probably were actual threats under his breath. The monitor was still one of the large box-like ones, not a flat screen. “Fifty-nine forty.”
Ethan made a face and reached for his wallet. The room wasn’t worth that. Thankfully, he had just enough cash on hand. He didn’t trust Johnny or the motel’s computer system with his debit card.
“Here.” He laid the cash on the counter, glancing over his shoulder to Katie’s room.
When Johnny returned his change, he pocketed the coins and headed for the door. Outside, he had just about reached Katie’s room when her door opened, and she stepped out, lugging her suitcase. He crossed the last few feet between them and reached for it.
“Where do you want this?”
She handed it over readily. “Back seat is fine.”
He opened the car door and put the suitcase in the back seat. Once he shut it again and turned to her, his gaze quickly swept her appearance. She’d changed into a dark red sweatshirt, one of those off-the-shoulder styles Becca liked, and a pair of jeans with embroidered patches on the knees. When he reached her feet, he paused, a smile growing to find a pair of worn red Chucks.
She glanced down too. “What?”
“You have a pair of red sneakers like when we were eight.”
For the first time all day, a light smile bloomed on Katie’s face that wasn’t weighed down or shadowed by troubles. The sort of smile he remembered from when they were kids that revealed her dimples. It left a funny feeling in his chest, and he only just stopped himself from rubbing it.
She shrugged one shoulder. “They’re my favorite shoes.” Adjusting her purse strap, she looked toward the office. “How did it go with the manager?”
“He agreed to only charge for one night.”
Relief washed over her face. “Thank you. I better go take care of that.”
She turned, but he stopped her. “I already took care of it.”
Her eyes jumped to his, her expression probing. “You paid it?”
“I didn’t want you to have to go in there.”
“How much was it?”
Though he would have liked to cover the cost for her, given her no-nonsense tone, she probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he insisted. “Fifty-nine forty.”
She dug into her purse and pulled three twenty-dollar bills from her wallet, holding them out to him expectantly.
He didn’t take them right away. Might as well try. “Are you sure? It’s no big deal.”
But she gave him a firm nod. “You’ve already provided me with a new place to stay. You don’t have to pay for my room.”
He took the bills and swapped them with the coins in his pocket, giving her the change. At least he’d convinced her that his parents’ house was a safer option, and she wouldn’t have to pay for any more nights.
They both got back into the car, and Ethan headed north again, toward home. As they drove through town, Katie gestured to The Ice Shack. “Is the ice cream still as good as I remember?”
Ethan grinned at the memories of their childhood that floated into his mind. “The best. It’s still a family favorite.” He glanced over at her. “Maybe we can stop in before you have to leave.”
Just as he’d hoped, another smile lit up her face. “I’d like that.”
Before either of them could say more, a phone rang. Katie reached into her purse and pulled it out. “Mind if I answer this?”
“No, not at all.”
She accepted the call and put the phone to her ear. “Hey.”
Though Ethan couldn’t pick out the words, a muted male voice responded on the other end.
“Yeah, I’m okay, but it was rough…” Katie replied to whatever greeting or question she had received. “No, I’m going to an old friend’s house… Ethan Hart… I know I mentioned his family. He was my best friend growing up. He invited me to stay at their lake house. Turns out that motel is sketchier than I wanted to admit. He thought this would be safer… Well, I told you I couldn’t afford anything else… It’s not his house; it’s his parents’… Drew, I’m staying with his parents and sister. He’s got his own place.”
A light sigh escaped her, and Ethan glanced over as she reached up to rub her forehead. All the cares of the day seemed to have fallen on her again. He gripped the steering wheel more tightly. If his hunch was correct, she had a boyfriend on the other side of that call who wasn’t thrilled about his invitation. Maybe said boyfriend should try being grateful his girl wasn’t staying alone in some shady roadside motel for a second night.
When Katie spoke again, the frustration in her voice died away, leaving her sounding tired. “No, it’s fine, I understand… Yeah… I’ll just be happy not to sleep in a bed that reeks of cigarettes tonight… I’ll call you later… Okay… Bye.”
She ended the call and slid the phone back into her purse. A long moment of silence stretched out. Ethan twisted his hands on the wheel, telling himself to loosen his grip. He glanced in her direction. She still stared down at her purse as if lost in thought. He probably shouldn’t say anything, but curiosity got the best of him.
“Boyfriend?”
Her gaze snapped to him. “Yes. Drew.”
And yet she’d come all this way and had to attend her grandma’s funeral by herself. If Ethan hadn’t been there, she would have had to face both the sorrow and her mom and Grant alone. Considering the fear he’d witnessed in the parking lot at church, he couldn’t imagine it. “He couldn’t be here with you?”
“He’s a second-year surgical resident. He had a major surgery to assist with today and another scheduled for Sunday afternoon.”
“Oh, so he’s a doctor. Yeah, I suppose that would be hard to get away from.” Not that Ethan wouldn’t have dropped everything to be there for his girl at a time like this.
Katie gave a half-hearted shrug as if she wasn’t even convinced by her next words. “He thought it was important to be there.”
More important than being here? He bit back the question that jumped to his tongue. This was none of his business. He didn’t know Drew, and after all this time, he barely knew Katie either. He’d best remember that. Fifteen years was a long time. Neither one of them were the kids they used to be. Neither was it his place to judge someone he hadn’t met, even if the situation got under his skin.
Silence fell again until Katie broke it. “I guess I never thought to ask about you. Are you married or have a girlfriend?”
He should have known he’d have to answer relationship questions next. “No. Not married and no girlfriend.”
Not for a long time. A good four years since his last date, which had ended a year-long relationship. He braced himself, afraid she would ask him why, and that was a question he didn’t have a simple answer to. Especially now after seeing her again for the first time in so many years.
Thankfully, she didn’t pry, allowing him to keep his complicated feelings tucked away where they had been for more years than he cared to think about. Turning off the highway onto a country backroad gave him the perfect excuse to change the direction of the conversation.
“Almost home.”