12. Chapter Twelve
Katie woke early the next morning, and for the first time in over a week, the crushing fear, uncertainty, and grief that had been present ever since Grandma’s passing didn’t weigh down her chest. They weren’t gone completely, and while she feared further confrontation with Mom and Grant, yesterday had brought closure.
After thinking and praying for a while, she grabbed her phone and opened the Bible app. She’d utterly failed at reading regularly in the last few months. If she wanted to look at today as a fresh start, the best way would be to redevelop better habits regarding her faith. She read until the clock showed seven-thirty and then got up to pick through her clothes.
Downstairs, she found Ethan at the table with Becca and their dad. The delicious scent of warm blueberry filled the room, making Katie’s mouth water. Evelyn always made the best blueberry muffins. She set a cloth-lined basket of them on the table as Katie neared. A little steam still rose from the ones on top.
“You’re just in time.” She paused to give Katie a look of motherly concern that Katie had ceased hoping to see from her own mother many, many years ago. “How are you this morning?”
“Good, all things considered.” Memories of yesterday threatened to dampen her mood, but she couldn’t give her mom or Grant that power. “I think I’ll go over to the cottage this morning and get ready to stay there tonight.”
“Well, you know you are always welcome to stay here, but I understand the desire to stay there. It was always such a charming little place.”
Katie found her throat squeezing and had to swallow hard. “Grandma really made it special.”
“Yes, she did.” Evelyn put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a comforting side hug.
As they parted, Ethan pushed out a chair for her next to him. “Would you like me to come over and turn on the water and check the furnace? It looks like it’ll be cold the next couple of days.”
She slid into the seat. “I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”
They all reached for the muffins, and Katie poured herself a cup of milk from the jug on the table. “I’d like to get some sheets washed. Do you know how the washer and dryer are over there?”
From what she remembered, the set Grandma had fifteen years ago had been pretty old, even back then.
Ethan set his coffee mug down after taking a sip. “I do, actually. Joel and I installed a new set for her only about five years ago. They should be like new.”
“Okay, good.” The money Grandma had left her might solve her current financial crisis, but the thought of purchasing new appliances or any other significant expenses still worried her.
Once they all finished breakfast, Katie helped with the dishes, and then she and Ethan headed outside. Though the sun shone brightly as they walked along the path toward the cottage, the air had cooled since yesterday. Cold enough to have needed a jacket if it hadn’t been a short walk. She still found it surreal to approach the cottage knowing it belonged to her now.
Inside, she followed Ethan down to the basement. Though the space was small and cramped, Grandma had found enough room to store the fruits and vegetables she canned every year. Many jars still lined the shelves, coated in dust.
In short order, Ethan had the water turned back on and both the water heater and furnace running. Back upstairs, he gestured to the small, cast iron wood stove in the living room. “I’ll go out and clean the chimney. That way, you can have a fire. I’ll bring some wood over later.”
“Oh, thanks, but you don’t have to do all that right now if you have other things to do.” She’d already taken up most of the day yesterday. It wasn’t a very good start to a work week for him.
He just smiled. “I don’t mind.”
Then, he disappeared outside to work on the chimney, and Katie climbed the narrow steps upstairs. She entered Grandma’s bedroom first since the door was the closest. The soft lavender walls and adorning Scripture artwork invited a peaceful feeling. Against one wall stood an old wardrobe that made Katie think of Narnia. She’d checked the back of it more than once as a kid after Grandma had read all the books to her, desperate to discover a different world to escape into. Of all the rooms in the house, this one would likely remain untouched the longest. A pang of grief constricted her heart, and she drew a deep breath to release it.
Finally, she turned and entered the second bedroom. Two twin beds sat tucked under the slope of the roof, each covered with mismatched vintage quilts. An antique white hutch stood under the window between them as a nightstand. Mint green paint colored the wainscoted walls, while white wallpaper dotted with pink floral covered the ceiling slant on either side of the room. Everything remained exactly as it had been when Katie had left. Grandma must have been just as reluctant to change things as Katie was.
Fighting back another wave of melancholy, she gathered the bedding from both beds and hauled it downstairs to the washer and dryer tucked in a small closet off the kitchen. She’d just started a load of sheets when her phone rang from the kitchen island—a jarring ringtone she’d reserved for just one person. Mom.
She walked over to it. Sure enough, Mom’s name lit up the screen. She stared at it as it rang, her middle cramping with the debate over whether to answer. Ignoring it would only frustrate Mom, but if she was still on the warpath, it wouldn’t matter. Not ready to have any conversation with her, Katie just let it ring until it went to voicemail. She waited for Mom to leave a message, but none popped up.
Breathing a sigh to release her tension, she returned to the closet and found a cleaning bucket and rag to do a preliminary pass at the dust that had collected everywhere. She’d begun working in the living room several minutes later when the front door opened, and Ethan called her name. Something in his tone stabbed the same dread into her stomach as when her phone rang. She turned to him, and his tense expression confirmed it.
“Your mom and Grant just drove in.”
Katie drew a trembling breath as she approached the door. Mom, Grant, and Christopher were just getting out of their car. Had they suspected she was here? Or, worse, did they think she wouldn’t be? She clenched her fists. Why couldn’t they leave her alone?
“Do you want me to take care of it?”
Ethan’s offer tempted her. She forced herself to shake her head. “It won’t end if I don’t stand my ground.”
He nodded and shifted to let her pass. “I’ll be right beside you.”
Katie held on to that assurance. As long as he was here, Grant held no power.
She walked out of the porch, steeling herself. Ethan remained only a step behind her, and she caught Grant mutter what was likely an expletive under his breath. Mom’s face looked deceptively calm as they approached, unlike yesterday. Christopher, however, sneered hatefully at her. He was a terrifying mix of Mom’s selfishness and Grant’s abusiveness; only he took it a step further by being dangerously unpredictable.
Katie stopped a few feet from the porch, and Ethan came alongside her. Mom led the way, darting a glance at him before focusing on Katie and attempting a disingenuous smile.
“We came to talk now that the emotions from yesterday aren’t as high.”
Katie crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “About what? I thought it was clear that there wasn’t anything to talk about.”
Mom sent another look at Ethan, the smile wavering. “Why don’t we go inside where we can talk privately? This is a family matter.”
“I’m not going anywhere alone with any of you, least of all him.” She nodded toward Grant, whose eyes narrowed at her.
Mom scoffed, her act slipping. “Stop being so dramatic.”
“It’s not dramatic to refuse to put myself in a position to be abused again.”
“You need to grow up and learn to let things go.”
Katie gaped at her. Before she could form a reply, Ethan spoke, his voice cold. “Or maybe she needed a mother who would have protected her from a monster.”
Mom’s lip curled. “This is none of your business.”
“Katie is family. She always has been, so her well-being is my business.”
Shaking her head in disgust, Mom pinned her gaze back on Katie. “Fine, you want to talk here. Let’s talk. We spoke to a realtor this morning.”
Katie sputtered, unable to believe the sheer audacity of these people.
Mom just forged on. “He thinks we could get close to four hundred thousand for the property if not more. Split between us, that’s a lot of money. Surely, you can’t afford to pass that up.”
Katie hated the assumption about her financial state. There was no way Mom could know how she was doing. She let her gaze dart briefly to Grant before summoning a boldness she never would have had the courage to possess if she’d been alone. “I’m not selling the cottage.”
“What are you going to do? Live here?”
The words had a bite to them as if Katie were crazy even to consider it.
“What I do with it is none of your business. It belongs to me, end of discussion.”
Christopher brushed past Mom and barreled straight toward Katie, his eyes flashing. “You don’t get to just keep everything for yourself.”
Katie almost tripped as she scrambled backward, but Ethan stepped between them. He didn’t even get to speak before Christopher shoved him hard.
“Get out of my way!”
Ethan stepped back, extending his arms to prevent Christopher from getting around him. “Put your hands on me again, and I’ll press charges.”
Christopher raised his arm to hit him as if it had been a dare, and Katie gasped.
Mid-swing, Grant snatched his wrist and pulled him back. “Knock it off! Get in the car.”
Christopher yanked against him, still glaring daggers at Ethan. “I want my money.”
Grant forcibly turned him around, grinding his words through his teeth. “I said, get in the car.”
Katie had never seen him manhandle Christopher that way before, but considering how volatile he seemed, it probably wasn’t the first time. Christopher dragged his feet, sending Ethan another fiery look before shooting it at Katie. The absolute hatred left her cold. Finally, he jerked out of Grant’s grasp and slumped into the car, slamming the door.
Before Mom or Grant could say anything, Ethan pointed them both toward the vehicle. “You’re done here. All of you.”
Mom stared expectantly at Katie as if waiting for her to contradict him, but after Christopher’s outburst, her voice abandoned her. Finally, Mom shook her head with a scowl, and she and Grant stalked toward the car. Both of them slammed their doors as they got in.
Movement caught Katie’s attention out of the corner of her eye. The orange tabby walked toward her, oblivious to the confrontation. She rushed over to scoop him up. She didn’t trust Grant not to run him over in rage. Holding the cat close, she retreated safely back to Ethan’s side. Grant turned the car around, spraying gravel as they pulled onto the road and sped off.
Once the sound of their vehicle had faded away, Ethan turned to her. “Are you all right?”
Katie just blinked, clutching the cat to her chest. The precious thing purred all the louder, the deep rumble cutting through the panicky sensation inside her. She forced a nod, and her voice broke free. “Yes.” She swallowed. “Are you?”
She couldn’t believe her brother really intended to hit him. Ethan brushed his hand across his chest where Christopher had shoved him but then waved it off. “I’m fine.”
She released a gusty breath. Her knees trembled, but the cat helped. He nosed her chin and then bumped his head against it. She buried her face in his soft fur for a long moment, focusing on him instead of the storm of emotions roiling inside. When it subsided, she raised her head to look at Ethan. He still waited there patiently, watching her with a concerned look.
“I’m all right.” Her voice was surprisingly steady—better than yesterday. That first confrontation had been brutal but prepared her for more. “Thank you for sending them away.”
“Glad to.”
The chilly breeze prickled Katie’s face and hands, and she shivered. Giving the cat a quick kiss on the head, she set him down and turned to the cottage. All she wanted was to go back inside, where it was warm and familiar and safe. Ethan followed and cleaned out the wood stove before checking all the appliances for her. They didn’t say much, but working helped the rest of Katie’s nerves to settle. Once she had eradicated the worst dust and Ethan completed his inspection, they sat on the couch for a break.
“Everything seems to be running smoothly.” Ethan glanced around the room as if going over a mental checklist. “Just let me know if something acts up. I do know the sink in the bathroom leaks. I never got a chance to look at it while Grandma was still here. The faucet is pretty old. It would be best just to replace it.”
Katie would have to add that to the shopping list she’d started. “All right. I guess if I plan to stay for any length of time, I’ll need groceries. I was thinking of going into town tomorrow morning and can get a faucet then.”
“I have to drop off a couple of benches at the furniture store. You can ride in with me if you’d like. Otherwise, you can let me know when you get back, and I’ll switch out the faucet.”
“I don’t want to take up so much of your time. I’m sure you have a lot you need to do for your business.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind. The beauty of being self-employed is setting my own hours.”
“If you’re sure, as long as you don’t mind me taking the time to shop.”
“Not at all. I could use some groceries too. Contrary to what it might look like, I don’t always mooch food off my parents.”
Katie grinned. “I mean, if I had a mom like yours who cooked as well as she does, I’d be there for meals all the time too.”