17. Chapter Seventeen
To Katie’s relief, O’Malley’s vet appointment went well. Aside from being a little underweight, he was perfectly healthy and had no microchip. Unlike most cats, he actually liked being there and charmed everyone with his social personality, especially the young vet tech, who weighed him and collected his information. Katie stopped at the local animal shelter on the way home to check if anyone had been looking for a cat matching his description, but they hadn’t had any calls about an orange tabby.
She had just gotten home and let O’Malley out of the carrier when her phone rang with Drew’s ringtone. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered. “Hey.”
“Good morning. I was just on break and wanted to call you while I grab a coffee.” Noise from the hospital cafeteria hummed in the background.
“It’s nice to hear your voice.” They’d only texted the last couple of days. Typically, they didn’t go so long between calls.
“Yours too. I miss seeing you. It’s weird not having you at church.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” A little guilt pricked at Katie. In the years they’d dated, this was the longest they’d gone without seeing each other. She made her way into the living room to sit on the couch.
“That’s why I called. I have Friday and the weekend off. I was thinking of coming up there to see you and the cottage.”
Katie raised her brows. She’d never imagined he’d want to come up here. “Really? That would be great. I’d love to show you the cottage and around town. And, of course, you have to meet the Harts. I can ask them if you can stay there. I’m sure they would be happy to have you, and they have a nice guestroom.”
Drew didn’t even take a moment to consider the invitation. “No, I thought I’d book a room at the Pine Lake Lodge.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah.” She told herself not to take his quick decision not to stay with the Harts as an affront. She wouldn’t want to stay with strangers either, even if they were Drew’s friends.
“I’ll book it later when I have time and drive up Friday morning.”
“Would you possibly mind grabbing a few things from my apartment on your way? I could use more variety in my wardrobe.” And her Bible.
A momentary pause hung between them before he answered. “Yeah, sure.”
“Thanks. Just let me know when you get there. Maybe we can video chat, and I can tell you what I need.”
Ethan was in the shop bright and early to finish up a planter he’d started last week. The next project on his list was a bench swing. If it turned out well, he planned to make a couple to sell at the big upcoming craft show Megan already signed them up for.
Laying out the boards, he grabbed his tape measure and started marking based on the rough sketch he’d drawn up. Typically, he stained his creations more than he painted, but in his mind, he saw this swing antiqued red.
Light footsteps caught his attention, and he looked up. The sight of Katie brought a smile to his face. He hadn’t seen her yesterday—the first day since the funeral they hadn’t at least briefly crossed paths. But he’d been away most of the day with Dad, helping a church member move. By the time they’d returned home last night, he’d ended up having a solitary supper at the cabin.
“Hey, good morning. How did the appointment go?”
“Good. No health issues and no microchip.”
“That’s good.”
She would’ve been devastated had something been wrong with the cat or if she had to give him up.
“Yeah, I’d hate for someone to miss their pet, but I’m glad no one seems to be looking for him. I’m really attached to him already.”
“He found a good home.”
She wandered closer, looking over his work, but seemed preoccupied. Maybe even nervous. She turned to him again before he could ask if something was wrong.
“So, Drew called. He’s coming to visit this weekend.”
“Is he?” Ethan fought to ignore how his stomach dropped and plastered on a smile. “That’s nice.” It didn’t explain the nervousness, though.
“Yeah, it’ll be good to see him and show him around.”
“Does he need a place to stay? I’m sure Mom and Dad would love to have him. There’s also the extra room in the cabin.” Even as he made the invitation, the thought of hosting Katie’s boyfriend left a bad taste. He forced the feeling away. He had no call to be unwelcoming. This was the perfect chance to get to know the guy who was such a big part of Katie’s life. Hopefully, he would put Ethan’s misgivings about him to rest.
Katie shook her head. “I suggested that, but he’s going to get a room at the Lodge.”
That was pricey for a weekend visit.
Internally, Ethan cringed and scolded himself for immediately judging the guy’s lodging choice. If he had the money, there was no reason he shouldn’t stay at the Lodge.
“I’m sure he’ll enjoy it there. Joel helped out on a recent remodel, and it looks really nice.”
She only nodded and boosted herself up to sit on an empty portion of his workbench as she surveyed his project again. Something about her sitting there short-circuited his brain. It put her just at the right height to kiss.
Ethan snatched his tape measure again, pretending to mark a board since he suddenly found it impossible to read the numbers. He wrestled to shove the thought of kissing her as far away as possible. Thanks to his older siblings’ intrusive conversation at the fire, he found it harder to live in denial since they’d called him out on his feelings. But thoughts of kissing definitely could not stand, especially not with Katie’s boyfriend coming to town.
“I’m not sure what he’ll think of everything.” Her words filtered through the struggle inside him. “It’s very different from the lifestyle he grew up in.”
Ethan looked up, observing the uncertainty in her expression. It didn’t seem right for a couple who had been dating for three years. Concern cleared the muddled fog from his brain. “But it’s how you grew up and is a big part of who you are. That should be important to him, even if it’s different. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Her shoulder lifted in an unconvinced shrug. “I just hope he’ll think it’s as special as I do.”
“Even if he doesn’t, you know what it means to you. Nothing can change or diminish that.”
Katie lay in bed early Friday morning, staring at the patterned wallpaper above her. Why was she so nervous? Maybe because this was the first time Drew would see where she came from and who she was. So much of the time she’d known him had centered on Grandma and simply surviving day-to-day. Being here somehow seemed to bring out the person she always wanted to be, but what if Drew didn’t like that person?
Sliding out of bed, she shook her head. She shouldn’t be so worried. It wasn’t as if she’d changed. She’d just managed to find peace and comfort here in the wake of losing Grandma. Drew would be happy about that.
Downstairs, she ate breakfast and focused on tidying the cottage like she had before having pizzas with the Harts last night. For the past two days, she’d poured herself into making it as presentable as possible. Grandma probably would have told her she was going overboard, but she really wanted Drew to like it and see its charms.
Just after eight-thirty, her phone rang, and she accepted a video call from him. He stood in the hallway outside her apartment door. They exchanged good mornings as he unlocked the door using the key she had given him in case of an emergency.
“So, what do you need me to get?”
How strange to see her apartment when she wasn’t there. Even stranger that it barely felt like hers. “Clothes, mostly.”
She directed him to the bigger suitcase in her closet and told him where to find the clothes she had in mind. He didn’t say much, but after placing a few pairs of jeans, shirts, and skirts into the bag, she caught a slight edge to his voice.
“Just how long are you planning to stay?”
Katie swallowed, her stomach dropping out. “I don’t know. I just want to be prepared.”
Forgoing any other clothes, she had him grab her Bible and a few things from her bathroom before calling it good. He zipped up the suitcase and walked toward the door.
“All right, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” He set the suitcase down to close and lock her door. “I should make it there about noon.”
“Okay. I’ll have lunch ready when you get here.” She forced a smile despite lingering discomfort over the clothing. “What do you think about having supper with the Harts? It’s up to you. They just wanted you to know you’re invited.”
She watched him think about it as he walked down the hall of the apartment building.
“Yeah, we can do that. Then, we could have supper together at the Lodge tomorrow night.”
Katie’s smile gained strength. “That sounds fun. I’ve only eaten there once, and that was years ago.” It had been some formal dinner for Grant, so she hadn’t even enjoyed it.
Any irritation Drew might have felt before seemed to have faded. “Good. I’ll see you soon, then.”
Just like he’d estimated, Drew arrived shortly after twelve. Watching his car pull in next to hers stirred up a nest of butterflies in Katie’s stomach, a combination of nerves and excitement. She looked forward to showing him around, even if it came with underlying anxiety. She stepped outside as he exited the car and met him there. He welcomed a hug from her, which proved how much he’d missed her. As they parted, he bent to give her a quick kiss.
“I missed you.”
She smiled up at him. “I missed you too.”
His gaze swept past her, toward the lake and around the yard. She also turned to look, drawing a deep breath as she tried to see it through his eyes.
“This is nice and private,” he said after a moment.
“It is. Did you have any trouble finding it?”
“No, my phone led me right to it.”
“Good.”
They walked toward the porch.
“How many acres do you have?”
“Just about three. Most of it goes off in that direction.” She gestured toward the woods opposite the Harts’. “And then about a hundred feet on the other side of the cottage.” Opening the porch door, she led the way inside.
She held her breath as they entered the kitchen, and Drew looked around. She didn’t know why what he thought of it mattered so much to her. Silence filled the room as he took it in. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“What do you think?”
He nodded slowly, still taking it in. “It’s cute. Quaint.”
“Well, most lake cottages around here are. It’s my childhood. The happy part. It’s the only place that has ever felt like home besides the Harts’.” She watched his face, which said he wasn’t sure what else to say, and her heart sank just a little. “You don’t like it.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. It’s just not my style, is all.”
Of course, she already knew that. He was more modern minimalist—the exact opposite of the cottage. Truthfully, he probably hated the rustic, vintage decor and clutter but was too nice to say so.
“I know it’s not what you like, but it is very special to me.”
“It was your home.”
His past tense use of the word ‘was’ snagged uncomfortably in Katie’s mind. She fought to brush it off, knowing he didn’t mean anything by it.
He turned slowly and scanned the room again. “Even if it’s not my style, it’s in good shape for an old lake cottage and a nice location.”
At least he could see some good qualities about it. “Yeah, Grandma always took good care of it.” Despite being a bit of a collector.
O’Malley caught her attention as he waltzed in from where he’d been curled up in the sewing room and wound around her ankles. She smiled, about to introduce him, but caught the way Drew’s brows had dipped.
“Did you get a cat?”
She hesitated at his incredulous tone. “Sort of. He was a stray Ethan said was hanging around. No one claimed him, so…I gave him a home.”
Drew’s frown deepened. “I wish you would have said something first.”
“Why? Don’t you like cats?”
“Not particularly. I’m allergic.”
“Oh, well, sorry. I guess we’ve never talked about pets.” She hurried to grab O’Malley, who’d made a beeline for Drew’s legs. “It didn’t seem like a big deal.”
Drew sighed, a semi-disgusted wrinkle to his nose as he peered at the cat. “I guess it’s a good thing I brought allergy meds. Are you sure getting a cat right now is a good idea? What will you do with him when you return to Elling?”
“I don’t know. Find an apartment that allows cats, I guess.” She hadn’t thought that far yet. “I’ve always wanted a cat. I’m less lonely with him around, and it’s calming. Honestly, I wish I had done it sooner. Would you rather I had gotten a dog instead?”
That nose wrinkle was back. “I’m not really into pets.”
That didn’t come as a surprise. As far as she knew, his family’s only pets growing up had been their exotic fish—nothing with four legs and fur. Hopefully, he wouldn’t mind Rosie when they had supper with the Harts.
Trying to ignore his dislike for O’Malley, Katie forced an upbeat tone to her voice. “Well, it’s too nice to sit inside with the cat anyway. We can sit on the porch or down by the lake.”