24. Chapter Twenty-four
Ethan picked Katie up the next morning as planned. Thankfully, she’d slept better last night and was ready to go out and have fun. She always got excited about creating a new outfit for herself, and this one would be the first for a special occasion like a wedding. The little over an hour drive to Wausau passed with talk about the summer and how the Harts typically celebrated the warmer months. Now that she’d chosen to stay in Two Lakes for a while, Katie was invited to participate in all their plans.
She looked forward to a fun-filled summer. With Drew so busy, they’d never had any big plans. For him as a kid, summer had always consisted of a three-week vacation overseas with his family, something his parents still did. They’d talked about her joining them one of these years, but it hadn’t yet worked out with Drew’s schedule.
When they arrived at a large thrift store, Katie went straight to the dresses and started with the bigger sizes. Ethan trailed after her and looked through a couple before giving her a curious look.
“Are you expecting to grow several sizes before the wedding?”
Katie laughed and shook her head. “Larger dresses mean more fabric to work with.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
He stayed with her as she picked through the dresses, giving his opinion when she asked. She had him hold a couple of potential options for her, and they talked about her process for deciding how she wanted to alter items.
Near the end of the current section, she pulled out a long, golden-yellow maxi dress with white polka dots. While the boxy shape showed little imagination, the fabric was an airy cotton blend that would be nice to work with and perfect for a summer wedding. She held it up to herself, the skirt pooling at her feet as she turned to Ethan.
“What do you think?”
He made a face as if struggling to hold in his true thoughts, though the sarcasm leaked into his voice. “Oh, that is…that is stunning. You’ll outshine even the bride in that dress.”
She giggled. She couldn’t blame him for not being able to see the potential in it the way she did. Looking it over for any stains, she nodded, mostly to herself. “Yeah, I think this will be perfect.”
Ethan still eyed it critically. “If you can turn that thing into something fit for a wedding in the next two weeks, then you are a true magician.”
“Well, when it comes to upcycled clothing, I’m always up for a challenge.”
She picked through the dresses she’d handed him and chose two to buy along with the yellow one. Even if she didn’t use them to make something for herself, she could turn them into something for her shop. Folding the yellow dress up so it wouldn’t drag, she nodded to the shelves near the back of the store.
“I’ll see if they have any shoes that match this better than the ones I have at home.”
She almost always wore her Chucks for everyday or a pair of boots in the winter. Her small collection of heels she wore to church didn’t say country since her church outfits were more traditional. Drew seemed to like that better than her more unique creations.
Ethan went to get a cart for her and met her at the shoes, where she grabbed a pair of heeled sandals to try on. They were cute but less comfortable than she would have liked if she had to wear them for hours. She’d just tried a second pair when Ethan grabbed lace wedges from the bottom shelf.
“What about these?”
She took them from him. The off-white lace had a vintage vibe she liked. She put them on and walked a few steps. They were sturdier than they looked and comfortable. And, now that she thought about it, she had a cute denim jacket back at home that she’d embroidered and appliquéd with a couple of antique doilies. It would be perfect to bring to the wedding if it got chilly in the evening and would match the shoes.
She grinned at Ethan. “You know, you have a very good sense of style.”
“Why, thank you.”
She put the shoes in the cart, and they wandered through the store, leisurely browsing the housewares section. Once they finished, Katie pushed the cart to the checkout counter while Ethan waited at a revolving sunglasses display near the entrance. She set her items on the counter and smiled at the cashier, who leaned forward a little to give her a conspiratorial grin. “Your boyfriend is very attentive.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “Oh, he’s not my boyfriend. He…” She looked over as Ethan tried on a pair of bright red, 50s-inspired women’s sunglasses. He sent her a “what do you think?” look. She choked back a laugh and shook her head before facing the cashier again. The woman’s brows lifted, and sudden warmth flushed Katie’s cheeks. She stammered. Why was she so flustered?
“He’s my best friend.”
The cashier gave a slow nod that clearly said she was not buying it. Katie broke eye contact and focused on pulling cash from her wallet and convincing her face to cool down. It wasn’t a big deal if people thought she and Ethan were dating. It would be a common misconception for any male and female friend duo. There was no reason her body should react so.
When the cashier had bagged up her items and given her the total, she handed over the cash and waited for her change. The woman still wore a skeptical expression. Change in hand, Katie grabbed her bag and walked over to Ethan. Hopefully, her face wasn’t still as pink as it had felt. However, Ethan’s brow twitched when she reached him.
“Everything all right?”
“Oh, yeah, the cashier just thought we were dating.” She waved it off but noticed Ethan didn’t crack a joke like she’d been expecting. That was strange. Maybe her face was redder than she thought, and he didn’t want to embarrass her.
She brushed the strange reaction away once they were out the door.
Since they had time yet before lunch, they visited Hobby Lobby next. She hadn’t intended to buy anything, but she found a set of colorful twinkle lights that were on sale and would add a cozy glow to the cottage and a cute wind chime for the porch. Ethan bought a pretty frame for his mom and a mug for Becca, which Katie thought was sweet. By the time they had finished, her stomach had begun to growl with the thought of a good burger.
On their way to Red Robin, she took in the forested slope of one of the highest points in Wisconsin. “It’s been so long since I’ve been up to Rib Mountain. I think the last time was Joel’s birthday. The time we all went out to eat and then up to the tower.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. So, you’ve never been to the quarry, have you?”
“No.”
“We’ll have to talk to Becca and see if Joel can come with us. He’s the one who took us there the first time. He’d just been there with some buddies and wanted to show us. Along the way, he took us on what he thought was a shortcut. We ended up so lost we found private property signs. It took us over an hour to find our way back. By the time we actually reached the quarry, we were all so tired we didn’t think we’d make it back to the parking lot. Megan swore she’d never do it again.”
Katie laughed, imagining the four traipsing up and down the hill. Joel had probably gotten an earful along the way. “Sounds like a good time, even if it was a misadventure. I wish I could have been there.”
“Me too.” He wore a wistful smile. “It became a good spiritual illustration of what happens when we take shortcuts and make our own path instead of staying on God’s path. Makes a good story for youth group, much to Joel’s chagrin.”
She laughed again.
Once seated at the restaurant, they ordered their favorites. It had been a long time since Katie had eaten at Red Robin since Drew usually took her to more upscale restaurants for their dates, but cheeseburgers and onion rings were more her style. She asked Ethan about the upcoming wedding, and he gave her what details he knew about how Abby had met her fiancé.
Katie had almost finished her burger when her phone dinged from her purse. The generic, default tone didn’t belong to anyone she knew. Curious, she pulled the phone out. The notification showed a number instead of a name and, below it, a text that was too long to fit in the preview. She frowned and opened it.
Only a few words in, an upwelling of dread pressed in on her full stomach. The text contained some of the vilest language she’d ever had the misfortune of reading, and it claimed she’d get what she deserved for keeping all the money and cottage for herself. She swallowed hard as she finished, unsure whether to be angry, scared, or both. Whichever it was, the turmoil must have played out on her face.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
She met Ethan’s concerned gaze. “It’s a text, I assume from Christopher.” He wasn’t in her contacts, but no one else would have sent her such a disgusting text. Something like that was beneath Grant. “He must have gotten my number from Mom.”
She handed the phone to Ethan to read. While the text didn’t contain anything directly threatening, she felt better sharing it with another person, just in case. His brows drew together as he read.
“It definitely sounds like Christopher.” A troubled look remained on his face as he handed the phone back.
She glanced at the text again, cringing at the words. “It’s like they’re all taking turns trying to pressure or guilt me into giving up the cottage and splitting Grandma’s money.” She should have anticipated her brother would still try to have his say. “Sometimes I wonder if I should just give them the money. Maybe then they’d be satisfied and leave me alone.”
“I can’t tell you what to do, but your grandma purposely left it for you. She wanted you to have it, not them. She would love to see you using it for a fresh start.”
Katie nodded. She wasn’t seriously considering it; she was just getting really tired of the situation. A part of her had hoped it was over after the last confrontation with Grant. She should have known better. Christopher was too dramatic and immature to let it go quietly.