Mood as black as the gathering clouds overhead, he slid into his truck and was about to fire up the engine when he glanced to his right and saw the one woman he’d been trying not to think about since she’d showed up at his place the week before. His gut clenched, his skin went hot and then cold, and damned if his heart didn’t take off like a jackhammer, pounding against his chest so hard, he was sure she heard it from across the street.
Bundled up against the cool October afternoon, Emily was walking a dog, head down against the brisk wind. Long wisps of blonde hair drifted out from underneath a pink knit hat and swirled around her head like a crown. She stopped and bent down, chatting to the dog, who looked up at her like she was its world, and another chunk of ice inside Ethan broke away from the mass surrounding his heart. Of all the people in this town he’d disappointed, she was the one he’d disappointed the most.
Their current situation was a mess, and all of it was on him. He’d been the weak one. He’d taken advantage. That August night she’d come to him for comfort, and he’d…
“Fuck,” he muttered roughly. What the hell had he done? More importantly, what the hell was he going to do?
Bleakly, he watched as she straightened and pulled her cell from her coat. She began walking again, the dog half pulling her along the way, and for one brief moment, Ethan considered calling out. He lowered the window, but the moment passed before he could get any words out, and Emily disappeared around the corner.
He started the truck, but instead of heading home where he should have gone, Ethan found himself pointing the Chevy in the opposite direction. He crossed the bridge to the south side of Crystal Lake, and two minutes later pulled into the driveway of his sister’s place. An older all-brick two-story with a wraparound porch, she’d bought it two years earlier when her fiancé had broken off their engagement, canceled their wedding, and left her for parts unknown. His parents had gifted her the down payment, and she rented out the basement as well as one of the bedrooms upstairs to help with the mortgage.
There were no cars in the driveway, and thinking it was a bad idea anyway, Ethan was about to throw the truck in Reverse when the front door flew open and Georgie leaned against the doorjamb, her expression hopeful. She gave a small wave, so he cut the engine and climbed out of the truck.
Georgianna Caldwell was five years younger than him and for most of his life had been a big pain in the ass. It wasn’t until the last few years, more so after her fiancé broke her heart and dumped her, that he’d gotten to know her as an adult and pushed aside the annoying girl who used to follow him and Rick around like a puppy.
He dropped a kiss to her cheek, and she said nothing while he doffed his boots.
“Coffee?” she asked, heading for the kitchen and not waiting for an answer.
He followed her over and sat his butt down at the table. She’d obviously been working out, judging from her clothes anyway, and her jet-black hair was scraped off her head into a ponytail that trailed halfway down her back. She was tall for a woman, just under five ten, and athletic. She’d played division one soccer at the University of North Carolina, of which he’d never made a game, and that’s where she’d met her fiancé. Michael had been one of the assistant coaches. After her engagement and wedding plans had imploded, she’d moved back to Crystal Lake and was currently waiting tables at the Coach House while figuring out her life.
Georgie set down a cup of steaming black coffee and joined him with a tall glass of lime-green liquid.
“What the hell is that?” he asked, taking a sip from the coffee he didn’t really want.
“This, my brother,” she said with a wink, “is magic. It’s good for my bones, my hair and skin and—”
“And I bet it tastes like crap.”
She took a drink and winced. “You got me there.” She exhaled, shuddered, then finished the glass whole and set it down, before swiping at the corner of her mouth as her gaze settled on him. “Mom’s still pissed, you know.”
“I figured.”
“You know how dramatic she is. I bet she stretches this out at least until Christmas.”
“I figured that too.”
Georgie toyed with a napkin from the little bin in the middle of the table. “I kinda don’t blame her, though. It was a shit move not to come for dinner. We were all worried.” There was no condemnation in her voice. No preaching or judging.
“I didn’t plan on not coming. The day got away from me, G. And I…” He sighed and sat back in his chair. “I got lost in a lot of shit from the past. It’s harder this year with him gone.” Harder because of Emily. Because of what I did. The thought slipped into his mind all sneaky like, and he banished it just as quick. “I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I just wasn’t in any shape to come to town.”
“Let me guess. You got drunk and passed out by dinner.”
He could lie, but what was the point? “Pretty much.”
“Mom thinks you drink too much.”
“Mom needs to mind her own business. I’m a big boy.”
“Do you?”
“What?”
“Drink too much.”
Ethan considered his answer. He knew a lot of folks in town thought he had issues including, but not limited to, alcohol. There were those who were convinced he spent his time holed up in his shop drunk or high or both. And though he was no angel, in truth, he rarely got out of hand. He found it was easier to let folks think the worst, because it generally meant they stayed away. To the average human being, dealing with a dark and twisted soul under the influence wasn’t exactly something they sought out, and that suited Ethan just fine.
“I’m good, Georgie.”
“But that’s the thing, Ethan. I don’t think you are. It’s not normal to be alone all the time.”
“I’m not.”
Georgianna snorted. “Driving to the city and banging some woman you meet in a bar is not the kind of interaction I’m talking about.”
“Well, it works for me.”
“Does it?”
He grimaced, annoyed with his sister and questioning why he’d come. “I’m not looking for a relationship or a plus one or anything permanent,” he snapped. “So yeah, finding a woman in a bar who’s willing to play between the sheets for a night works just fine.”
“First off, you don’t need to talk to me like that. I get that you’re angry at the world, but I’m here to help. I’m here to tell it like it is.”
“That so,” he replied.
“Yes.” She set down her glass. “You might not want a relationship, and that’s fine. But you’re hiding, Eth. It’s easier for you to be out at the lake, alone, because there’s a bunch of stuff you don’t want to face. I don’t think you’ve dealt with Rick and the accident, with him in a coma all those years, and now that he’s…” She got tripped up on her words and faltered.
“Now that’s he’s dead,” he finished flatly.
Georgie nodded, a pained expression on her face. “You need to deal with his death. You need to stop blaming yourself for all of it.”
“I don’t want to talk about Rick, got it?” He glared at his sister.