“It’s okay. He’s leaving. He’s leaving.” She held onto the skinny kid and pleaded with Ethan to get out.
Why did she repeat everything? “I’m not leaving. This is my house.” He pointed to the floor and glanced down. “Wait. I don’t have carpet.” He’d painstakingly laid every plank of the wood flooring that wasn’t here. He took in the bright red sofa, the black and white decorations, and the family picture hanging over the mantle.
“This isn’t my house,” he said.
“That’s right. It’s okay.” She spoke as if he was one second away from exploding.
Her kid was on the phone. “There’s a strange man in our house. Yes.” He rattled off the address.
Ethan blinked. “Did you say 24 Goose Boulevard?”
Both of them froze in place.
He shook his head. “That’s my address…” He tapped the side of his head with the heel of his hand. “Something's not right.” First, Valerie went nuts, and now these people were in his home. What was going on?
He waved half-heartedly, mumbled an apology, and made his way back out to the truck. His instinct was to find Collin and ensure everything was okay with him. They’d get this all sorted out. Him and Collin. The way life should be.
A block away, his mind cleared, and he smacked the steering wheel. “I should have had them call the police! It’s my house! The squatters.” He had a hard time figuring out how they’d changed his furniture and laid carpet so fast, but he’d been at the ice sculpture contest and then Valerie’s all day long, so they could have if they’d had help.
He pulled into his parents house just as his dad finished the walk. “Hey, son! How’s Valerie?”
“Weird.” Ethan slammed the truck door behind him and headed for the side entrance to the mud room with his Dad.
“Well, we sure like her. It’s about time you found a lady and settled down.” Dad shucked his coat and gloves, putting all his outerwear in the cubbies. “You’re mother’s already counting the grandkids.” He chuckled at his joke.
“She already has one–how many does she need?” Ethan grumbled. He would have loved to have kids with Valerie. But if there was one thing he’d learned from Pearl, it was that beautiful wasn’t worth the crazy.
Dad’s hand landed heavily on Ethan’s arm. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Ethan felt the weight of his fatherly stare and gulped. “No.” He searched the recent past for a transgression that would bring about that tone. His father rarely had to get after him growing up–he stayed busy and kept his nose clean. There was no denying the edge to his gaze nor the firmness in his grip. “Nope,” he added for good measure.
Dad nodded once, accepting his answer before moving to the kitchen. “Smells like soup,” he said as if Ethan’s life hadn’t been in danger a moment before. Okay, that was a bit dramatic. However, grown men had respect for their fathers–matching them in height didn’t take that away.
Ethan shook himself. This day kept getting worse and weirder.
Mom was at the stove stirring a pot. Her slight frame seemed so normal that Ethan drank in the scene. Fresh, warm rolls filled a tray next to the oven, and a feeling that the world was right where it was supposed to be filled him up. This was home.
“Smells so good.” He rubbed his stomach, realizing how hungry he was for the first time. “I’ll get Collin and wash up.” He was probably in the living room watching a movie.
“Who?” asked Mom absently as she checked the pumpkin pie in the oven. She was one of those people who thought pumpkin should be eaten all year long. She even made pumpkin bread on Valentine’s Day.
Her question made Ethan stop in his tracks. “Collin,” he said again as he waited for her response, watching her every move.
“Do you have a friend with you?” she asked. “You know I like a little warning so I can set the table when you bring someone home with you..” The pie was ready, so she slipped on her favorite Christmas oven mitts and gently removed it.
Dad pulled a stack of plates out of the cupboard. “I’ve got this.”
Ethan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Dad, where’s Collin?” The words were like sand in his mouth, and he wanted to spit them out.
Dad shrugged. “Why don’t you call him and see if he’s almost here.” He smiled. “Any friend of yours is always welcome in this house.”
Ethan went numb and then he shivered.
Shivers.
Cold.
Nick!
