11
“Ethan, I wasn’t expecting to see you back so soon,” Mabel said. “Roy is in town getting a few things. Why don’t you come in and I’ll make you some hot coffee. You look like you could use it.”
He could use something a lot stronger. Ethan had no clue how this was going to go. There was so much he needed to tell them, and yet, not one bit of it was good. This place was his safe haven, the place he went to relax. Right now, he was stressed to the max.
“Coffee sounds good.”
“Why don’t you put your bags in your room while I get it ready,” she suggested.
“I can’t stay. I’m just here to…talk to you both about something.”
Mabel’s eyes widened. “Is it about Kollette? Are you and her…”
“No. This isn’t about Kollette,” he said quickly. The last thing he needed was to think about her. He’d fucked up so badly with her, and God, he regretted it. Fixing that was going to be even more challenging than saving the Potters land.
How do I earn back her trust? And why should she even give me the chance to?
“Ethan, are you okay? You don’t seem like yourself,” Mabel said.
“I have a lot on my mind,” he said.
“You usually do when you get here. Are you sure you don’t want to stay and maybe things won’t seem so…bad when you go?”
“That’s what I need, but unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of time right now. What I’m working on is time sensitive.” If he didn’t get these papers signed and submitted quickly, then Ralph would be free to make his move and there wouldn’t be any stopping him.
“Oh, Roy will be so disappointed. Since you and Kollette left, he seemed…sad. I don’t know why, but it was as though he thought he’d never see either of you again. You being here is going to brighten his day. I know it did mine,” she said. “Now let me get that coffee.”
Ethan couldn’t just sit there waiting. It would mean Mabel would be back and she’d want to talk some more. Usually that was a good thing, but right now he was trying to concentrate on everything he needed to tell them. So he opted to make himself useful and headed out to the woodshed. When he got there, he noticed it hadn’t been replenished like usual.
It wasn’t bitterly cold today so he took off his coat and grabbed the axe. Chopping wouldn’t just help Roy, it was also perfect for relieving some of his built up frustration. Of course he probably would need to cut a few cords of wood to even begin to take the edge off.
He had no idea how long he’d been out there when he saw Roy’s truck pulling up and park next to the cabin.
Roy called out, “Ethan, when did you get here? Is Kollette with you?”
Not you too.
“No. It’s just me.” Sorry to disappoint everyone.
“Well it’s good to see you. But you didn’t need to do my work. I was going to get to that,” he said.
“I needed the exercise. Roy, I can’t stay long, and I needed to talk to you and Mabel. Do you think we can go inside?”
Roy shot him a worried look. “This sounds serious.”
“It is,” he replied.
Roy nodded and they went inside. Then he called out, “Mabel, can you come here please. Ethan needs to speak to us.”
Mabel brought out a tray with three cups of coffee. “I know, and I have a feeling it’s not good news.”
When they sat down, Ethan took a sip of his coffee then put it down. He wanted his hands free for when it came to pulling out the contract. “I’m here to talk about this place.”
“I told you Ethan, we don’t need anything,” Roy said.
“But you do. You need my help or you’re about to lose it,” he said.
Mabel sucked in her breath. “What do you mean, lose it?”