Stitches and Scars (37 page)

Ethan snapped the phone shut, but didn’t say a word. Instead, he took a small step back and dropped his eyes down Kate’s body. The way he looked at her made her heart race, and she couldn’t look away from him. He took his time as he slowly worked his gaze higher, eventually settling on her face.

“Beautiful,” he said in a tone so sure, so honest, that she had no choice but to believe him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, dropping her eyes.

He closed the distance between them in one step and wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck. Pulling her forward, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her gently.

“Thank
you
,” he said with a smirk. “So, are you ready for this?”

She took a calming breath. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

***

“Where are we going, exactly?” Kate asked, looking around at their surroundings. They had been in the car longer than she’d planned and was beginning to think they were lost.

“My parents decided that they wanted a place to stay when they come out to visit.”

“And a hotel isn’t okay?”

“My mom likes the feeling of having a house to come home to. She thinks it feels more personable, and it’s easier to hold events without having to find a location that can accommodate everything.”

“I thought a pharmaceutical company was throwing this thing?”

“They’re sponsoring it, but after my parents decided to purchase a house, she convinced the person in charge to have it there. She loves entertaining; plus, after telling the hospital that they would get more contributions if it were held in a comfortable setting, they couldn’t deny her. Not that anyone can ever deny my mother anyway.”

“I see.” Kate nodded. “So, they bought a home out here,” she repeated.

“Yep.”

Kate continued to nod and tried not to think about how nuts it all sounded to her. She was fairly certain that buying a home just so you could have somewhere to stay when you visited your son twice a year wasn’t the typical thing to do. After all, her parents lived a few hours away and they never once thought about purchasing a place close by. Feelings of inadequacy started to creep up on her at the thought of how different their upbringings were. Just as quickly as the panic crept in, she pushed it aside and forced herself to focus on the then and there.

She kept her thoughts positive as they talked about random things. Just as she was about to ask him how much further they had to go, he turned off onto a side road. There was a large wrought iron gate blocking the entrance. There were trees as far as Kate could see, and no sign of a house. Ethan pulled up to the intercom and announced their arrival. The voice told him to pull forward and that the garage would be open for him. The huge gates slowly parted, and they crept forward. Kate couldn’t escape the feeling that she was entering a compound, and in the back of her mind, a voice screamed for her to turn back now.

Ethan, sensing her nerves, placed a calming hand on her lap. He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently before giving her a reassuring smile.

The road twisted languorously around narrow trees and rows of tall hedges, cut and pruned to shape. Kate could only imagine how amazing it would look in full summer, when the trees were lush and green. When the surroundings began to thin, the road straightened and the house finally came into view. To say that is was larger than Henry’s and Lori’s would be an understatement. It was huge. Built of blue-gray stone, it stretched the entire length of the clearing and had more windows than Kate had ever seen on one house. Chimney stacks sprouted up from the slate roof and she was fairly certain she’d counted at least five.

“Geez,” she said quietly.

“Yeah, I know. They go overboard sometimes.”

“I’ll say.” She continued to watch in awe as they pulled up the winding driveway and into a separate, detached garage. Ethan turned off the car and got out while Kate sat still, motionless, trying to get her legs to function. Before she had time to move, the door was opened and she was being lifted out by her waist.

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispered into her ear as he nuzzled her neck. His warm breath brushed past her shoulder causing goose bumps to cover her skin.

“Hmph, that’s a lot easier said than done, you know.”

“It will be great, I promise. Look, we don’t even have to stay very long. We’ll make an appearance and say hello. I’ll see if we can have brunch tomorrow morning with my parents to catch up, okay?”

Kate could tell he was trying to appease her, trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible, and she immediately felt awful. He hadn’t seen his parents in a while, and there she was making him change his plans.

“No.” She shook her head. “It will be fine. We’ll stay as long as you want.” She smiled up at him, trying to sound as genuine as possible.

“We’ll play it by ear. But the minute you say you want to leave, we leave. All right?” She nodded and he kissed her forehead before running his hand down her arm and grasping her hand in his. Side by side, they walked out of the garage and across the wide driveway to a side door. He didn’t bother knocking but just walked in, pulling Kate behind him.

The sounds of banging pots and crystal glasses tinkling together filled the air, like a culinary symphony. Delicious scents of rosemary and citrus wafted in from the next room and her mouth watered instantly. When they walked down the long hallway and into the kitchen, Kate’s jaw dropped. It was gorgeous. Every state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line appliance you could imagine was tucked away amongst cherry cabinets and granite countertops. The giant island in the center had two side-by-side stovetops and every burner was occupied. Men and women dressed in white chef attire crowded the space, calling out orders and directions to the other workers standing by. It looked like a working kitchen at a restaurant and Kate was in heaven. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face as she took it all in.

Ethan gave her one look and laughed. “Smells good, doesn’t it? Mother only gets the best to cater these things.”

“It smells wonderful, but Ethan I … I can’t get over the kitchen. It’s amazing.” She gaped.

“I’m sure my mom would love to hear that.” Ethan motioned with his head toward something, and when Kate followed his gaze, she tensed.

Standing across the room was Ethan’s mother. Kate didn’t have to ask to know it was her. Her dark hair was the same shade as Ethan’s, and even from this distance, she could see a slight resemblance. Her fair skin looked flawless, and it glowed against the dark green gown that draped her body perfectly. She was speaking with one of the chefs and just so happened to glance up at the doorway.

Once she spotted Ethan, she smiled. “Ethan,” she crooned as she made her way toward them. “I was wondering when you would arrive. How was the drive? Did you find it easily?” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for a tight hug, causing Kate and Ethan’s hands to separate.

“It was fine, Mom; easier than I thought.” He pulled back from her arms and looked down at Kate. “Mom, this is Kate, my girlfriend.”

Sabrina kept her eyes locked with Ethan’s for a little longer than normal and silent words passed between them. It only lasted a second and then she was looking at Kate. “Kate,” she said with a half smile. “I’m glad you could accompany Ethan. I’m sure we’ll find time to talk later. Please enjoy your evening.” She gave him one last parting smile and turned her attention back to the preparations.

Kate stood speechless. She hadn’t even had a chance to say hello and wondered if perhaps she was imagining the cold greeting she’d just received.

“Sorry about that. She gets short sometimes when she’s stressed. Once the party starts, she’ll calm down a bit.” Kate nodded in understanding, but couldn’t shake the feeling that her behavior had nothing to do with stress. Ethan intertwined his fingers with hers, lifted their clasped hands and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “Let’s go find my dad,” he suggested.

“Sure.”

Ethan led them through the kitchen and out into a dining room. The long table looked as though it could seat twenty people quite comfortably, but today no one would be sitting there as it was covered with desserts of all kinds: cakes, Danishes, cream filled pies, custards, fresh fruits dipped in chocolate—anything one could possibly imagine. Kate’s mouth watered at the sight of it.

“He’s probably hiding in the study, wherever that is,” Ethan said, interrupting her dessert-filled haze. “If we find it, then I’m sure we’ll find him.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” She shrugged and turned away from the spread.

“I guess half the fun is the searching. This place has got to have all kinds of empty rooms. Maybe we can play another game of hide and seek.” He raised his eyebrows.

“Not so fast, lover boy. You’re lucky you got me to agree to that at Lori’s house and look what happened. I ended up breaking her closet. There is no way I’m playing that here. I’ll probably end up breaking an antique worth a hundred thousand dollars.”

He laughed. “Fine, we’ll play it your way.” Together they walked out of the dining room to begin their search.

It took them longer to find his dad than they’d imagined it would, but then again, the house was even bigger than it looked from the outside. The high ceilings and formal décor made it feel almost like a hotel. No doubt it had enough rooms to be counted as one.

They walked into the study, and immediately Kate knew it should be called a library instead. It was huge, with a second story on one side and floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves lining every wall. She felt like she’d just walked into a fairy tale and blinked slowly to make sure it wouldn’t all disappear. Ethan walked into the room farther and found his dad, just like he thought. He was sitting in a large leather chair next to a giant bay window. Hunkered down in his seat, he was engrossed in the pages of the book he held.

“Dad,” Ethan said, alerting him to their presence.

His head snapped up. “Ethan.” He smiled and placed his book down. His eyes dashed to the person beside his son, and his smile grew even wider. Standing quickly, he walked over to them, stretching his arms out as soon as he was in reaching distance. He pulled Ethan into a bone crushing hug and gripped his shoulders upon release. “It’s so good to see you. And you must be Kate.” When he turned to look at her, Kate saw that his eyes were almost the exact color as Ethan’s, only a little darker. He had hair a shade lighter than his son’s, and although she thought she’d seen a resemblance between Ethan and his mother, that was not the case here. Ethan was definitely his dad’s son.

“Hi. It’s so nice to meet you,” Kate said, smiling.

“Have you received a tour of our home?”

Ethan laughed. “Dad, I don’t even know my way around; how can I show her?”

“It’s your home too. Just wander around. It’s not that hard to figure out. Although, I must admit, it took me a little while to find all the bathrooms.” He let out a loud laugh and slapped his son on the back. “I take it your mother is in the kitchen bossing everyone around?” It was a rhetorical question, and his dad didn’t even wait for a response before he continued speaking. “Henry and Lori should be arriving soon, as well as all the other representatives from the hospital. I know Cindy is hoping to get a good turn-out. They put a lot into it this year.”

Kate could feel Ethan’s hand stiffen in hers at the mention of the girl named Cindy, and for some reason, it sounded familiar. She looked up at his face in question, but his eyes were still on his dad.

“I hope we get a good turn-out. The hospital could really use a new wing for pediatric cardiology.”

“With the guest list that Cindy and your mother came up with, I’m sure there will be enough to break ground next spring,” he said, laughing again. “Speaking of those two, I better go find them and see if they need help.” He looked down at Kate and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Again, it’s great to meet you. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk later. Take care of my son, here. Don’t let him get carried away with the silent auction.” He leaned down and spoke softly in her ear, even though it was clear Ethan could hear every word. “He always outbids me, and this year I’m determined to beat him in something. I may enlist your help with that later. I’ll come find you.” He stood up and gave Kate a quick wink before he walked toward the door. “Go look around, you two, but make sure you’re back by the time we start.”

As soon as his dad was out of the room, Kate turned to face Ethan. “Cindy?” she asked, knowing he understood her question.

“She’s a … colleague, but I used to date her.”

“What!” she shrieked. “Are you telling me that the girl in charge of this thing, the girl who has been working side-by-side with your mother making a ‘perfect,’” she sneered the word, “guest list is a girl you dated?”

“Yes.”

“How serious were you?” He rubbed his hands over his face and Kate’s stomach dropped.

“She was the girl I was dating when I first met you.”

Kate thought back to the day at the hospital, that day that seemed so long ago, and clearly remembered the moment. The nurse, who she now knew as Lisa, had interrupted them for what seemed like the third time and announced that Ethan’s girlfriend had called and wouldn’t be able to make it for dinner.

Just the simple memory made her feel sick. She knew Ethan had been dating someone. It had been something that she’d lost sleep over for days until she finally saw him at the grocery store. At the time, she was so excited to find out that he was single that she hadn’t even begun to think about how serious the relationship had been.