Hard to Resist - By Kara Lennox Page 0,40
new place okay?” she asked. “Do you need anything?”
“We’re doing well and I can’t think of a thing we need, but thanks for asking.”
Gloria elbowed Ethan. “She’s so polite. Did you know she sent me a thank-you note?”
Tony laughed. “She sent me one, too.”
“Me, too,” said Priscilla.
“Well, it was just so nice,” Gloria said. “Your mama must have raised you right.”
Oh, if she only knew. Chuck’s mother was the one who’d taught her how to write a thank-you note. Her mother-in-law had been very kind to the socially awkward waif her son had married.
Despite the party atmosphere, Kat was subdued during dinner. Maybe it was just the end of a long week. But she kept thinking about the Everything Stew and what Ethan must think of her, resorting to feeding her daughter something that sounded so unappealing. The stew really turned out pretty good most of the time, and it was one way to get Sam to eat her vegetables. But Ethan didn’t know that. Once again, Kat had given Ethan the impression she couldn’t take care of herself.
And maybe she couldn’t. Right now her budget was stretched to the limit, and the unanticipated car repair was a blow. Chuck had offered to take Samantha for the summer, to save Kat the cost of da care. Brenda was home with the new baby, anyway. But Kat had declined the offer. Brenda had enough stress with a baby, and Sam was just now getting used to her new living arrangements.
Was that the right decision? Chuck wasn’t wealthy, but he earned a decent amount as a pharmaceutical sales rep. She’d be willing to bet Chuck and Brenda never ate Everything Stew.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Ethan commented after dinner. The others had gathered in the den to watch a new reality show, but Ethan and Kat remained outside in the hammock, enjoying the breeze. Summer was around the corner, and soon cool evenings would be but a memory.
“I’m okay,” Kat said, not wanting Ethan to worry. “This yard is really nice.” Tall pecan trees gave the space an air of seclusion, providing a thick green canopy that was highlighted with a few landscape lights. The lawn was thick and lush, with a winding stone path and a birdbath at the end of it.
“Tony’s been working on it. You know, before, he always lived in big, generic apartment complexes and he never cared about grass or trees. But the second he moved in here, he went crazy. It was a jungle back here when he started a few weeks ago.”
“How long have you guys known each other?”
Ethan smiled fondly. “Since we were ten. I jumped in to ‘save’ him when he was getting beat up by a gang of big kids, and I ended up getting beat up myself. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
Somehow, the story didn’t surprise Kat. Ethan had probably been rescuing people since he could walk.
“So what happened to your car?” he asked. “You weren’t in an accident, were you?”
“No. It’s an engine problem.”
“You could have let me take a look at it. Between us, Tony and I are pretty good with cars.”
“Can you fix a cracked head gasket?”
“Oh.” He let that sink in. “That’s bad. It’s gonna cost a fortune. Why don’t you let me—”
“No, Ethan, I can manage. I’m not destitute.”
“You can’t buy groceries. How’re you gonna pay for a cracked head gasket?”
“I have money,” she said, a bit hotly. “I deposited two checks this week, but they haven’t cleared yet—that’s all.”
“How are you going to eat the rest of the weekend? And please don’t say Everything Stew. It bothers me, just thinking about it.”
If she were honest, it bothered her, too. She’d been so relieved to have a hamburger instead. But what about tomorrow? She had tuna fish, but no mayonnaise. Macaroni, but no cheese. Peanut butter, but no jelly.
Her face grew hot and her eyes smarted. She was a StrongGirl. This was a short-term problem, and everything would be fine on Monday. But the tears came, anyway.
“Oh, Kat.” Ethan enfolded her in his arms. “You don’t have to cry. You can come over and eat at my place, or you can raid my pantry—or we can go out.”
“I hate this,” she said as she pulled herself together. “I shouldn’t fall apart just because I’ve had a long, hard day.” She tried to pull away, but he continued to hold her close.
“Kat, honey, you can fall apart on me anytime.”
“No.” She tried, again, to put some physical distance