Shake The Frost (Crystal Lake #6) - Juliana Stone Page 0,8
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.
His sister wasn’t giving up. “Why did he head down River Road with no helmet? Did you guys argue about something? Is that why you blame yourself?”
His sister was getting too close for comfort. It was time he left.
“I gotta go,” he said abruptly. He pushed the coffee aside and got to his feet.
“When did you become such a coward?” Georgie shook her head. “You used to be the most fearless guy I knew. You were like…” she licked her lips and shrugged. “You were like the sun or something. The center of everyone’s universe. There wasn’t a soul in all of Crystal Lake who didn’t think that. You were always there for everyone. The guy who fixed problems. The guy who stood on the right side of things. Rick knew it, and that’s why you were his best friend, because Rick had demons. He wasn’t the angel most folks thought he was, and you balanced him out.
“Thing is…” Emily got to her feet. “When someone like Rick dies, someone with so