Lies and Solace

by Jana Richards

  She glanced up at him. “Owner’s apartment?”

  “You’re going to need a place to live since we’re turning your current living quarters here in the lodge into the kitchen. I figured you’d want something on the property, so I asked the architect to come up with a solution for you.”

  Harper silently stared at the drawings. Ethan waited, worried he’d overstepped his bounds. Perhaps she’d already made other living arrangements, or maybe she thought this small apartment wouldn’t give her enough privacy. He fidgeted with his pen, tapping it against the table.

  Finally, he said, “If you don’t like it, we can have it removed or changed. These are simply preliminary drawings.”

  She lifted her head, her eyes bright. “No, don’t do that. It’s perfect the way it is. Thank you.”

  Her smile hit him in the solar plexus and robbed him of breath. For long seconds, he could only stare into her eyes.

  “I thought I’d have to find some kind of rental in Minnewasta. I’ve lived here at the lake so long…I wasn’t looking forward to that. This is a perfect solution. Thank you for thinking of it, Ethan.”

  He nodded, his heart thrumming in double time. “You’re welcome.”

  She turned her attention to the drawings once more. “How big is the apartment?”

  Ethan forced himself to concentrate on the business at hand and not on his desire to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. “It’s not huge, about eight hundred square feet or so, but it’s got two bedrooms, an open-concept kitchen and living area and decent storage space. It’s upstairs at the back of the center, and you’ll have a private staircase and a private balcony overlooking the lake. We’ll make sure it’s well insulated so noise from the event center doesn’t bother you.”

  “I didn’t expect anything so nice. It’s beautiful.”

  “When the time comes, you can pick out the flooring, and cabinets and all the finishes you’d like.”

  She touched the drawing reverently. “That’ll be fun. I’ve never had a chance to decorate my own space before.”

  Something twisted inside his heart. For most of her adult life, she’d been so focused on the needs of her family, even the needs of the lodge, that she rarely thought of herself. It was time someone looked after her.

  Someone like me.

  They examined the detailed drawings of each structure and Harper made a few suggestions for minor changes, but overall she seemed pleased with the blueprints.

  “Are you ready to look at the bids now?” he asked, after rolling up the blueprints and putting them back in the cardboard tube.

  “Yes, I’m ready.”

  Ethan removed the papers from his briefcase and set them on the table for Harper to look at. She read quickly through all the bids and then turned to him. “Except for this one that seems much lower than the rest, the bids for the work are quite similar, aren’t they?”

  “Yes. Do any of the names sound familiar to you?” He lifted a set of papers. “This contractor’s address is in Minnewasta.”

  She glanced at the papers and nodded. “Reese Hanson. Yes, I know the name, but I don’t know him personally. I do know his wife, though, or at least I used to. Abby and my mother were best friends, but I haven’t seen her in years. She and Reese married about ten years ago and moved away, to Minneapolis I think. I didn’t know they’d moved back to Minnewasta.”

  “From the checking I’ve done, it looks like Hanson has been in the construction business for a number of years. His company has tackled some pretty big jobs, some of them even bigger than ours.”

  “Abby’s a pretty good judge of character, and a wonderful, kind person. She wouldn’t marry somebody who wasn’t honest.”

  Honesty. It meant everything to her. Ethan set the papers back on the table. “So it looks like Hanson Construction is the front runner at the moment. I’m going to do some more background checking, and I’ll let you know what I find out. We should make our decision within the week.”

  “Don’t you have to run your findings past Mr. Hainstock?”

  Sometimes minutes went by and he forgot she didn’t know he was Mr. Hainstock. He looked into her trusting blue eyes. She valued honesty and integrity and here he was, lying to her. He couldn’t continue to deceive her, even if it meant their personal relationship might end. He had to tell her. “Harper—”

  A loud crash came from the front of the house followed by muffled curses. A man’s slurred voice called, “Harper! Help me!”

  She winced. “Oh, God. Not again.”

  She jumped to her feet and ran out of the room. Ethan followed her, concerned for her safety and unsure whether he should be grateful or annoyed by the interruption to his confession.

  When they arrived in the foyer, a middle-aged man lay sprawled on the floor, either injured in some way or drunk. When Ethan got closer, he smelled the combination of body odor and stale booze wafting off the man in sickening waves. Drunk it was.

  Harper grabbed the man’s arm and helped him to his feet, wincing as she did so. “God, Willy, you stink. When was the last time you had a bath?”

  He leaned against her, threatening to topple them both. Ethan grabbed his other arm and steadied him. “You know this guy?”

  “Sadly, yes. Willy Eklund. He used to work for my grandfather. He and my mother went to school together in Minnewasta.”

  Willy leaned toward her again, trying to put his arm around her. “I need…need a little drink, Harper. Just one little drink. For an old friend.”

  Ethan pulled him away. No way was he going to let the drunken bastard hang all over her.

  “I don’t have any liquor in the lodge and even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you. How did you get here?”

  “Drove myself.” His words were slurred. Ethan turned away from the stench of his breath.

  Ethan followed Harper’s gaze out the open door where a beat-up Ford pickup truck was parked, its lights on and the driver’s side door still open. Harper shook her head. “God, Willy, how could you? You could have killed yourself, or worse, somebody else.” She half pulled, half dragged him a few steps forward. “You’re hitting the bathtub, my friend.”

  “Don’t need a bath. I need…need a little drink.”

  “Here’s the deal, Willy. Either you have a good long soak and get yourself clean, or I’m calling the cops right now and telling them you’ve been driving drunk. Which will it be?”

  The drunk shook his head, nearly losing his balance once more. “No, don’t do that. Your mother wouldn’t call the cops. Miranda was my friend.”

  A myriad of emotions crossed Harper’s face – anger, disgust, sadness, resignation and finally determination. “Too bad. My mother’s not here. You’re stuck with me. So what’s it going to be, a bath followed by black coffee and a sandwich, or the cops, followed by the drunk tank?”

  He waved his hand in front of his face. “Okay, okay. I’ll take a bath. Don’t call the cops.”

  “Fine. While you’re in there, I’m going to wash your disgusting clothes, too.” She gave Ethan an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about this. Can you help him to undress and get into the bath?”

  Ethan glanced at the old drunk. Seeing him naked was about the last thing he wanted, but there was no way he was going to let Harper handle him alone. “Sure. Where do you want me to take him?”

  She thought for a moment. “He’ll never make it up the stairs. Let’s take him to my bathroom here on the main floor.”

  He followed her, half-carrying, half-dragging Willy. She led them to a small bathroom next to her bedroom and began running the bath. She added lilac scented bubble bath to the water.

  “Maybe it’ll help with the smell,” she said with a wry smile.

  “Couldn’t hurt.” Ethan leaned Willy against the small vanity. “Let’s take off your jacket. It looks like it needs a bath nearly as much as you do.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Willy demanded.

  “He’s a friend of mine. His name is
Ethan,” Harper said. She kept Willy standing upright while Ethan stripped off his winter jacket and then a filthy shirt and undershirt. Together they helped him sit on the edge of the tub and Harper pulled off his boots and thick woolen socks. The smell made Ethan’s eyes water.

  Harper gathered the dirty clothes. “This is where I leave you. There’s a small plastic pail under the sink that you can use to rinse his hair. God knows what’s in that tangled mess.”

  He retrieved the pail, keeping one hand on Willy’s shoulder to stop him from falling backwards into the tub. Good thing the bathroom was small.

  “Once I get his pants off, do you want me to toss them out into the hall?”

  “Yes, please. He can’t wear these filthy clothes. I’ll find something of my grandfather’s until they’re dry.” She paused, one hand on the doorknob, her blue eyes somber. “Thank you. I appreciate this.”

  Ethan nodded. In that moment, he realized he’d do just about anything for her. And apparently ‘just about anything’ included bathing a filthy drunk.

  Harper slipped out the door and closed it quietly behind her. Ethan turned to Willy. “Okay, buddy. Time to drop your drawers.”

  Fortunately, he didn’t put up any kind of struggle. He stood on shaky legs and let Ethan strip off his pants and underwear. His emaciated body began to shake, either from the chill of the room or some kind of withdrawal. Willy clung to him as he stepped into the tub.

  “Damn, that’s hot!”

  “Quit complaining. If it was up to me, your ass would be in jail. You’re lucky Harper is a hell of lot nicer than I am.”

  Aside from releasing a hissing breath as Ethan lowered him into the tub, Willy said nothing further. Ethan turned off the water, then gathered the dirty pants and underwear, and tossed them into the hallway. Harper was a damn good friend to be helping someone so obviously down on his luck.

  He picked up the plastic pail and stuck it into the bath water. “Get ready, Willy. You’re about to get real wet.”

  Willy sat across the table from Harper and lifted a coffee cup to his lips with two shaky hands. Her grandfather’s robe was at least two sizes too big and gaped at the neck. Willy had shrunken, both physically and emotionally.

  His descent into alcoholism broke her heart. His eyes were downcast, as if he were afraid to look at her. Or as if he was ashamed. Now that he was beginning to sober up, bits and pieces of the Willy she used to know, the one who used to take her and Scarlet for boat rides and taught her how to bait a hook, were beginning to re-emerge. And that Willy was embarrassed by what he had become.

  Harper glanced at his empty bowl. “Would you like more soup?”

  He looked up briefly before dropping his gaze to the table once more. “No, thank you. It was very good, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Your clothes should be dry in a few minutes.”

  He nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Willy, you can’t go on like this. You’re killing yourself.”

  “I can still hold a job,” he said, his watery brown eyes flashing with defiance. “I only drink on weekends.”

  “Where do you work?” Ethan asked. He sat across the table from her, his hands wrapped around his coffee cup. He’d been unbelievably helpful with Willy. She didn’t know how she’d ever thank him.

  “I clean offices at night.”

  There was no way any employer would keep him on if they saw him the way they had, filthy and stinking and falling down drunk. Harper laid her hand on Willy’s arm. “You have to promise me you’ll never drive drunk again. What if you’d hit someone? How would you feel if you caused someone’s death?”

  Willy shrank from her as if she’d struck him. Tears gathered in his eyes. His mouth trembled as he whispered, “I couldn’t take that. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “I know you don’t. Please, promise me that if you drink, you’ll stay at home.”

  His Adam’s apple worked as he swallowed. “I promise, Harper.”

  She sagged in relief. “That’s good.”

  He clutched her hand and held it tightly, his eyes bright, almost feverish. “You’re like your mother. She was kind, too. She died too young.”

  “Yes, she did.”

  He let go of her hand and leaned back against his chair, clearly exhausted. He closed his eyes as he spoke. “Miranda was a good person.”

  Harper got to her feet, not wanting to reminisce with Willy about her mother. Ethan was listening to everything they said, and she was afraid Willy would reveal too much. She’d have to tell him the truth eventually, but tonight she wasn’t ready to talk about it.

  Maybe she’d never be.

  “Your clothes should be dry now. As soon as you change, I’ll take you home.”

  She didn’t wait for him to reply. She hurried to the laundry room and pulled his shabby clothes from the dryer and folded them. At least now they were clean. When she looked up, Ethan was in the doorway.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine. Do you think you can help me with one more thing?”

  “Of course.”

  That brought a smile to her lips. “You shouldn’t agree too quickly. I may want you to do something you don’t want to do.”

  “After bathing Willy, anything else you want me to do has got to be a piece of cake.”

  “I’m sorry about that. Thank you for helping.”

  He waved away her thanks. “What do you need me to do?”

  “I want to drive Willy home in his truck. If you follow us, you can bring me back here.”

  His lips quirked in a grin. “Like I said, piece of cake.”

  Willy was sober enough now to dress himself, but Harper didn’t trust him to drive. Once in his clean clothes, she led him to the passenger side of his truck and buckled him inside. She then slid into the driver’s seat and was relieved when she found the keys still in the ignition.

  The fifteen-minute drive to Minnewasta was accomplished in complete silence. Willy stared straight ahead the entire time. Harper parked his truck in the driveway of his small one-story house on the outskirts of town. Like Willy, the house looked worse for wear. The paint was worn and chipped, and even with snow covering most of the front yard, she could see that junk was strewn everywhere. It was as if he’d given up.

  She turned off the ignition and, taking the keys with her, got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side. By the time she got there, Willy had already unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door.

  “I can manage from here,” he said, his eyes not meeting hers.

  She walked him to the door. Although the sidewalk was snow packed and slippery, Willy made the short walk without falling. Harper breathed a sigh of relief.

  He opened the unlocked door and stood in the doorway facing her. “Thank you, for everything.”

  She handed him his truck keys. “You’re welcome. Remember what you promised me.”

  “I will. I promise I won’t drive when I drink.”

  “That’s good. Bye.”

  “Bye Harper.”

  Ethan was waiting in his truck at the end of the driveway with the motor running. She hopped in the passenger side. As she buckled her seatbelt, exhaustion overtook her. She leaned her head against the rest and closed her eyes. “He wasn’t always like that. He wasn’t always an alcoholic.”

  The truck began to move and Ethan asked, “What was he like?”

  She turned her head to look at him. “He was kind, and funny, and sweet. If my grandmother was angry at me for something, he used to cover for me. I remember once I stole a cookie from Grandma’s cookie jar after being told I couldn’t have one before dinner. Grandma might never have known about my theft except I dropped the lid and it shattered on the kitchen floor. I knew she was going to be furious, so I ran away. When I told Willy my story, he took the blame for me. He told Grandma he’d broken her cookie jar.”

  “Sounds like he was a good friend to you when you were a kid.”

  “Ye
s.” The old memories made her smile and broke her heart at the same time. “I can’t abandon him.”

  He gave her a solemn nod. “No, I don’t expect you could.”

  “Thanks again for helping. This was the worst I’ve ever seen him.”

  “What happened to him? What changed him from the man who shielded you from your grandmother’s temper to the person we saw today?”

  “I’m not exactly sure. Alcohol, I suppose. He’d worked for my grandfather since he was a teenager and Grampa always said how reliable he was back then. But by the time I was a teenager, he was drinking heavily, and Grampa couldn’t trust him to take fishermen out on the lake anymore. By then, business wasn’t great and there wasn’t enough work to keep him on all year round, so Grampa cut back his hours to a few weeks during the summer. Eventually, Willy got another job in Minnewasta. Like he said, he drinks, but he always manages to hold down a job.”

  “As long as someone is willing to hire him, he can tell himself he doesn’t have a problem with alcohol.”

  Harper glanced at him again. “You sound like you’re familiar with the subject.”

  He shrugged. “My dad was the same way. As long as the inn was still functioning, he could tell himself, and us, that he didn’t have a problem. It didn’t matter that he was running the place into the ground and killing my mother.”

  She heard the bitterness in his voice. “I’m sorry.”

  He waved his hand. “Ancient history. I’m just saying I understand the situation. Don’t let him pull you under with him. Alcoholics have a way of destroying themselves and everyone around them.”

  Harper said nothing, but continued to watch his profile as he drove. The tense set of his jaw told her the pain from his childhood wasn’t quite as ancient as he wanted her to believe.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  As Ethan pushed open the door to Cam’s workshop, his brother looked up from the wood he was sanding. “I haven’t seen this much of you since I was twelve.”

  “Get used to it. I’m staying at the lodge until construction is finished.”

  Cam narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re staying in the lodge? Just you and Harper Lindquist? Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”