“Fun night?”
Granny Mae looked at him knowingly and cast a sly smile.
“Uh . . . yeah. Really fun, actually.”
“I figured you would like Alaina once you got to know her. Not quite the obsessive fan you were expecting, huh?”
Ethan scoffed, remembering that conversation. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
“She is something, alright,” Ethan said. He grinned to himself and moved to the sink to grab a glass of water.
Granny Mae’s smile faded a little. “Ethan, honey, can I ask you something without you getting offended?”
“Sure, Granny. Shoot.”
“Well, I see that you and Alaina are getting to know one another, and I know how these things go sometimes with kids your age . . .”
Ethan wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
“. . . but I think that you need to know that Alaina has been through more in the last year than most people go through in their entire lives. She can’t afford to be hurt again. Are you following me?”
Ethan took the seat next to his grandmother.
“You think I’m going to end up hurting Alaina?”
“No, dear, I would never expect you to do anything on purpose, but it’s just that you are not going to be around here forever. You and I both know why you’re in Fairhope in the first place and we both know that you’ll be hitting the road again as soon as your mother gives you the permission to do so.”
Ethan remained unmoving, refusing to meet his grandmother’s gaze.
“You know the real reason I’m here?”
Granny Mae reached out and rubbed the top of his hand. “Of course I do, lil’ E. I know you love me, but even I know you would never postpone a tour just to come visit your old grandmother. Your mother explained everything before you arrived.”
Ethan let out a heavy sigh.
“Granny, I know what you think . . .”
“Do you?”
“Yeah. You think I’m just like all the other stars my age. I get a little success, make a little money, and all of a sudden I think I’m invincible and can do whatever I want. But it’s not like that. It’s . . .,” Ethan sighed. “It’s just not like that.”
Granny Mae reached out and grazed her hand down Ethan’s cheek, making him feel like the same twelve year old boy he’d been the last time he talked to her like this.
“I don’t think that, Ethan.”
“You don’t?”
“No. I think you’re a very special, talented boy who happened to lose his way for a while. Honey, just because you mess up once doesn’t mean you can’t fix it. I already see a difference in the Ethan sitting here and the one that climbed out of Mr. Hinkle’s plane.”
Ethan laughed remembering that terrifying, ancient plane and its extremely southern pilot.
He sighed and continued. “I don’t know, Granny Mae. I messed up pretty bad this time. I . . . I don’t even know what I was thinking. I knew not to get in that car. I was just so fed up with it all. I felt like everything was snowballing on me and . . . I freaked. I guess you’re pretty mad at me, huh?”
“No, baby. I was a little disappointed when I heard, but I know that you’ll fix everything in the end. I have faith in you.”
“Now you sound like Alaina.”
Granny Mae smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. She’s pretty special, don’t you think?”
You have no idea, Ethan thought. But he highly doubted that Alaina would be so quick to forgive like his grandmother was.
“She doesn’t know the real reason I’m here, does she?” Ethan asked quietly, already knowing the answer.
“No.”
Ethan sighed. “She can’t find out, Granny Mae. Her parents were killed by someone doing the same stupid thing I did. That guy I almost hit could have died and his daughter would have been left behind just like Alaina and Ben. She will never understand.”
“I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that, lil’ E. Alaina is a mature young lady. Don’t you think she deserves the truth from you?”
“Alaina makes me want to be a better person, Granny Mae.”
“She tends to have that affect on people.”
“It doesn’t matter what excuse I give her, she won’t understand why I did that.”
“Ethan, do you care for Alaina?
Ethan looked up at his grandmother with a sheepish expression. “Is it that obvious?”
Granny Mae gave him an understanding smile. “Something you will learn as you get older, sweetie, is that sometimes the hardest things we have to say are the hardest because they must be said to the people we care the most about. Regardless of whether Alaina finds forgiveness for you or not, it doesn’t change the fact that she still deserves the truth. She might even appreciate you more for it in the end.”
“I hope you’re right.” Ethan said lightly.
Granny patted his hand. “I usually am.” She rose slowly from her stool. “Well, I’m pooped. I’m going to head for bed.”
Ethan watched as his grandmother made her way slowly across the room. She looked so much older than he remembered. Weaker. His mind flashed back to the scene between her, Ben, and Alaina earlier that evening. Alaina had not wanted to leave Ben with Granny Mae. She seemed so worried. Why? Granny had dealt with children before. Why would it matter if she watched Ben for a while . . . unless there was more going on with Granny than he realized.
“Granny, are you sick?”
Granny stopped short in the doorway of the kitchen and turned back to him. “Why would you think that, lil’ E?”
“I was just thinking about earlier. How reluctant Alaina was to leave Ben with you.”
Granny considered this carefully, taking her time to find the correct response. “Ethan, you may soon find that you’re not the only one with things you find hard to say.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you don’t have to worry about me, dear. I might be old, but I’m tough. And no, I’m not sick.”
That was a relief, but still didn’t explain Alaina’s strange behavior. Maybe he would ask her about it tomorrow.
Once Ethan’s grandmother had exited the kitchen, he dumped the remains of his water in the sink and moved past sleeping Ted to the staircase. When Ethan reached the top of the flight, he paused before opening his bedroom door, shooting one last glance down the hall toward Alaina’s room.
Ethan may not understand everything that was going on, but he knew for certain that he was crazy about the girl that lay on the other side of that door. And he didn’t know how much time they had left together, but he knew without a doubt that he was going to make the most of every single second of it.
Ethan turned the knob of his bedroom door and before entering the room, under his breath, he whispered.
“Sweet dreams, Ali.”
Chapter 13
Alaina
Alaina hit the snooze button several times as the sun stubbornly rose outside her window. It was a dreary, rainy Tuesday morning and she had to get up and get to work. Alaina had been marked off the schedule at the restaurant for the previous day, but to make up for lost time, she agreed to work a shift for one of the girls who wanted the day off. That put Alaina working a double shift. Needless to say, it was going to be a long day, but Alaina’s desperate need for money highly outweighed her reluctance to roll out of bed.
She was already tired from her lack of sleep the previous night. Her outing with Ethan had left her on a natural high, incapable of allowing her to become the slightest bit sleepy until it was already too late.
Alaina began with her normal morning devotional. Today she chose to read about hope . . . an attribute she had been highly lacking in the past few weeks. She was beginning to realize that the concept of hope and faith in times of crisis was much easier talked about than actually carried out. Alaina was doing her best, but after weeks of the endless cycle of work, taking care of Ben, and bouncing from one doctor to the next, she was app
roaching complete burn-out mode. There were only so many grown up responsibilities her teenage mind could process at a time before she felt like exploding. Her night with Ethan could not have come at a better time, and although she still wasn’t completely comfortable with allowing herself to become close to anyone in her fragile state of mind, she was still more grateful for the distraction than he would ever realize. She knew it was only a matter of time, though, before she would have to explain all of the details. Clue him into what actually went into spending a day in her world. Would he leave? Probably. But what other choice did she have?
Alaina didn’t have any chance encounters in the hallway that morning. She was successfully unseen throughout both trips to and from the bathroom. When she was completely dressed, her little black two-pocket apron already tied around her waist, she exited her room to start her daily routine.
First stop: Ben’s room. She gave a light two tap knock and placed her ear against the door. She wasn’t positive, but she thought she could hear two different sets of heavy breathing coming from the occupants inside the room. Being much more careful than she normally was, Alaina turned the knob and tiptoed into the room.
Ethan lay on the bottom bunk, the covers lying loosely around his waist. Alaina tried to suppress a giggle to keep from waking him and Ben. Ethan looked hilarious snuggled into his big pillow, which was cased in pictures of little basketballs, footballs, and baseballs. He was slightly out of his Hollywood element. His expression was peaceful and his skin was smooth and appeared soft to the touch. His full lips were parted slightly, allowing the air to flow easily to his lungs. Alaina imagined what it would have been like if she would've just let Ethan kiss her when he had tried. Did she have regrets? Maybe a little . . . but she knew it was for the best. As fed up as she was with doing the responsible thing, she knew it would eventually come to that anyway. There was a time to listen to her heart and a time to listen to her head, and right now, the best thing she could do would be to keep a level head.
Alaina placed her right foot lightly on the edge of the metal bed frame in front of Ethan. She grabbed the bars at the top and slowly lifted her body up so she could peer at Ben on the top bunk. The metal gave a slight creek. She hoped neither had heard.
It was almost ten o’clock. Ben was starting to sleep later and later every day. When the summer had begun a few short weeks earlier, he had been up at six on the dot every day. Now, whether asleep or awake, he never left the bed before eleven.
Alaina lifted Ben’s cap just long enough to give a quick check to his forehead. The fever was trying to return. Oh, how she longed to just be able to stay home with him when he wasn’t feeling good. Most normal kids got that privilege when they were sick. One of their parents would stay home and give them constant care and supervision. Alaina was forced to leave him with Granny Mae, who had enough to worry about without having to deal with a sick little kid.
“Hey you.”
Ethan’s voice was a little raspy and it was obvious he was trying to not wake Ben. His fingers wrapped around her bare ankle and he gave it a slight squeeze, leaving a burning ring in its place.
Alaina lowered back down to the floor. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
He shrugged and cast a sly grin, “A little. How bout you?”
“A little.”
Ethan’s hand found hers and he pulled her down to where she was sitting on the edge of the mattress beside him.
“You really worry about him, don’t you? I’ve noticed how protective you are of him.”
Alaina looked into Ethan’s eyes and saw nothing but true concern. She wanted so badly to tell him the truth right then, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. There had to be a better time.
Instead, she settled for a different version of the truth. “Ben has been through a lot in a really short time. If something happened to him . . . I . . . I don’t know what I’d do.”
Alaina didn’t realize that she had become silent. Ethan studied her carefully. He reached up and rubbed his finger along her cheek, snapping her out of her trance. “Hey, you okay?”
She replied quickly. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t look completely convinced, but his next comment surprised her.
“Why don’t I hang out with Ben a little today, you know, since you have to work? That way, he won’t be stuck here alone.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” Alaina replied. Although her heart melted at the idea of Ethan offering to give up his free time in order to keep her little brother company, she knew that he had to have better things to do with his time. “He’ll be fine. He’s pretty used to it by now.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind.” Ethan grinned. “He’s actually starting to grow on me a little. Yesterday, while I was in here getting ready for our dinner, he gave me . . . the talk.”
Alaina looked at him skeptically. “The talk?”
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “You know, the talk. He asked me what I planned to do with ‘all that money I’m raking in’. He asked about my intentions, except he called it detentions.” Ethan laughed. “He even gave me a curfew.”
Alaina laughed, but a part of her broke on the inside. Ben was the most special little boy on the face of the planet.
“You mean to tell me that my ten-year-old little brother managed to intimidate the famous Ethan Carter?”
Ethan laughed. “Maybe a little, yeah.”
“Well, whatever you guys do,” Alaina said, “just don’t let him overexert himself. He hasn’t been feeling well the past couple of days. He needs to take it easy.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Alaina smiled and took one last look at Ethan, taking in all she could of his sleepy morning appearance, bed hair and all. Why did he get better looking every time she saw him?
“Well, I’m off to work. Unlike some people, we can’t all take off when we get a whim to come visit our grandparents.”
Alaina was joking, but a strange look flashed across Ethan’s expression. However, it was gone so quickly she dismissed it as nothing.
Alaina rose from her spot beside Ethan and made her way for the door. Ethan hung on behind her, reluctant to let go of her hand. But finally, he did. When Alaina reached the door, she paused at the sound of his smooth voice.
“Have a good day, Ali.”
Goose bumps rose on Alaina’s arm and the goofy grin returned. She didn’t turn around. She just kept walking.
Chapter 14
Ethan
“So, Ben, what should we do today?”
The mid-morning sun beat down in warm, soothing rays on their heads as Ethan and Ben sat at the white wrought iron patio table in the little garden, surrounded by the rose bushes and all their glory. They had just finished off a plate of pancakes. Well, truthfully, Ethan had finished off a plate of pancakes. Ben had fiddled with a few bites, but none of them ever reached his mouth. Ethan figured Ben must not be much of an eater, but it still surprised him considering it was almost lunch time by the time Ben awakened. The kid could really sleep. Ben was in bed the night before when Ethan returned from his date with Alaina. He knew for a fact that Ben had not woke up once since then.
Now, Ben sat directly across from Ethan, wearing an eager grin along with his signature baseball cap. Messy brown curls hung out the bottom. Ethan wondered if Ben even took the hat off long enough to bathe. It wouldn’t surprise him a bit to find Ben in a bubble bath with the hat remaining firmly attached to his head.
“How should I know?” Ben answered after a moment. “I’m just a kid.”
Ethan smirked. Ben had been a bit skeptical when Ethan offered to spend the day with him. “Is my sister putting you up to this?” he’d asked. Ethan assured Ben that it was his own idea to hang out with him. Granny Mae had even given Ethan a strange look, but when he shrugged and gave a guilty grin, she understood his reasoning perfectly.
He was doing it for Alaina. Sure, Ben was a cute kid—and sometimes the things he said were hilarious
—but would he be hanging out with Ben if it wasn’t for Alaina? Probably not.
“I could teach you to play guitar,” Ethan suggested nonchalantly.
“No way! For real?” Ben slammed his hands down on the table causing his fork to fly from his plate into a pot of tulips on the opposite side of the walkway.
Ethan noticed that Ben had Alaina’s eyes. They caused the same igniting glow when they lit up.
“Sure, if you want.”
“Could you teach me 'Fallen', or how about 'Reckless', or maybe . . .”
“Whoa, slow down big guy,” Ethan laughed. Ben was naming off all of Ethan’s hit songs from the past year. “It took me a long time to learn to play those songs. Maybe we should start with a something a little easier . . . like 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.”
Ben scrunched his nose up in a cute little line of disapproval, a trait that Ethan had also noticed in Alaina.
“Maybe if you get good at it, we can do a duet tonight for Granny Mae?”
This perked Ben right up. “Awesome!” he said.
Ben jumped up from his chair and darted into the house before Ethan even had time to rise to standing position. Walking in from the garden, Ethan found his grandmother in the kitchen washing up some dishes from breakfast. Ted was nowhere to be found. Ethan guessed he was going into town for a while because the rental car was absent from the front drive.
“Ben and I will be in our room if you need us,” Ethan said as he walked to the staircase.
“To learn guitar, I hear,” Granny said with an amused grin.
“Yep.”
Ethan reached the staircase as Granny Mae spoke again.
“I’m really proud of you, lil’ E.”
He paused and turned back toward her. “Why’s that.”
“What you’re doing for Ben.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. What else am I going to do? I’m stuck here, remember.” Ethan smiled realizing the difference in the tone of that statement from his conversation yesterday with his mother to now with his grandma.
Redemption Song Page 9
