The Village of Gerard's Cliff
Page 4
Chapter V
Allie sat on the stool behind the desk, and worked on her monthly figures as she munched on an apple slice. Not too bad so far this month, she thought, with satisfaction. Some inns in Gerard's Cliff closed their doors from November until April, but she liked to keep hers open as long as there were guests who wanted to reserve a room. Tilda and Sarah both worked shifts at other businesses when The Colborne Inn slowed down to a halt, and Allie was appreciative of their loyalty in coming to work even when there were fewer guests. Ben, the sweet, older widower who was her gardener, was basically retired, and only worked there in the warmer months because he enjoyed it, not because he needed the income. They all must have known the situation between Patrick and herself, she thought....how could they not, working in such close proximity. But none of them ever let on, or said a word to her, and she appreciated that. Overall, she was very content with her situation. She even enjoyed the days alone, after Tilda and Sarah had finished their shifts, and the guests had left the inn to go their own way. She had plenty to keep her busy and her mind well-occupied. Not bad at all, she repeated to herself as she picked up another apple slice and took a bite.
She heard the crunch of tires on the gravel, and peered out through the window next to the desk. A short, stocky man got out of the driver's side of the silver Lincoln Town Car, and pulled down on both sides of his jacket. He ran his hand sideways over his thinning brown hair as he strode toward the front porch, a determined look on his face.
Ethan. Allie slumped on her stool, her pleasant solitude now forever ruined. She slowly placed the remainder of the apple slice back on the plate. Why today?
She'd never cared for Patrick's brother, from day one. Ethan Colborne had always seemed much older than his actual years, and he was just an all-around unpleasant person in her opinion. Patrick had seemed flamboyant in comparison to his stodginess. She waited until the last possible moment to get up off the stool and walk to the front door. She dreaded seeing him again. The last time she'd seen him was at the funeral, and the distasteful discussion over the inn still made her feel queasy.
"Hello, Ethan." Allie opened the door and leaned against its side, not offering him entrance. "What do you want?" She didn't mince words with him - she really did not want to talk to him at all. Allie didn't care if she was rude. She preferred to have no more contact with him at all. Why did there need to be with Patrick gone?
"Hello Allison...may I come in? I have something to discuss with you." Ethan stared at her with watery eyes. Allie realized, with an inward smile, that he was trying to look forceful. His face seemed flushed and puffier than she remembered, the result of years of heavy drinking.
Allie sighed loudly, looked down at the stoop in resignation, and opened the door. "I haven't much time, Ethan. My guests are due back shortly."
"Oh, you have guests this time of year?" Ethan walked past her, looking around him with interest as he entered the front parlor. "I'm surprised, Allison, I would have thought you would have this place closed up by now." He walked across the room and pulled a book from the shelf, made a pretense of looking it over, then slid it back into place.
"Why are you here, Ethan?" Allie tried to speak calmly, even though she could feel her blood pressure rising. She left the front door open, not planning on moving any further into the inn, for fear he would follow her. Sitting down would just encourage him to stay, she figured, so she planted her feet, crossed her arms, and stayed put, despite the unpleasantness of the cold air blowing into her living room.
"You know very well why I'm here, Allison. We discussed it at Patrick's funeral. I realize that the timing may have been unfortunate on my part, and for that I apologize," he turned to her with a look of mock sincerity on his swollen face that sickened her.
"I agree, that was neither the time nor the place to discuss the inn, Ethan. I appreciate your apology, but the answer remains 'no.' I have no intentions of selling the inn, to you or anyone else. I'm happy here and I believe the inn will do very well. I know what I'm doing Ethan," she finished firmly. "I don't understand why the inn interests you. I can't imagine you running this place. It would be way out of your comfort zone to say the least." She looked at him quizzically. He appeared to her to be uncomfortable - as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.
He moved closer to her, looking at her in a way that suddenly alarmed her, and Allie had to force herself to stand her ground. He moved closer still, and her heart began to race....something wasn't right.
"Ethan," she began, putting her hand out to stop his progress. "Have you been drinking? Are you all right?" He was her brother-in-law, for goodness sake. She might detest him, but she'd never had any reason to be afraid of him in the past. But she'd never seen him like this, either.
Ethan stared at her, his eyes fairly bulging with suppressed anger. "Allison.." His voice began to rise, and, truly fearful now, she took a step back from him. Her mind began to race, and she tried to think of what she should do, and her eyes skittered around her, looking for something to grab and defend herself. She didn't think he was a violent man. She'd never seen him violent. "Allison, you must come to your senses, girl," Ethan's voice was getting louder. He lunged forward, grabbed her wrist before she could react, and squeezed it. Allie cried out, and tried to wrestle her hand free.
"Ethan - what are you doing? Stop! You're hurting me!" His grip was unbelievably strong.
"You can't stay here, don't you understand? You shouldn't be alone here. I need to be here. You don't... know...." He stopped suddenly and grabbed his chest with his free hand. Breathing heavily, he bent forward as though to compose himself and get his breath, at the same time, loosening his grip on her wrist.
Allie took the opportunity to jerk her hand free and run to the desk. She grabbed the phone and held it out.
"Ethan, I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you don't leave right now, I'm calling the police!" She was trembling so badly. Her voice was shaking as she shouted at him, and she felt as if she were on the verge of hysteria. "And if you ever set foot on my property again, I'll have you arrested! Get out now!"
Ethan's face was blood-red, thin strands of his hair were hanging down over his eyes, and he, too was shaking. He looked pitiful now to her, but frightening all the same.
"I'm sorry, Allison. You were right. I have been drinking." He started slowly toward the front door, bent forward, still holding his chest. He turned to her. "I'm sorry. I...I was only trying to help." He stammered. "You just don't know what...."
"Get out, Ethan." She didn't shout this time, even though her heart was still racing so fast, she could feel her throat throbbing. He walked out the front door. Looking through the window, she saw him walk slowly down the front steps and get into his car. She returned the phone to its cradle, hurried to the front door, and shut and locked it. She heard the engine start up, and she watched him drive off.
Allie leaned her forehead against the front door, closed her eyes, and took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. She walked over to one of the over-stuffed chairs, and sank into the cushion. Allie sat there all of two minutes before jumping up and grabbing her jacket from the peg by the front door. She headed out, knowing she had some time to herself before her guests would be returning to the inn.