Wrecked (3 page)

“An arrangement?” Bess stuttered. “What kind of…
arrangement
?”

He called it a cottage but it certainly didn’t fit her
description of a cottage. It was far too big.

“I bought this house when I moved to Port Lincoln,” Ethan
explained. “My grandparents lived in the house over there,” he said as he
pointed to the house he now lived in. “I still own this one but it’s been empty
for over a year.”

Bess walked through the large gathering room into the formal
dining room and then into the recently remodeled kitchen.

“It’s the first thing I did,” Ethan noted. “I love the old
house but this room had to be completely gutted and redone, except for the
fireplace. It’s beautiful as it is so I didn’t touch it. The bathrooms were
also renovated.”

“Bath
rooms
?”

“Yeah, there are three,” he replied.

Bess had never lived in a house so large. Her entire
apartment would have fit into the living room, or what Ethan termed the
gathering room. He’d explained that the house had been built when the first
ships arrived on these shores from England in the 17
^th
century, and
over the generations, the house had been added to and improved upon.

“The cabinetry in the dining room is original, he was saying.
“And the banister is also original. It was masterfully restored a few years ago
when the previous owners began a massive renovation. But they ran out of money
and I was able to scoop up the place for a steal. When my grandparents died and
left me their house, I didn’t have the heart to sell it.”

“I can understand why,” Bess whispered as she reverently
touched the door frame that led into the large room at the back of the house.
“What was this room for?”

“Originally? I believe it would have been a bedroom. The
fire in the kitchen would have kept this original part of the house warm, so
this is where the family would have slept.”

Bess tried to imagine four hundred years ago and the family
huddling together in the harsh winters. It was a miracle anyone survived. Now
the house was well-insulated and had the luxury of central heating. There was
no denying that she could be very comfortable in the house, and it would enable
her to heal and relax until she regained her strength. The thought reminded her
of how tired she’d become just from walking a few feet.

“You need to be resting,” Ethan instructed and guided her to
a loveseat. “Let me make you some coffee.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. Sitting felt good. With her head
leaning back on the soft cushions, Bess allowed her eyes to close for just a
second… or two.

*****

She looked so peaceful. Her blonde hair fanned out behind
her like a halo, the warm sun shining through the window and giving it a golden
glow. Her lips were slightly parted, her breathing easy and peaceful. Ethan
wanted nothing more than to lean over her and gently touch his lips to hers… to
taste her. He knew it would be everything he imagined it would be; warm, sweet,
and addicting. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath and
remembered she’d just had surgery a few days before. This was not the time, and
he wasn’t sure it ever would be. He placed the steaming cup of coffee on the
table next to her and returned to the kitchen, continually fighting the urge to
taste her… just once.

Instead, he made a sandwich and then wrapped it in wax paper
and placed it on the top shelf of the fridge. He made sure there were fresh
towels in the bathroom and placed her two duffel bags in the bedroom on the
main floor. It’s the bedroom he’d used when he’d lived there. He rarely had
gone upstairs and it remained largely unchanged from when the last owners had
purchased the house. One day he would need to go through the bedrooms and the
boxes that were up there. But for now, Bess would be comfortable.

He wrote a quick note, telling her he’d check in on her
later, and left his cell phone number in case she needed anything. And then he
left.

*****

Bess opened her eyes, surprised it was taking so long for
Ethan to make a cup of coffee. However, when she looked around, she noted the
sun off in the horizon as it began its’ final descent for the day, the dramatic
orange and pink colors streaking across the sky. A cup of cold coffee sat next
to her on the table, a note trapped underneath doubling as a coaster. She read
it quickly and went to the fridge. A wrapped sandwich was just where he’d said
it would be. It was incredibly thoughtful of him to make a snack for her. She
smiled as she unwrapped it and took a big bite.

After satisfying her growling stomach, Bess gently moved
through the main floor of the house once again. It was simple yet majestic, in
that parts of the house had stood for over four hundred years. The foyer,
though small, held the elegant staircase with the original banister. One day,
when her strength had returned, she would venture up to the upper floor. Ethan
had said that he spent little time up there, but Bess was sure it would be an
adventure. In the meantime, she would continue her exploration of downstairs.

The furnishings were comfortable and modern with a few
antiques here and there. It was tastefully done, not overcrowded and not
overstated. Bess smiled as she came across a framed photograph of a young boy
on the beach, sand covering his legs and a huge smile across his face. It must
have been Ethan, she supposed. He was a cute kid and looked extremely happy as
he played in the sand. There was also a painting on the wall, a large sailboat
on the waves, painted in watercolors. She looked at the signature. A James.
Bess wondered which family member had painted it.

By the time she found herself in the master bedroom, Bess
was in love with the house. It was homey and warm and she could imagine herself
living there, but that was a thought she couldn’t have. This was
not
her
home and she would
not
be there for long. She needed to remember that.
She couldn’t get too comfortable. At some point, after the drug trial was over,
she would have to leave.

It weighed heavily on her mind as Bess unzipped the first
duffle bag and placed her clothes on one of the shelves in the closet. Ethan
had told her to make herself at home, seeing as though the trial would last at
least six months. At least that was six months that she didn’t have to worry
about where she was going to sleep at night. The huge king-sized bed would be
her safe haven for the next little while.

Ethan had certainly gone well beyond the role of her doctor,
and he wasn’t her doctor any longer. That position was now held by Dr. Eric
Ryder. Ethan had gone and got her car from the diner and driven it to the
hospital parking lot. He had promised to bring it to the house for her so she
would be able to leave when she pleased, although she had been instructed that
she was not to drive for the next several days. Ethan had pulled her duffle
bags from the backseat and brought them with him when he’d driven Bess to the
house. He’d been very thoughtful. 

Putting away her clothes had zapped her of all energy. She’d
never had surgery before and she hoped this would be the first and only time
she’d have to experience it. Although she felt famished, she had only eaten
half of her sandwich before she started to feel full, and walking from one side
of the house to the other had her panting and out of breath. It was still
painful to stand up perfectly straight, the soreness in her abdomen even
keeping her awake at night. She had been given pain pills, but she’d seen too
many of her neighbors in the apartment complex addicted to drugs, so she wanted
to stay as far away as possible from anything that might get her hooked. Regina
had told her she was being overly worried, but Bess didn’t want to risk it, so
she was prepared to wait it out, knowing that eventually it would improve
slowly.

As she laid down on the bed, curling her knees in slightly,
Bess took a deep breath and closed her eyes, just for a minute or two. It felt
good to be off her feet and the mattress was soft and cozy, molding to her body
and enveloping her in warmth.

*****

Ethan stood on the front porch of his house and had to think
before he just opened the door and walked in. Yes, it was
his
house, but
Bess was living there now. He had to be conscious of giving her privacy. So he
knocked and waited.

After knocking for the third time, he opened the door and
let himself in. He would have to remind Bess to keep it locked. Port Lincoln
didn’t have much more than some petty juvenile crime, but still, she should be
safe.

All was quiet. He ventured to the back of the house, to the
family room where he’d left her sound asleep a few hours earlier. She was no
longer on the loveseat. The last room he checked was his bedroom.
Her
bedroom.
The door was wide open as he peeked around the door frame. She was sound
asleep. Taking a couple of silent steps into the room, he stood at the foot of
the bed and watched her.

He’d never once had any thoughts about a patient that were
not appropriate and professional. He’d never once taken an interest in a
patient, other than the physical symptoms that would lead him to a diagnosis,
or a wound that needed his immediate attention. Ethan wondered what it was
about this woman that had him acting so out of character.

As she lay before him, he gazed at her long hair, once again
fanned behind her, framing her face. It was long and wavy and looked incredibly
soft. Of its own volition, his hand raised, as if to reach out and run his
fingers through her locks. He stopped himself and stayed put. Her face was oval
in shape and her nose was the perfect size and shape. Her lashes were long and
dark as they rested against her cheeks, and her lips were pink and full, just
begging to be kissed.

With that thought, Ethan abruptly turned and marched to the
kitchen, the bag of takeout still in his hand. He turned the oven on low and
stashed the Chinese food, still in their cardboard containers, on the lowest
rack to keep warm.

Should he wake her? Should he just leave? Should he make
himself comfortable and wait for her to wake on her own? He’d planned on eating
with her, but perhaps that was a foolish idea. He’d convinced her to live in
his house, telling her it would actually be a favor she was doing for him. He
didn’t like the idea of it just sitting empty and tempting a passing vagrant.
She was helping him out, not the other way round. But he probably shouldn’t
make a habit of showing up all the time, even if he did have food with him.

Answering his dilemma, Ethan sat in the gathering room and
pulled out his phone. He would check his emails and if she was still asleep
when he was done, he’d leave her another note telling her that there was food
in the oven.

He took his time reading each and every word of every email,
even the junk mail.

And his plan worked.

About fifteen minutes later, Bess sleepily walked out of the
bedroom, down the hall and through the foyer, and stopped when she saw Ethan,
focused on his phone.

“Uh, hi,” she stammered.

Ethan looked up with a killer grin, the kind that could stop
hearts and melt icebergs.

“Good evening,” he smiled. “I brought dinner.”

“Words near and dear to my heart,” Bess smiled brightly.
“Let’s eat!”

She followed Ethan into the kitchen where he magically
produced several boxes of delicious rice, chow mein, orange chicken, beef and
broccoli, and jumbo shrimp.

“How did you know that orange chicken is my favorite?” Bess
asked, bewildered.

“Is it?” Ethan looked surprised. “I had no idea what you’d
like so I ordered my favorites.”

“Well, that couldn’t have worked out better if we’d planned
it,” she exclaimed.

Ethan pulled two plates from the cupboard and handed her a
pair of chopsticks. Bess hesitantly took them from him, eying the contraptions
suspiciously.

“You’ve never used them before?” Ethan asked as he nodded at
the utensils.

“Nope. I thought that’s why plastic forks were invented,”
Bess shrugged.

Ethan laughed and pulled a stainless steel fork from the
drawer behind him. “This will have to do,” he teased and handed it to her. Bess
graciously accepted the fork and they each loaded their plates.

As they made themselves comfortable on the sofas in the
family room, the wall of windows providing a magnificent view of the moon’s
reflection in the ocean, Bess decided she should get to know her benefactor.

“So,” she began. “Tell me about your grandparents.”

“From the time my brother and I were little, my mom was
always ill. She had Lupus and her quality of life suffered. There were other
complications as well that left her in bed… a lot. My dad’s parents, my
grandparents, had moved here years before and we’d always spent holidays here,
so after the time I was about seven, I guess, we would come here the day after
school got out in the summer and stay for our entire vacation. Dad stayed at
home and worked and visited on the weekends. I actually forgot my mom was sick
for those few weeks.”

“I’m so sorry,” Bess whispered. “Your mom?”

“She died a few years ago from e coli. Most healthy adults
make it, but mom’s immune system was so weakened that we knew it would take
her.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated softly.

“It is what it is,” Ethan shrugged. “I never understood that
phrase, but now I get it. Stuff happens and there’s not a damn thing we can do
about it.”

“Your dad?”

“He lives in Newark. He remarried a couple of years ago and
that’s where his new wife is from.” His tone was matter-of-fact, not an emotion
to be heard. Bess picked up on it and changed the subject.

“You have a brother? Older or younger?”

“Older, by two minutes,” he grinned. “Evan. He lives in
Boston. He’s a professor. Teaches biology at Boston College.”

“A doctor and a professor. Your mom must have been very
proud of you.”