Chapter Seven
I was up to my elbows in soap as I washed the dishes piled up in the sink. Ethan was next to me, a towel in his hand, drying the dishes I finished rinsing. Washing dishes wasn't on my to do list but shortly after dinner Mr. Hunter disappeared to another room and that was when Ethan informed me that it was his responsibility to clean the dishes. Since I was there and had eaten there, I figured the only right thing to do was to offer to help. After the words were out of my mouth, Ethan looked relieved. I wondered how many girlfriends helped him clean up. Better yet, how many girlfriends did Ethan actually have before we met? The thought made me queasy. Why does it matter? You’re friends, that’s it.
So there I was, my hands working together under the sudsy water, looking out the kitchen window. There was land all around Ethan's house and it was all lush and green. It looked like something out of a painting. My eyes passed over something in the distance and I turned to the object, squinting to see it better. It can't be...is it? I mean it looks like it but...really? Yes it was; the house in the distance. Was it a cottage? Maybe someone was renting it out.
“Hey,” I said to Ethan, not moving my eyes from the spot I was staring at.
“Yeah?”
“Is that a cottage in the distance? Like something that someone rented out?” I asked. “I mean, that little shed thing over there...it looks like a cottage but not quite. If I didn’t know any better, it looks like a doll house.” This time I did turn to Ethan. I could read the hesitation on his face as his eyes darted from the object to me back to the object. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,” I said. “It's okay if it's some type of secret. I get it.”
“No it's not a secret,” Ethan said. “It is a doll house...it was my sister's.”
“Was?” My curiosity was piqued.
“She and my mother died in a boating accident,” Ethan explained. “It was about five years ago, on August eighth. She and my sister went sailing because my sister loved to sail. There was a storm and they never came back. We never found the boat, either.”
“How did it happen? Did the boat flip over or did it capsize? Were they wearing life vests? Couldn’t your father call the National Guard or something?”
Ethan’s eyes jerked to the left.
“I don’t know the details,” he said. “I was too young to remember and my father doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“Wow.”
“But the doll house...my sister, Elizabeth, she had this doll house that she loved. And when I say loved I mean really loved. She tried to take it with us whenever we went out and she was forever trying to play with it herself, without using her dolls. It had to be her favorite toy. So my dad made her a life sized one like the little one she had. It was her birthday present. She only used it once or twice before it happened.”
“Oh,” I said. There was a lump in my throat. “That's so...sad.” I paused when my hand found his under the water, and I squeezed it gently. “So that's what you meant when you said you were everything your father had and vice versa. The rest of your family is gone. I'm...I'm so sorry.”
I wiped my hands on a towel, drying them off, and turned to Ethan. He looked back at me, an anguished expression on his face. His lips were pushed tight together and he turned away from me to look back outside to the doll house.
“I usually don't tell anyone the story,” Ethan admitted. “It's not something my father or I really like anyone to know. It's easier to pretend that it's just us...like there wasn't a mother or sister in the picture.” Ethan paused and then looked at me. “That's why we live here, this far away from town. Even though he's the mayor, my father likes to keep a private life. We keep away from crowds and the stares. It's just easier.”
“I can imagine,” I said. “My father hates controversy and stuff like that too. That's why I was shipped off here to Virginia. He figured if he got rid of me then the problem would go away too. It's bad enough that I'm a bastard child of a summer fling in God knows where. My father couldn't handle the trouble I apparently was causing.”
“Well your father is an idiot and doesn't know what he's missing.”
“Thanks but I don't think he misses me all too much.” I shrugged and pasted a smile on my face. “Whatever. His loss, right?”
“Exactly.” Ethan stepped closer and I froze, unsure of what was happening. He licked his lips and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. Then I wondered if I wanted him to kiss me. I mean I barely