THE JOB THAT MADE ETHAN COLE PART OF GREYHAVEN
Chapter 5
Lily arrived at the hotel on Saturday morning.
She was holding a bicycle wheel.
“Mr. Ethan.”
Ethan looked up from a tray of pancakes.
“What happened?”
“My bike.”
“What happened to it?”
She held up the wheel.
“It stopped being a bike.”
Ethan laughed.
“That’s one way to describe it.”
Her mother, Anna, stood behind her.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
Ethan crouched.
“Where’s the rest?”
“Outside.”
He finished breakfast service first.
Then he walked outside.
The bicycle had a broken chain, bent rear wheel and a missing brake pad.
Ethan stared.
“How did you do this?”
Lily looked away.
“I rode down the hill.”
“Fast?”
She nodded.
“Very.”
“Into something?”
“No.”
“Into someone?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“The mailbox.”
Ethan looked at Anna.
Anna covered her mouth.
“Don’t laugh.”
“I’m not.”
She was.
Ethan shook his head.
“I’ll fix it.”
Lily smiled.
“How much?”
“Nothing.”
“Again?”
Ethan looked at her.
“Again.”
She hugged him.
Ethan froze for a second.
Then placed one hand gently on her shoulder.
“You’re welcome.”
Anna watched him.
“You don’t have to keep doing things for us.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you?”
Ethan looked at Lily.
“Because somebody has to.”
Anna’s expression changed.
She understood that answer more than he intended.
