Read Online 120 days... by M. Stratton - Free Book Online

wasn’t able to be there for him.” He shrugged. “One thing led to another and I had to get out of here. I ended up back at the house. The one we lived in before my parents died. I hadn’t been back there in years. In some ways, it hadn’t changed; in others, it was completely different.”
    Evan had already told her about his past and what had happened to his parents, and how Ethan had raised him, but somehow it was completely different hearing the story from his perspective. Her heart had gone out to the little boy Evan had been, so young and losing his parents, and it went out to Ethan, who had just started living his adult life when responsibility had been thrust upon him. Losing a parent was never easy, Lord knows she knew, but somehow, it seemed all the more tragic for them. Especially when years later they had both grown so far apart. And since Evan had died, there would be no going back. They’d never have the chance to reconcile and become brothers again.
    As his voice trailed off, she couldn’t take it anymore. She put her arm around his shoulders, resting her head on the one closest to her. Feeling a tremor go through him, she knew she couldn’t waste any more time; he needed to get warm. Giving him a quick squeeze, she stood, and went to the downstairs bathroom where she turned the shower on as hot as it would go. Running upstairs, she went to the spare room where she kept racks of clothes, which had been donated to the resort. The guests typically lost so much weight during their stay that what they’d showed up in never fit for too long and they needed new clothes to wear. Grabbing some she thought would fit him, she dumped them, along with extra towels, in the bathroom before going back out to him.
    “Ethan . . .” She stood in the doorway waiting for him to turn to her. When he did, she continued. “You need to get into some dry clothes. I’ve started a hot shower for you and left you something to change into while yours dry. Just leave them outside the door before you get into the shower and I’ll put them in the dryer for you.”
    Standing slowly, like a man much older than his years, he walked toward her, pausing when he was next to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”
    “It’s no problem.”
    He looked down into her eyes. “Is anyone ever there for you?”
    Her heart clenched painfully. “That’s not what tonight is about.”
    “Samantha, if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that eventually, everyone needs someone. You take on everyone else’s problems. Someone should be there for you.”
    She shifted, uncomfortable under his watchful gaze. She was sure he didn’t miss much. What she never told anyone was the fact that she’d resigned herself to being alone for however long she was allowed to walk on this earth. Running the resort was all-consuming. It would be difficult to have a normal relationship with anyone. Besides, the last thing she ever wanted was to start relying on Ethan, no matter how attracted she was to him. “Some people are put here to help others. I do as much as I can.”
    “You could do more if you’d let people in to help you once in a while.” He patted her shoulder and walked away, gently closing the door behind him.
    Sam leaned up against the wall, her head tipping back to rest on it. Ethan didn’t realize she’d already let him in further than anyone else. Her stomach knotted, after all of these years someone meant more to her than a friend. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and hoped she was strong enough to find out what was happening between the two of them.

    Ethan woke up with a pounding head and tried to remember what had happened the night before. Six months ago, he’d have to wonder if there was some woman next to him who he’d have to find some way to get rid of before she started seeing hearts and flowers whenever she looked at him. He was, however, sure he was alone. His thoughts turned to the pain from the