Page 24 of Falling for Ezra Thomas
The kettle whistles, indicating that I’ve been staring at it in thought for a little while. Mrs. Wilcox traces the pattern on the counter with her thumbnail, but smiles brightly when I place the aromatic tea in front of her. She inhales and tentatively sips.
“So good. Thank you, Lorelai. You know, I spoke to your mother yesterday. Wedding planning seems to be in full swing for your sister. How are you feeling about all of this?”
“The wedding?”
She takes another sip and nods. “Mmm, yes. She is your younger sister, after all. Can we expect wedding bells for you in the future?”
Oh for heaven’s sake. Once again, I know people mean well and love us, but Ezra hasn’t even been gone for long enough to let the ink dry on the envelope, let alone for us to decide we’re madly enough in love to get married.
I don’t know how to respond to her question, which earns me a raised eyebrow.
“Well, I suppose it’s too soon to say, isn’t it?” She finishes her tea and rises with another smile. “It’s been lovely seeing you, dear, but I better be going. It’ll be dark soon and I want to get to my sister’s house before I can’t see anything going up this mountain.”
Relief floods my body. At first, I didn’t mind her intrusion, but now it’s a tad unwelcome with all the personal questions.
“Be sure to say hello for me, and please be careful.” I escort her to the door and see her off before ripping open the letter fromEzra. Based on the date, he wrote it the day after the first letter he wrote, which, I assume, means he’s thinking about me a lot.
Dear Lorelai,
Chances are, you’ll get these letters back to back. I didn’t anticipate being bored at basic training, but there is a lot of hurry up and wait that happens. Standing in line for this or that means my mind automatically drifts toward home and to you. You’re probably still at the cabin, and I really wish I were there with you. Maybe when I get back, we can have a mini vacation, just the two of us.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said. Thinking about things we did growing up and my father said something on the way here that hit me. He says I’ve always treated you differently from Vivien, and I hope that never came across as you being less important to me than she is.
The thing is, you’ve always intimidated me. Don’t get me wrong, it was in a good way. I knew that any guy who wanted you would be given a run for his money. Again, all good things. I guess what I’m saying is, I think all this time I set you apart, sort of as off limits because, well, who knows why. Maybe some part of me thought I might not measure up, so I didn’t even put myself in the running. Subconsciously, I guess I quit before I even tried.
I hope all of this makes sense, because it’s really confusing to me. All I know is, I’m thanking God for a late night popcorn fight that led to the best kiss of my entire life. And I’m looking forward to many more nights like that when I get home.
Love always,
Ezra
I release a sigh and fold the paper. It’s not the first time someone has told me I’m the kind of person who makes a guy have towork for my attention. True as it is, though, it still stings a little. Ezra made it perfectly clear that it isn’t a bad thing, and maybe it’s good that my love life has been nonexistent. It left room for me to discover this new relationship with him. Has he actually had suppressed feelings for me for a long time? How would we even know? It’s possible his father saw something we never did, but it’s equally possible he saw what hewantedto see since our families are so close.
I need to call my mother. She saw Beck and Vivien coming from a mile away, and if their relationship makes sense to her, then maybe she can help me figure out these new feelings I have for Ezra. Who knows why I have the insatiable urge tounderstandthem, to dissect them until I know when, where, and how they came about. Maybe it’s the doctor in me that craves a good, old-fashioned scientific explanation. Whatever it is, I’m positive my mother will have the answers I seek.
Just before I left to come to the cabin, we had a second to chat. It was nothing big, just her offering congratulations along with a healthy dose of sympathy that Ezra was leaving. Even Dad didn’t seem surprised by my revealing to them that Ezra and I are dating…which is even more proof that maybe the two of us are the only ones who didn’t see it. I grab my phone and dial the familiar number.
“Hello, honey. How are you doing?” Mom asks when she answers the phone.
“Good. Relaxation is nice.”
“Funny how that works, isn’t it? Wedding planning isn’t as much fun without you, but you need the rest, kiddo. Take your time and enjoy it.” Crinkling in the background tells me she’s sorting through papers or other items, probably working on the wedding planning as we speak.
“I will, I promise. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” she says and the shuffling ceases.
“Remember when you told Vivien that she and Beck made sense, and that you figured they would end up together?”
“I do. And you’re wondering if I suspected the same about you and Ezra?” No one can accuse my mother of being imperceptive, so I hope she has a good answer.
“Yeah,” I admit.
She chuckles softly and says, “Yes, your father and I both assumed it would be one of the Thomas boys, and Ezra was almost always in the lead.”
I shake my head, confused. “But why him? What did you see that we didn’t?”
“Oh,” she hums. “It was a lot of little things. Things you wouldn’t necessarily see unless you’re a meddling parent with nothing better to do.”
