Page 26 of Falling for Ezra Thomas
And Luna is great. In fact, it’s one of the things that pulled her away from us—a job offer at a museum in Chatswain City.
“Uh, yeah. I was just doodling and wasting time.” I slip into the open kitchen area and bang around with the pots to distract myself.
“Lore, these are really good. The detail is amazing for an amateur.” Luna flips through the pages while the girls gather to look them over. I am officially not bored anymore, but utterly mortified. I’m going to need another week-long sabbatical to get over this.
“Uh, thanks,” I mumble and try to ignore the oohs and ahs.
“Lore, I mean it. Look at me,” Luna demands, reminding me that she knows me almost as well as Vivien. She’s been a part of our lives for years, and she’s hip to my self-destructive, self-critical ways. I glance up and barely make eye contact. “I wouldn’t lie to you about art, okay. These are good. Keep working at it and don’t let the critical voice tell you not to.” She shakes the pad and points to a bumblebee’s legs. “You even have the little fuzzies on his adorable legs. This is beautiful.”
I nod again and pour the milk into a large pot.
“They would be so cute in children’s books,” Emma says, while Ella peers over her shoulder. This incites a full conversation about my drawings and how hard it might be to write children’s books.
Vivien breaks from the group and joins me in the kitchen. With a great big hug, she soothes my nerves. “You doing okay? The truth, not what you think I want to hear.”
My head seems stuck in the nod position, but when she frowns and crosses her arms, I know it’s time to use real words. “I am, honest. I’m feeling better about a lot of things, including Ezra and me. I kind of wish I didn’t have to leave this little cabin, but reality says I’ll have to.”
“Speaking of which, I got a letter from Ezra. He sent one to Beck and the others, too. Seems he’s made a friend?” She smiles, and I know exactly what she’s doing. She’s trying to reassure methat Ezra is okay, but I see right through her. She’s trying to convince herself as much as anyone. I thought it might be odd to date him with the deep friendship between Ezra and my sister, but I find it’s actually…comforting. I don’t have to say much for her to understand, and since she knows us both so well, she can make me feel better without trying too hard.
“It looks like it, and I’m glad for that. I was worried he’d be miserable, but if he’s made a friend, then…well, I guess they can be miserable together.” We laugh, gaining the girls’ attention.
Abigail sits at one of the stools at the kitchen bar and smiles. She’s a little shy too, but I get it. It’s hard to break into this strange friend group we have, built primarily on our common fondness for Thomas brothers. Well, and her fondness for Judson Baker, Novan’s best friend who has been around even longer than Luna. The Thomases seem to collect people like knick-knacks, but none of us mind.
“I know Judson being in Alaska on the mission trip isn’t exactly the same as what Ezra is doing, but I just wanted to say that I understand how hard it is. But really, I think the distance will prove whether they’re really right for us or not.”
I sigh and lean on the counter. “I know you’re probably right. I just miss him.”
“I didn’t get too many dates with Judson before he left, but I get that too. If you ever want to hang out, I’m almost always free.” Her cheeks flush, but there’s no reason to be embarrassed. I’d love to hang out with her, get to know her more, and maybe enjoy some more frequent girl time now that I’m not held down by a job I despise.
“They come back a little different, too, though,” Ella adds and leans on the counter beside her sister. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. I think Silas was right. He needed that trip. While I would have liked him to go about it in a different way, the end resultwas worth it. He’s stronger and more stable than he would have been without that experience to help him mature, you know?”
My gaze instinctively drifts toward Luna, who is still analyzing my bumblebee sketches.
“I think I know what you mean,” I say. “They’re doing what they feel called to do, and that makes a lot of difference.”
“Have you had any clarity up here about that?” Vivien asks. “Any thoughts on what you’d like to do?”
I frown and stir the milk. “Not really. I can’t say for sure if it was the old job that gave me the anxiety, or if it’s medicine in general. I worked too hard to just give it up, but I also know I can’t live my entire life regretting my career choice.”
“That’s not a fun position to be in,” Emma says. She’s already broken into the cookies and nibbles one while she sits beside Ella. Everything in my heart shifts. These ladies aren’t just friends. They’re family. At least, I think they will be. This is what family holidays can look like. What vacations might be moving forward—a whole town full of Thomases and the women they love. What an insane thought.
I suppose it had to happen sometime. After all, the Thomas family has practically built little Coldstone Creek into a family affair all on their own, but they aren’t the only ones. Once people move there, they never want to leave. It’s home the second you unpack the first box, and I can’t imagine ever wanting anything else.
Except…I might have to. I don’t know what will happen after Ezra finishes basic training. He could go anywhere, and am I prepared to go with him? Is that what my future holds?
Luna sighs, alerting me to the fact that she’s joined us. “I wish I had some words of advice for you, but I’m beginning to wonder if taking the job in Chatswain City was a good idea,” she admits.
“But you’re overseeing a whole exhibit. Wasn’t that the goal?” I ask, my shoulders tensing at the mere thought she might regrether move and come back. I shouldn’t be so giddy about it, but I miss her too much not to be a little excited.
She shrugs. “It was, yes, but not at the expense of…well…you know.” She lowers her gaze.
Vivien, who has never been too shy to pry into someone’s business, finally blurts out the question we’ve all wanted to ask for so long. “So, why did you and Rafe break up? He won’t say, and I can’t believe for a second it was because you stopped loving each other.”
“Wow.” Luna brushes her shoulder length dark hair from her face and sighs. “Still blunt as ever, I see.”
“Well, we miss you. You kinda dumped everyone.” Vivien shrugs but it’s the truth no matter how hard it is for Luna to hear.
“Of course I still love him, but a girl can only wait so many years for a man to make a permanent commitment. Every time we talked about marriage, he had a ton of excuses. He wanted to do this first and that first, meanwhile I’m waiting and waiting. When the exhibit job came up and I told him I wanted to take it, he was supportive. Then I told him I wanted to break up, and he literally said nothing.”
