Page 27 of Falling for Ezra Thomas
“Wait, not a word? Not a single word?” I ask.
“Nope. It was the most awkward sixty seconds of silence of my life, then I left.” She fidgets with the cocoa packets on the counter to distract herself from five sets of eyeballs staring her down, waiting for more details.
“And?” Vivien asks.
“And that’s it. I haven’t spoken to him since.” Luna finally glances up at us. “It was a test, and I guess I’m the fool who got played. If he wanted me, he’d have said something. He just let me walk out the door and hasn’t bothered calling me.”
“I mean, maybe he’s afraid? You haven’t called him either, right?” I ask, somewhat desperate to understand why two peoplewho were together for years can literally walk away with nothing said between them, no fight, nothing.
“No. I thought he’d call, and when he didn’t, it felt like too much time had passed.”
“So, you’re saying the two of you aren’t together because neither of you wants to be the first person to make aphone call?”Vivien is borderline frantic at this point, mimicking my own fast-beating heart.
“It’s not like that. We’re in different stages in our lives. I want a career, a family, and kids. He wants to sit and play video games all day.” Luna waves her hand, clearly trying to change the subject.
“He doesn’t play video…Okay, he does, but you know why. It’s his job, Luna,” I argue.
“Look, I understand he wants to design them, but couldn’t he still move forward with other commitments in his life? I was willing to do that, but he wouldn’t.”
We’re all getting a little feisty, so I glance around the room and try to think of something else to talk about. Anything to get Luna off the hook. For now. I definitely want to have a one-on-one with her, but all of us ganging up on her and picking apart her relationship with Rafe will only make it worse.
I sigh loudly, pulling everyone’s attention to me. “Sometimes careers don’t go like you plan. I’m still trying to figure mine out.”
“I’ve been looking around, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is hiring right now. Mrs. Thomas said you could do some work for her in between jobs, so you’ll still have income.” Vivien nibbles a cookie but almost spews it everywhere when she gets a brilliant—in her mind—idea. “Hey, have you thought any more about opening your own practice? You’d be your own boss, set your own hours, and be in charge.”
“That’s expensive, not to mention super stressful. I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I wasn’t at that point in my game plan yet,” I admit.
“Well, we could always go over it with Mr. Thomas and see what the numbers look like. You know Mom and Dad would want to invest and help you get it off the ground.” Vivien’s right. Our parents did say they would do that way back when I first entered veterinary school, but it’s a big risk and I’m not even sure if it’s what I want to do.
As if offering me the same out I gave her, Luna sighs. “Hey, let’s eat until we pop and watch a movie. Enough of this difficult life stuff.”
She grabs a bag of marshmallows and heads back to the living room with a trail of ladies behind her. Vivien waits in the kitchen with me while I get steaming mugs of hot cocoa ready.
“Hey, you know whatever happens, things will work out, right?” she says.
I chew my lip but manage a nod. “Yeah. Yeah, I know, but you know how I am about things hanging in pause mode. My brain glitches.”
“I know, but don’t think of it like pause mode. It’s just a season of rest, Lore, and if anyone deserves it, it’s you.”
I try to take my sister’s words of wisdom to heart, but I can’t help how my brain works. Except, Ishouldbe able to. I need to trust that God has already worked out the details, and all I have to do is hold on for the ride. The only problem is that it’s really difficult to do that when everything changes all at once. Vivien is right though. It’s a season for rest. For a reset. For exploring new options, and part of me is really excited to see what the future brings.
Chapter Sixteen
Ezra
I'm positive no personin history has ever been totally fine with getting sprayed in the face with chemicals meant to render them fully incapacitated, but here we are, waiting patiently for our turn to be tortured. On the plus side, if I survive the terrible, burning pain, then I can write home about it. On the downside, it might take a few hours for me to see straight again. While we wait and the guys chat, my mind drifts back to the letter I got from Lorelai this morning.
Dear Ezra,
How are you doing? I got a little bored at the cabin and invited Vivien up. She and the girls, Luna included, came up to the cabin for a girls’ night. I know you want all the juicy details about Luna, but I promised I wouldn’t tell. I will say this, I don’t think her story with Rafe is over so pray for them.
On another note, Vivien is trying to convince me to talk to your father about the ins and outs of opening my own clinic. I’m not sold on the idea, honestly. I’m still not sure I’m meant topractice medicine. To tell the truth, the slower pace of the past couple of weeks here at the cabin has been nice. Still, I know I can’t do this forever and will need to find something career-wise.
What do you think? I’m seeking opinions from everyone at this point. I’m heading back to my apartment tomorrow, but your mom said I could use the cabin anytime I want, so I might head back up here in a week or two if I haven’t found work. She also said I could help her around the bakery, so there’s that. At least I’ll be able to pay rent.
How are things going for you? I’m happy you’ve made some friends. Tell me more about this Masterson guy. I’m a sucker for a good love story, so I want to hear it!
It still feels a little strange to hand write letters to you. I know so much about you already, I’m not sure what to ask. I’m starting to understand why Vivien and Beck had such a whirlwind romance. On the one hand, going from friendship to dating is definitely a different sort of relationship, but on the other hand, you get to skip all the awkward getting to know you stuff. I’m sure there are plenty of things we don’t know, but I’m not sure what they might be.
