Falling for Ezra Thomas (Life With the Thomas Brothers #4)

14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Lorelai

A quiet knock on the front door wakes me from a late afternoon nap. At first, I think I dreamed the faint tap, tap, tap, but when it happens again, it startles me. I sit straight and rub the sleep from my eyes, orienting myself. Still in the Thomas cabin, but the fire has burned down, and a chill takes the air.

I stand and stretch before peering out the front window. Mrs. Wilcox, the town postwoman, stands on the front stoop with a letter in her hands. The mountain is well out of her delivery area, so I’m more than surprised to see her rosy-cheeked face.

Pulling open the door, my eyes go wide. “Mrs. Wilcox, come in and warm up. What are you doing here?”

She pushes her curly blonde hair from her forehead and grins. “Oh, I was heading to visit my sister and thought I’d skip protocol to bring you this. Technically, I was supposed to deliver it to your home address, but I knew you’d want it.”

She hands me a letter from Ezra with an ever-widening grin. It’s a sweet gesture followed by an onslaught of questions. “How is he doing? Is he fitting in well? They aren’t being too hard on them are they?”

I chuckle and head to the kitchen to get her a cup of tea. Lavender vanilla is her favorite if I remember correctly—and I’m certain I do, since everyone in Coldstone Creek knows everything there is to know about the chatty mail deliverer. I motion for her to sit.

He must have written his first letter to me the second he dropped his bags at basic, because it was waiting for me when I dropped mine off at the post office. This second one is a surprise. “As far as I know, he’s doing well. He said so in his first letter, at least. It’s basic training, so I imagine it’s at least a little difficult. I know he’s missing home.”

She sits at the open bar counter and crosses her hands on the countertop. “That’s good to know. And what about you? How are you doing?”

“Hanging in there, I guess.” I shrug. Sometimes, the whole town knowing your business is frustrating. There is no doubt that everyone means well, but sometimes a girl just wants a little privacy in her life. Privacy I thought I’d get at the cabin, though I can’t be upset she brought me a letter from Ezra.

“Any job prospects? You know the post office is always hiring,” she says.

I turn to put the kettle on the stove and grimace. The very thought of sorting and delivering mail in Coldstone Creek makes my skin crawl. I’d get bored after one day, and they’d find me in a back room eating chocolate and crying by the end of a week. It’s not for me, thanks.

“I appreciate the suggestion, but I think I’m going to take a short hiatus and then worry about it. I have enough saved to hold me over for a while.”

“Wise decision, I think. You don’t want to leap into something else and change your mind again.”

Ouch. I’m almost certain she didn’t mean to issue the backhanded compliment, but she’s also right. I can’t spend eternity considering what I want to do, but I also can’t think of a single thing besides veterinary medicine that interests me. After time away from my old job and a few conversations with Ezra, I’m much more comfortable than I was when I quit. That said, I’m still not sure working for another doctor is right for me.

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 from Ezra. 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 to work 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 he wanted to 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 to understand them, 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.”

“Ha, ha. I’m serious, Mom.”

“It was the way he looked at you. Don’t get me wrong, it was subtle and not always there, but sometimes his gaze would lock on you and it was as if he was looking at a star or some other grand thing he could never touch, but he liked how brightly it shined.”

Leave it to a mother to pour on the compliments.

“And you have always been more at ease with him than with other people, even with me and your father. Sometimes even more than with Vivien. It isn’t any one thing that clued me in, but a lot of little things, a lot of small moments, and time spent observing.”

“Are you okay with this?”

“Am I okay with my daughters being involved with men who I know were raised well? No, of course not. My only caution is to take things as they come. I didn’t anticipate him joining the Army, but even that can be worked through. Don’t fall under the false belief that things must be perfect to work, okay?”

“Yeah. I understand. I guess I need a little more time for everything to sink in.” I yawn, triggering my mother’s motherly instincts.

“You get some more rest. I’m here if you need to talk about this some more, okay?”

“Yeah. Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, too, sweetheart. Talk soon.”

“Bye, Mom.”

I end the call and place my phone on the coffee table. All this time, Ezra and I have been in each other’s orbit and neither of us noticed. Neither of us stopped long enough to evaluate anything about our friendship. It merely existed in the fringe, something cobbled together around his friendship with Vivien. Only, it wasn’t. He was right when he said it was as deep and meaningful, just different.

My mind whirls thinking about what my mother said until it locks on a memory.

It was a hockey game the twins’ first year of college. Beck had just got sent into the penalty box for doing what he did best—throwing a guy into the glass for beating up on his brother. Ezra was on the ice somewhere, and when I finally found him, he was already looking at me. It didn’t make sense back then, and I forgot about it by the end of the game, but he had that look. The one my mother told me about.

When our gazes connected, he smiled softly and nodded a bit. I offered a tiny wave, and he dipped his head and grinned. It was a silly interaction, but looking back, I can’t help wondering what might have happened if I had been more open. More available. A little less focused on achieving my goals.

The truth is, I can ponder the what ifs all I want. I can’t change anything, and I wouldn’t want to. We’re here now, and Mom was right. It might not be easy, but it’s real.

I grab a pen and a pad of paper, ready to send him a response.