"Good morning," Eric responded.
Ezekiel already had two mugs on the counter, and he poured coffee into them as he spoke. "Are you an early riser?" he asked.
"I am," Eric said. "I woke up without the alarm this morning."
"I did too," Ezekiel replied. "I like to make it out onto the farm before sunrise. Being outside during this hour before dawn is my favorite part of the day. I look forward to it."
"I bet it's beautiful on this farm," Eric said.
"It is," Ezekiel said. "You'll see. We'll go over to the covered arena. There's a walking path. It's one of my favorite spots."
"Should I grab gloves and a hat."
"You can. Or we might have an extra set somewhere around here." Ezekiel pushed the mug of black coffee toward Eric who took it gratefully. Neither of them discussed cream or sugar. Both of them just silently began to sip their black coffee. "You can stop at the apartment and get your stuff if you like. It's pretty cold, and we'll be outside."
Eric nodded. "Are we waiting on Jude?"
"No, it's just you and me this morning."
It was obvious the man wanted to talk to Eric about something. Eric didn't know if it was about doing business with Jude or if it was about Olivia, but he would find out soon enough.
"I've met your dad," Ezekiel said, drawing Eric from his thoughts.
They had a ten-minute conversation about Ezekiel's encounter with Eric's father while they drank their coffee, and as soon as Ezekiel took the last sip of his, he put his mug in the sink and announced that they should go.
They stopped to get Eric's cold weather gear and they headed out in Ezekiel's truck. It was still dark out, and they drove across the farm with the headlights on. Ezekiel talked about some of the daily routines on the farm. Once they got closer to their destination, he explained that there was a paved walking path that encompassed the covered arena and three paddocks. Six times around the whole circle made a mile, and Ezekiel liked to walk it in the morning. He enjoyed the view of the sunrise across the hills.
Eric had not planned on walking a mile this morning, but his hiking boots were comfortable, and he knew he would go along with pretty much whatever Ezekiel had planned.
They parked in front of the covered arena and got out of the truck. Ezekiel led the way, expecting Eric to follow, which he did. They set off on the walking path. There was no other action on the farm at the moment, but it was a big place and Eric got the feeling it would be busier around there once the sun came up.
They talked as they walked, Ezekiel asking the questions. They spoke about business investments at first, and then Ezekiel began to ask somewhat more personal questions.
He asked about Eric's family—how many there were, where were they from, what kind of family traditions they had. Still, it all seemed like a normal conversation to have with someone who was visiting your home—someone you were trying to get to know.
They were on their third lap when Ezekiel said, "I'm going to get real with you for a few minutes, if you don't mind, Eric."
And there it was. Eric knew there had to be something behind the early morning wake-up call—some deeper-than-surface-level issue motivating the heavy fist that pounded on his door.
"I don't mind at all," Eric said even though he felt suddenly wary and defensive.
"I noticed you with my niece last night."
"Yes sir," Eric said, keeping things simple and respectful.
"I heard Livi mention you a few times since she's been here. I hear her talking to her brother or my wife."
Eric felt pleasure that she was talking about him when he wasn't there. He had to hold back a smile.
"I probably wouldn't be having this conversation with you, Eric, if I thought my brother would do it. But I don't think he will. I love my brother, and I know he loves Livi, but for reasons we don't need to get into right now, I feel somewhat like I need to represent my niece as her father figure. I'm not trying to put you on the spot or make you uncomfortable, but I think you might be more than just Jude's business partner in Livi's eyes, and I wanted to have a conversation with you about that. Could you just humor me and let that happen since I love her and feel a sense of responsibility?"
He glanced at Eric, who gave a nod and said, "Yes."
"Do you like my niece?" Ezekiel asked.
"Yes, I do," Eric answered thoughtfully.
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Ezekiel said. "You seem like a nice young man. I just kind of wanted to talk to you and feel you out about it. See where you stood, and make sure you knew she had people who cared about her."
"I know she does."
"We know who your father is and that you have financial stability and everything, but there's so much more to life than that, and Rhonda and I care enough about Livi to look out for her. Like I said, if I thought my brother would do it, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you."
"Is this where you tell me that if I hurt your niece in any way you'll hunt me down and string me from a tree?"
Ezekiel laughed. "Kind of," he said. "I mean not really. I know young people are going to have interests that change. I know people date and break up. I'm not asking you to make any promises. I just wanted you to know Livi has people who love her and care about her and are looking out for her. I also wanted to make sure you heard it from me that I attribute my successful life to God, Eric. Everything you see here is a gift. It is not of my own power that I obtained or maintain any of it. I work hard, don't get me wrong, but my marriage, and my work, and my life all fall in line and flourish because God is at the center of it. It all goes back to Him. Life's difficulties would be painful and confusing without Him."
Ezekiel paused and they walked for a few seconds in silence before he spoke again.
"Again, I don't know where you stand with all that, and I'm not trying to put you on the spot. I just wanted to let you know those things. That Livi has people who care about her and want the best for her. My brother cares about his daughter obviously, but we're different people and he might never pull you aside and tell you that. And I love Livi like she's my own."
"I like that you're looking out for her," Eric said. "And Olivia has talked to me about God a lot. We both think God had something to do with us meeting the way we did."
Eric glanced at Ezekiel in time to catch him grinning. This caused Ezekiel to reach out and tussle Eric's hair, which was one of the highest compliments he could have given right then.
Chapter 15
Olivia
The trip to Lexington came and went, and just like that, I was back in Philly—back to my normal life. In the time since we came back, I had seen Eric nearly every day.
We were together non-stop on the trip, and it was too difficult to go back to our lives the way they were before. We truly enjoyed spending time together. We had fun together. We were, no doubt, attracted to each other, but it wasn't all about that.
We seemed to purposely avoid moments of physical temptation. We spent a lot of time together just being goofy, being friends, and talking and getting to know each other. It was obvious that both of us wanted to get to know each other physically, but we intentionally took it slow.
We kissed every time we saw each other, but it was at the end of our encounter and they were always really light. The kiss we shared the first night at Uncle E's was by far the most passionate. Eric and I had pulled back the reigns after that night, and while I couldn't help but feel certain urges, I knew it was for the best.
We had been spending time getting to know each other, which I felt was almost more of a commitment from him than a physical relationship.
I finished my first batch of lucky cups, but they hadn't been distributed yet. They would be introduced in the middle of February. Eric had a sign made for the register area revealing the concept. Janet, my new supervisor, was tasked with designing that sign, and it was surreal having her work on something that announced an idea of mine.
I never told any of my coworkers at Stone
Lion that lucky cups were my idea. I figured they might hear it through the grapevine since Roxy's was downstairs. But so far, I didn't think any of them knew.
The last half of January passed in a blur. Between working two jobs, and making time for my friends and family, I had a busy existence before I ever met Eric. But making time to spend with him had become important to me.
He and I always met out. A few times, he came to my apartment, but I had never been to his house (either of them). I knew about them, though. He had a two-bedroom cabin in the woods about forty-five minutes outside of town near Ridley Creek State Park. He loved nature and he went fishing and hiking there.
Sometimes, he would leave my apartment at ten o'clock at night and go spend the night at his other house so that he could wake up in the country and enjoy it out there for the first few hours of the day. He called it his "camp" and always spoke humbly of his things but I had seen pictures and it was a dream cabin in the woods. I hadn't been to his apartment in the city, either. I knew exactly what building it was in, and I knew that it was, no doubt, gorgeous. I just never went there.
I always suggested going to my place. I had a roommate, and Eric lived alone. If I went to his place and we had a ton of time alone in his gorgeous home, it might prove to be too much temptation.
I was happy with how slowly we had been taking things—right up until the end of January when it was time for him to go to Los Angeles to the Grammy Awards. I had completely forgotten about it, and then all of a sudden, it was upon us.
He offered to cancel his plans back when we were at Uncle E's. I had told my Aunt Rhonda about him going before Eric made it to Lexington, and she brought it up with him over dinner one night. He asked me afterward if I had any feelings about it, and I did what anyone else would do. I lied. I assured him that I didn't care at all—that I wanted him to go—that it made me feel important to know someone who was going to music's biggest night.
I regretted going so far as to encourage him to go, but that was what I did at the time. I put it out of my head and forgot about it right up until it was time for him to leave for California.
I hated the thought of Eric leaving. I was jealous of anyone and everyone who so much as checked him out as he walked by. I was extremely protective of the beautiful budding relationship we had. I didn't, however, show him any of these emotions. I acted confident and happy for him even though I was worried and disconcerted about it.
He left Saturday morning and would be back on Monday. The Grammys would take place on Sunday afternoon/evening. We texted back-and-forth several times on Saturday, and then he called me Sunday morning. He had gone out with some of his LA friends the night before, and he told me a few of the highlights. I had hung out with my friends, as well, and we swapped stories.
Eric had gone to a venue where there was big band music and swing dancing. Elle Wallace was with him. He didn't try to hide it. There were other people, too, but she was there. She was the friend he went to see, so it didn't surprise me that they hung out. But it didn't make it any easier for me to hear about it the following morning.
Ultimately, I had to trust him. If I couldn't trust him then there was no reason for me to give him my heart in the first place. We talked for a good while on Sunday—almost an hour. Eric called at 1pm my time. It was still morning for him. He told me about his plans for the award show that evening and how, with the red carpet and the after party and everything, he probably wouldn't talk to me again until the following day. I easily agreed, saying that I was surprised to have heard from him at all considering how busy he must be.
I made some art after I hung up with Eric that day. Other than the occasional addition of watercolor to one of my drawings, I was not usually a big painter. But I felt like painting that day. I had to go to the store to get a canvas and some acrylics, but it was a small price to pay for the enjoyment I got out of the project.
I had a good time. I played pop music and made still life paintings of fun things like candy and ice cream cones and toys. I was thankful I bought a three-pack of canvases because I ended up working on all three of them. With drying time, it would probably take me a few days to completely finish them, but all three canvases were officially works in progress, and all of them made me smile.
I took a break Sunday evening to have dinner at my mom's house, but I came back and worked on the paintings again until later that night. I also made a couple of lucky cups while I was waiting for paint to dry. I missed Eric, but I felt better when I was being creative and focused while he was gone. It had been a productive day.
It was midnight, and I was in my bedroom watching a historical series about Vikings when I got a call from Eric.
I had been just about to doze off, so I cleared my throat and did my best to make myself sound alert when I picked up the phone. "Hello?"
I heard music in the background the instant I put the phone to my ear. It was loud—a heavy funk rhythm. I heard rustling of the phone.
"Hello?" I repeated.
"He-hello, this… is this… this is Elle, who is this?"
"This is Olivia," I said, somewhat guarded.
It was noisy on the other end, and I could tell just by the sound and the fluctuation of her voice that she was partying.
"I hadta make sure you exist," she said. "Yeah, she's on the phone. Here she is, right here. I'm talking to her."
She was talking to someone else when she said that because she yelled it away from the phone.
"Oh my ge-oish. Eric Strauss likes you too much," she said, speaking closer to the phone again in a whiny tone.
"Me?" I asked even though that was obvious.
"Olivia this, and Olivia that," she said, not answering my question. "I don't know what you did to him but you broke him. It's so annoying. Annoying that he won't kiss me anymore. Just as friends, even. I used to do that with Eric. Kiss and stuff. I had to make sure you exist so I know he's not just blowing me off. Hey, it's truuue!"
Pause.
"I'm talking to Eric's girlfriend right now. Philadelphia. Yeah. Right now. On the phone. Seriously. You wanna talk to her? Come with me to peeeee."
She was inebriated, I could tell that by the way she spoke. I listened closely, trying to distinguish her confusing words over the loud music while feeling a little sick to my stomach. It seemed like she was asking someone if they wanted to talk to me, which was crazy since I didn't think Eric was the person she was talking to. I wondered where he was during all of this.
Elle giggled with a high-pitched squeal. "Stoooop!" she said, still talking to someone else. "Okay, I'm getting off. (Some rustling.) Hey, don't tell him I called you, kay, byeeee!" She spoke quickly and in a sing-song voice that made me cringe. She must have been talking to me because seconds later, she hung up.
I set the phone down on the bed next to me, feeling stiff, like this whole phone call had been a dream.
Girlfriend.
Of all the things she said, and some I'd like to forget, the word girlfriend was what rang in my mind. She called me Eric's girlfriend. I couldn't hear her that well, but I heard that word plain as day.
Eric and I hadn't talked about that. He had never said that word to or about me before. Half of me was furious to get a phone call like that where a stranger talked about kissing Eric, and the other half of me was overjoyed that she said he wouldn't do it anymore. Plus, she used the word girlfriend about me.
The whole conversation, if you want to call it that, was maybe only about two minutes long, but I kept replaying it until I fell asleep.
She definitely said they used to kiss.
It shouldn't surprise me that Eric had a past. We weren't fourteen anymore, after all. I knew that he had kissed other women just like I had kissed other guys. It wasn't a big deal that he kissed this particular woman, either. I would start to feel upset that he was there in LA with her now, but then I would remember how I had encouraged him to go. I had those types of back-and-forth thoughts before I fell asleep.
&nb
sp; I woke up at 8am with Eric on my mind.
Lately, I had been trying to start my day with a prayer. I didn't pray for a long time or anything, I just recited the Lord's prayer and then listed some things I was thankful for and maybe said some things I could use a little help with. I wanted to pick up my phone when I opened my eyes, but I made myself pray first.
Eric was on my mind, so I talked to God about him. I didn't necessarily want to forbid him from doing cool things in his life, but I also didn't enjoy sending him off to LA. I asked God to give me a clear feeling about Eric—to help me know if he was the one who should be in my life. I laid there for a minute or two, thinking, considering, praying, hoping.
I grabbed my phone, wishing it would start ringing so I could hear Eric's voice. I turned it on and I blinked at the words on the screen.
The first thing I saw was Eric's name, and I smiled knowing it was a text from him. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes so that I could focus on the words.
Eric:
I know it's really late where you are. I just needed to tell you I miss you. I wish you were here with me. I want to talk to you. I want you next to me. I hope you're dreaming about me right now. I'll see you tomorrow.
My heart raced as I went to the beginning to read it again. I glanced at what time it had come in and saw that it had come in at 2:43am.
I smiled as I read it again.
I started to text him back and tell him that I missed him too and that I couldn't wait to see him, but then I remembered that it was currently 5am over there so I decided to wait.
It was at work a few hours later when I sent a text to him.
Me:
I miss you too! I can't wait to see you.
Chapter 16
I got a call back as soon as I sent a text to Eric.
"Hey," he said when he heard me pick up the phone.
Me & Mister Everything: A Romance (Tanner Family Book 4) Page 10