by Haley Travis
"Oh my god, sweetheart. I'm so sorry,” I murmured, stroking her hand gently with my thumb. "That's terrible."
Eden nodded. "Sometimes heart attacks just happen. I would have been able to handle that. But Mom, Eva, and I have had a hard time dealing with the fact that he should have known better."
"You blame him for accidentally canoeing out of cell phone range? The message wasn't exactly crystal clear."
“I know." Eden looked so frustrated and angry and heart wrenchingly sad all at once. "But it happened yet again. Mom ignored the whispers and broke her leg. And she seems to think that it might have been extra bad because I ignored it as well."
She looked over at me, her bottom lip trembling. "Didn't I, Erlik?"
Her use of that name stabbed me through the heart with a blade of ice. "You can't think that us being together hurt your mother?" I whispered.
"I don't know. But I think Mom believes it."
"That's not the name on my business cards," I said quickly. “It's not a name I use day to day. It's not really my name." I shook my head. "Dammit, if only I'd put my name in your phone as ‘Eric the guy who is already falling for you’, all of this could have been avoided."
"Is it the name on your driver's license?" she asked.
I hung my head. "Yes."
Eden turned, releasing my hand, and leaning slightly away from me. "You'll never understand how sorry I am,” she said in a weak , quivering voice. "But if you, or anyone else got hurt because of this, I would never forgive myself."
She stood up, her hands clenching and twitching. “I need to be alone for a bit. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I feel awful leaving you after everything you're paying for–"
"Don't even think about that," I said. “I'm just happy your mom is being cared for. But please Eden, I never want to stop taking care of you. Helping you. Being with you."
"I can't," she choked, taking a step away from me. "I can't hurt you. I don't want to hurt myself, but that's less important. So I can't see you again."
I just stared at her. Her beautiful lips were twitching. Her lovely eyes refused to look up into mine, as she blinked frantically to hold back the tears.
"What if I got you your own hotel room, and we discussed this in a day or two?" I asked gently.
She shook her head. "No. I can't trust myself. Eric, I… Feel so much for you that walking away feels like shredding myself into pieces. But it's the only choice.”
Eden took two more steps back, as if she could feel how much I needed to hold her.
"Thank you for everything. Take care of yourself." She turned and ran. I watched helplessly as she went down the street.
Once she was out of sight, I stood up and went to the row of taxis at the side of the hospital. Jumping in, I gave him an address.
There was no way in heaven or hell that I was going to lose the girl of my dreams because of some superstitious nonsense unless I had proof that it was real. There was only one way to find out.
~ Chapter 23 ~ Eden ~
* Nana *
I knew that a cup of tea with my grandmother always made things better. This time, I needed it more than ever.
I found the most direct bus route to take me to Nana’s condo. Staring out the window along the way, I couldn't even enjoy the beautiful Vancouver scenery. I felt completely gutted. Not just hollow, but as if I’d been scraped out.
At the time, breaking up with Andy because he was about to dump me anyway was the end of the world. Now I could see that was like comparing a hangnail to tumbling off a cliff.
Eric made my heart race like never before. Now it felt like my heart had disintegrated, leaving behind a residue of black tar. Possibly poisonous.
The worst thing of all was that he might never understand. I wasn't just doing this for my own safety, it was primarily for his.
I knew that listening to whispered outbursts and trying to live your life by them might seem illogical. But my family had seen far too many of these prophecies come true. When you're faced with evidence again and again, you have to accept it. It's always going to be there.
Getting off the bus, I walked two blocks, trying to breathe in some fresh air to clear myself. I couldn't let Nana see how upset I was.
Tomorrow I would figure out how to help Mom for a few days, then get home. Tomorrow, I would figure out how to attempt to patch myself back together well enough to take care of everything. In a few days, I could compose an email or text to Eric, thanking him for everything.
As I entered the lobby of Nana’s building, I said good morning to several sweet white-haired ladies who were all reading books on plush couches. It was funny that I'd never seen the seating in a building lobby being used before. It was lovely that they were social during their quiet reading time.
I took the slow elevator up to the fourth floor, while I thought about being alone again. Sure, being alone was a lot better than being with Andy, at the end. In the beginning, I was deliriously happy from the thought of always having someone to call.
I didn't want to be a fragile girl. But there was a great comfort having a man around if I needed protection. Or comfort. A little voice in the back of my head screamed, ‘Or a private plane to visit your mother in an emergency.’
The knowledge that I was a complete jerk rattled around my mind heavily. After everything Eric had done for me, I broke up with him. I could only hope that after some time had passed, he would understand that I was doing it for his own safety as well as mine.
Walking down the pristine cream-colored hallway, I felt absolutely nauseated knowing that I had hurt him. There was so much to love about him. So much to still learn. So many possibilities.
Being forced to shut all of this down made my skin crawl. Yet I knew it was right. It was the only safe thing to do. My stomach churned since we had flown together, knowing now what may have happened.
Taking a deep, clearing breath, I smiled hard, trying to relax my face. I had to have a bright expression. Nana might be upset that Mom was in the hospital, so I couldn’t put any more stress on her plate right now.
Knocking on the door marked forty-six, I heard Nana's familiar shuffle to the door.
As soon as she flung it open, I took her in. She was a tiny spitfire, with fluffy white curls, a bright green flowered dress, and her ever present dark blue slippers.
She hugged me harder than usual, almost squeezing me to bits. I wanted to fall to pieces and let the tears fall, but I forced myself to hold it together. "Eden, honey, how are you?"
"I'm good, thanks, Nana. How are you?"
She rolled her eyes behind her silver-framed glasses. "I'm disappointed that your mother didn't take her time on those stairs. Penelope has always run around more than she should have," Nana chuckled.
"She's doing fine,” I said. “She'll be back at Uncle Nick’s within a few days. Unless she’d rather stay here since there are no stairs. He’s going to find out and let everyone know.”
Nana nodded. "That's good.” Then she gave me the strangest sideways grin. “From broken legs to broken hearts. I think it's time we had a cup of tea."
Following her around the corner, I smiled at the huge brass plate engraved with an old-fashioned sailboat that was on her wall. It was one of her beloved knick-knacks that she brought over from England years ago. I passed the family portraits, then turned to where I could smell the fresh pot of tea before I saw it. Stepping into the kitchen, everything was in its place as it always was.
Except that Eric was sitting at the table.
~ Chapter 24 ~ Eric ~
* Tea Time *
I wasn’t the sort of person who believed that things happened for a reason. But it was darn handy that I got hold of Eden’s grandmother’s address just before I really needed it. There was no way to know where Eden might be headed, but I needed to get there quickly, just in case.
Some tenants leaving the building let me into the lobby. I made a mental note to speak to the property management
company about security in this building. As I strode to the elevator, I almost laughed at myself. Eden just broke up with me, but my only thoughts were to protect her and her family.
I knew that it wasn't her real feelings. I also knew that being this pushy and showing up where I wasn't welcome would not win me any points.
It didn't matter anymore. I was down to the wire. Manners be damned.
Knocking softly on the door, I realized I was far more nervous than I'd ever been before. I was used to meeting important, powerful people all the time, and had to instantly win them over. But now I was meeting an incredibly important woman with no appointment.
The door opened, and I instantly smiled at the sweet, white-haired lady in front of me. "Hello," I said. "Victoria Palmer?"
"Yes." She didn’t look surprised or suspicious, just analytical, somehow.
I held out my hand. "Eric Stone. I'm a friend of Eden's."
"Hello, nice to meet you," she said, shaking my hand more firmly than I would have expected. "Come in," she said immediately. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Thank you, that's very kind," I said.
"Is Eden here in Vancouver?"
"She is," I said, following the wave of her hand to sit at her kitchen table. "She might be on her way here, actually. But I was hoping to have a word with you first."
Victoria looked me up and down carefully. "Businessman. You're working in an office a lot now, but you used to do very physical things. Like bricklaying, or construction or something.” She cocked her head. "Thirty-eight?"
I grinned. She was immediately likable. "Thirty-seven, actually."
She took a sideways look at my shoes, then pulled out a teapot, rinsing it with hot water before putting the bags inside. "Your shoes are spotless. You're hoping to make a good impression. What did you want to talk about?"
Suddenly I didn't know where to start. I stared into space for a second, trying to collect my thoughts.
Victoria snapped her fingers in front of me. "Start from the middle. Start anywhere. Just spit it out."
I chuckled. "I can see why Eden takes your wisdom seriously."
She shrugged, pouring boiling water into the pot. "Eden is a sweet young lady, but she hasn't been around the block many times yet. She should still be listening to her elders." Her eyes flipped to me. "Her elder women, anyway."
"I completely agree. I've been gently encouraging Eden to listen to herself more. To her own guts. She's very timid in a lot of ways, and I'm hoping that she learns to trust her real feelings."
Victoria set out three teacups, placing the pot in the center of the table. "I like what you just said. Partly because I completely agree, but mostly because you're not firing me a line of horsefeathers that you think I want to hear."
I nodded. "I only want what's best for Eden. I feel that I could be an excellent partner for her. It's one of those feelings that strikes you straight down to the bones."
Victoria sat back with a delighted smile, nodding.
"Eden has a lot of fears, and a lot of things make her a bit nervous,” I said carefully. “I don't want to tell her that she's wrong, or make light of her feelings because I don't agree with them. But I know that we belong together. It just might take her a bit of time to see that."
Victoria looked me dead in the eye. Then she leaned forward, unblinking, staring at me. I held still, unflinching. If she did have some mystical power and could see into people's souls, I had nothing to hide.
"You're straight up," she said, nodding. "You're also completely in love with her."
Trying to hold back the laughter, I said, "Yes, but I haven't told her that, so maybe that could be our little secret for now."
She reached out to pat my hand. "Don't keep things bottled up for too long," she said quite seriously.
"I agree, but considering that she broke up with me about half an hour ago, it's probably not appropriate today."
Her eyebrow raised. Her lips pursed. "What did you do?" she asked sternly, but her eyes were sparkling.
Trying to figure out how to begin to explain it, I was saved by a knock at the door.
~ Chapter 25 ~ Eden ~
* Gambling *
I couldn't believe Eric was sitting at my grandmother's kitchen table. It was impossible.
My body wanted to jump into his arms. To be comforted. To feel safe and warm, like I had somebody on my team that was going to help me get through this.
My mind screamed in terror, thinking that maybe his stalking tendencies were real. His devotion was sort of romantic on one level, but his lack of boundaries was questionable. I knew that he meant me no harm, but it was disconcerting. How did he even have this address?
My guts were the most decisive. I was livid.
"What in the sassafras are you doing here?" I hissed.
Nana put a hand on my shoulder. "Eden, Eric came here to ask for my advice. Apparently, you just dumped him, but he's not sure that's the most logical thing right now."
"We are not dealing with logic," I said slowly, glaring at Eric as sharply as I could. "There are greater forces at work here. He doesn't seem to understand how serious they are."
Eric stood up, and it felt like he took up the entire room. Remembering the gigantic chiseled physique that was hiding under his shirt and jacket was an unwelcome reminder of how much my body craved his.
"Eden, why don't we step into the hall for just a moment, so that you could tell me off without upsetting your grandmother?"
Nana laughed, sitting down and pouring herself a cup of tea while we went outside.
"How dare you," I muttered the second the door was shut behind us. “I just finished telling you that we can't be together for your own safety, and you just show up? Don't you have a self-preservation instinct?”
"I know that I am perfectly safe," he said.
"Well, how about the terror I’m feeling knowing that one of us could get hurt?"
He held out his hand, and I took it automatically. Instantly I felt that connection between us. That enchanting feeling of calm, mixed with simmering lust, and a deep need to be closer to him.
"You can't stalk me," I practically whimpered. "You know it's wrong."
"It's not stalking. It's a conversation in a safe place with your lovely grandmother right here for you." He paused. "Eden, I know you’re scared of us being real. I can feel it. But you know that we’re right together. We're so right, that you're going to forgive me for being a little bit wrong occasionally."
"What in the blazes does that even mean?"
He cocked his head, and those full lips turned up in a beautiful smile. “When there is a project I want, I go through every aspect of the deal carefully, eliminating any possibility of failure. I don't gamble. Not ever. I buy a lottery ticket a few times a year, just for fun, but when it comes to something important, I don't gamble at all."
"Are you saying that I'm a gamble?" I asked. I wasn't understanding him.
"No. I'm telling you that I'm going to gamble for the first time in my life. If you agree to be open-minded, what do you think of walking in and asking your grandmother whether we should stay together?"
I was so surprised that I actually took a step backward.
"No, wait," he said quickly, "I mean, date for as long as you'll have me. I don't mean that her word will be law, or that if I were to turn into a raving asshole ten years from now, you should stick with me. I just mean giving us a fair chance."
"You want to walk in there and ask her to decide for us?"
"Yes," he said. "Fifty-fifty odds. A coin flip. Based solely on your grandmother's opinion of me from us having spoken for about five minutes before you arrived."
"And if she says no?" I asked.
"Then we finish our tea and move on. I will still fly you home any way you like, and take care of your mother. But I will never contact you beyond an occasional text to politely inquire if you are well."
I took another involuntary step back, my shoulders thumping agains
t the wall behind me.
I hated this idea. It was too much pressure. It was too cut and dried. It felt sort of creepy to leave the decision to someone else.
On the other hand, I loved this idea. If Nana said we should be together, that would be going against her own whispers. That would mean that we were meant to be, and we were probably safe.
