“Can we at least wait until Eric gets back and talk it over with him?” Tim hesitates, pleading with me with his eyes. “There’s no need to rush into anything.”
“If it makes you feel better,” I reply, throwing him a bone. “But I just have to laugh. Lauren thought she was going to get Eric to break up with me up by sending me to you. Little did she know she was writing the ticket to her own demise. Maybe we can even get Will his screenplay back. Hey, where is Will anyway?”
“Right here,” Will replies, leaning against the door and startling the two of us.
“Have you been listening the whole time?” Tim inquires, agitated.
“Have no fear, brother of Ben. Your secret is safe with me,” Will snickers, walking into the room before warming his hands by the fire.
“Did Eric get off okay?” I ask anxiously.
“If nearly ripping my head off to get out of the truck counts as okay. Then oh yeah, he’s fine,” Will replies.
“I’m just so worried about him,” I sigh, gazing out the window at the snow that’s starting to fall. “I won’t feel at ease until he gets back.”
“Ben will take good care of him,” Will says, trying to make me feel better. “He’s not a talker like I am. He’ll let him brood in silence.”
“Silence? You’ve never gone hunting with Eric when he’s mad,” Tim replies with a frown. “He’s liable to unload a full round of ammo into the nearest tree before he settles down.”
“Oh God,” I moan, and Shep jumps off the couch and runs upstairs, his nails clattering on the wooden surface.
“Well, anything’s better than the way he was moping around when you were gone.” Will glances at me. “I’d rather see him ready to kick life in the teeth any day.”
“I’ll just have to make it extra special for him when he comes home,” I respond, a plan already starting to take shape in my mind. “Will you help me with something later?”
“Yeah, but it looks like I’m going to be on my own at the garden center today. Frank left a message on my phone that he can’t make it in. And with school out until tomorrow, we’re bound to be busy,” Will grumbles, not appreciating being left in the lurch.
“Let me come down and help you, man,” Tim offers. “I don’t have anything better to do. It’s not like I still have a job to go to.”
“As long as you let me take you home first so you can shower and shave. In the state you’re in, you’re liable to scare the customers away,” Will ribs him. “We’ll take Eric’s truck. He left me the keys.”
“Are you going to be all right here by yourself?” Tim asks, getting up from the couch.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I respond, giving him a tired smile. “I’m probably going to go back to bed like Eric said. I’m not used to getting up so early.”
“If you need anything, call me,” Will says solemnly, holding the door open against the blustery wind. “I’ll try to come back and check on you around lunchtime if I can get away. There are still some leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I tease. But I love seeing this new compassionate side of Will emerge more and more thanks to Ben’s influence. Who knew Will could be so considerate?
“And, Ivy, don’t do anything until Eric gets back,” Tim repeats again, making me adhere to my promise. “Just sit tight, okay?”
“My lips are sealed.” I pantomime turning a lock and throwing away the key.
They both smile at me before shuffling out the door, bracing themselves against the oncoming storm.
I listen to the fire crackling in the hearth and gingerly swing my feet onto the floor. There’s a lot I want to get done before Eric gets back, and I don’t have a minute to lose. I hope I can find what I’m looking for in the tiny crawlspace that makes up the cabin’s attic. If not, I’m going have to use my ingenuity to pull off what I have planned. No matter what, I’m going to make it happen.
Eric’s spirits require a much-needed boost, and I intend to make them soar.
Chapter Nineteen
Eric
Damn, it’s cold.
I tromp through the snow on my way home. Ben wanted to drive me back, but I told him I’d rather walk. It really helped being out in the woods these last few days. Ben took the rest of the week off from school just to stay with me. We’d trudge around through the brush all day then crash at his family’s cabin at night, miles away from civilization.
He’d already had his truck fully stocked with all of the necessary provisions. We ate a lot of beef jerky and cold SpaghettiOs right out of the can. But he didn’t press me, and that’s what I needed. He knew what had gone down was big and that I needed space to sort things out. For a kid, he’s a lot more intuitive than I gave him credit for.