"Phyyyyyyyz," Eddie said loudly as he walked through the front door of his house.
"In here Eddie," Phil yelled from the kitchen. Not that Eddie needed Phil to tell him where he was.
Eddie knew Phil's routine pretty well. Phil, in his years as a shut in, had developed some pretty reliable habits. On weekday mornings Phil would get up, exercise, shower and then he would eat his cereal before sitting down to watch Good Morning America. He'd fill the middle of the day with his computer based consulting work and his daily house cleaning. In the late afternoon, he could be found sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of cocoa (fall/winter) or iced tea (spring/summer) reading the paper, doing a crossword puzzle.
Today was no exception.
"Hey, buddy, what goes on?" Eddie asked Phil, slapping him in the back as he came into the kitchen.
"Not much. What goes on with you, man? How was Rhode Island?" Phil asked, closing the newspaper, taking a sip of his iced tea and giving Eddie his full attention.
Eddie began rifling through the food cabinets looking for a snack. Finding a bag of corn chips, Eddie grabbed the bag and sat down at the table.
"Rhode Island was good. Really good. I never thought I'd say I enjoyed hanging out with senior citizens – but Janet's grandparents are something else." Eddie smiled and shook his head slightly while munching on some chips.
"What about hanging out with Janet? Did you two kids have a good time?" Phil asked with a sly smile.
"We did." Eddie said with a wider smile, "Trust me when I say that things have never been better between me and Janet."
Phil just looked at Eddie, noting that he had never seen Eddie more relaxed or happy.
"That's great, Eddie. So, that means I'll be seeing more of Janet again? I've missed hanging out with her. … and she does her own dishes," Phil responded with a tease aimed at Eddie.
"Yeah," Eddie pushed the corn chips away. He suddenly got quiet, he looked down, and tapped the table with his index finger before responding, "About that…"
"Why the change in mood, Eddie? What goes on? I was just kidding about the dishes…" Phil asked with a smile and his usual calm, peaceful demeanor.
Eddie looked up, a serious expression on his face, and made eye contact with Phil, before cautiously revealing what went on with him and Janet, "Phyz, I think Janet and I are going to move in together. I asked her, and I'm just waiting for an answer. Either at her place or… maybe in Rhode Island."
Phil looked back at Eddie with a weak smile. He stood up and walked to the other side of room. He paused there for a second, and then walked back toward Eddie.
"Wow. That's great Eddie. Good for you, man, good for you." Phil said, trying his best to sound happy for his good friend.
Phil looked at Eddie, and then looked away, seemingly trying to figure out what to say next. After a second of silence, Phil looked back at Eddie.
"Rhode Island? You… you… you'd really move to Rhode Island?" the usually calm Phil became slightly frazzled.
"I don't know, Phyz. It's up to Janet. She's worried about her grandparents. She's dealing with this whole Big Cat thing," Eddie stated his case.
"I get that you want to move out and live with Janet. I think it's great. I'm happy that you're happy."
Eddie just looked at Phil, knowing there was more coming "But?"
"You leaving the Ridge. That scares me, Eddie. You're the guy who's had my back for as long as I can remember. For as long as I've been a shut in. I gotta admit that the idea of you moving away is kind of freaking me out." Phil said with an even tone, but his eyes were bugging out of his head a little more than usual.
"Well…. What goes on with you and Pizza Girl? She's here all the time anyhow, why don't you just ask her to move in already?" Eddie bargained, missing the point, and trying to change the subject.
Phil said softly, "She's moving in when her lease ends in September. I was gonna tell you."
Eddie just smiled supportively at Phil, "Way to go, Phyz. That's great news."
"Thanks Eddie." Phil said, looking at Eddie, clearly not done with what he needed to say, "Here's the thing, man. I rely on you being around, Eddie. I rely on you being dependable like you've always been. I know that's not fair to you, but I do."
Phil leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, looking slightly dejected. Eddie finally allowed himself to see the full picture and understand where Phil was coming from. Eddie had an opening to say something to Phil that had been on his mind for a long time.
"I get it, Phyz. I really do. And, you know I'd do anything for you, buddy. But, maybe, just maybe, I've been too dependable. Maybe if I was less dependable, ... you'd be working harder to get outdoors." Eddie said with kindness, care and caution.
He stood up and walked over to Phil and put his hand on his shoulder, "Just think about it."
Phil just looked at Eddie, clearly thinking about what Eddie had just said.
Eddie left the room and bounded up the stairs towards his room. Once there, Eddie began to fill a duffel bag with clothes and a few other things, including a family picture and a football from his high school days, which would make staying at Janet's feel more like being at home.
Before stuffing the football in the bag, Eddie lightly tossed it in the air as he paused for a minute to reflect on his conversation with Phil. There was no question that he was worried about Phil. Phil was, in many ways, his responsibility and Eddie began to feel like he was letting his friend down.
For the first time since offering, Eddie began to really hope that Janet didn't want to move away from the Ridge.
Eddie needed to talk to Janet.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Janet got to Sully's first. She went out back to get the books and receipts and since Eddie hadn't arrived yet, she found a table in the back to get a head start on the bookkeeping. As usual she was 'in the zone' with her work and was slightly startled when someone sat down across from her in the booth. Janet glanced up quickly to see Big Cat looking across at her.
"Hey there, Janet. I was hoping to find you here." Ray said with confidence and a smile.
"And I was kind of hoping you wouldn't, Ray. Listen, I'm busy, can you just go away?" Janet asked with a level of annoyance that was becoming a regular fixture in the few brief conversations she had with Ray since the news of their shared paternity.
She continued to look down, focused on her book keeping, as she tried to ignore him and focus on her work instead.
"No can do, little sister. I'd like to talk to you. How about a little family time? What do you say?" Ray asked with his sly smile and his usual charm.
Janet put down her pencil, slowly closed the book she was working on, and looked up at Ray. She tried to remember back to a time where the sight of Ray didn't make her blood boil.
"Ray, I have absolutely zero interest in being your sister. Or in reading the family history you sent me. Do you really think I'd want anything to do with you after all that you've done?" Janet said to an oblivious Ray.
"We're family, Janet. And you've got another brother and two nephews besides me. Don't you want to get to know them?" Ray asked, trying to appeal to Janet's sense of loyalty.
"Ray, I have a family. No offense to your brother … or to Casper… or to Jasper, but you have burned me out on all things Cataldo. You all survived without me before, you can survive without me now."
Janet stopped and took a sip of her ginger ale. Janet looked down, but her body language signaled to Ray that something else was on Janet's mind. She had another question she wanted to ask. Ray was quiet for a second so Janet took the opening.
"You know what, Ray? Since you're so anxious to talk – tell me something I've been wondering about for a while now."
"Shoot." Ray said, happy that Janet was communicating with him.
"Tell me… what the hell is your problem with Eddie? I get that you have some sort of competition with Nick, but Eddie? What did Eddie ever do to you? You destroyed his business. You brought Rory Dunlop back into his life. You had him beaten within an inch of his life. Why?" Janet asked with a cross between anger and hurt in her voice.
"You wound me, Janet. Did somebody say I did all of those things? Okay, I admit I went after Eddie's landscaping business. He was becoming an obstacle, so I eliminated the threat to my business."
Ray looked at Janet to see if she was buying what he was selling. Janet just looked annoyed.
"As for the rest, let's just say, hypothetically, I did those things. A good brother would have done those things to protect his sister. All you have to do is look at Eddie's history. Look at the all out destruction Eddie Latekka has caused. The women he has bedded, the hearts he's broken. He has never been good enough for you, Janet. I don't know why you don't see that." Ray said with a slight edge, seemingly convinced that he was within his rights to do everything he had done to Eddie.
"Let me get this straight. You had Eddie beaten because of me?" Janet fought the tears that were fighting to get out. She didn't want to be weak in front of Ray, so she did him one better, she got angry, "Damn it, Ray. I used to defend you. Did you know that? I actually liked you – once upon a time. But hear me loud and clear. I am SO done with you. You can take your brotherly concern and shove it…"
Janet stopped short when Eddie plopped himself down in the booth beside her.
"Hi, Beautiful. What goes on here?" Eddie asked, noticing how obviously upset Janet was. He put his arm protectively around Janet's shoulders, and then turned his attention to the man across the table, "Big Cat, I think it would be best if you walked away. Now."
"I was just leaving, Latekka. Little sister, I'll be around when you change your mind." Ray said as he stood up and walked off.
Once he was out of earshot Janet turned to look at Eddie. She rolled her eyes and let out a growl of frustration. Eddie's hand moved to the back of her neck, which he rubbed gently, trying to reduce the stress that had formed there.
"What was that all about?" Eddie asked .
"Just Ray being Ray." Janet said softly and got a nod of understanding from Eddie. He removed his hand from her neck and moved over to the opposite side of the booth where Ray had just been sitting.
Karen stopped by to take their order. Once Karen left, Janet changed the subject.
"Tell me, how's Phil doing?" Janet asked, reaching her hands across the table and taking Eddie's hands in hers.
"That depends," Eddie said and then asked with slight trepidation, "Have you thought about my question?"
"I have," Janet said, but she was focused on the uncertain look in Eddie's eyes, "Eddie, have you changed your mind?"
"No way, you're stuck with me. If you want to be stuck with me..." Eddie stated, looking deeply into Janet's eyes.
"Then what goes on, Eddie?" Janet asked, knowing Eddie was holding something back from her. Eddie thought about holding back, but knew he couldn't. Not from Janet.
"It's Phyz. You know that I've been helping him live… survive… as a shut in for years. He's pretty freaked out by the idea of me moving to Rhode Island. Truthfully? I should have thought that part through a little better." Eddie admitted to Janet with a slightly guilty look on his face.
Janet and Eddie just looked at each other, reading each other, thinking about the situation.
They were momentarily interrupted when Karen dropped off Eddie's beer and Janet's glass of wine.
"So, if you moved out of your house – but stayed in the Ridge – he'd be okay with that?" Janet asked.
"He would. He'd be happy to have a little more space. Turns out Pizza Girl's moving in with him in September." Eddie said in a way that told her that Eddie was really happy for Phil.
"Wow. That's big news. Good for them." Janet said, before adding, "Good for us too, right? So…. Let's stay in the Ridge. Together."
"You okay with not moving to Rhode Island?" Eddie asked.
"Thing is, Eddie, that was a very sweet offer that you made. But I chose to stay in the Ridge when my dad died, and I choose to stay here, with you, now." Janet stated with a touch of emotion in her voice.
"Okay. So we're really doing this?" Eddie asked, holding Janet's hands in his.
"I think we are..." Janet said with a huge smile as they both leaned across the table for a very gratifying, and completely satisfying, kiss.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
As soon as they finished eating, Eddie and Janet went home. They found a spot on her mantel for Eddie's family picture, a place of honor in Janet's bedroom for Eddie's football, and Janet let Eddie put his clothes in the drawers that she had cleared out for him earlier that day.
As Eddie worked on putting his stuff away, Janet disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. When she came out, Janet had changed into one of Eddie's t-shirts. Eddie attention was immediately diverted from the task at hand as a huge smile crossed his face. Janet looked at Eddie in a way that told him she only had one thing on her mind. Eddie immediately stopped putting his clothes away and walked over to Janet. He reached over to gently touch the hair that was falling softly around her face and leaned in for a sweet kiss.
Janet walked away from Eddie just long enough to light some candles and Eddie went to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine and some glasses. No detail was spared because, after all, this was their first official night of living together. As they created a romantic ambiance, the two lovers found it difficult to take their eyes off of one another for even a second.
For the first time since the Rooster incident, Eddie took Janet to bed in her… no, in their bedroom. They began to kiss, softly at first, and then more deeply. They held each other close as they slowly undressed each other, savoring every delicious moment.
The two lovers spent the rest of the evening deliberately, and passionately, celebrating the beginning of the next phase of their relationship.