AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded and left Ruby in the front room. Bandit followed behind me, and after opening the back door, I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and noticed my hand was shaking. In my line of work, I was used to being in situations that caused adrenaline to rush through me, but my hands always remained steady. I wondered why I was trembling now. Was it arousal? Nervousness? Anxiety? Or D. all of the above?
I told myself that there was nothing wrong with Ruby being here. She didn’t want to stay at her mom’s trailer, and there was no way in hell I would drop her off at the Come On Inn. Since the uptick in drug activity, we’d been called out to the motel at least twice a week for disturbances, domestic violence, and overdoses. Remi wouldn’t want his baby sister staying there any more than I did. Bringing her back here was the right thing to do.
After a few deep breaths to try and center myself, I let Bandit back inside. He trailed behind me as I walked back into the front room and found Ruby snuggled in the corner of the couch; her wedge sandals were sitting in front of her, and her legs were curled beneath her. Again, I was struck by just how right she looked in my home. A rush of warmth filled my chest.
I wasn’t the only one happy that Ruby was here. Bandit greeted her once more, covering her face in kisses, before he walked to his oversized dog bed, circled three times, and plopped down. He normally slept with Harper, but whenever she wasn’t home, he spent the night in his dog bed in the front room, waiting for her.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked as I handed her the glass of water and then lowered down on the opposite end of the couch.
She took a sip, and then her head tilted to the side. “The plan?”
“After the cruise?” She hadn’t told me that she was going to be working on a cruise, but that was the word around Sunset Acres. Judy was the one who told me about it. I convinced myself I was just making small talk, but I feared the truth was deeper than that. Now that Ruby had come back to town, I couldn’t imagine going another decade or longer before I saw her again, even though that would probably be for the best.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. California, maybe. Or, I might go back to New York. I’ll have to see.”
“What about here?” I wasn’t sure where that suggestion had come from.
Her brows lifted, causing a wrinkle in her forehead. “Here? You mean Wishing Well?”
I nodded.
As she shook her head, a smile lifted at the edges of her full lips. “No, I’m not…that’s not…I didn’t really. Growing up here wasn’t…easy. I don’t think I could ever live here.”
Even though it shouldn’t have, the answer hit me like a sucker punch in the gut. I knew that Ruby didn’t want to live in Wishing Well, and even if she did, it’s not like that would change anything. But for some reason, hearing her say that she’d never live here was a blow.
I nodded, hoping not to reveal how the response had affected me, when my phone rang in my pocket. I grabbed it, hoping it wasn’t work, and worried it was Harper. This was her first sleepover that wasn’t at her best friend Lilah’s house, so I wasn’t sure how she would do.
When I saw it was Taylor calling, I was relieved but also felt like the time Grandad caught me with a girl in my room, which was ridiculous.
“It’s Taylor, Harper’s mom. I need to get this.” I explained to Ruby before I answered. “Hey, Tay.”
“Hi,” Taylor sounded surprised that I’d picked up.
“Harper’s at her sleepover,” I reminded her.
“Oh, right. Well, I was just gonna leave a message for her anyway.” On the nights Taylor couldn’t call during Harper’s bedtime, she always left a voicemail that I could play for her in the morning. “What are you doing up?”
“Nothin’.” I aimed to sound casual.
“Did you just get home from the bar?”
“Yeah.” Kenna must have texted her that I was there.
“Why do you sound weird? Is something wrong? Is it Harper? Is it Grandad?”
“No,” I assured her.
“Just tell me,” she demanded.
“It’s not…they’re fine.”
“What is it then? Why do you sound like…wait…is someone there? Do you have company?”
Fuck. I hated that she knew me so well.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Who is it?” she whispered, as if that made a difference. “Is it Stella?”
