6
Cole nearly broke seeing the pain on Ava’s face. He didn’t know what Ruby had said to her, but he suspected she was hungry. Ruby tended to call when there wasn’t food in her house and her parents were too drunk to care. It sickened him. He wished he could shake some sense into their parents.
He had the same wish when they were younger. It was like watching the same pattern repeat itself. After Ava’s dad had died in a car accident from driving under the influence, he thought Ava’s mom would have turned her life around. She did for a short while until she met Frank. Then the drinking started again.
Unfortunately, they then had Ruby, and she had to endure the same pain Ava had. He remembered the day Ava found out her mom was pregnant with Ruby. They had just graduated high school and were celebrating the fact that Ava could finally legally get out of her parents’ house. She was free from the pain of living with drunks. That was the day her mom called to tell her the “good” news that she would be a big sister.
Ava had been crushed. She cried. She cried for days. Not because she would gain a sibling—she had always wanted one. But because she knew her sibling would go through the samehell she had gone through. It was at that moment that Cole and Kelly rallied around her, promising to help her as often as needed.
From the moment Ruby was born, Ava had spent far more time at her mom’s house than she wanted. She finally thought she had been free of them and then went right back to square one. This time it was by choice, so she could give her sister the life she always wanted.
Once Ruby was older, the three of them had rented a house together and had Ruby over as often as possible. It was easier since she could tell them everything that was happening back at home. And she could tell them when she wanted to come stay with them.
While Ava may not have been Ruby’s mother, she was the closest thing she had. Everyone knew it. Even Ruby.
“All right. What kind of pizza are we getting tonight?” Cole asked.
Ruby looked at the different options for frozen pizza and picked the all-meat one. “I think this one.”
“Excellent choice.” Cole pulled it out of the freezer and dropped it into the cart. His stomach churned at the thought, and he hoped like hell he wasn’t getting the same stomach bug. He needed to be there for Ava and Ruby. “Anything else?”
“Popcorn?” Ruby asked, a hopeful look on her face.
Cole smiled. “Of course. We can’t go without popcorn. Lead the way.”
He followed Ruby to the snack aisle, where she picked which popcorn she would like and dropped it into the basket. Then Cole stocked up on ginger ale and crackers, plus a few more quick meals for Ruby if he and Ava ended up sick at the same time.
After they checked out, they walked to the car and popped the trunk, putting the groceries inside. Cole was about to openthe back door for Ruby when he saw her staring down the street at Storyville Supply, the general store.
“Want to go in?” Cole asked. He was very aware of Ava’s quizzical look from inside the car that they hadn’t gotten back in yet.
Ruby looked at him hopefully, but then frowned. “No, it’s okay.”
Cole tilted his head. “Ruby, what do you need?”
She looked down at her feet. “My boots hurt my feet.”
He squatted down and pushed on the end of them, feeling her toes bunched up. “Oh no. They are way too small. Let’s get you some new ones.”
“Are you sure?” The hopeful look in her eyes made his heart squeeze painfully hard.
“I’m sure. Give me just a second to let Ava know.”
Ruby nodded. Cole opened the car door and popped his head inside. “I’m going to take Ruby inside the general store to get her a few things.”
Ava moved to get out. “I’ll come with.”
Cole rested his hand on hers when she was about to unbuckle herself. “No. Stay here.”
“Cole, you don’t need to be paying for my sister’s things.”
Cole lowered his voice to make sure Ruby couldn’t hear him. “You shouldn’t have to either.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and he brushed the back of his hand over her cheek.
“I want to do this. Stay here. We’ll be back shortly,” Cole said.
Ava nodded and sniffed.
