Instead, I stand. “Great, let’s leave in thirty. We can get breakfast at the bakery.”
“Morning, er. . .” Claudia’s eyes flick from me to Ruby and back.
She’s confused. On the one hand, I rarely come in here for breakfast, unlike Hendricks, who’s in here all the time. But usually he’s with Max, who’s not with me right now. Since Christmas, he’s been accompanied by Story, but she’s not here either.
I give her a minute, then decide to help her out. “It’s Miles.”
“Right. It’s still hard to tell after all these years. Too early in the morning for me.” She snaps her fingers and laughs at her own joke. Turning to Ruby, she says, “That must make you?—”
“Ruby,” I offer. “My wife.”
Claudia looks like she’s about to short-circuit, which I anticipated. I’m not sure we’ll get through the whole of Valentine Nook this morning, but I made a strategic decision to start at The Beanery with Claudia, the nosiest gossip in the village—one of the reasons I rarely come in here. I also chose the table by the largest window just to really stir the pot with anyone passing by.
If I’m lucky this morning, news of my nuptials will have spread down to Eddie at The One True Love before we get there, which will make it easier to tell him.
“Wife?” she repeats, adding a couple of slow blinks, her eyes bouncing between us. “Wife?”
My hand slides across the table until it reaches Ruby’s, and our fingers link together. “Yup. We got married last week, inprivate.Lando can have the big wedding.” I let out a loud laugh, making a joke I hope will curb her prying and change the subject.
Her eyes widen, as predicted. “Telling me a secret, are you, Miles?”
I run a finger over my lips and throw away the invisible key, adding a wink for good measure. “Nope.”
“Oh, you boys.” She turns to Ruby, smiling widely. “Anyway, welcome to The Beanery. What can I get you, dear?”
“Scrambled eggs, please. And a coffee.”
“That sounds good. I’ll take the same,” I add.
“You got it.”
I wait until she’s totally out of earshot, and our conversation is drowned out by the chatter of other customers. “That wasn’t so bad.”
Ruby gives me a look like she needs me to explain what just happened. I lean forward, away from prying ears. My fingers find hers again, like it's exactly where they’re supposed to be, and not just for show.
“Yesterday, everyone you met worked for me. But the village is different. People here have known me since I was a child. They’ve known my family for decades before then. They’re much more likely to be suspicious.”
“Why?”
“Because . . .” Shit, I didn’t think this through. I’ve never been ashamed of my lifestyle choices before, but a squirmy feeling comes out of nowhere. I’ve also never cared what people think, but Ruby isn’t people, she’s mywife. “Let’s just say, commitment and monogamy aren’t something I’m familiar with. I’ve always been a free agent . . . up until now.”
Ruby regards me, mirth sparkling in her emerald eyes. “Yeah, I think one of yourfree agentsturned up at the house yesterday morning.”
I snort. We haven’t known each other long, but I have no doubt that Ruby can handle herself. I have a ruined cashmere jumper that can attest to that. But as amusing as it is, I also feelguilty because she shouldn’t have been put in that position. And that’s my fault.
I suspect I know who it was, because I’ve been ignoring her messages for weeks about when I’m coming back to Valentine Nook. It’s why I never commit to dates or share my schedule with anyone. But they turn up anyway.
“I’m sorry that happened.”
“Don’t worry about it?—”
“Do I want to know what happened?”
She shrugs. “I told her I was your wife and positioned my hand accordingly.”
I peer down to where our fingers are still looped together and notice a glaring absence next to the narrow band of diamonds.
“Where’s your ring?”
