Page 60 of Housesitter

Ruby waved the offer away. “Oh, they’ll be gone by then,” she creaked. “They’re busy young people. They can’t be rotting away here with me. Just me and Edgar, like always.”

That earned Kel and Shepherd another dirty look as the attendant left.

“Such a nice girl,” Ruby said. “You should ask her out, Kel. Or your new friend.”

Shepherd snorted. “You lie better than your grandson,” he said. “But you’re not old enough to think I’m straight.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him, then she sniffed and sat up straight in the chair. She reached up to fluff her curls.

“I had a stroke,” she said. “It’s put me off my game.”

“Not that much, apparently,” Kel said. “Who’s Edgar?”

Ruby pulled a flask from her housecoat and popped the lid to take a swig. “As a person?” she said. “No idea. But he’s old, he’s rich, and he hates his daughter-in-law. It’s going well, so I don’t need you fucking this up for me. Whatever you need, make it quick.”

Kel bent down and kissed her cheek, while Shepherd laughed softly in the background as he found a perch on the window ledge.

“I get the feeling most people here appreciate visitors,” he said.

“Well, their grandchildren don’t live with them,” Ruby pointed out. “I’m appreciating the alone time.”

It wasn’t true. …not entirely true. That she was feeling like lying again was a good sign, though.

“I need to know about Albert Madden,” he said.

Ruby pulled a sour face. Despite her good form, Kel could see the aftereffects of the stroke as her mouth dragged down more on one side than the other.

“He didn’t pay his debts,” she said. “There. You know everything I know about…”

She stopped.

Her teeth clicked as she shut her mouth and reached up to touch her lips. Someone had painted her nails a lady-like taupe. It hadn’t been her choice, unless she thought it would be Edgar’s taste.

“That…that’s not true,” she said. Her eyes darted around the room as she grabbed at the blanket on her lap and tried to throw it off. “Why…isn’t that true? How is that not true?”

Her voice rose in alarm, catching Kel off-guard. Before he could calm her down, the door to the room opened, and the attendant darted in.

“Ruby, are you OK?” she asked anxiously as she pushed in front of Kel. “Do you need to rest?”

Ruby shoved her. The girl’s eyes went wide in surprise, and she gave a startled ‘oh’ as she fell back onto her ass and into Kel’s legs. He stumbled over her, trying not to step on her hands, as Ruby scrambled up from her chair.

Her leg didn’t quite work as well as she wanted—Kel could sympathize—as she staggered across the room. While Kel tried to disentangle himself from the nurse, Shepherd, as precisely efficient at that as everything else, caught and steadied her.

“Where did it go?” Ruby demanded, as she clutched his T-shirt and tried to shake him. “When did it come back? Whose fucking memories are these?”

“Ruby, calm down,” Kel told her, one hand extended. He glanced from her to the attendant as he went on, “It’s OK, we’ve got this. We just need—”

He didn’t get to finish. The attendant scrambled to her knees and slapped the button on the wall. A second later, a nurse, older and gentler, bustled into the room with easy assurances and orders.

Kel backed up to let them work, falling into place next to Shepherd.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Shepherd looking up at him.

“Did you...?” Shepherd asked quietly, trailing off as he nodded toward Ruby.

Kel supposed he couldn’t be offended. He’d been the one to tell Shepherd how hard it was to abstain from using the smoke.

Besides…