Page 53 of Show Me

“Heard you’ve been stopping by Ruby’s place.” He kicks his feet up onto the sofa. “Hanging around. Staying late.”

“I’ve stopped by.” The pizza feels like a cold lump in my stomach. I should’ve tossed it into the microwave.

“Three nights in a row?”

“Not three.”

He raises a brow. “Two, then.”

I take another bite of pizza, so I don’t have to respond. It goes down the wrong way, and I nearly gag before forcing it through. Great. Exactly what I need right now.

“Plus the gym.” He cocks an eyebrow. “You’ve been showing up there more too.”

“I’ve always gone to the gym.”

“Yeah….” His damned eyebrow arches higher. “To work out.”

I stare at him. He grins. I don’t find it funny. “What’s your point?”

“My point.” He drops his feet to the floor, arm falling down to his side, and sits forward. “Is that you don’t do anything without a reason, and this is getting hard to ignore. I’m asking because it looks like this matters to you more than you’re saying.”

“I do a lot of things without a reason.”

“Name one.”

I open my mouth. Close it.

“Exactly.”

I push off the counter, irritation climbing faster than it should. “She needed help with the house.”

“So you’re playing handyman now?”

“I build houses.”

“You don’t build that house,” he says. “Not on your off hours.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Ben watches me. “You sure about that?”

“Yeah,” I snap. Too fast. Too sharp. The word hangs there. I exhale, dragging a hand through my hair. “She’s dealing with some stuff.” This time the words come out more controlled with less heat. “Guy at the gym won’t leave her alone. Anonymous notes. Someone sending things to her house. If I don’t keep an eye on it, it could get worse.”

Ben’s expression shifts, the teasing fading. “What in the fuck?”

I march to the trash can and dump the pizza remnants into the garbage. This conversation ruined my appetite.

“So you’re checking on her?”

“Yes. I’d do that for anyone.” That part’s true. Mostly. “I don’t like how her boss was acting either. Controlling. Watching everything she does. Questioning her. It’s not right.”

Ben studies me. “And you care because…?”

“Because she’s good at her job.” I rake my hand through my hair. I should’ve headed straight to my room. “Because she doesn’t deserve that.”

Also true, but the way he’s looking at me makes it feel like it’s more than it is. The last thing I want is for people to make this a thing and say something to Ruby. She’s got enough on her plate without having people coming up to her asking if we’re a thing. If I don’t shut it down now, this could spread into something she has to deal with too. It’s time to shut that down.

“I’ve seen how she handles things. She’s competent. Organized. Doesn’t make problems bigger than they need to be.”