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Chapter Forty-four
Over the next few days, Kurt phoned Ruby several times with no luck. Either she didn’t answer her phone on purpose, or she wasn’t getting the calls. Finally, he’d broken down and gone to her place, knocked on the door, and waited with his heart beating ridiculously fast. Again, either no one was home, or she didn’t answer. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. It had been three days since he’d last seen her, and the time passed agonizingly slow.
His invitation for lunch got a raised eyebrow, but Molly gladly accepted and didn’t seem surprised when he pulled into the parking lot of Jill’s restaurant.
“Will Ruby be here?” Her innocent question made him hesitate. “I don’t know, Mom. She’s been MIA for the last three days. I hoped Jill might stop to chat and would know where she might be.”
“That’s not so weird, really. When she called me, she seemed subdued, unlike her usual self.”
Kurt swung her way. “She called you?”
“Yep. She wanted to know what supplies she’d need for when the baby arrived. I promised to go shopping with her.”
“Damn that woman. I’ve been phoning her for days, and she hasn’t answered.”
“Probably because she’s still mad about getting suspended. Poor thing was traumatized when they gave her a week’s leave. She’ll get it over it. Just needs to process.”
“They suspended her? You’re shitting me?”
“Kurt!”
“Sorry, Mom. But what possible reason would they have for doing such a thing?”
“I don’t know the details; she didn’t go into it. Just said as how she needed to keep busy and was thinking to paint the baby’s room and get it ready.” Molly checked her watch. “Do you have a reservation for a specific time? If so, we don’t want to be late.”
Kurt checked his truck clock and saw they’d passed the allotted time by five minutes. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
Being as how the truck was so high, he went around and helped Molly from the passenger seat, then took her arm and led her into the place. Hit by the incredible smells of delicious food, he looked forward to his meal and most of all to seeing Jill and getting more information about his missing Ruby.
The plot was thickening, and he couldn’t wait to find out why her department treated her so unfairly. Sensing it would be devastating for her, he let go of his previous ire and decided he’d reserve his position.
Not long into the meal of creamy alfredo salmon pasta, Jill saw them at the table and approached, her smile of welcome making Kurt relax.
He stood. “Can you join us for a coffee?”
“Sure. I’d love to. How nice to see you both!” Jill slid into the booth next to Molly and patted her arm. “Thank you for being so kind to Ruby, Molly. She told me you’d agreed to take her shopping.”
Molly smiled and added, “If you’d prefer to go with her, I can always make an excuse. You’ll be a grandma and might have some ideas to help her better than I could.”
“No! God, no. Please take her. You don’t know the hell I’ve been through. At first, she refused to move at all. So, I told her if her ass wasn’t fused to the couch, she could use these days off to get organized for the baby. I guess she saw the light and so we spent two days wandering the stores where she’s either dithered about baby powder until I wanted to drop her in her tracks or made stupid choices for ridiculous prices that will most likely all need to be returned. When I questioned her about her sanity, she growled at me, so I just shut up, plastered a smile on my face, and prayed for the end of the day. No… I’m more than happy to pass her over into your hands. She won’t bark at you.”
Kurt grinned and added, “She’d better not. Molly has her own way of dealing with that type of behavior, and it isn’t pretty.”
“Oh shush, boy. You’ll give Jill the wrong impression. We both know I’m a pussy cat.”
“Yeah, with fangs and six-inch claws.”
That brought a laugh from the whole table.
Once he’d built up the nerve, Kurt made a reference to why he’d been ignored, his calls unanswered, even his texts.
“Oh, right. She hasn’t turned her phone on for three days. Says she doesn’t want to talk to anyone. She should have known you’d be trying to get in touch. I warned her, but she’s in hiding. Just like when she was a little girl and she didn’t want to face reality. She’d shut out the world. But this morning I could see clearly it was getting to her, so no doubt, she’ll be in touch with you soon.”
Kurt looked around the large room. “She was here?”
“Sure. She’s been here since the highway accident. The reporters were all around her place, and so she came to stay with me. Said she couldn’t stand the attention. Seems they were responsible for her getting in trouble. No way is she willing to talk to anyone now.”
“Ahh!” He nodded. “Okay, I get it. Can you give her a message for me? Tell her I need to speak with her about the baby. Maybe in all the excitement, she forgot that I have news.”
Both women faced him, both expressions wary. “Is it good news or bad?”
Kurt thought about how much he could say and decided he had no choice. It wouldn’t be his story to tell.
“Sorry, I can’t say more until Ruby’s informed. If she wants to share, it’s her choice to make. And, Molly-mom, don’t even try.”
Her mouth closed with a snap, and she raised her shoulders in Jill’s direction before resuming her meal.
Jill’s ensuing words stayed with him. “I don’t know how much more the poor girl can handle. I pray it’s not too upsetting.”
Her warning destroyed his calm. The news he had for Ruby was not good… in fact, it was terrible, but then the truth sometimes was.
