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We’re all hanging out in the kitchen, away from a few of the prospects who are lingering around.
Sometimes, we just need some good old girl talk.
Ruby glances up at me briefly, “Zorro and Axel put in a bid on that duplex down the street.”
I cock a brow, “Down the street?”
Ruby nods, rubbing a cotton ball on my nails. “Yeah, it seems like it’s a good purchase. Cheap, has enough room, and I get to be close to my brother this way.”
She’s just finally gotten my old polish off.
“Brother,” I pause, quickly realizing. “Oh, Axel is your brother?”
Ruby smiles proudly, “Yes, he is. He’s one of two I have. My other brother, Grim, is back in Montana with his wife and their lot of kids.”
“You say lot, so they must have a lot.” I joke.
Ruby giggles lightly as she opens the fresh bottle of cherry red nail polish. “Yeah, when they got together she had three, and then they had a little boy.”
“Wow, four. That must be a lot to keep up with.” I couldn’t imagine having so many kids.
She nods, “Whenever I babysat for them, let’s just say I felt outnumbered.”
The two of us crack up and Oakleigh pipes up. “What’s so funny over there?”
The comforting scent of freshly toasted bread wafts through the room, mingling with the harsh odor of the acetone that lingers in the air.
I turn my head to face her, “Just chatting about Ruby’s brother’s kids, and how they practically have half of a basketball team.”
Oakleigh’s smile immediately falters and I wonder if I’ve done something to offend her. “I need to go grab something really quick. Be back in a couple,”
Before I can say anything else she’s made her way out of the kitchen and has gone in the hallway.
I swallow hard and wait a few seconds, wondering if something I said did trigger her in some way.
Rosa speaks up, quick to settle my feelings. “Don’t mind her, okay? She was shot not too long ago. Oak’s been public about this, so I don’t feel like I’m airing her business. When she was shot, she had to get emergency surgery and now she’ll never be able to have children naturally.”
My mouth gapes open in surprise. “I had no idea. How horrible. God, what I said probably upset her, didn’t it?”
Ruby sighs, “I don’t know Oakleigh as well as Rosa, but I’m sure because it’s still new, things are fresh. She’s probably trying to find a way to cope with it.”
I nod, completely understanding what the ladies are saying.
Oakleigh comes back a couple of minutes later, acting like nothing happened at all.
Oakleigh returns with a soft smile, her eyes revealing a sadness she tries to hide. “I’m sorry about that,” she says, sitting down at the island with the group of us.
Her hands toy with the hem of her shirt, a silent sign of discomfort. “It’s just . . . sometimes it still gets to me, you know?”
Ruby finishes the last swipe of polish on my pinky and the first coat is done.
I clear my throat, “You don’t have to apologize at all. It was so recent.”
She doesn’t have to explain.
The weight of her words hangs in the air as we all share understanding glances.
Silence glues our mouths shut for a moment, and I find myself staring at my freshly done nails.
