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Chapter 49 – Home
Ruby
Gus came through as promised with the information about the house.
The reports on the house showed good bones. Despite the dilapidated look of the interior, the previous owners replaced the furnace, installed new windows, shingled the roof, and updated the plumbing and electrical. Most of what needed doing was cosmetic. As it turned out, it was his guy who did the inspection on the house and Gus trusted him implicitly.
I sent a brief text to Vander asking him to pick Jace up and meet me at Spuds after close. Then I texted Jace to make sure he had George on standby. While Jace knew about the house, we decided to make it a surprise for Vander and George.
Jace agreed that it was the right thing to do. While I didn’t tell Jace about the conversation I overheard between his brother and his dad, he seemed to understand intuitively that George might find it difficult to move into Yiayia’s house.
“You know, Momma, he and Dad have been a little family just the same as you and I have been a little family. I felt a little weird about moving into Dad and George’s house even though I knew Dad bought that house for you. Imagine how George must feel? Besides, it’s kind of exciting to make a change!”
I laughed.
Jace grabbed life by the horns and hung on for the ride. Always had. I should have known he’d be on board for a little adventure.
Amber walked in the door an hour before Vander and Jace were set to arrive.
I went to her and hugged her, tight.
She chuckled. “What was that for?”
I shrugged. “For coming over the other day. You and Minty helped me sort my head out.”
“Oh,” She waved me off. “That’s okay, Ruby. I’m just glad you’re moving ahead.”
“Yeah,” I answered. “I realized a few things.”
She raised one perfect eyebrow. “You want to share?”
We sat down at my table. “I figured if I asked for help that made me a burden, and people would want to get away from me. I was afraid of being rejected so I didn’t allow myself to ever be in that position. I never gave anybody a chance.”
Amber nodded. She knew that part. “You know where that comes from, right?”
I nodded, then continued.
“Another thing I realized is that I coped with my restlessness by making plans for the distant future, things I’d have to work towards. This gave me hope for change and excitement, but because it was in the distant future, it didn’t trigger my anxiety. Franchising is a perfect example. The other thing I did was make substitutes for what I really wanted, because what I really wanted scared me. Again, franchising is the perfect example of a substitute. As soon as it was in my hand, I didn’t want it.”
“What did you really want?” Amber murmured.
“I want what Yiayia and Pappou had: a love, a family, a life intertwined. That scared me because it meant I had to accept the risk of trusting someone not to leave. Worse, I had to trust myself to be able to cope if it all fell apart. I couldn’t even admit what I really wanted until now.”
Amber reached across the table. “I’m so proud of you, Rubes,” she whispered. “I’m so happy for you, and proud of you.”
Happy tears sprung to my eyes. “You want to know where I’m going in an hour?”
“Where?”
“I went to see a few houses with Gus yesterday. I found one I liked. I’m going to surprise Vander with it.”
She squeezed my hand tightly. “Ruby, I’m so damn proud of you! I’m in awe of your strength.”
Amber’s eyes shone with admiration, and I flushed. “Thank you, Amber. I’ve always looked up to you. Your admiration means the world to me.”
“Ah, Ruby,” she waved me off. “You’ve always had it. You’ve always been so strong, even though I wished you’d ask for help, I always admired your strength.”
“Vander wants to partner with me with Spuds,” I blurted out.
