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Seven o’clock was closing in, and she still hadn’t texted. Sitting here on the edge of my fucking seat, waiting to hear from her, had me feeling like a teenager.
It was not a comfortable feeling, and this wasn’t some teenage crush that would be replaced with another six months down the road. This was Ruby, my Ruby, and I could not afford to fuck things up. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and slipped out onto the deck.
Flopping down heavily into my chair, I propped my bare feet up on the railing. I hated sitting inside by myself. With Georgie around, the impersonal house was tolerable. Without him, the silence bouncing off the walls nearly deafened me. I’d been alone for too damn long, just like Ruby.
What was the difference between us? Why was I willing to jump in and take the chance while she was not?
I struggled to see our situation from her point of view. She said she understood why I didn’t follow her when we were in university. She got it that I was operating under a lack of intelligence.
“Ha,” I snorted. Excellent choice of words.
Ruby understood, and even agreed, that I had to live where George lived. It was the fact that I didn’t contact her. I explained the sacrifice I made for her, but she didn’t know that at the time.
For more than a decade, she believed I had abandoned her. Then, after all that time, I marched into her work and expected her to leap into my arms. No wonder she reacted by pushing me away. What a fucking mess. A mess of my own making. If only I listened to my heart and not my head.
For the first time, I realized there was a very real chance she could walk away and take her heart, and mine, with her. The thought alone caused an ache in my chest.
I’d fight.
This time I’d leave no stone unturned, no word unsaid.
My cell buzzed in my hand, and I looked hopefully at the screen, but it was work. I responded then jotted off a quick email directing reception, my personal assistant, and top consultant to a meeting in the morning to address the subject of the email. They also needed to be briefed on the situation with Ruby.
What a fucking joke. I huffed out a laugh. Telling them to fast track her, and not disclose my name. Cloak and dagger, pre-pubescent, neurotic bullshit.
Ah, well, for Ruby, I’d do anything. I wanted her to have her franchising opportunity and knowing her issues, I was the best person to help her navigate the maze.
The phone buzzed again, and I sighed as I checked to see who had responded. Did my people not take a fucking day off? Seeing Ruby’s name on the notifications, I sat forward and dropped my feet to the deck.
Ruby: Hi.
I took a deep breath. Just being able to talk to her was a balm.
Vander: Hi, beautiful.
Ruby: Did you forget my name?
She was feeling feisty. Was she teasing or lashing out?
Vander: Is it tattooed on my heart?
Ruby: Maybe it should be.
I snorted. Looked like I would be getting a tattoo. My yiayia would be rolling in her grave.
Vander: You want to get a matching one over your heart?
Ruby: Might be a tad egotistical to have my own name tattooed on my chest.
Vander: Ha-ha. I don’t want you to do it anyways. I don’t want some man touching your breast.
Ruby: Why would it have to be a man?
Vander: Fine. If you find a female tattoo artist, you can tattoo my name over your heart.
Ruby: Funny guy.
Vander: How was your day with Jace? How was family dinner?
