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Grey looked at her with a frown. “He waived his fee.”
“He did what?” She was shocked.
Grey’s expression twisted into a smile. “He waived his fee.”
“I googled him at work. He’s pricey.”
“And yet you wanted his bill.”
“I pay my debts. You guys know that.” She threaded her fingers together and looked at them. “I still have to figure out how much I owe you for clothes and the skating classes when I was a kid. Uncle James hasn’t given me the numbers yet.”
James stared at her. “I didn’t think you were serious.”
“Have you ever known me not to be serious?”
Leon rapped his knuckles on the table. “Ruby. Stop. You have had a traumatic day and are on the verge of insulting us.”
She looked at him. “I will be quiet. I won’t get in the way. I will be good. I won’t cost too much. I will keep to myself. I won’t annoy my cousins. I thank you for your hospitality. I know I don’t belong here. You ruffled my hair and said sure. Did it change?”
James muttered, “I remember that. Leon laughed at it, but she had a list in her hands and put it under her pillow for a few years. I found it while changing her bedding.”
Derrik sighed. “You made rules you thought we would like.”
“It did work.” She was defensive.
Grey asked, “Did it occur that you might just have been welcomed here?”
She looked at him. “I could hear Leon begging you through the phone. You said no. He had to promise you all kinds of stuff before you said yes.”
His cheeks coloured. “You heard that?”
She let her ears shift. “What do you think? I heard every argument about me. I tried to just stay under the radar, get good grades, and not be noticed.”
Leon had tears in his eyes. “You were very much wanted here. We noticed it when you moved out. You are part of our family, Ruby.”
She sighed. “I understand that, but you had gotten rid of me, finally had an empty nest, so to speak, and now the cuckoo is back. So, she just wants to fluff her feathers and get out of your hair.” She looked at each of them. “Don’t get me wrong, I felt the warmth of your caring last night, but I have gotten a few emails, and it has been pointed out that I need to heal and get out.”
Grey grimaced. “Dane?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“I mentioned your situation to him, and he said Tanner was a standup guy. I informed him that we had video evidence to the contrary, and he told me that, of course, a guy like Tanner plays the field.” Grey sighed. “When I told him that enough evidence had been collected to make it a felony, he got quiet. When I told him who I hired to work with you and that he had refused payment, Dane got very, very quiet.”
Ruby asked, “Why is that significant? That Mr. Kensington refused payment?”
“He is a collector of money and beautiful things. If he refuses the one, he must want the other.”
She frowned. “Wait. What?”
Derrik said, “Mr. Kensington is one of yours. He wants to court you.”
“Mine?”
Leon said softly, “Elite, baby girl. Tremendous power and a lot of wisdom. He is a safe male to share your life with.”
“Yeah, that is what Dane said about Tanner.”
They all stiffened. Grey asked, “You were introduced to Tanner by Dane?”
