Simon shook his hand. “Thanks. I’ll make sure she does as she’s told.”
“Good. I’ll leave the script at the local pharmacy for you to pick up later. Take care, Ruby. I’ll see myself out.”
* * *
Simon moved over to the bed with a glass of water in his hand, amused by the evil looks he was getting from her. The Ruby he used to know hated being ill and rarely was so this wasn’t going to go down well at all. He held the straw to her lips and waited while she took a sip. “Are you going to behave yourself?”
She glared at him from glassy eyes. “Why are you even here?”
“Because you’re sick and I thought you might need me. I was right. Finding you on the bathroom floor scared the crap out of me.” It was lucky he hadn’t given her door key back when he’d picked up the dogs for her.
Ruby growled and snuggled deeper into her blankets.
“What else can I do?”
Her eyes opened and fluttered closed. “S’all good.” Then she was asleep.
Simon glanced at the dogs, hanging around the bed with concerned faces. He stood and took them outside. “Well, guys, looks like Mom is going to need looking after. Just as well I can do what I please, isn’t it?” He pulled out his cell and called Tyler, letting him know what he was up to.
“Look after her, man. You have some serious work to do on that girl. Now is your chance to prove how much you still care. And take care of yourself. You don’t need to go getting sick either and sharing it around. We can do without that.”
“I know and I’m not going to let her go. Can you do me a favor? Call Carly and let her know I’m in control here.”
“Why can’t you call her?” Tyler mumbled under his breath.
“Because I have my hands full. Won’t hurt you to talk to her. Break the ice. She can’t bite you over the phone.”
“Stop being an asshat. I said I liked her. I didn’t expect you to start playing cupid.”
Simon laughed. “Someone has to. You’re not exactly Mr. Debonair yourself.”
“Says you. Good example, Simon.” He disconnected the call.
“That went well, puppies.” He sat on the pavement and they all sniffed around him. “Poor lonely boys, eh? Neither of us can get very far with the women we love. Money doesn’t buy everything. It actually makes things so much harder if you want the honest truth.”
He gave them plenty of time to wander in the garden before going back inside and checking on Ruby. She slept deeply, her lips moving as she mumbled in her dreams. Her cheeks were flushed and a small line of sweat beaded on her top lip. Simon made sure she had a full glass of water beside the bed and snuck out of the house to go and pick up her medication.
When he got back, the dogs greeted him as if he’d been gone for days. “Settle down guys. Let’s go check on your mom and give her something for her pain.” He walked into the bedroom just as Ruby opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times before she looked straight at him through pain wracked eyes.
“Hey, how are you feeling.”
“Crappy.” She licked her lips.
“Let’s sit you up so you can have a drink and some pain pills.” Simon reached for a pillow and lifted her up to sitting, tucking it behind her. “Okay?”
“Yes, no. Gosh, I feel terrible.” Her color changed to deathly pale.
Her eyes were glassy and her cheeks flushed. He couldn’t remember when he’d seen her so sick. Ruby was one of those people who could walk through a room of germs and come out smiling. Usually. “I know. I got you some pain meds and something to soothe your throat if you can stand it.” He popped a couple of tablets into his palm, holding them toward her with the glass of water. “Get these into you. They’ll help.”
“Thanks.” She took them, threw them back and swallowed half the glass of water, grimacing as the tablets went down. He took the glass back and handed her a lozenger to suck on.
“I’m here if you need anything. Okay?”
She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Maybe you shouldn’t do that. Lay back down and go to sleep. Don’t you worry about a thing. If you need me, call out. If I don’t answer, it’s because I’m taking the dogs walking.”
She shuffled down as he removed the pillow from behind her back. “You don’t need to do that.” Ruby closed her eyes and sunk into the blankets.
“I know but I will anyway. You rest up and get better.” He leaned down and kissed her hot brow before leaving her alone. He walked through the kitchen to the back yard and pulled out his cell again.
“Mom, I know you only just got back from holiday but I need to ask you a favor.”
His mom arrived later that afternoon with an insulated container. “Poor thing. I wanted to see her but I wasn’t expecting it to be under these circumstances.” She followed Simon into the kitchen and put the pot on the table. “How’s she doing?”
“Slept the whole day so far. Doc reckons it’s good because it’ll give the body a chance to heal.” He sighed hating how she was ill. “She was always the last one to go down with anything. Claimed she was too busy to get sick but when she does, she goes down hard core.”
He took his mom’s arm and guided her outside where the dogs came running up to sniff the new visitor.
“Just look at you guys.” She leaned down and petted them all, graciously receiving kisses all over her face. “What a gorgeous bundle of doggies you are.”
“They are pretty special.”
His mom stood up. “Have you told her yet, Simon?”
“No, Mom. I’m taking my time. I don’t want to rush her. We haven’t seen each other for five years. I can hardly go spouting off my intentions immediately, can I? It’ll scare her away. Better to ease into it.”
She patted his arm. “I suppose you’re right. I’ve missed her a lot. Let me know when she feels up to coming for dinner and we’ll see her then. Don’t let her overdo things, Simon. And if you need more chicken soup, just let me know.” She leaned down and patted the dogs again. “Such lovely babies. I bet George just loves you.”
“He does. Do you mind keeping him at your place until Ruby’s feeling better? I’ll sleep here on the couch tonight just to make sure she’s okay.”
“Of course, darling. I missed him while we were away. We love having him—you know that.”
After his mom left, Simon put the dogs leads on and went for a long walk to the dog park where they all ran free sniffing every single blade of grass. His cell rang as he was sitting on the bench watching them.
Carly’s details came on screen. “Simon. How is she?”
“Didn’t Tyler call you and tell you not to worry?”
She laughed. “He did but the poor guy gets so tongue tied, you know how it is. It was hard to get anything out of him.”
“We both know how he feels about you. Cut him some slack, please.” He smiled to himself. But right now, all Simon was worried about, was Ruby.
“She’s pretty sick. With the move and all the work she’s been doing, she’s let herself burn out again. Doc wants her on bedrest for at least three or four days.”
“She’s such a hard worker. I don’t know anyone with such drive as she has. It’s so hard to get her to take any downtime.”
“I know. How are you going to cope without her? That’ll be the first question she asks me.”
“Funny you should say that. I have someone working in the shelter now who seems very keen to learn the management side of things. She approached me when we made the move and seems very keen. I wanted to talk to Ruby about her when she’s better. I’m thinking of bringing her in to help in the office anyway because we could always use backup for times like this. Now would be the perfect opportunity to bring her in to help me. If it all works out, we could train her up when we have the time.”
“Not that I have any say in it, but I agree.” He watched the dogs running toward the gate as a new dog came into the park. Ziggy hurried over to him and sat at his feet,
scared by the strange animal. Simon touched her head and she leaned into him. “It’d be nice to see her slow down a bit.”
“You haven’t told her what your plans are, have you?”
He stroked the little black ears and got a lick for his effort. “No. I’m not sure how to go about it. She knows we like to do good for the community but I think I need to convince her that the money hasn’t changed who I am first. When she feels better I’m taking her to Mom’s for dinner then I’ll do the final reveal of my place and the hope I have for us as a couple.”
“She’s going to love it, Simon. I really think she will. It’s been so hard not to discuss you with her but I respect your privacy and the way you’re dealing with this. Let’s face it, you haven’t exactly gone overboard showing her the flashy side of life so far.”
He laughed. “Apart from the massive bid I made for her time, you mean?”
“Well, yeah. That. But just tell her the truth. If you didn’t give that money to someone, it would’ve gone to the tax man. She almost did you a favor.”
“I hope she sees it that way.” He wasn’t sure Ruby would buy it but it was the truth. He had to make her see that.
“Anyway, I’d better get back to work. Give her my love and tell her to behave herself. If she comes back to work still sick, I’ll kick her butt.”
“She won’t be if I have anything to do with it.”
“Fingers crossed, Simon. I love both of you but I’ve hated seeing her so sad and not being able to do anything about it. She’s my bestie and I have to side with her no matter how much I still want you two together.”
He hung up and called the dogs. “Let’s go and see if your mom is awake.”
Chapter 16
Ruby opened her eyes and winced. The light was so bright or was it that her eyes were so sensitive?
“Hey, sleepyhead.” Simon’s cheerful voice came from the doorway.
She peeked, with her hand over her eyes to keep out the light. Why did he look so damned cheerful while she felt like hell? “Hey.”
He ambled in and perched on the side of her bed. “Can I get you anything?”
A trip to the bathroom would be good, a new brain because mine wants to explode and a week of sleep might just do it. “Um, I’m not sure.” She pushed the blankets back and tried to sit up. Her head swam and she held her hands out to keep her balance.
“Wow, hang on.” Simon grabbed her around the shoulders and held her against his chest. She slid her arms around his waist, scared her legs would give out on her. She hung on tight as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Her lightheadedness mixed in with the familiar scent of his aftershave sent her emotions skyward. She bit her lip to hold back the tears.
“Okay?”
Her stomach rolled but she managed to hold back the nausea. Ruby had no control over her own body and hated feeling so vulnerable. “Oh my goodness. What’s going on?”
“Part and parcel according to the doctor. You’re going to have to take it easy and let it run its course.” He squeezed her gently. “Now, how about I help you to the bathroom and once I know you’re not going to fall over, I’ll leave you to it?”
“Sure.” Standing and walking on her own was going to be impossible. Besides, it wasn’t as though he hadn’t shared a bathroom with her before. But that was then, not now. She wasn’t feeling that relaxed around him just yet. Almost but there was still a way to go.
Simon helped her up and hung onto her as she swayed on her feet. Once he had her in the bathroom, her hand on the counter beside the toilet, he let her go. “Okay?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“Yell when you’re done. Don’t even think about trying to get back to bed without help because if you have a fall…”
“I get it. Honest, I do.” He was like a protective lion, guarding his pack but still it gave her a warm feeling. It was nice to know he still cared when she was at her worst. He left her alone and shut the door. Ruby could hear him talking to the dogs while she did what she needed to do.
She made the mistake of looking in the mirror before she called him to help her back to bed. Her eyes were red and watery, her skin pasty and her hair was a mess. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand what he saw in her. Not like this. With all of his money, Simon could have anyone and he wanted her. She shook her head in disbelief and cried out when she stumbled against the sink, her head swimming.
The door burst open and he reached out, steadying her. Ruby’s heart raced and the nausea returned making her gag. He held her over the sink, tucking her hair back as she retched. When the gagging stopped, he held her against him while he got a cloth from the drawer, soaked it in cold water and handed it to her to wipe her face.
“Thanks.”
“Let’s get you back to bed.” Simon half carried, half walked her to the bedroom and tucked her in. He sat down and smoothed her hair back from her face. “Feel better now?”
Ruby rolled her eyes, the only thing she could move without wanting to throw up. “Oh yeah. I feel great. The picture of health.”
He laughed and a smile tugged at her lips. “At least you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
“Sorry. That was bitchy of me.” She rested her hand on his and he twined his fingers through hers.
“It’s okay. I know how you hate feeling sick and useless.”
“And you’re being so nice trying to look after me. I do appreciate it even if it doesn’t show right now. I’ll apologize later when I’ve stopped feeling sorry for myself.”
“I know. Listen, Mom dropped off some chicken soup. Do you think you’re up to a mug? Might be good to have something in your stomach before I give you more pills.”
Her heart melted. “Your mom made me soup? Oh, Simon. That’s so sweet.”
“She’s been dying to see you again. She’s missed you, Ruby.”
Tears filled her eyes and she dashed them away. Being sick made her emotional. At least that was what she put it down to. “Ignore me. I’m not usually so silly.”
He squeezed her hand. “I get it. How about you say hello to the dogs while I go and heat some up? They’ve had a big walk but are still keen to see how you are. They’ve been hovering by the bedroom door for ages willing you to wake up.”
“Sure.” She held her hand out and they all came and pushed in for attention. Simon lifted Ziggy onto the bed and she snuggled in beside Ruby’s pillow as if she were the favored one. “You’re spoiling her—you know that.”
“Yeah, but she deserves it. Besides, she’s adorable so it’s hard not to. I don’t know how anyone could desert her.” He stood and left her to her fur babies.
Ruby leaned back on the pillows and stroked her dogs’ soft heads, grateful that Simon was looking after them all. It made her think of what she’d missed but the reason why still niggled at her. She should’ve gotten over it by now and maybe she had. Otherwise she would’ve kicked him out. Not that she was in any shape to do that but still, she’d try it if she didn’t believe in him.
“Looks like we have some thinking to do, puppies. He’s making a huge effort. I guess I should too.”
Ziggy wiggled beside her and made snuffling noises. “I hear ya, Ziggy. He is a lovely man, despite what happened between us. Maybe we should give him another chance.” She closed her eyes, exhausted with the effort of making a decision.
When she opened her eyes again, the room was in darkness and Ziggy lay curled up beside her.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” Simon stretched his legs out and got up from the small chair in the corner of her room by the shaded window. “Feeling better?”
He’d stayed while she slept to look after her. What a sweet man. But that was the Simon she used to know. Caring and kind. Nice to know that hadn’t changed. “Not sure. Too scared to move to find out.”
“Don’t blame you. You’ve slept all afternoon. How about I help you into the bathroom and we try that soup again? You must be starving.”
Ruby rolled over a
nd waited for her head to spin but it only made her vision wobble slightly. She accepted his help and once she was tucked back in bed, he went to heat up the soup.
When Ruby tipped the mug to take the final drop, he smiled. “At last. The Ruby I know is showing her colors again.”
She handed him the mug and snuggled down under the blankets. “That was good. I really needed it. Thank your mom for me.”
“I will. Now, why don’t you go back to sleep and we can talk in the morning. I’ll be out on the couch if you need me.”
She yawned, the effort of drinking soup almost too much. “You don’t have to do that. Go home.” Ruby didn’t hear his answer; she was already asleep.
* * *
A wet nose sniffed over his cheek and broke Simon out of a dream. He wiped a hand up and was met with a tongue lashing over his fingers. He dug his fingers into the fur and pulled Tilly, the cattle cross close for a cuddle. “Need to go out, girl?” He’d opened his eyes to find her in the face. “Right.”
Simon rolled off the couch and stumbled to the back door, where the other dogs were hovering eager to escape. They ran outside, sniffed and did their business while he stood leaning on the door frame.
“Hey.”
He whipped around. Ruby stood in her PJ's, her hand on the counter to keep her steady.
“You should’ve called me.” He hurried over and put his arms around her. She didn’t protest but leaned into his chest instead, her arms going around his waist. Warmth filled his chest. She didn’t have to snuggle up to him but she had. Progress at last. “Feeling better?”
Her voice was muffled against his chest. “Maybe. I’m standing upright anyway, so that’s got to be good.”
Second Chance Billionaire (The Billionaire's Club Book 1) Page 11