He hadn't imagined it. There were three young boys in the back seat who looked to be in shock but not injured. Matt turned slowly back to Bill Ruby. He'd been secretly excited to meet the movie star, but now he found that he was glad he hadn't told anyone about this interview yet. He hated the perfectly tanned and sculpted real life superhero already.
"They're fine," he said evenly. "We're all okay."
Bill Ruby nodded and flashed his million-dollar smile before jumping from the wing into a barrel roll and landing at Amy's side.
When Amy woke, she was being pulled from the airplane. She coughed and tried to turn her head but there was a neck brace tightened below her chin. She slowly opened one eye, and she could see Bill Ruby and two of his staff working over her. It took her a minute to realize that they were strapping her to a stretcher.
"Amy, can you hear me?" Bill asked as he placed his hands gently on her cheeks. Amy opened both of her eyes and looked at Bill. He really was extremely attractive with his deep, brown eyes specked with yellow, and his perfect, shiny brown hair barely tousled after his motorcycle ride. Amy tried to smile but her face hurt when she moved her lips.
"Bill," she moaned. "What happened?"
Bill's eyes glimmered in the sunlight and he threw his head back and laughed. "You flew to Ruby Island! That's what happened. What would make you try such a foolish thing?"
Amy tried to smile again and then pulled her hand up to her head and moaned. There was a pounding there and she closed one eye to try to make the hurt go away. "Matt was badgering me," she moaned.
"Who's Matt?" Bill asked, and then Amy realized that they had never met. She blushed, and Bill noticed, but he didn't react. "Nobody flies to Ruby Island, Amy. That's why I bought it. You know, so we could skinny dip without any cameras lurking in the bushes."
Bill's eyebrows bounced with innuendo and although he was playing it cool, Amy saw him look toward the airplane with steely eyes. He had noticed her blush, and he was sizing up Matt.
"And what's with the kids?" Bill asked. "You really lost all judgment flying here with children, Amy. You could have at least put them on the boat." He was chastising her and she would have deserved it if she had put the kids on the airplane. But she hadn't.
"The boys?" Amy asked. So they were real. She had forgotten about them for a moment.
"They're okay. I have my team looking them over, but it seems you got it the worst. Doctor Bruce wants to see you as soon as he can, and you know how he can be when left waiting."
"We'd better get going then," she conceded, remembering Doctor Bruce sewing stitches in her knee after a small four-wheeler accident. Amy closed her eyes.
"We're going in to see the doctor right away, boys," Bill commanded as Amy's stretcher was lifted into a waiting SUV. He looked to his left and said softly, "You can ride with me.”
"On your motorcycle?" a small excited voice asked.
Bill laughed. "Not this time. Let's take this car for now."
"Come on, Dad!" Amy heard as they closed the doors. She remembered that Matt was dad and she was mom before she passed out again.
Matt was glad that these boys were here to pepper Bill Ruby with questions. The blockbuster action star was gracious to the boys, but Matt had noticed the ice-cold stare that he had seen on movie screens aimed in his direction, and it was intimidating. It was all too much. Matt was on Billy Ruby's island in Bill Ruby's car headed to see Bill Ruby's personal doctor.
Matt closed his eyes several times and rubbed his forehead while listening to three boys and a movie star continually repeat the dangers of flying to Ruby Island. The smallest boy kept grabbing his hand, and Matt constantly brushed it away. He didn’t know who these boys were, and he was starting to feel claustrophobic. He took three deep breaths. He'd landed the plane without crashing, and he hoped to God that Reynolds would be all right. If that wasn't bad enough, he felt completely insignificant when they crested a hill and he saw a large resort hotel in front of him, only to realize that this was Bill Ruby's personal residence.
They pulled up to the front and Bill hopped out before the car was stopped. Bill disappeared inside with Amy's gurney as Matt and the three boys were ushered in another door. This was the first time that Matt had taken a close look at the boys, and they were barely dressed. He realized that their tropical clothes were like tattered rags weaved together. They looked like they were straight out of a Broadway Peter Pan musical, but they had familiar faces that gnawed at the edges of his brain.
One of Bill Ruby's staff brought Matt a whiskey neat and Matt drank it in one gulp. The glass was replaced full in seconds. Matt had checked his Apple Watch four times for the date, but both his watch and his phone were dead.
He watched as staff members were taking photos of the boys, and he assumed it was for some liability in case they sued for something. The smallest boy walked over and hugged Matt three times.
“What day is it?” Matt asked three different people. They all answered correctly and this was the exact date he and Reynolds had flown from New York City to meet Bill Ruby. But these boys had literally appeared out of nowhere and they were calling him dad. They knew him, he could see it in their eyes. Matt held up his glass for another refill. He was losing his mind.
“We will have your sons cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes in no time,” one of the staff told him as she brought Matt a fresh glass.
“They aren’t mine,” he cringed. “I don’t know who they are.”
She smiled courteously. “Maybe I’d better not refill your glass anymore,” she said with a wink.
“They’re not mine,” Matt said again, this time under his breath. He went through the flight over and over in his mind, and they had appeared out of thin air. Reynolds had seen them too, and this staff and Bill Ruby could see them, so he knew they were real. He just couldn’t account for their sudden existence on the airplane.
In less than ten minutes, clean outfits were brought down, and the boys were ushered to an adjoining room to change. Actually, they would have each been escorted to their own rooms, but they insisted on staying together and the staff was forced to relent. Matt gulped his whiskey again, and the boys soon returned in their new outfits, their hair perfectly coiffed, and more photos taken.
He should never have insisted on flying to Ruby Island. He was being a stupid show-off. What would Sarah care if he were back in one day or two? She had plenty to keep her busy, and she could live on gossip about his meeting with Bill Ruby for months. He put the glass down on a side table and noticed that his hands were shaking, so he sat down and pushed them under his knees so no one else would notice.
A giant, black man with long dreadlocks stepped into the room from a large door. He looked over the kids, and squinted at Matt for a moment before turning back to hold the door open. Bill Ruby swept into the room, and Matt stood. The bodyguard took a step forward, but Ruby shook his head in a minuscule gesture that the guard caught, and he faded back to the door.
Matt watched as the staff moved about Bill Ruby like worker bees. They were doing his bidding without words. It was creepy, like the Borg in Star Trek. Matt shuddered as Bill Ruby stopped in front of him.
He was a tiny man; a full foot shorter than Matt and his frame was slight but muscular. Matt couldn't believe that this was the hero movie star of so many action blockbusters. He might have laughed out loud if he wasn't so nervous.
"So, you're Matt Cole," Bill Ruby said straight-faced. Matt stood silently until Bill thrust his hand forward, with a massive smile spreading across his face. Matt couldn't help but smile too, and he shook Bill's hand in greeting.
"Mr. Ruby, thank you so much for granting me this interview."
The little man crushed Matt's grip as the three boys came forward.
"You really are Bill Ruby?" they cawed together. The superstar laughed and turned his attention to the boys, and Matt was relieved.
"And what are your names?" Ruby asked.
"I'm Bill. My parents na
med me after you," the oldest one said, shrinking back in embarrassment.
"Well, that's quite an honor," Bill said, and he shook the boy’s hand, and Matt noticed that they were the same height when the boy stood up straight.
"I'm Steven, and this is Benji," the middle boy said. Steven shook Bill Ruby's hand, smiling and looking up into his face like he was a god. Benji tried to hide behind Steven, but Ruby sidestepped and leaned down.
"Do you know how to shake hands like your brothers do?" he asked the frightened boy.
Matt felt the urge to pick Ruby up and fling him across the room, and dreadlocks must have read his mind because he actually took a step forward. "He's just shy," Matt said calmly, not knowing what came over him. Ruby ignored Matt.
"Here you go," the movie star said calmly. "You just put your hand out like this," the boy mimicked Ruby until their hands were together. "And you do a nice firm shake, and then that's it." The boy smiled up at Bill Ruby, and Matt's blood boiled.
The guard turned to the door and opened it, and Reynolds was escorted into the room by a doctor and a nurse. She still had the neck brace on accompanied by two small Band-Aids on her face. Bill Ruby was across the room in an instant, and he took her hands. He kissed her on both cheeks and then gave her a peck on the lips. Matt expected Reynolds to slap his face, but she didn't. She smiled at Ruby and put her hand on his cheek for a moment before noticing everyone else in the room.
"You know each other well?" Matt asked, completely confused. The oldest boy moved to stand next to Reynolds, taking her hand and trying to pry a wedge between her and Bill Ruby. The other boys moved to Reynolds and hugged her, and she was uncomfortable as she patted their backs. Matt could see the oldest boy looking at him as though he should be stepping in, and it made him uncomfortable, so he ignored it. Still, he couldn't ignore how comfortable Reynolds was with Bill Ruby.
"She's the one that got away," Ruby said, not taking his eyes from Reynolds. "Put that in your article."
"Don't put that in your article," Reynolds called and then grabbed her neck.
"Doc?" Ruby asked.
"She’ll be just fine," the doctor answered. “Give her some room, boys,” he said, and the three boys melted back toward Matt. “The CAT scan showed no concussion, but she does have some whiplash, and I don't think she should travel for at least two days. The neck brace should be used for forty-eight hours, and I'd like to keep an eye on her. She's had some pain killers, and I filled a prescription for the week." Bill nodded, and Reynolds thanked them, and the doctor and nurse left the room.
Matt's mouth was hanging open, but he didn't know it. He was even more baffled by the staff on this island. It seemed that it was a small city put together for one man's use.
"How's Mabel?" Ruby asked.
"She's the same," Reynolds said.
"I bet she is," Ruby said with a laugh. "Do you want to call her and let her know you have arrived safely?"
"I'll call her later," Reynolds said. "She expects me back tomorrow."
"Well you heard the Doc, you're staying for at least two days."
"Who's Mabel?" Matt asked.
"That's Mom’s mother," the oldest boy said, and all three adults in the room turned to stare at him.
"That's right!" Reynolds said in excited surprise, and the painkillers were obviously doing their job.
The guard turned to open the door again, and a black-tied butler entered the room. Matt leaned sideways and looked into the bodyguard's ear, but he didn't see a communication device. How does he always know when someone is about to enter? he thought. It was another creepy thing about this place.
"Lunch is served, Mr. Ruby," the butler said and stepped aside to let the guests pass.
"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Donnelly," Reynolds said as Ruby took her elbow to escort her from the room.
"Miss Reynolds," the butler said with a nod.
“Reynolds, can we talk?” Matt asked and all heads turned to look at him.
“Go ahead and eat,” she said, and Donnelly escorted the three boys out, but Bill Ruby remained to Matt’s annoyance.
“I want to talk about the boys,” Matt said through clenched teeth and looked between Reynolds and Ruby.
“They seem to be just fine,” Bill Ruby said. “Let’s not worry Amy. She needs to rest and relax.”
“It’s okay,” she said to Bill, the pleasant pain killers receding into the background of her mind as she tried to focus.
“Where did they come from?” Matt asked Reynolds.
“Do we need to talk about the birds and the bees?” Ruby quipped and then chuckled.
“I don’t know, Matt. There was that crazy flash of light, and then they were there,” Reynolds said.
The butler returned and cleared his throat, and Matt woke from his stupor.
“The boys aren’t sure what they should eat,” he told Matt.
“The boys,” Amy said with a look of worry on her face. Matt tried to relax when Bill Ruby took Amy’s arm and turned her toward the hall. He didn’t know if it was Bill Ruby that upset him, or if it was the boys, but he wanted to scream at everyone to leave him alone with Reynolds long enough to have a conversation.
The butler extended his arm and then followed Matt down the massive hallway to a large dining room. The huge, wooden table was immaculately polished to show off the yellow tones in the light, brown wood. There was a large buffet along the back of the room with food for at least ten people on it.
The three boys were staring at the food. Reynolds was behind them, and she grabbed a plate and handed it to the oldest. "Help yourself," she said. “If you aren’t sure what to eat, just try a little bit.”
Bill Ruby pulled out a chair next to the head of the table. "Amy, don't exert yourself. Donnelly will take care of everyone." As soon as he'd said it, two other servants appeared and moved down the buffet line with the children. The boys asked what everything was, and they helped themselves to heaping plates filled with at least one of everything. Matt watched as Ruby made a plate for himself, choosing carefully. Then Matt gulped back his ire when he saw Bill Ruby place the plate in front of Reynolds.
"You remember," she said with a smile.
"Of course," Bill Ruby said as he sat down next to her. Donnelly swept in with a plate for Ruby and the boys got settled in around them. "Please, Matt, help yourself," Ruby said. The kids dug into their food, and Ruby laughed. "Don't mind us if we start without you."
Matt walked unsteadily to the buffet where a servant held a plate for him. He randomly pointed at the gourmet cold and cooked fish, salads, and fruit. He was stunned that they could pull all of this together so quickly, and he was only half-paying attention because he was trying to figure out where the boys had come from. Matt was worried that he might be losing his mind, and panic was pulling at the edges of his nerves.
“Sit here, Dad!” the smallest boy patted the chair next to him, and the servant moved to the table and placed his plate there, so Matt dazedly obeyed. When he was seated, Matt pressed the tines on the fork into his leg to try to wake himself up from this dream, but it didn't work.
"So, Bill, how do you know Reynolds’ mom?" Matt asked.
Bill Ruby nodded slowly and put down his fork, making sure he finished his bite of food before answering. He reached over and took Reynolds’ hand before turning to Matt. "Well, Matt, when my father passed away suddenly, I was just getting to know Amy from some photo shoots we had done. It was a tough time for me, but Amy had lost her father too, and she really got me through a dark time." Bill turned to her and smiled. "We saw some of the world together for a while before Amy broke my heart."
"I didn't break your heart!" Reynolds protested. Bill smiled at her and Matt felt a growl on his lips. He didn't like Bill Ruby, and he didn't believe him either.
“She did break his heart!” The oldest boy concurred. Matt stared at him for a second wondering who he was and how he could know that.
“See?” Ruby asked conclusively.
Bill leaned onto his elbows and told Matt sincerely, "She was too good for me."
"Matt’s writing a book," Amy said before she could stop herself. Mentioning Matt's book had become a self-defense mechanism to change the subject, and Amy knew it was wrong. Still, she couldn't have these men just sit here and talk about her. She needed to deflect the attention. "He's been working on it for a long time, and he won't show me any of it. I'm not sure he's even writing it at all," she said with her smile turned toward Matt. She felt brash. It was the painkillers giving her courage, and she liked it.
"What's your book about?" Ruby asked as he chewed his food.
Matt was terrified. Here was a world-wide movie star asking him about his book, and he didn't know how to answer. He had written over half the book, but he never showed anyone his progress. Matt was sure that it would be the next great work of literature, or he was pretty sure anyway. "It's literary fiction," Matt said, trying to take a bite of food. "It's hard to describe." Matt felt sheepish. This was his chance to get the attention of someone who had more contacts in the publishing business than he did, but he was embarrassed.
"Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned about pitching a story in the movie business, it’s that you need three really good sentences to get the story across or you lose them."
"Can we watch one of your movies?" the oldest boy named Bill asked.
"Sure," Ruby said with a laugh. "Which one?"
"I don't know. We've never seen any of your movies."
"What?" Ruby asked with a smile. "You've never seen any of my movies? Where have you been living, in a cave?" He was joking, but the boy didn't smile.
Benji's tiny voice answered. "We were living in a cave on the island." The three adults stopped and stared at him. Amy's heart sank. She was still in shock from the rough landing, and the pills made everything a little hazy. Still, these boys had come out of nowhere and she didn’t know how to deal with them. They were calling her ‘mom’ and calling Matt ‘dad’. It was unreal.
Ruby Island Page 4