Her head throbbed. It was eight o’clock in the morning, and she had been up all night.
“I got here at six because I thought maybe you’d be here. A few people were asleep but they let me in and helped me put up the banner.”
“You’ve been here for two hours?”
“I didn’t want to leave before I got to see you.”
“Oh.” No one has ever made me a banner before, not even for my fortieth. Pleasure fluttered upwards and it was as if suddenly she weighed nothing and could fly. In an attempt to keep the soaring happiness under wraps, she pressed her lips together. “So, now you’ve seen me, what now?”
“I was hoping you’d consider another date.” Ruby’s voice was small and hopeful, as if she was frightened Mel would just up and leave.
She understood fear—especially when it came to losing the things you held most dear. Ruby loved her job, she loved her family and her house, and it made sense that she would work hard to keep those things safe. Mel wasn’t sure what she’d do if someone tried to take her lovely little bungalow away, or Epione. If she had children, she’d feel the same about providing for them. She’d risk her own happiness for their wellbeing. Mel slid her hand along the back of the sofas and wiggled one finger. Taking the hint, Ruby did the same, and their fingertips touched.
“Who’s to say you won’t get scared again?” Mel asked, her voice catching. “What happens the next time you freak out and break my heart?”
Lines appeared between Ruby’s eyebrows. “I don’t intend to. But if I do, I’ll talk to you. And I won’t run away.”
Their fingers interlaced, loosely.
Relief settled Mel down into the sofa cushions. “Promise?”
“I’ll even give it to you in writing,” Ruby said, her bottom lip shuddering at the same time as relief blossomed across her features. She let out a small, watery laugh. “I’ll make sure it’s in Helvetica. Or Arial.”
“Will you?”
“I’ll pretty much do anything to make you believe me.”
“Including proclaiming to the entire station that you love me?”
Ruby’s smile broadened, and she nodded.
“All right.”
“All right?”
Mel shifted close so that she was pressed against the arm of her sofa, coaxing Ruby to do the same with a tug to her hand. She reached up to removed Ruby’s glasses carefully, then wiped the tears that had gathered underneath Ruby’s eyes.
Ruby leaned into her hand, and Mel pressed a kiss to Ruby’s forehead.
“For the record, I love you too.”
“You do?”
Mel nodded.
Fresh tears spilled over Ruby’s cheeks, and they simply sat together. “We’re okay, then?” Ruby still sounded unsure.
“Yep. We’re okay.” Words were just great, but she wanted to seal their exchange with some kind of action. Mel tilted Ruby’s chin up and pressed their lips together. It was sweet, soft, and tasted a little salty from tears, but absolutely worth it. When they broke apart, Ruby was grinning through her tears. “Now…” Mel fluttered her eyelashes in mock coyness. “This date you’re taking me on…”
Chapter 24
The following Wednesday the children were off school for half term, so the garden group wasn’t running. Ruby had a whole afternoon to herself. She sat in her office, making sure the window was open wide to let in the summer scents and the birdsong, and gathered a stack of second year essays towards her.
What a week! Everything that had happened between her and Mel kept pushing into her mind, making her lose her concentration. It was making it difficult to evaluate the essays in front of her. This is ridiculous. Everything’s fine now. I need to get these done.
When she was half way through a particular essay, where she was convinced she’d seen the phrase ‘ethical dilemma’ spelt at least six different ways, a knock sounded on her door. I hope it’s not one of my pupils. I need to get these essays marked.
“Come in.”
It creaked open, and a curtain of pale red hair swung through. “Hey.”
“Hiya.” She stood quickly and moved towards her visitor; Ruby’s palm was cupping her cheek before she’d even stopped walking. “What’re you still doing here? I thought you were having lunch with your cohort, then going home?”
“I changed my mind.” Mel closed the door behind her and pressed a kiss to Ruby’s cheek before dipping her head further to kiss her lips.
Ruby hummed contentedly against Mel’s mouth, brushing her thumb against her cheekbone.
“Well,” she said after they had parted, “it’s lovely to see you.”
Mel chuckled. “I got that impression.”
Her marking forgotten for the moment, they moved towards the sofa. “Coffee?”
“Lovely, thanks.”
Mel settled her tall frame on the sofa while Ruby made coffee for them both. Once two full mugs had been carried over, Ruby sat beside Mel, underneath her arm that lay along the back. She snuck up close to her side and nuzzled against her jaw. Then she pulled back and felt heat creeping over her cheeks.
By way of encouragement, Mel curled her hand around from where it sat on the back of the sofa and caressed the side of Ruby’s neck.
Murmuring her approval, Ruby rested her cheek against Mel’s shoulder. She inhaled, enjoying the scent of Mel’s shampoo as it tickled her nose.
“Awfully naughty of us.” Mel’s breath tickled Ruby’s forehead.
“Yes. What if someone walked in?”
“Would we get into trouble?”
Ruby lifted her head and laughed. “No. I am absolutely able to do what I like in my own office.” She shrugged, however, and moved away, reluctant but aware that, actually, she was still at work and her students might still be around.
They both grinned and leant forward to collect their coffee cups. Ruby took in the way Mel held hers with both hands and closed her eyes when she rolled the taste around her mouth.
“Mm, thank you.”
They sipped for a while in silence. Ruby’s heart pitter-pattered as she thought about what she could have lost. No. Focus. Everything’s fine.
“How are things with Francesca?”
Ruby nodded. “Unsurprisingly not too bad. I think because we both know that she’s probably dyslexic, we’re both a lot more patient with each other.”
“That’s really good.” Mel placed her hand on Ruby’s arm. “I’m proud of you.”
Ruby’s thoughts flew around for a while, the elation caused by the sparkle in Mel’s eyes rejuvenating her. She chewed her lip as she wondered whether this would be the perfect opportunity to ask Mel about her teaching methods.
“Once she gets assessed, she’ll get the support she needs. Until then”—Mel went back to her coffee—“you’ll just have to give her a bit of space.”
The various noises from outside filtered through the open window: birds, cars, the occasional aeroplane. Ruby leant forward and touched Mel’s knee. “I was going to ask you, actually.”
Mel looked up, interested.
“The way I’m teaching… or the way that I was teaching her. It’s obviously the wrong way for her to learn.”
“Not the wrong way,” Mel argued. “Just…”
“Ineffective, then.”
Mel nodded, her hand out, palm up, for Ruby to continue.
“I was going to ask. How do you learn? What’s the best way?”
“Well, I obviously can’t sit and read it in a book.”
“What’s it like?” Ruby leant back against the sofa, her coffee in one hand and her other hand in her hair. “When you try to read?”
“Well, you know, the words jump about. Even when I wear my glasses.”
Ruby nodded.
“Sometimes I’ll manage to read something, but it’ll just g
o in one ear and out of the other. And I’ll think ‘What did I just read?’, because it hasn’t gone in.”
“So, how do you learn things?”
“By watching other people do them. And my listening skills are okay. I have a Dictaphone that I take into lessons, and then I can listen back to what was said, and take better notes when I get home.”
Removing her hand from her hair, Ruby reached across and smoothed her fingers against Mel’s cheek. As Mel sighed, she drew a tender line from her cheek down to her jaw and then back.
“So, being shown things is helpful?”
“Mmhm.”
“So”—Ruby cleared her throat—“so rather than explaining things to you…”
“It’d be better to show me.”
Heat crept up Ruby’s face but travelled down lower as well. Her whole body tingled, and she was pleased when Mel’s eyes drifted closed under her touch. She continued to run her fingers slowly up and down Mel’s cheek. She grinned when Mel turned towards her and took the cup from her other hand and set it on the coffee table.
They shifted awkwardly closer on the sofa, and Ruby found she couldn’t tear her gaze from Mel’s lips. “I want to kiss you. I know we’re here, and I’m at work but…”
“I don’t understand,” Mel said, the teasing evident in her voice. “I think you should show me.”
“Ah,” Ruby replied, and moved so that they were half an inch away. She closed her eyes. “All right, then.”
The door creaked open, and they sprang back from one another. Mel started laughing, her head thrown back on the sofa, as a very wide-eyed Alexander stood in the doorway, his hand still on the doorknob.
“Oh,” was all he said.
Ruby downed her coffee, aware her face was bright red and her breathing rather quick.
Mel was still chuckling beside her, her hand over her mouth. She waved with her free hand at Alexander.
He slowly lifted his hand and gave her short and unsure wave back.
“Mel was just going home,” Ruby finally managed, grabbing the empty coffee cups and striding over to the kettle. She left them beside it and returned to her own desk.
“Right,” Alexander replied, pursing his lips and furrowing his eyebrows. He smoothed down his expertly pressed shirt and tie and sat at his desk, turning on his computer. A shade of confusion was still across his features.
“Come around for dinner on Saturday?” Ruby asked, once Mel’s chuckles had quietened and she’d composed herself enough to stand and haul her backpack onto her shoulder.
“Okay. That’d be lovely. What time?”
“Five? Are you off?”
“Yep. I’m free Saturday. On a night shift Sunday too.”
“Brill. Meet my fantastic girls.”
Mel looked a little scared. “Um. Okay. Do you want me to bring anything?”
“I like yellow.”
Mel blinked at her.
“Sometimes it’s customary to bring flowers,” Ruby explained. “So, if you want to know what colour I like. Yellow.”
“Gotcha.” Mel grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Then her hands fell to her sides. “Um. Should I bring…” She eyed Alexander who appeared to be very engrossed in something on his computer screen. “Things to stay over…or…”
Ruby’s skin started to tingle again. Her head spun… just a little. “Um. Yes. If you like.” She shrugged. “I mean. If you don’t have to work until the next evening.”
“Just in case we… consume so much Zinfandel that…”
A giggle fluttered out of Ruby’s mouth. “Um. Yeah.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Mel nodded once. The door creaked as it closed behind her.
Ruby set about organising the essays on her desk, shuffling papers back and forth. She could feel Alexander’s gaze on her from across the room. She put a hand to her cheek.
“Things are going well, then?” he asked, idly. When she looked up, he was back looking at his computer screen.
“Well. Yes. They are. Finally.”
A pause as he tapped away at his keyboard. “Good. I’m glad for you.”
“Thank you.”
They went back to their work.
Chapter 25
Mel stood at Ruby’s front door, her backpack—filled with pyjamas and toiletries—over one shoulder. A small bunch of flowers in her other hand. She scuffed a trainer—much neater and cleaner than her usual walking boots—on the front step.
Ruby’s front garden was neat. Simple grass and a small tree with an ornate bird feeder hanging from it. The path was straight and neat as well and led up to her front door, to one side of the lawn. She really doesn’t know how to garden; there’s not even a potted plant out here. The town house was three stories high, with a large window in the sloped roof at the top. It was yellow, and the terraced houses were all painted a different but bright colour. Mel liked it—it was like a jolly children’s programme. She almost expected a guy in dungarees to come skipping out of Ruby’s house, his cheeks painted red and bells on his shoes.
Pushing the surreal image away, she lifted the big brass knocker that gave the front door a vintage look.
The door was answered almost immediately by a young woman in a pair of black cargo trousers and a red T-shirt, her long blonde hair streaked with purple, messy and gathered up into a ponytail. “Hi,” she said, her expression curious, but she seemed to decide that Mel wasn’t a serial killer and moved back. “It’s okay, I recognise you.”
Barney skittered into the hallway and yapped at the tall human who had come to visit. Mel wondered if she recognised her from their walk on the beach.
“Your mum’s shown you pictures of me?” Mel asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She blinked, having been unaware that Ruby actually had any pictures of her, unless she’d been looking at her social-media accounts.
“Yeah, she showed me a few. Mostly of you bent over some sort of plant.”
Mel’s eyebrows rose. “She has pictures of me gardening?”
The girl looked pleased, but then shook herself and held out a hand. “Chloe. Eldest daughter.”
“Mel. Potential suitor.”
Chloe smirked, but not unkindly, and shook her hand with a firm grip. She took the flowers from Mel without a word and moved away, into a room that could be the kitchen from the steam coming out of it, and Mel was left alone with Barney.
She fussed the dog’s ears, and Barney sat politely, her tail brushing back and forth on the carpet. Taking the opportunity to look around, Mel noticed a bicycle helmet hanging up amongst a number of coats and handbags on the hooks attached to the wall. Lower down, a selection of shoes, from skater trainers to high-heeled boots, were randomly arranged on a large mat, presumably to keep the carpet clean from any accidental dirt. Three pairs of flat ballet shoes were set neatly to one side, and obviously belonged to Ruby, even if Mel hadn’t known what shoes she wore. Ruby’s wellies sat next to them, a plastic bag around their soles to keep them off the mat.
The door to the possible-kitchen opened, and Ruby came through, smiling as her gaze locked with Mel’s. “The flowers—they’re lovely.” She was wearing one of her usual T-shirts, a pair of soft-looking jeans, and a stripy apron.
“Yellow, as requested.”
Sliding her arms around Mel’s waist, Ruby rose on to her tiptoes before pressing her lips to Mel’s.
“Hello to you too.” Mel pecked her a few times on the lips quickly and tasted sweet wine. She looked at her watch once Ruby stepped away and was holding her hands out for her jacket. “I’m right on time. It’s five o’clock and you’ve already had wine?”
Deciding it was way more interesting in the kitchen, Barney pushed the door open with her muzzle and disappeared through it.
Ruby folded her arms. “Don’t judge me.
I just had a sip from the bottle I was cooking with.”
“You’re cooking with wine?” Mel handed her jacket over and stood awkwardly holding her backpack until Ruby took that from her too. It was set on the floor by their shoes. “How very posh.”
“It’s just bolognaise,” Ruby said, her hand randomly gesturing through the air. Then she blinked. “You could taste that on me?”
“It’s nice.” They both blushed, and Mel closed the distance between them again to catch Ruby’s lips between her own.
Footsteps on the wooden staircase behind them broke them apart, and Ruby’s other daughter appeared. This one was much more bouncy and didn’t have purple in her hair. She was wearing a low-cut top, and a pair of skinny jeans pulled at her curvy frame. “Hey. I’m Jas.”
“Jasmine, my daughter,” Ruby said.
Jasmine gave Mel a little wave, which Mel returned, feeling unsure. Blonde wavy hair bounced down the remaining steps and into the kitchen. Hushed voices could be heard through the wood.
Ruby stood with a hand to her mouth, her cheeks pink. “Umm. I did advise her on appropriate attire for the evening.”
“She looks like she’s going out, not staying in with her mum and her mum’s boring old girlfriend to eat pasta.”
A grin enveloped Ruby’s features, and she put a hand up to Mel’s cheek, softly caressing her skin. “Aw. Girlfriend?”
“Aren’t I?” Am I? We haven’t really discussed that yet.
“You certainly are, but you’re by no means old.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Mel laid her hand against Ruby’s on her cheek. “And for what it’s worth, neither are you.”
Chloe poked her head around the door and indicated the room behind her. “Shall I give this a stir while you’re…?” Her lips twisted like she’d encountered a bad smell. “Saying hello?”
“Sorry, lovely.” Ruby shot Mel an apologetic look then turned on her heel to tend to their dinner.
Mel considered the framed prints hanging either side of the door and reached a hand up to touch one. A deer with large brown eyes and at-attention ears stared out from a field of long grass and yellow flowers. The print on the other side depicted a family of rabbits grazing by a hedge. Both pictures were stylish and pastel-coloured and made Mel think of lazy summer mornings. The whole hallway was decorated in a light green, with white paintwork around the three doors.
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