by Tia Louise
“Your father wanted you to be the best. He had very high standards.” Her voice is stern again, and she arranges large butter lettuce leaves on a platter. “He was no harder than a good Korean father would have been.”
She uses a wide ladle to spoon the dumplings onto the platter, and I watch as she sprinkles the pale beige skins with bright orange fish eggs.
“So what’s the problem?”
She shakes her head, carrying it all to the table. “He did not respect our traditions. He wanted his home to be completely American. He did not like the grace, the politeness.”
He said we were all push-overs. I remember that very well. Submissive, is what he called it. Ma called it good manners. If I didn’t know how tough she could be, I might have agreed with him. As it is, I know her “good manners” made for a very peaceful home.
“I don’t think Remi would oppose other cultural influences in his home.” She gives me a hard look, but I know I’m right. “Anyway, this is a silly conversation. I’m not even dating him, and you’re acting like he proposed to me.”
“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
I huff a laugh. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”
“It is also through his children.”
When we get back to the house, I find Eleanor in the living room, digging in one of the cabinets under the enormous flat screen television. I don’t want to stop, but she sees us before we can make a dash up the stairs.
“Hello, girls.” She stands up, holding a long, brown bottle. “How was lunch?”
“I made a dumpling. It’s called mangoos, and Ruby’s mom made a dessert that had beans and fruit mixed together!” Lillie’s talking fast, which I know means she’s excited.
Eleanor doesn’t seem so impressed. “That sounds very exotic.”
Her attention returns to the bottle she’s holding, and I can tell she wants me to ask about it. With a sigh, I decide to be a peacemaker.
“What’s that, Eleanor?” I can play her game, but I can’t keep my voice from sounding like a robot.
She looks up at me with a knowing smile. “I found this Tawny Port from Prager Winery in the cabinet. Sandy and Remi got it for me when they traveled to Napa on their honeymoon.”
My throat tightens, and I have to hand it to her. She got me.
I’ll be damned if I let her know it, though. “That’s really cool. You never opened it?”
“No. It’s a very rare wine… Just like theirs was a very rare love.” She sighs like she’s being so innocent. “We should open it and enjoy it after dinner tonight before it passes it’s prime.”
My lips press together, and my stomach hurts, thinking of how that will go. Not that I want to replace Lillie’s mom, not at all. I don’t want Remi to be sad. I don’t want things to be strange between us.
“After Sandy died, he said he’d never love again.” Eleanor’s tone is wistful.
An ache is in my throat, and I don’t know why my silly eyes heat. “Never is a long time. Remi was twenty-six when she died?”
“They both were.” Her eyes aren’t on me.
I sound weak, but I think about my therapy training. “Grief recovery isn’t about forgetting the past. It’s about remembering with joy, not pain.”
She continues like it’s not tearing up my heart. “I wonder if Remi will even remember that trip.”
“His honeymoon? I’m sure it’s something he’ll always remember.” I’m ready to go to my room now.
“He seems to be forgetting a lot of things these days.” She gives me a pointed glare, but I don’t want to fight this battle. Ever.
“I’m sure it will always be very special to him.”
Remi cuts us off just as I’m leaving the living room. “Hey!”
That dimple is in his cheek, and he looks genuinely glad to see me.
It makes me want to cry.
Which is a ridiculous response to seeing him after hearing his mother-in-law talking about his honeymoon. Remi and I are not serious. I shouldn’t feel anything about Eleanor dragging out old tokens of his past life.
His brow furrows when he sees my face. “Everything okay? Where’s Lillie?”
“Everything’s fine.” I manage a smile, but his expression isn’t buying it.
“Daddy!” Lillie comes running inside from the patio. “Are we going to Dipper’s now?”
“Sure, honeybun. Ruby, want to come with us?”
I shake my head. “It’s your special time, remember?”
“You can go, Ruby!” Lillie grabs my hand. “You don’t have to eat the ice cream. You can have a cookie.”
Remi turns to his mother in law. “Eleanor? Would you like to join us?”
“Oh, no.” She waves a hand in front of her face. “You go and have fun. I’m just doing a little cleaning.”
Is that what it’s called now?
“Then we’ll be back in what? An hour?” He looks at me, and the dimple is back.
I almost sigh. He’s so good looking. “An hour should be plenty of time.”
Lillie grabs his hand and takes off running toward the door.
18
Remi
Ruby waits in the park across the street while Lillie and I get our ice cream.
My daughter is on her tiptoes pointing at the chocolate-dipped waffle cones. “You sure you want a cone, peanut? It’ll drip all over you.”
“I want a cone!” She pumps her little fist over her head like a cheer.
That does it. “Two swirl cones, please.”
As soon as the girl passes them to us, I grab an extra set of napkins and my daughter’s hand. We walk across the street to the town square, where Ruby is sitting on an iron bench in front of the gazebo… with that fucking Henry Pak again.
What the hell? Does he live here now?
I catch the end of Ruby’s sentence as we approach. “How soon are you looking to move?”
Good, maybe he’s planning to go back to Korea.
“We’re closing on the condo tomorrow. Depending on the contractor, it’s possible I could be here full time by the end of the month.”
“That’s great.” I can’t tell if Ruby really thinks it’s great or not.
When she sees me, her expression changes. She shifts in her chair and looks worried.
“Remi!” Her voice is too high. “You remember Henry Pak. You met him last night?”
Thankfully, my hands are full with my daughter’s hand in one and an ice cream cone in the other. I’m not interested in shaking this guy’s hand.
I nod. “How’s it going?”
“Ah, yes.” He smiles, but I can tell he’s about as glad to see me as I am to see him. “You’re Ruby’s boss, right? The tech guy?”
It’s tech billionaire, asshole. “She’s living in my house now.”
Ruby’s eyebrows shoot up. “I’m the nanny. I share a floor with this little girl right here.” She reaches for Lillie, who is completely oblivious.
My daughter crawls onto Ruby’s lap, focused entirely on licking her ice cream as it tries to melt all over her hand and arm and striped sack dress.
“Here, I have extra napkins.” I hold them out, and Ruby takes them, quickly catching the chocolate drops.
“Last time we talked, you were working with Drew at the Friends Care Clinic.” Henry’s brow furrows as he watches her. “What happened with that?”
Like it’s any of his business. “I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”
Her lips press into a frown, and she cuts her eyes at me. “Actually… it’s not as easy as you think to build a client list. You know how tiny Oakville is.”
Henry nods. “I can relate to that dilemma. As a physician, I was lucky to work with your father and other prominent men in Charleston. It fast-tracked my career.”
I don’t like the way he says physician like he invented the lightbulb or the internal combustion engine or air.
Ruby jumps in with some story about her dad I don’t kno
w, and they both laugh. It’s annoying as fuck the way he’s sitting beside her, talking to her.
“Daddy! You’re dripping!” Lillie points at my ice cream, and I just barely catch a drip of vanilla before it hits my slacks.
“Oh, no! Here.” Ruby hands me a napkin and smiles. “I think custard melts quicker than regular ice cream.”
“Thanks.” Taking the napkin from her, I have a thought.
I step over behind Dr. Henry Pak and pretend to be looking at something over Ruby’s shoulder. At the same time, I drag my tongue slowly over the swirl cone. Ruby is half-way through answering one of Henry’s stupid questions when her eyes land on mine and her voice trails off.
I give the cone another, slower lick, flickering my tongue along the side, and my eyes fix on hers. Her pretty pink lips part as her jaw drops, and her cheeks flame bright red.
Her response makes me grin. She remembers where my face was last night. And how loudly it made her scream my name.
“Ruby?” Henry leans forward. “You okay? You seem a bit flushed.”
She’s more than flushed, fucknut. She’s mine.
“Sorry!” She blinks fast, looking at him again. “What did you say?”
“I said you wouldn’t have to be a babysitter if you were with me.” He grins widely, and I’m ready to punch him. “Once I move in, I’ll send you my number. Since you’re in Eagleton Manor now, you could just walk over.”
Like hell she will. I jump in at this point. “You know, I’d really like to see those condos. They’re supposed to be nice. Not as nice as the houses, of course, but maybe we could walk over together, Ruby.”
Henry leans back to look at me, annoyance all over his face. Get used to it, pal. Better yet, how about you flap those ears and fly on back to Charleston.
Ruby stands, helping Lillie to her feet and cleaning her up. “Why don’t we just see how it goes once you’re all settled?”
Henry stands beside her. “I’ll give you a call. Is your number still the same?”
“Uh… yeah, it is.” She smiles, and I’m two seconds from putting my arm around her and telling this guy to delete it from his contacts. Ruby keeps talking. “In the meantime, I’d better get back to work. Good to see you, Henry!”
Her pretty smile is too sweet, and Henry takes it as encouragement. Why are guys so clueless? She’s not into you, pal.
“Have a great afternoon. Good to see you again, Key.”
“Yeah, good.” I put my hand on Ruby’s arm, and lead her and my daughter away from our unwelcome intruder.
Once we’re several steps away, Lillie takes off running ahead of us to watch a guy twisting long, colorful balloons into animal shapes.
“You were rude to Henry.” Her voice is quiet, but sharp. I kind of love it.
“I don’t like that guy.” I toss the ice cream in a trash bin as we pass. “I don’t want Lillie around him.”
Ruby stops walking and makes an astonished face. “He’s a well-respected pediatric surgeon. I think he won an award last year.”
My voice is level, calm. “Award for being the biggest dumbass. He can’t even tell you’re not interested in him.” Her jaw drops, and our eyes hold each other’s. Several seconds pass, and she doesn’t have a comeback. “I stand by my statement.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Henry.”
It’s the best she can do. “He needs to keep looking. You threw him back, remember?”
“I should never have told you that.”
Several seconds pass as we watch the fellow making giraffes and dogs. It reminds me a little of Central Park, and I decide there’s no time like the present.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you… I have a very important business function next week in New York. It’s an overnight trip… I’d like you to come with me.”
Again, I’ve stumped her. I kind of like knowing I have this power over her.
“We’ll be attending a gala for tech developers and investors like me,” I continue. “So you’ll need a formal dress. I can help you with the expense if you need—”
She finds her voice. “I can afford a formal dress. But what about Lillie?” Her eyes dart forward to where my daughter is jumping up and down and asking for a unicorn.
“Eleanor has agreed to take care of her while we’re gone.”
“I don’t know about this.” She exhales, looking down and crossing her arms. “I can’t date you, Remi. You’re my boss.”
“You can think of it as more of a work function.” Bullshit. It’s a total fucking date.
My girl is too smart for that.
My girl? What?
I kind of like the way it sounds, though.
Dark eyes slant up at me, and she’s so pretty. “How is it a work function?”
“I have to take a plus one.” I shrug, adopting a very professional tone. “I don’t have the time or the inclination to find some woman to go with me. Your salary is dependent on my business being successful, so you’ll go with me. And we’ll have a nice time.”
“Will we be staying in the same room?”
“No.” Technically. “I booked the penthouse suite at the Four Seasons We’ll each have our own rooms.”
“In the same, bigger room? I don’t think so.”
I like that she’s apparently considering it. “How is it different from our current arrangement?”
“A floor and a mother-in-law.” We take a few more steps. “And a little girl.”
I’m standing just behind her shoulder, and I trace a finger up the back of her arm, thinking how soft her skin is. “None of that made a difference last night.”
Goosebumps break out on her skin, but her gaze is focused straight ahead, on my daughter. “You’re not helping your case.”
My tone changes to coaxing. “Come on, Ruby. It’ll be fun, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have with me.”
Turning, she looks up at me. “Why?”
For a beat, I’m taken aback. “Because I like talking to you… because you’re funny and smart.” Because you’ll look amazing on my arm as we meet potential clients and intimidate the competition.
Her lips press into a line. “How is it you don’t have a date? You’re easy to talk to, funny, and smart.”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ve been too focused on my work, on Lillie.”
What I don’t say is no one interested me before I met her. I don’t want to go back to that lonely existence. At the same time, I’m not interested in meeting someone new. I only want to be with her. She completes a part of me I didn’t know had been yearning for completion. She loves my daughter, she fills my house with light… She’s kind of perfect.
“Look, Daddy! Ruby, he made me a colorful unicorn!” Lillie comes running back to us waving a white, lavender, pink, and yellow balloon horse over her head.
Ruby squats down to greet her, admiring the latex creation. “That’s amazing! Did he make it just for you?”
Lillie nods dramatically, and Ruby tweaks her nose before standing and taking her hand. She catches my gaze and does a little chin lift. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”
“Let me know tonight.”
19
Ruby
Lillie’s in her bedroom playing with her dolls, and I scoop up my phone tapping out a quick text. Help. Need help. Emergency. 911!
The gray bubble floats a second before Drew’s reply appears. OMG! Are you okay? Did you crash the car?
I’m already tapping out my reply. Remi asked me to go to NYC with him. Overnight. Penthouse. 4 Seasons!!!
More gray dots. I’m chewing my lip like crazy. My heart is beating out of my chest, and all I can think about is me in a formal gown, Remi in a tux, dancing at a ball at the Four Seasons Hotel… It’s straight out of a Disney movie.
Are you at the hospital? Are you bleeding? Don’t text 911 unless you’re injured. You almost made me go into labor.
I exhale a little growl. You can’t go into labor at six weeks. Would
you focus please? He wants me to give him an answer tonight. I can’t… can I?
Drew is taking too long to reply. I stand and pace my room, looking out the French doors down at the lake. My stomach is in knots. After last night, I’m not sure what will happen if we’re alone together again. As much as my brain says I can make it one short month, my body is on overdrive when we’re together.
Today at the park was a prime example. He knew what he was doing, licking that cone and watching me with those eyes. My panties almost melted right off. Sitting here now, I can’t even remember what Henry said to me.
Drew’s text finally appears, and it’s one word. Go.
All that, and just one word? I tap back quickly. Everyone will know. Everyone will be talking.
She replies just as fast. You only live once. And everybody’s already talking. Go.
“Ruby!” Lillie’s voice cuts through my mental meltdown. She prances in the room holding her pink Lottie doll. “Gigi says it’s time to eat dinner.”
Tapping quickly, I say goodbye with a reminder. The shower is Saturday noon at my mom’s. Can you make it?
Yep. Can’t wait to hear the latest hot nanny gossip.
Good grief. She’s teasing, but who knew when I said yes to this job it was going to turn into some kind of twisted soap opera? More like one of those telenovelas.
“Let’s go then.” I take Lillie’s hand and square my shoulders.
I feel like I’m heading into battle.
“Grass-fed buffalo filet, flown in from Montana just for you, ma’am.” The female server, who I now know is named Tessa, puts plates in front of us, and Jake, her helper, slices Lillie’s as usual.
“It wasn’t for me.” Eleanor pretends to be appalled. “This steak is for Mr. Key. He loves a good ribeye, and it’s been weeks since we’ve had red meat.”
She motions to Tessa, who disappears into the kitchen again.
Lillie pokes a slice with her fork then looks up with wide eyes. “It’s bleeding.”
Eleanor is unaffected by her granddaughter’s horror. “Your meat is cooked medium rare, Lillian. Take one bite. It’s the perfect cut prepared the perfect way. Don’t you think, Remington?”