by Amy Vastine
“That sounds like a smart idea.” Holly grabbed Ruby’s hand and scooted closer. “Can I ask you one important question, though?”
Ruby’s brow furrowed. “Sure.”
“What was it like to kiss Boone? Did you see fireworks or stars? Did it make your heart race faster than the speed of light? Was it as mind-blowingly amazing as I imagine it would be?”
Ruby gave Holly’s hand a pat. “It was better.”
Holly fell over again with a jealous sigh. “I knew you were going to say that!”
* * *
THURSDAY AFTERNOON, RUBY checked the clock on her phone five times in the span of twenty minutes. Levi was supposed to pick Violet up at three, and it was now three thirty. She knew she’d ultimately be relieved if he didn’t show, but it was the heartbreak Violet would be dealing with that would keep it from being a positive thing until later.
“Have you seen my black shirt with the pocket on the front?” Violet asked from the top of the stairs. She was keeping herself busy by packing and repacking. Ruby knew she had to be paying attention to the time, as well.
“I think I washed it, but it could still be in the basket I brought upstairs.”
Violet disappeared in search of the shirt she suddenly wanted to wear during the weekend she might or might not spend with Levi. Ruby started to text him as the doorbell rang.
Disbelief held her in place. Violet came racing down the stairs. “Oh my gosh, Mom. Didn’t you hear Dad ring the doorbell?” She flung the door open and jumped in her dad’s arms. “I knew you’d make it.”
Violet was a very good liar.
Levi set Violet down and stepped into the house. “There was an accident as soon as I got out of the city limits that had me dead stopped for twenty minutes. I thought I could make the time up, but I wasn’t that lucky. Hope no one was worried.” He gave Ruby a pointed look.
“We’re glad you made it safely,” Ruby said with a forced smile. It was true—she was glad he was safe—but that was pretty much all she was happy about.
“I’m still packing. I’ll be down in a second,” Violet said, dashing back up the stairs.
“No problem. Your mom and I have some things to talk about before we go.”
Ruby had been preparing for the big talk they had agreed to have before Levi took Violet for the weekend. She’d written two pages of notes with every valid point she could think of to discourage the idea of Violet moving back to Nashville with him. Ruby led him to the kitchen.
She decided to start by seeing if he would back out on his own. “Now that you’ve had a few days to think about it, are you still sure you want to tell her she can come live with you?”
“I have thought about it, and I still think it’s a great idea.”
“Really?”
“I mean, now that you are in the middle of some hot and heavy affair with Boone Williams, wouldn’t it be helpful if you didn’t have Violet to worry about?”
Ruby didn’t realize Levi read gossip magazines. Although apparently the rest of the world did, because the calls had been coming in all week from her sister, her mother, several old friends from Nashville, a cousin in Atlanta and two patients. All these people had called her except for Boone, whom she hadn’t heard from since that day.
“I am not in the middle of anything hot and heavy, thank you very much. And neither one of us is married, so no one is having an affair.”
Levi held his palms up. “I saw some pictures from last weekend that tell a very different story. I just thought maybe that’s why you were looking to pawn her off on me.”
Ruby’s temper flared. “I am not in favor of this move, Levi. I think it’s a terrible idea. Your daughter is the one who wants this. Not me.”
“You think I’m going to believe that? You’re dating some famous country star and all the sudden Violet wants to come live with me. Seems like more than a coincidence.”
“Boone and I are not dating. It’s...complicated.”
“So you make out with guys you aren’t dating while hanging out at your daughter’s horse show?”
How dare he accuse her of being someone who didn’t take relationships seriously. When they were married, he was the one with a wandering eye. He had come to her and admitted he didn’t think he could stay in a committed relationship for the rest of his life and suggested a separation. Ruby had decided to skip the separation and go straight to a divorce. There was no way a few months of being apart was going to change his desire to be faithful.
“What part of complicated do you not understand?”
“Okay. So it was Violet’s idea and you hate it, but you’re going to let her go?”
“I could say no if I want to.” This was something Ruby had strongly considered. “Our custody agreement names me as the residential parent. But Violet is thirteen, and I want her to feel like she has some say in her life the older she gets.”
Levi considered that for a moment. Once he seemed to believe her, he said, “Then let’s try it.”
“This isn’t like going to a restaurant you’ve never been to before or experimenting with a new toothpaste. This is taking on the responsibility of being a full-time parent. It’s not something you try.”
“I know that.” He rolled his eyes as skillfully as his daughter. “I wasn’t being flippant.”
She went to the counter to get her list. “I wrote down a few things I think you need to consider before you agree to do this.”
Levi took the sheets of paper and laughed. “Are you serious? I’m supposed to read all this?”
“If you want your daughter to move in with you, I suggest you do.”
Violet came in carrying her pillow and dragging a suitcase behind her. “I’m ready when you are. Did you guys get everything figured out?”
Levi glanced down at Ruby’s list and shook his head. “We’re done for now. Let’s hit the road so we can get back to Nashville by dinner.”
The uneasy feeling in Ruby’s stomach was back. She got up and hugged Violet tight. “Be good. And I’ll be there to pick you up on Sunday.”
“Don’t come too early. Dad and I like to sleep in later than you do.”
She didn’t want to let go. Ruby kissed her head. “I love you.”
“Oh my gosh, Mom. I know. I’m not leaving forever. It’s only one weekend.”
For now. Ruby choked down the emotion threatening to surface and let her go. “Text me when you get there so I know you made it safely.”
“I will.”
She followed them to the door. “And call me if you need anything.”
“I won’t need anything. Chill.” Violet handed Levi her suitcase so he could put it in the trunk of his car.
“Well, make sure you wear your retainer at night. Your orthodontist will know if you didn’t.”
Violet put her hands over her ears. “I know, Mom. Stop.”
Ruby stood on the porch, watching her get in the car and buckle her seat belt. As soon as Levi started the engine, Violet changed the radio station and glanced out the window at Ruby, who waved goodbye as the tears began to well in her eyes. She hoped they stayed in until they had driven away.
Levi put the car in Reverse, and Violet made the sign for I love you with her fingers. Ruby mouthed, “I love you more,” as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“THESE ARE ONLY DEMOS. Don’t judge the quality,” Boone said, fiddling with the playback. It was Saturday and he knew Jesse had other things to do, but Boone really wanted him to hear these songs.
“I’m not here to judge anything,” Jesse said from his spot on the studio couch. “You said you can explain yourself better through your music, so I wanted to listen to some of it.”
That was true. It was a lot easier to sing his feelings
than talk them out. Plus, he was awful proud of what he had accomplished this week. He had spent every day in the studio working on the three songs he’d written and was singing himself.
“All right. Here we go.” Boone pressed Play and listened to the first notes of the song he’d written for Emmy.
Boone and Emmy had texted every night this week. She didn’t always have a lot to say, but she responded to his messages and occasionally sent one his way first.
It meant everything.
Jesse tapped his foot and bobbed his head to the music. “I like this one.”
“It’s my favorite of the three.” Of course, Emmy was the only one who really needed to love it.
They listened to everything Boone had recorded. Jesse gave him a round of applause when the last one ended.
“One week, three songs. That’s impressive. Dean must be happy.”
“He’s optimistic that I might actually release an album before he dies, so yeah, he’s happy.”
“The music is a safe place again. Why do you think that is?”
Boone filled him in on the things that had happened. He told him everything, including his realization that he was in love with Ruby.
“I guess I should admit that I saw the photos of you two at the horse show,” Jesse said. “In case you’re wondering why I’m not acting shocked by this.”
Boone had seen them, too. His publicist had contacted him earlier in the week to make him aware of the pictures that were all over social media and the rumors that were flying around.
He had directed her to respond with no comment to anyone who came asking questions. He wanted to keep Ruby out of the public eye from now on if he could.
“I was careless. And she kissed me, so I wasn’t exactly expecting it. I should have been more careful with her, though. I knew we had eyes on us.”
“Have you talked to her about the pictures?”
Boone was embarrassed to admit he hadn’t. Sara had called him about it, since all the articles had to mention that she’d attended the same show. Like he was trying to make her jealous or something. She didn’t really care who he kissed, but she was concerned about what Emmy would think. So was he. What Emmy thought was constantly on his mind.
“I’ve been avoiding Ruby.”
“How come?”
“I’m sorry that she has to deal with this kind of stuff because of me. I’m afraid she’ll hate me for it.”
Jesse’s brow furrowed. “You said she kissed you. Do you think she could go from having feelings that make her want to do that to hating you so easily?”
“I don’t want her to hate me, but I don’t want her to be in love with me, either.”
“But you’re in love with her?”
“Yes, that’s where things get complicated.” Boone rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “I’m definitely in love with her. She makes me happy, but something changed the moment I got that text from Emmy. There I was, standing in the middle of Ruby’s family room, feeling guilty, like I was doing something I shouldn’t when my daughter needed me.”
“What were you doing that was wrong?” Jesse questioned.
“I don’t know. Being with Ruby and Violet is like being home. They make me smile and feel so darn glad to be alive. When Emmy texted me—I was ecstatic, don’t get me wrong—but I realized we have a lot of work to do to repair the damage I’ve done.”
“So you felt guilty about this great relationship you’re building with Ruby and Violet when your relationship with your daughter is still in disarray.”
“Exactly.” And those photos splashed all over the internet weren’t helping. “I’m worried she’s going to feel like I’m replacing her and her mom with Ruby and Violet. Sara and I didn’t work out for a bunch of reasons. Most of them had to do with me and my drinking problems, but some of them were simply about us not being right for each other. But Emmy Lou is my daughter, will always be my daughter. I don’t ever want her to feel like she has to compete with someone else for my attention or love.”
Jesse rubbed his jaw. “Interesting.”
Boone waited for him to say more. “That’s it? All you got is interesting?”
“I can tell you’ve really thought about this. And that’s good. You’re thinking about how your actions affect others. You’re not making decisions based on what you want or what makes you feel good. I’m proud of you.”
Boone leaned back in his chair, feeling better about himself than he had in a long time. He’d never imagined Jesse’s opinion would matter as much as it apparently did now. “Okay, so I’m finally not a completely self-centered jerk. But what do I do?”
“I’m not here to tell you what to do, Boone. You’ve got to make these decisions on your own. If I tell you to do something and it goes badly, who are you going to blame?”
“You. That’s why I want you to tell me what to do.”
Jesse laughed. “Exactly. I won’t be your crutch, man. You are accountable for your life, and I am accountable for mine. That’s the way the world works.”
“I don’t want to hurt people anymore, but this is the first situation I’ve been in where I feel like whatever I do, someone I care about could get hurt.”
He’d spent too many hours thinking about this. If Emmy was willing to open the door, he wanted to do everything he could to make sure she let him back in. That would be hard to manage from Grass Lake.
“What do you think you need to do?”
“Go back to Nashville. Work on reestablishing my visitation. Spend time with my daughter. Make amends with my ex-wife even though I don’t really want to.”
Sara had done some things during the divorce that still made Boone so angry. He might have started the war, but she didn’t always fight fair.
“And if you go back to Nashville, you’re worried about Ruby.”
Ruby. Her name took him right back to his happy place. All he wanted was her head on his shoulder, their fingers entwined, her lips on his. He missed the smell of her hair and loved the idea that someday he might wake up with her at his side.
“If I leave, I leave her. She’s already dealing with Violet and her stupid plan to go live with her dad.”
“Let’s not judge Violet’s plans. Violet gets to make her choices. And mistakes.”
“That’s what moving in with her dad would be. A big mistake. I know because it would be a mistake for Emmy to come live with me. I’m not ready to be in charge of her full-time. Our relationship isn’t strong enough to survive the ups and downs that come with living with a teenager.”
“I appreciate your concern for Violet and Ruby. But if people had told you when you were thirteen there was no way you could become a world-famous singer because there was no way they could become a world-famous singer, would you have believed them? Should you have believed them?”
Jesse always made it impossible to win an argument with him. Boone gave up trying. “I don’t want Ruby to be alone.”
“Now, that makes sense. You don’t want Violet to leave because you feel like you need to leave.”
“Bingo. So what do I do?” He hoped Jesse would just tell him what he thought, but Jesse wasn’t giving it up.
“Let me ask you this—why don’t you think Ruby could handle it? Is there a reason she wouldn’t survive if you and Violet moved to Nashville?”
Boone didn’t need Jesse to straight-up tell him what to do. He always asked the right questions to lead Boone to the correct conclusion.
* * *
AFTER HIS SESSION with Jesse, Boone knew he needed to do the right thing. He started by letting Dean know his plan, and then he hopped in his truck to see Ruby.
As he headed out, he spotted her car driving in. Her little red sedan was kicking up dust along the dirt path to the Helping Hooves parking lot.<
br />
He shifted into Reverse and went right back to where he came from. Leave it to Ruby to know when he needed her. She got out of her car. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she had on a blue sundress that showed off her legs in ways he wasn’t sure he could handle today.
“Were you going somewhere?”
“To see you,” he told her as he approached her.
Her smile told him she was flattered. “I’ve missed you. And I’ve been missing Violet. I figured I needed to stop missing one of you, and I took a shot that you were the one who wouldn’t yell at me for showing up on your doorstep.”
His chest tightened, and his throat felt like it was closing up. Hurting Ruby could be the death of him. Boone reached for her hand, selfishly needing to touch her to make himself feel better.
“I would never yell at you for coming to find me.”
“That’s good to know.”
He brushed back the wisps of hair that framed her face and tucked them behind her ear. Her green eyes gazed up at him like he was someone worthy of her kind of love. It made him reconsider every decision he’d made in the past couple of hours. Being loved by Ruby was more tempting than all the liquor in the world.
“I’m in love with you,” he confessed. “I know I told you I wasn’t going to do that—fall in love with you—but you made it impossible not to.”
She reached up and touched his face. Her hand was soft against his skin. He would long for her touch for eternity. “You love me.” She said it like she couldn’t believe it.
She slid her hand around his neck, and he knew she was waiting for him to bend down and bring his lips to hers. And there was absolutely nothing he wanted to do more than just that.
But what Boone wanted wasn’t as important as what Ruby needed. What Emmy needed. What Boone needed.
He grabbed her wrists and stepped out of her grasp. Confusion flitted across her face. “But I need to talk to you about something. That’s why I was coming over.”
She swallowed hard. “Okay,” she said, her voice trembling ever so slightly.