More Than Words

by Daphne Abbott

  “I wanted to give you your pie,” I said and winced at the breathy tone in my voice.

  Gray’s smile widened, and he took the plate from my hand. “Cherry?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” I muttered and rubbed my hands over my thighs subconsciously. I’d put on the nicest pair I had along with a new soft pink sweater that drooped off one shoulder to reveal my white lace bralette beneath. In my bedroom at home, I’d felt cute and sexy, now I felt conspicuous.

  “This looks amazing. Do you want to stick around and have a slice with me?”

  “Oh, I shouldn’t,” I said and flapped my hands awkwardly. “You’re busy here.”

  “It’s always a madhouse around here,” Gray said and tucked the plate to his side while holding out a hand. “If you don’t want pie, how about a quick spin on the lake?”

  My heartbeat increased with excitement. I loved being on the water, but my job and a lack of funds meant it was a very rare treat. “I don’t want to put you out.”

  “Nonsense,” Gray said silkily. “I’ll lock the pie in my car, so it doesn’t get stolen, and we’ll take a quick ride. There’s nothing better than a ride on the water just before sundown.”

  Common sense told me I should say no. Nothing in the last few weeks had changed. Gray was still unattainable and I was still hopelessly crushing on him. Any extra time together would only increase my obsession, and yet …

  “Sure. That sounds like fun, Gray.”

  “Perfect,” Gray said with a wide grin. “Meet me down by the docks. I’ll let Hunter know where I’m going and grab a set of keys.”

  Before I could second guess myself, he spun on his heel and jogged back the way he’d come. I walked toward the water and the long line of docks that held the marina’s rental fleet. Since it was late afternoon on a Thursday, the slips were full, and only one boat could be seen on the lake. We’d be practically alone on the water with the setting sun as a romantic backdrop. If I didn’t keep my wits about me, I knew I’d end up embarrassing myself once again.

  “Ready to go?” Gray asked and waved a set of keys in his hand.

  I smiled because how could you not when a man like that was grinning at you. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  He surprised me by walking to a large pontoon boat rather than one of the small and sporty boats. I watched Gray untie the boat and push away from the dock, more than a little in awe of the graceful way he moved. The boat had a bunch of spots to sit, so I chose one near the steering wheel but not so close that I looked eager.

  “Why don’t you sit here?” Gray asked and indicated the spot on the bench next to him behind the steering column.

  I’d avoided the spot because I worried between his tree trunk-thighs and my bodacious ass, there’d be no space between us. Since I was determined to keep my hands and body to myself, the spot on the adjacent bench had seemed smarter.

  “I’m good here,” I said with a little smile and wave.

  “Oh, come on, I don’t bite,” Gray said. “Come sit closer, so we don’t have to yell to be heard.”

  “’kay.” I relented and got up to perch my ass on the furthest corner of the bench seat.

  Gray watched me with a smile on his face and devilment in his eyes but said nothing further about my seat choice. Instead, he shifted to rest his arm along the back of the bench just behind my shoulders and pointed the boat north toward the next lake in the chain.

  Gray tuned the radio to a classic rock station, and the soft sounds of an Eagles hit from the 70s swirled around us. Despite my nerves and confusion, I felt myself relax against the seat in a more comfortable position. The lake traffic was so minimal that the water was smooth and sparkled with the colors of the late afternoon sky.

  “I love this time of day on the water,” Gray said with a soft sigh. “It’s peaceful.”

  My skin warmed to hear his thoughts reflected my own. “I know what you mean. I was never one for the jet skis and powerboats. Give me a no wake zone and a pontoon boat any day.”

  “I envy you, growing up in a place like this. Between the lakes and the forest, there always seems to be something going on.”

  An outsider would think the Creek was idyllic. After all, that’s what the town council and business owners worked hard to project. But we had the same troubles and worries like any other town in America. Part of me wanted to spill all the horrible things I’d experienced in this town to Gray. But what good would that do me? Telling him wouldn’t change a thing.

  Instead, I smiled and said, “Yeah, it was pretty great.”

  “I grew up in this tiny town just on the Texas-Arkansas border,” Gray said with his eyes focused on the water. “My ma and dad never married, and the conservative town didn’t like that.”

  I turned to look at him, surprised by this revelation. Gray seemed so happy and content. There’s no way I would have guessed his childhood was similar to mine. “I’m sorry to hear that, Gray,” I said softly. “No one should have to grow up feeling like they shouldn’t exist.”

  Gray shifted his arm from behind my back to cover my hand with his and gave me a gentle squeeze. “No, they shouldn’t. But small towns sometimes breed small minds.”

  I snorted. “You got that right.”

  “You don’t have to say anything, Ruby,” Gray said and squeezed my hands again. “I just wanted you to know that I understand.”

  Tears burned the backs of my eyelids, and it took me a couple of moments to calm my emotions. “My mom is a stripper. She got pregnant with me at fifteen and never really settled into a job until she started at Foxies.”

  Gray remained silent, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was disgusted, so I chanced another look at him. His strong profile showed no disgust. Then he said, “I wish people wouldn’t judge us by our parents. People thought I’d turn out a drunk like my dad, and it wasn’t until I was thirty and in the Army before they stopped staring at me every time I had a beer.”

  I wanted to share with him the times I’d had to fight off boys who assumed I was easy because of who my mom was. I wanted to share how scared I’d been when my mom disappeared from Eagle Creek for months and years, leaving me with Adam, who did the best he could for a little girl he had no idea how to parent. But that was some of the ugliest shit I hid deep inside. It wasn’t even something I discussed with Ida.

  “I didn’t mean to ruin the boat ride,” Gray said softly. “I just wanted you to know that I don’t care what others may say.”

  I laughed. “Can you tell me how you’ve developed this superpower?”

  “Stick with me, Ruby, and I’ll share all my secrets.”

  Chapter 13

  Gray

  “It looks like barf.”

  “Nu-uh, Britnee, it looks like baby poop.”

  “How you know that, Ray? You never had a baby.”

  “Yea, huh. Miss Crystal brought her baby to Mommy’s work, and I got to see it and hold it.”

  “No way. You never went to Mommy’s work.”

  “Did too! I gots to go with her to see the baby.”

  “That’s not fair! Ruby, Ray’s lying again.”

  Ruby paused her work of filling plastic bags with pea soup and glared at her half-sisters. “Enough. No more fighting. You both love my pea soup, so I don’t wanna hear another word about it looking like puke.”

  Britnee’s bright blue eyes widened. “That’s soup?”

  “I don’t like soup,” added Rayleigh, the younger of the two girls. “I like pizza. Can we have pizza for lunch?”

  I watched the drama from my position at the counter chopping onions, covering a smile, so I didn’t get in trouble. After that first weekend when I’d pitched in to help with the bathroom and our afternoon boat ride, I’d somehow finagled a spot at the weekend cook with Ruby and her sisters. At first, I’d offered to watch the girls on weekends to give Ruby and Ida so
me rest, but Ruby had refused that offer. Then Ida had stepped in and demanded I take her spot as the sous chef to the weekend cook. I was grateful for the older woman’s meddling. Every time she got involved, I got one step closer to breaking down Ruby’s walls.

  “No pizza. We’re having what’s left of this soup, and that’s it.” Ruby gave the girls a glare that made even me stand up straighter. “Got me?”

  They bobbed their heads, twin blonde ponytails bouncing with the movement. Ruby smiled and kissed both the girls on the tops of their heads. “It’s still nice outside. Play for a bit. I’ll call you in when lunch is ready. After lunch, you can take a quick nap before Mom comes to get you.”

  “But I wanna make food for the old people,” said Rayleigh.

  What she wanted was to steal food before it got packed up.

  “I know,” replied Ruby. “But I’m running late, and I need to get this stuff done, so our friends in the park have their suppers. I promise you can help more next week. Okay?”

  “Why can’t I help Mr. Gray with the onions? He’s soooo slow! I can go fast,” Rayleigh asked.

  Ruby smothered a laugh. “Mr. Gray is doing just fine with the onions. You can go out and play with your sister for a half-hour.”

  “Fine, fine, fine,” said Ray. Her face was a mask of anger as she hopped off the stool and stomped her way out of the kitchen. Ruby and I ignored her. If we gave in to her or Britnee’s theatrics, it only made things worse.

  “No playing in the creek!” Ruby yelled to them. Then after the door slammed, she muttered, “Not that you’ll listen.”

  I stifled a laugh as I finished chopping my onion and added it to the large bowl on the counter.

  “Something funny to you?”

  I didn’t look up at Ruby. Instead, I selected another onion from the produce bag and started chopping. I knew that prickly tone of voice. She was stewing for a fight, but I was not the man to give it to her. “No, ma’am,” I replied. “I’m just cutting up these onions like you told me.”

  I could feel her frustrated glare on the side of my face. Tension filled the little kitchen like a dark fog. Ruby wasn’t one for big outbursts. She simmered in her emotions in a low bubble for days and never boiled over. I’d tried several times to poke and prod at her to let go, but she always held fast. I was worried she’d have an aneurysm before the age of thirty.

  Eventually, I felt rather than saw her turn back to the stove and start humming to the radio. The September afternoon was cooler than it had been in weeks, so Ruby had the kitchen window cracked. The cool air seeping in carried the scent of leaves and fresh autumn air and the sounds of the girls playing in the small patch of yard. Ruby had the radio station tuned to old country songs that she hummed to as she worked.

  Everything should be cozy, but something was off.

  “Are we gonna talk about it?” I asked.

  She stopped humming a Brooks and Dunn song and looked over her shoulder at me. “Talk about what?”

  “About what’s got you worked up today? You’ve been jumpier than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

  Ruby laughed, and I watched as a little tension melted off her face. She was a sucker for my southern idioms, so I used them like weapons to break down her defenses.

  She snapped off the burner and turned to face me. Despite her obvious agitation, I couldn’t help but appreciate the way Ruby had her hair piled up on top of her head in a riot of dark auburn curls. Some chunks had escaped the bun and lay plastered against her forehead and the side of her neck. One curled along her collarbone. I’d been fantasizing about touching that curl for hours.

  “I haven’t gotten ahold of Mom for two days.”

  “What?” I had to shake my head clear of the thoughts of touching Ruby. The look on her face was stark. This was serious. “She didn’t call the girls at all this weekend?”

  “No. She usually calls at least once a day. But we’ve heard nothing since she dropped them off Friday afternoon. The girls haven’t mentioned it, so I’m trying not to worry. And I know Mom can be a flake, but this is the longest she’s gone without a call.”

  I’d met Pearl in passing twice over the last few weeks. She dressed like a groupie for the Stones, with short skirts, cut-up shirts, and tons of silver and jade jewelry. Her long blonde hair shone with not a single bit of silver and always was arranged in big loose curls. She looked the part of a middle-aged exotic dancer, and I was pretty sure it was by design. As if she wore her persona like armor.

  Pearl was always talking a mile a minute, and she seemed to collect boyfriends like other women collected shoes. But despite her outer trappings, she seemed loving toward her girls—even Ruby, who kept Pearl at arm’s length.

  “Did you call the club?” I asked. “What about her latest guy, Bob?”

  “I don’t get the numbers of her flavors of the week, and I’ve been avoiding calling the club.”

  “Why, Ruby? If something’s wrong, you need to act fast.”

  “I know.” Ruby wrapped her arms around her middle. “Gray, what if something is wrong?”

  Acting on instinct, I wrapped Ruby up in a tight hug. “If something’s wrong, we’ll deal with it. Living in this limbo will help nothing.”

  Ruby wrapped her arms around my middle and clung to me. “I shouldn’t let you get involved, but I’m too scared to do this alone.”

  I laughed and squeezed her tighter. “You are no coward, Ruby.”

  We both fell silent, and the hug continued.

  “Do you want me here when you make the call?” I murmured against the top of her head.

  It was a struggle not to luxuriate in how well her soft body fit against mine. I knew this was not the time to enjoy her proximity. There were more important things going on. But I was a selfish asshole because I enjoyed the hug and didn’t care why she was allowing it.

  By increments, Ruby pulled away. I forced myself to let her move back, to rest her back against the counter. “Can you go check on the girls? I don’t want to tell them anything until I’ve got more information.”

  “Of course.”

  Her smile was small. “Thanks, Gray. You’re a good friend.”

  Friend.

  The word hit me like a punch in the gut. She wasn’t wrong. We were friends. I didn’t object to the label of a friend. What bothered me was Ruby’s determination to keep me in only that category.

  I didn’t want to pressure her into anything, but I also didn’t want to let her brush me off without a chance. It was a fine line between pursuing and pressuring, a line I was very conscious of respecting. It was a line I’d never walked before. One I was determined to get right.

  Every time I caught Ruby staring at me, every blush, every hitch of her breath when I was near. They all painted a picture of a woman who was interested in the same things I was. Could I be misinterpreting everything? It had been years since I spent time with a woman for more than just a quick roll in the hay. I wasn’t that out of touch, was I?

  I shook off my thoughts as I reached the room the girls shared. Now wasn’t the time to worry about my potential love life. Ruby needed me to run interference for her while she called around for Pearl. Now was the time to be that friend she wanted me to be.

  There would be time enough later for other things.

  Chapter 14

  Ruby

  I saw his entire body wither at my choice of words, and I wanted to take it back. Gray was a good man. A kind man. Causing him pain felt like the shittiest thing to do. But I needed my sanity. I told myself over and over that friendship was the only thing between us.

  Despite what I told myself, I fell for Gray more and more every day.

  I watched him exit the kitchen, feeling like a rock was forming in my stomach. What else should I do? I’d suspected that he returned at least some of my feelings. The possibility was both t
hrilling and terrifying. I was risk-averse, so I selfishly continued to keep him at arm’s length. Someday soon, he’d grow tired of my shit—everyone did. And it’d be easier if I only lost Gray as a friend and nothing more.

  But Gray’s hurt feelings were going to take a backseat to locating my mother. I’d noticed the missing calls right away, but like a coward, I’d waited till now to do something about it. It was easier to tell myself someone would have called if she was in trouble. Easier to pretend my worries were unfounded. But I couldn’t avoid it anymore. I needed to reach out to the one woman my mom considered a friend.

  “‘Lo?”

  “Crystal? It’s Ruby McLean.”

  “Sparkles, what are you doing calling me at this hour of the morning?”

  I looked at the clock. It was almost eleven, an ungodly hour for someone who worked at the club. “I’m sorry, Crystal, I wouldn’t have called if this wasn’t important. I’m looking for Mom. She isn’t answering her phone, and she hasn’t called the girls the entire weekend.”

  “What?” Crystal asked her voice clearer now. “She said she’d call you Friday night.”

  “Well, she didn’t. Do you know where she is?”

  “I don’t know where exactly ….” Crystal hedged. “But I know who she was with on Friday.”

  “Is it that plumber guy?”

  Crystal laughed, then I heard the click of a lighter and a long inhale. “Babe, that’s been over. Your mom’s hooked a good one this time. Some high roller from out of state.”

  “What?”

  “Dude started coming into the club last week. Of course, your mom caught on to the nice clothes and the good hair-cut and claimed him as hers the second he walked through the door.”

  There was jealousy in Crystal’s voice, but I was not about to get into the politics of the dancers of Foxie’s. “So she’s shacked up with him? Where’s he staying?”

  “He rented the big house, the Waite’s own, on Pine Lake. They’re probably still there since neither she nor the dude showed up to the club the last two days.” She paused and took another drag. “You know how your mom gets wrapped up in new guys. She’ll surface once she gets it out of her system.”