Ruby’s entire body shivered, and she looked over her shoulder at me. Even in the dark, I could tell she was smiling. “I think we’ve both been wishing and hoping this night would come.”
I pulled her hair to the side so I could softly kiss her neck. “Then ask me in so we can both get what we want.”
“Come in, Gray. Spend the night with me.”
Ruby unlocked the door and flicked the lights on in the living room, then stopped short. Ida lay asleep in her old recliner with a sleeping child on either side. Rayleigh and Britnee were both dressed for bed and were clinging to Ida like she was a stuffed animal.
“What’s going on here?” I asked quietly.
Ruby shrugged. “They were so excited to spend the night at Ida’s. I have no idea what they’re doing back here.”
Ida cracked an eye open at that point and raised a finger to her lips. I nodded to let her know I got her message. Then, as slowly and quietly as we could, Ruby helped me pick up both girls from the recliner. Ray and Brit remained blessedly asleep, so I turned to take them into their shared bedroom.
“What’s going on here?” Ruby asked as I walked down the hall.
“Put on a pot of coffee girl, and wait for your man to join us. He’s going to want to hear this.” Was Ida’s response.
It took a little juggling, but I got the girls into their beds without either of them waking up. I turned on the nightlight that was on the nightstand between their twin beds. Then I checked the curtains to make sure they were shut before I exited the room and went to join Ruby and Ida in the kitchen.
With coffee in hand, we settled around the dining table. Ruby and I turned to Ida with expectant gazes. “Your granddad showed up at my house. Demanding to see the girls.”
“Why didn’t you call us?” I asked.
Ida shrugged. “I’ve known Silas my whole life. For a time, we were in the same friend group. He’s the same pissant now that he was back then, but I handled him just fine.”
“Ida, you shouldn’t have taken him on like that. You know how he can get when he’s upset.” Ruby reached out and covered the older woman’s hand with hers.
“I know, but you looked so pretty and were so excited to spend time with your young man. I promise if he had stuck around, I would have called you and the cops out to deal with him.”
“He does this sometimes,” Ruby explained to me. “He gets it in his head that he can ‘save’ me or the girls and will show up to make a scene.”
“What do the girls think of all of this?” I asked.
“They’re afraid of him,” Ida replied. “He’s unpredictable at his best and violent at his worst.”
“Has he ever hit any of you?”
Ruby must have heard the rising tension in my voice, so she put a soothing hand on my forearm. “No. He just throws things when he’s in a temper. It’s scary for the kids and expensive for those of us that have to replace what he ruins.”
“You know you have to do something about that,” I said. “Someone, as unhinged as that, shouldn’t be around the girls.”
“I know,” Ruby replied. “But I’ve already got so much money tied up in getting the temporary custody filed. I don’t think I can afford more lawyer fees.”
I laid a palm on her back and gave her a soothing caress.
“I’ll help,” said Ida. “I’ve got some savings.”
“No!” Ruby waved a finger at the older woman. “You will not put yourself at risk for me. If I have to take extra shifts at the grocery store I’ll do it, but I will not take your money.”
Ida opened her mouth to argue, but I cut her off.
“I’ll pay. Whatever it takes, as much as it takes.”
I knew Ruby would fight me on my declaration, but she was about to learn something new about Grayson Archer.
I was as stubborn as a mule.
Chapter 21
Ruby
“You’ve been holding out on me.”
Gray grinned down at me as he bumped the lights with an elbow. The new marina restaurant kitchen gleamed in the bright lights like a sparkling jewel. He’d been short on the project’s details, but I gathered it was an enormous investment for him and Hunter to make. I liked that they not only came to Eagle Creek to help save the Mason’s business but improve it and build something better. It made me feel like he was investing in a future here and not considering the Creek a temporary stopover.
Gray’s cheeks pinked, and he shrugged. “We just finished putting in the appliances yesterday. You saw the building before.”
“Yeah, but I thought you were making a little snack shack. Not some huge restaurant and bar,” I said and gave him a little whack on the shoulder. “A girl’s gotta wonder what else you’ve been hiding.”
Gray dumped the box he was carrying on the nearest flat surface and swooped me up into his arms for a quick spin before planting his mouth on mine. I tensed a little before relaxing into the kiss.
We’d broken the dam weeks ago with the kisses shared after our first date. It turned out Gray was an affectionate man that loved to show his interest with touches and kisses. I’d never had a man that was so free with his affection, and I was still getting used to our switch from friends to whatever the heck we were now.
“Miss Ida, they’s doing it again.”
I couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled up. The kids had impeccable timing, yet I wasn’t mad because even when they were interrupting my alone time with Gray, they still made me smile. And Gray, bless him, seemed just as charmed by my sisters as I was. Ray was right. We’d been caught too many times in a clinch, and it was time to stop acting like horny teenagers.
“Maybe we should cool it when the girls are around. I don’t want them getting the wrong impression,” I said in a voice still breathy with desire. I wriggled out of his hold and slid down his body, putting space between us before he could respond.
“What impression would that be?”
I didn’t want to get into it, so I shook my head and turned to smile at Rayleigh, just as Britnee and Ida came in with more boxes and supplies.
“Look at this pretty kitchen Mr. Gray is going to let us use today,” I said as I knelt down in front of Ray and Brit. “I think we should make him something special for a thank you, don’t you?”
I could feel Gray’s eyes on me as I pulled out supplies and arranged them on the large flat island in the center of the kitchen. My heart was still hammering from the awesome kiss we’d shared. A flush still covered my cheeks and down my neck.
“Ruby, girl, you look like you have a fever. Are you feeling okay?” Ida asked me and flashed me a cheeky grin.
I just rolled my eyes at her and turned to answer Rayleigh’s next question. With all the extra space to work on my weekly cook for the trailer park residents, I was hoping I could be done in half the time it usually took me. I now spent extra time on my weekends off, having fun with Gray and the kids, and I was becoming a glutton for those stolen hours.
“What’s going on in here?” a woman’s voice broke through the noise and chatter.
We all stopped our work and turned to see who’d entered the kitchen. I didn’t know Melanie and Lucy Mason personally, but I was aware of who they were from town. Lucy and her brother had been several years ahead of me in school, but I remembered them both being beautiful and popular in school.
Melanie and her husband, Jeff, had owned the marina for as long as I could remember. They were both nice-looking people that were famous for handing out free popsicles to the local kids on hot days. Melanie stood with her daughter in the kitchen’s doorway with a warm smile on her face. But Lucy looked like she’d smelled a fart.
“Hey, Melanie. Lucy,” Gray said and walked around the counter to stand next to me. I looked up at him, confused by his move, but he smiled and kissed my forehead before turning back to the other wom
en. “Ruby cooks meals for some older residents in her neighborhood on the weekends. Since the kitchen is finished, I thought she could break in the new appliances for us.”
“We just got those inst—”
“What a wonderful way to help the community,” Melanie cut off her daughter. “We do something similar at my church, but there are so many in need it’s hard to reach them all.”
My cheeks burned, and it wasn’t from the heat in the kitchen. I wasn’t looking for recognition or praise when I started feeding my neighbors. Melanie’s words actually made me feel more uncomfortable than the snark from her daughter.
“It’s a small thing to help them out. They pay me, and I pick up the food and cook it for them.”
“That’s right, you’re a clerk at the grocery store,” Lucy said.
“I am,” I agreed. Unsure where this conversation was going.
“I don’t think I could ever do a job surrounded by food,” Lucy continued. “I’d be the size of a house in the month.”
She was trying to get a rise out of me. Why? I didn’t know, but I’d dealt with her type all of my life, and she wouldn’t get to me that easy.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” I said in my best “customer service” voice.
Lucy opened her mouth to say something more, but Melanie cut her off again. “Can I offer any help?”
“You can help me wrangle these two,” Ida called out from a table in the back where she was rolling biscuit dough with the two kids.
“Perfect,” Melanie said and smiled at me as she breezed by.
Lucy, Gray, and I stood facing each other in awkward silence for several seconds.
“I’ve got chicken to fry,” I mumbled when it was obvious no one else was going to say anything.
“Make sure you get this place spotless when you’re through. I’m not paying for a cleaning service to come in after you.”
“We planned on it,” Gray said, and in his voice was a deadly calm that I’d never heard before. “But even if we didn’t, I’d be happy to approve that expenditure.”
I didn’t turn from my spot at the stove to see Lucy’s reaction to that set down. I didn’t need another reason for this woman to hate me. If I showed any joy in her set down from Gray, I’d just paint a larger target on my back. Lucy was obviously angry about something, and I was just the most convenient target at the moment.
Besides, I understood what it felt like to have a ton of frustration and no outlet for it. Even if her anger hurt me, and I’d done nothing to earn it, I understood the desire to lash out at anything to get that poison out of your system. I just hoped she’d figure out a better way to deal with her emotions soon. Otherwise, it would make for an awkward interaction every time I came to the marina.
U
Gray
“Ida told us about the grandpa showing up.”
I sat back on the deck of the rental house and took a long drink of my beer before answering Hunter. “Did she tell you the guy’s a nut?”
“Yeah, says he’s a religious fanatic.”
“He was always a weird one,” Jeff Mason, Lucy’s father, said from the other side of me.
After cooking and dropping off the meals, Ruby had insisted on sharing dinner with Melanie and Lucy as a thank you for their help. Suddenly, we were all in motion. Hunt and Lucy made a run to town for beer while I pulled out the grills, and the rest pulled together the sides for the meal.
Despite the look Ruby had given me when Melanie and Lucy showed up to help, she’d been gracious and warm to both the Mason women. Even as Lucy had continued to act the snob the rest of the afternoon. Melanie had tried several times to intervene, but even she’d given up after a time. Lucy was already on my shit list, and my patience was growing thinner by the day.
“What do you know about the guy, Jeff?” I asked.
He shrugged. “About as much as anyone else does in this town. Ruby and her uncle stayed pretty quiet about the whole mess. All I know is he loves to antagonize Ruby and Pearl and thinks he needs to save the little ones. He hates what Pearl does for a living, hates she has three kids out of wedlock, and especially hates that he can’t force those girls under his thumb. Ruby usually calmed him down and got him to leave, but he’d stew until he gets the bug again. Then the whole cycle starts all over.”
“What about the cops? Why weren’t they involved?” asked Hunter.
“I think Ruby’s tried. But there are a lot of old attitudes that need changing around here. Most folks think it’s for the family to figure out, and no one should get involved.”
“I’m so sick of small towns with small minds,” I said and took another drink.
“Here. Here,” muttered Hunt. He’d been adopted out of the foster system in his early teens after a series of bad placements in a rural area of Maine. He rarely opened up about his childhood, but I knew a lot of the situation with the girls was hitting home for him. “I’ve got your back if you ever need to set the asshole straight.”
“Me too,” added Jeff. “That old man’s scared too many people in his day.”
“I appreciate the offers. And if it comes to that, I will take your help. For now, she’s got a lawyer and temporary custody.”
“Did the cops ever follow up with you about Pearl?” Jeff asked as he grabbed a beer from the cooler.
“Yes, but only to say they had no new leads and no reason to suspect foul play.”
“They’ve already made their minds up about Pearl, haven’t they?” muttered Hunt.
“That’s how Ruby feels,” I agreed. “I’ve been thinking ...”
“That’s dangerous,” quipped Hunt.
I flipped him the bird as I continued. “We still have contacts in law enforcement. We could try calling in some favors to get more movement from the cops.”
“Or we could try to get a journalist interested,” said Hunter.
“Not a bad idea,” I agreed. “Anything to get some answers and to take the weight off Ruby.”
“You’ve been busy helping her with the kids. I can take on more of the day to day work,” Hunter said.
“I’ll help with transitioning to winter operations,” Jeff added. “I know I let the place go after Jonah’s death, but I’m more than capable of lending a hand.”
“Your knowledge is invaluable,” I said to the older man. “But I can’t ask you to come out of retirement for this. You and Melanie are going to Arizona for the winter.”
“Bah,” Jeff waved a dismissive hand. “She can go visit her sister if she wants. I’d rather stay on my lake than visit a desert any day.”
I smiled. “If you insist, I’d appreciate it. That way, I can help more with the kids and not worry too much about this place.”
“Question is, will Ruby agree to this?” Hunt asked.
I grimaced. “Only one way to find out.”
When I pulled Ruby aside to tell her what the men had discussed, she burst into tears and wrapped me up in a tight hug. I’d been prepared for anger or an icing out, not this emotional acceptance.
“So you’re okay with Hunter and I calling in more favors? Or even contacting a journalist?”
Ruby stepped back and wiped at her eyes. “If you think it’s a good idea, then I’m all for it. The cops, for sure, aren’t trying. They never do.”
Ruby sighed and wandered toward the edge of the water. The sun was just starting to set, and the red gold of the sky sparkled on the water, so similar to the way Ruby’s hair shone with red highlights. She stopped at the end of the pier and leaned against the railing, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
“I was worried you’d rip my head off. Especially after that look you gave me when Lucy and Melanie came into the kitchen.”
Ruby laughed and hung her head a little. “It’s just old wounds. I’m sure they’re nice people, but it’s hard to accep
t help. Especially from people that have lived here my entire life and never showed much interested in helping before now.”
I smoothed some of her hair back and kissed the nape of her neck. She had a tattoo just below her hairline. A scatter of stars done in tones so soft they almost looked like watercolor. She’d told me she got it to remember her uncle, who’d always told her to reach for the stars. Now that Adam was gone, I hoped I could help Ruby keep reaching.
If the kids were what she wanted, then I’d make sure they were within her grasp. If it was justice for her mother, I’d move heaven and earth to find her.
“I know I snap a lot and push you away—”
“You don’t have to explain to me, Ruby.”
Ruby turned and put her hand on my chest. Her face was earnest as she said, “I just want you to know it has nothing to do with the man you are. And everything to do with me and my past.”
I covered her hand with mine. “Letting people help gets easier the more you do it.”
“It’s hard to not wait for the bottom to drop out when it has so many times before.” Ruby used her free hand to cup my cheek. “You’ve done more for me and the girls in the past few weeks than this entire town has done in our lifetimes. It’s hard not to worry that you’ll get sick of the effort and decide we’re not worth the trouble.”
I gave her a soft kiss then pulled back so she could see my expression when I said, “All I can do is keep showing up, so you’ll understand I’m here because I want to be. As long as you try to remember that, I’ll try not to get frustrated when you forget. Do we have a deal?”
Ruby grinned. “Deal.”
Chapter 22
Ruby
“Settle down.”
“I can’t.”
“Stop fidgeting and just relax.” Gray wrapped an arm around my body and squeezed me tight. “We’re going to nap together, and that’s final.”
I sighed and threw my leg over his as I adjusted my body along the side of his. I was supposed to be napping before a shift at eleven, but it was impossible to sleep with Gray in the bed.
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