Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Charlie
I set a whole plan in motion for Ruby to fall in love with me when she didn’t seem to get it on her own.
That plan was designed to give her an epiphany. To be thunderstruck.
Then I decided it was sneaky. I’d rather keep our friendship over anything, and I was honest with her.
She was thunderstruck that I was in love with her. She was not thunderstruck by love.
We made missteps. We moved back toward each other. We were maybe figuring it out.
We kissed.
Ruby declared that she’d been thunderstruck.
And I told her chemistry didn’t count. That real love wasn’t an epiphany. That it grows organically. That no one has to make you see it.
More kissing.
More distance.
A hotel room with one bed. Another Ruby confession. Another rejection from me.
A bolster on the bed and a warning.
And a dream came true, perfect because Ruby was in it. Perfect when I woke up because she was still there.
What if . . .
. . . I just believed her?
What if Ruby loves me, and all I have to do is accept it for this to be as simple as I thought it would be after she dumped Niles?
“Excuse me, sir?”
I open my eyes and realize I’ve dozed at some point. A guy in a hotel uniform who looks at least ten years younger than me is standing in front of me with an apologetic look.
“Hey, man.” I glance around. The entire area is empty except for us, but I hear the sound of a vacuum running not too far away. “Guess I fell asleep.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but sleeping isn’t permitted in the lobby, even for guests. Are you a registered guest? Can I issue you a replacement key?”
“No. I mean, yes, I’m a guest, but I have my key.”
“That’s good, sir. You’ll probably be more comfortable sleeping it off in your room.”
Ah. “I haven’t been drinking.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. Usually when we find people sleeping down here . . .”
I wave away the apology. “Sober as a judge.”
“Okay. Um, can I help you with anything else then?”
He would really like me to not be his problem. “The pool has lounge chairs, right? And complimentary towels, right? Three should do it. Pillow, sheet, blanket.”
“Yes, but, um, it doesn’t open until 8:00 AM.”
I smile. “Relax. I’m not going to sleep by the pool.”
Relief crosses his face. “It’s supposed to rain soon anyway.”
“Thank you, hotel guy. Five stars for a courtesy waking of the vagrant in the lobby.”
He misses my humor, and his face starts to get stressed, but I shake my head. “No worries, man.”
He nods and hurries in the direction of the main desk.
My phone says it’s close to 5:30. More than anything, I want to go to the room and tell Ruby that I’m sorry and I’ve figured it out. But I don’t want to wake her. Not again, anyway.
I self-parked my car. I can put my seats down and give us both a couple of hours of sleep before I go back upstairs to offer her what she wants most in the world: fresh coffee.
It’s a good plan with one major flaw.
I don’t wake up in time.
I don’t wake up until my car shakes, and I bolt upright to hear the tail end of a thunderclap. I peer through my windshield, dry inside the parking garage, to see a hard rain falling outside.
I grab my phone. Dead. The gray sky makes it hard to guess the time, so I raise my seat and start the car, groaning when the dash display informs me it’s almost 9:00 AM.
I plug in my phone and wait for it to charge enough to use.
It takes less than two minutes to turn on, but I drum my thumbs on the steering wheel the entire time.
It immediately buzzes with several text alerts, and I grab it, almost yanking it off the charging cord. They’re all Ruby, starting shortly after 7:00 AM.
Where are you?
Come back
I’m worried . . .
Now I’m mad
Charlie?
The last text was less than ten minutes ago, and I missed a couple of calls too.
Phone died, not me
So alarm died
Where are you?
Overslept in my car
!!!
Heading back but phone will prob die on the way
Heading to opening session
Save you a seat?
Yes
Text when you get here
I like her text, then cut the engine and climb out so I can head back to the hotel. She texts as I exit the parking garage moving at the speed of Ruby, weaving around slower-moving people.
Glad you didn’t run away
My phone dies before I can answer, and I move faster, hoping I can catch her in time to respond in person, but when I walk into the room, Ruby is already gone.
I plug my phone in to charge, then shower and change, and I resent every second it takes me. I know Ruby isn’t going anywhere, but I want to tell her I’m not either. Now or ever.
People tease me about my legendary patience, but I don’t have a shred of it for anything standing in the way of me getting to her. I have never looked forward this much to telling someone I was dead wrong.
I spend a tortuous minute looking for my conference badge, but when I find it, my phone has charged to twenty percent. I text to let her know I’m on the way as I’m literally walking out the door.
She answers when I’m almost to the lobby.
Not missing anything. Housekeeping stuff.
Be there soon
Okay
But
Coffee? ??
I step out of the elevator and size up the line in the lobby’s express café.
Incoming but bit of a line
Seriously, not missing anything
Almost over
Meet at the first class?
Film programming, 370A, 10:00
yes
An excruciating fifteen minutes later, I have her coffee, and another five after that, I’m in the conference center. It’s massive, but there are still far fewer people than I expect. Usually, there’s lots of mingling and chatter between classes.
I check the large floor map to find the room, but my confusion grows as I head to the third floor and down the correct hall.
I’m almost fifteen minutes early for the first breakout, but there are only a few people standing around or making phone calls.
This has the low traffic vibe you only see when classes are in session.
I pass a meeting room on the right, its door open. The seats are full, the breakout obviously already in session. I check the information card beside the door, listing the title of the class and a 9:45 AM start time.
Ruby gave me the wrong time. So much for trying to clear the air before class begins.
I find the correct room, check the class title, and open the door carefully so I don’t disrupt the presenter.
Except when I step inside, I freeze. The door opens into the back of a room set up for a class, the screen down, the projector waiting for input.
But it’s empty except for a woman I don’t know.
She points to a chair on the front row. “Welcome, Charlie. Go ahead and take your seat, and we’ll start with a short video. ”
She opens a MacBook I recognize as Ruby’s, and although none of this makes sense to me, I know a Ruby trap when I see one.
Without a word, I sit down and wait.