Chapter 11 Ruby
On Saturday, I woke up with a giant smile.
I sang during my morning routine while replaying the previous night in my mind.
The day was warm, and I dropped by the farmers market before heading to my parents’ house.
They lived in a bungalow about ten blocks away from me.
I loved our neighborhood. I’d grown up here, just not in the same house where my parents lived right now.
After my brother and I left home, they decided to move to a smaller house, but they wanted to stay in the area.
“Good morning. I brought goodies,” I said, strolling in. The front door opened right into the kitchen. I did this every second Saturday, and they loved my visits.
“Oh, thanks, honey,” Mom said as she took the bags and started to unload them.
Dad walked up to us, looking hungrily at the paper bags.
“My girl!” He gave me a bear hug. It didn’t matter how old I was, I would always like to be cuddled by my dad. He made me feel safe and happy and loved.
“I found some fresh berries.”
“Local? Or were they brought in from somewhere?”
“Dad, I didn’t ask. ”
“I’m telling you, these days they don’t farm any of it. They buy it in bulk from who knows where, I’m sure of it.”
Mom and I exchanged a glance. After retiring, Dad clearly had too much time on his hands and started coming up with all sorts of conspiracy theories.
Along with the berries, I’d brought them a few types of jams and Mom’s favorite honey mixed with coconut.
“Oh, you found it,” she exclaimed, clutching it to her chest.
“Yes. I asked the vendor specifically to bring some for you. She says it’s not very popular.”
“I wonder why. I love it. It’s like dessert. And I trick myself by saying, ‘Oh, it’s honey. It’s natural. It can’t be that bad.’”
Dad went back to the living room and turned on the TV, leaving us to chat in the kitchen.
“How are things at the restaurant?” Mom asked me as she put a waffle in front of me.
I sat in one of the chairs at their small kitchen island, scarfing it down. She refilled my plate immediately. I felt like a kid again whenever I was here. As far as I was concerned, calories didn’t count in my parents’ house.
“Completely booked. I’m happy.”
“Are you going to host Daphne’s party after all?”
“Oh, yes, yes. That’s all taken care of.”
“That man, what was his name?”
“Grant.”
She raised a brow. “Didn’t give you any more troubles?”
“No, he just wants to make sure he does the job well.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, looking over my shoulder. Dad was listening to the news. He wouldn’t hear a lick of what I said.
“I like him,” I whispered to Mom.
“Grant?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
She gave me a huge smile. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Neither did I. We went on a date, and it was fun. I feel so strange around him. ”
Her smile faltered. “Strange isn’t good.”
“I meant it in a positive way. He keeps me on my toes, and I have all these butterflies whenever we’re together. But he also makes me feel safe, which might sound boring, but it’s a wonderful thing.”
“That’s exactly how I felt with your dad. Truly. I can remember the butterflies so well. But I also felt like I could be myself around him.”
“Exactly!”
“Sweetheart, I’m so happy for you,” she gushed.
Oh, her expression was a tad too hopeful. She was already hearing wedding bells.
“But it’s not like that. We’re just...” I shrugged. “I don’t even know.”
“Honey, the best things in life happen when you don’t have big expectations. That way, you don’t put pressure on yourself.” She touched my arm and looked at my empty plate. “Want another waffle?”
“Why not? They always make life better.”
As Mom filled my plate, the front door opened, and Mateo came in.
“Good morning,” I greeted him. He was holding two huge paper bags as well.
“Hey, sis. Figured you’d be here.”
He opened the cupboard doors above the fridge and filled them with a lot of goodies.
We’d worked out a system a while ago. Our parents were now on a strict budget with their pensions and had to watch their spending.
We always bought them food and things like batteries, light bulbs, and other items they needed around the house.
“So, what’s new in your life?” my brother asked once he’d finished stocking everything.
“Our girl has met someone.”
Oh no. I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Mom not to tell my brother or my dad .
He turned to me. “Do I know him?”
“Shh.” I shushed him so Dad wouldn’t hear. “Keep your voice down.” Then I turned to Mom and gave her an exasperated look.
She frowned. “Oh, goodness, I didn’t think you might want to keep it secret.”
“I’m your brother. Why would you not tell me?” Mateo cut in.
I sighed. “Because you’re a bit intrusive.”
He jerked his head back like I’d offended him deeply.
I cleared my throat. “Right. Why don’t you tell me how you’ve been doing? You’re the one who’s complaining we don’t get to catch up.”
Once my dad heard Mateo’s voice, he joined us too.
“Hey, son.”
They shook hands. When my brother was twelve, the hugs ended. He proclaimed that it wasn’t manly, and they hadn’t done it ever since.
Luckily, Mateo didn’t bring up my dating life again. We all stood around the tiny kitchen island for over an hour, chatting. And then I left so I could make it in time for the lunch crowd at the restaurant.
I looked at my phone. I had just enough time to drop my purchases at home before heading to The Cozy Place. I noticed a few messages from Grant, too, and I immediately felt tingles in my belly.
Grant: Last night was amazing. I want us to do it again soon.
Grant: When do you have time?
Obviously, evenings were probably best for him, but I wasn’t quite ready to miss out on dinner service again.
Ruby: Any chance you can take mornings off ?
Grant: Unfortunately, not.
Well, shucks.
He texted me again, and my stomach fell.
Grant: My calendar is booked this week. I didn’t check it before messaging you. And tomorrow I’ve got plans with my family.
Wow. I wasn’t just disappointed—I was sad that I wasn’t going to see him this week. I’d only gone out with this guy once—twice if you counted our first walk to my house. It was strange to feel this way already.
Ruby: No problem. Just get in touch when you have time.
Grant called me as I arrived at my house.
“You think I’d go a whole week without getting to see you at all?” he asked playfully.
I smiled for no reason. “I honestly wouldn’t mind.”
“I would,” he replied in a deep, sexy baritone.
“Why?”
“I enjoyed last night.”
That didn’t answer my question, but damn, was that good to hear or what?
“But the flaw in my plan was that you can’t talk during a movie.”
“Right,” I teased. “So that’s the problem, not enough talking? Or not enough kissing?”
He laughed. “Believe it or not, I actually do mean talking.”
“I see.”
“Let’s meet Saturday morning. I can do mornings on weekends.”
Wow, the way he talked sounded as if he meant it like a regular thing.
No, he doesn’t, Ruby. He’s just stating a fact .
“Of course.”
A tiny part of me hoped that he might want to blow off some meeting for me, but that really wasn’t fair to him.
“Do you always have such a tight-packed schedule?” I asked.
“Yes. It’s the way I like things. But I slow down on weekends. What did you do this morning?” he asked as I arranged my shopping in the fridge.
“I went by my parents’. Stuffed the cupboards with enough food for half the week, and my brother brought the rest. We do that every other Saturday.”
“You look out for them.”
“Of course. I like spending time with them, catching up on things. I’m more relaxed on weekends, even though I still go to the restaurant. I guess that’s just force of habit. I can decompress better on weekends,” I explained.
“That’s true for me as well.”
“What did you do?”
“Laps in the pool. I always do that in the morning.”
“Every morning? You have an indoor pool?”
“It’s outside. But the water is heated.”
“Wow, that’s so smart.”
“It’s one of my favorite features of the house. I think you’ll like it too.”
“Huh. Already trying to lure me over?”
He chuckled. “You said you like to be in warm water and look at trees. My house isn’t in the forest, but it’s got a view you’ll enjoy. Actually, just a second.”
My phone beeped, and I looked down and gasped. “Wow, it’s stunning.”
But that didn’t even come close to describing it. I could clearly see the hardwood floor of his living room interior, plus part of the pool. The view was breathtaking. I spotted a few pine trees—my favorite kind.
“I’d love to have you here sometime.”
My stomach tingled, as did the tips of my fingers and toes .
“I also have a sauna and a steam room,” he continued. “I can spoil you here. It would be good for you to get off your feet.”
A strange warmth overtook my body as I thought about what he said.
Daphne couldn’t be referring to this guy; he was far from being emotionally closed off.
He seemed anything but. True, guys could get creative when they wanted to get laid, but a man like Grant didn’t have to put in too much effort.
Quite frankly, I nearly jumped his bones after our first kiss.
I heard a voice from his phone that faintly said, “Grant, I need to run a few things by you.”
“That’s my assistant,” Grant said.
“At your house?”
Damn it, why did I even ask that?
“She’s on Zoom. Fran actually lives in Maine.”
“Right. No, it’s none of my business. Sorry I asked.”
“I don’t mind. But I have to go. I can’t wait until our next chat, Ruby.”
“Same.”
Only, we didn’t get to chat as much as I thought over the next week.
I had so much work to do. I went into the restaurant every morning because one of our kitchen appliances crapped out, and it would take a whole-ass week to be replaced.
There was a lot of manual work involved in all the food prepping, so I spent my mornings and the downtime between lunch and dinner in the kitchen.
When I got home on Wednesday, I noticed a message from Grant.
Grant: How’s your week so far?
Just like that, I was full of positive energy.
Ruby: We had a mishap in the kitchen, so I’m helping out too. It’s going to be a long week .
Grant: Sorry to hear that. Same here. We’ve got a lot going on.
This man would need some pampering at the end of the week. I was starting to get ideas.
When my phone rang a moment later, I figured it would be Grant—but it was Daphne.
“Hey. I’ve got a few ideas about the party,” she said when I answered.
“Oh, of course.”
“You don’t sound terribly happy to hear from me.”
“I thought someone else was calling.”
“Grant?”
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Okay, spill the beans. How did it go?”
“It was very cute.”
“I’m happy to hear that. But... are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Of course I don’t. But for once, I don’t care, and it’s fun to take things as they come.”
“Ruby, should I remind you about—”
“Nope. You said you wanted to discuss the party, so let’s do that.”
“All right. How much time do you have?”
That made me smile. “For you? All the time in the world.”