Chapter 24 Grant
The next morning, I woke up shortly before Ruby. I intended to move into the shower as noiselessly as possible, but she stirred and yawned the second I rose from the bed.
“Hey.”
“Good morning, gorgeous,” I replied.
She yawned again. “What time is it?”
“Nine o’clock. How do you feel?”
“So much better, honestly. Like I wasn’t sick at all yesterday.”
“You always feel better in the morning and then weaker in the evening.”
She giggled, pulling the sheet up to her chest. “I want to go into the restaurant today.”
My eyes bulged. “You’re not going anywhere.”
I lowered myself back onto the mattress and took her face in my hands. “Ruby, you should take the day off and recover.”
“I already missed yesterday.”
“You said Sherry kept texting you that she’s got everything under control.”
“I know. But I’d still like to go in, even for just a few hours.”
My instinct was to pin her to this bed and not let her leave it. But as a business owner, I understood her urge .
“Fine, but only for lunch.” I got back up to my feet.
She laughed, getting out of bed— naked . “We’re negotiating?”
“Yes. Clearly, you won’t take care of yourself, so I have to do it.”
“But I feel fine.”
“I’ll drop you off at the restaurant, and then I’ll pick you up once you’re done and bring you back here.”
She grinned. “Hmm. You changed your tune pretty easily.”
I brushed my lips against her forehead. “I’m learning to choose my battles.” Then I moved my hands farther down to her ass.
“This is you choosing a battle?”
“Babe, you’re naked and fucking gorgeous in front of me. I can’t do better than this.”
“But you’re not even trying.”
“It’s true. I’m not.” I shifted one hand forward, brushing her pussy, pressing my fingers slightly against her clit.
She gasped. “Grant, you’re not playing fair.”
I looked down at her. “There’s more of this if we stay in.”
“Now you’re blackmailing me with getting down and dirty.”
“I’m just laying out the alternatives.”
She took a deep breath and stepped sideways. “You can’t hijack my plan, mister. Not even with sexy time.”
I chuckled. “All right, then we’d better get going.”
* * *
After dropping Ruby at the restaurant, I decided to do something I hadn’t done in a while: Work on a Saturday.
Then I added something else to that list: I texted my brothers that I wanted to schedule a business call.
Grant: I want to catch up on business today. Nothing too long, maybe a 40-minute call.
Cameron answered first in our group text .
Cameron: I’m up for a business talk if it’s by Heath’s pool.
Heath replied immediately after.
Heath: I was just going to suggest that too. Come over here today, whenever. Evie and I don’t have plans, and we can talk shop too. Grant can tell us why he bailed yesterday.
Heath: By the way, Grant, Mom is going to call you.
Grant: Why?
Cameron: I told on you, of course.
I laughed.
Grant: Christ. Since when do you gossip like that?
Cameron: Me? Always. Don’t you know me, brother? I tell Mom everything.
He did. As a kid, I’d been shocked by how fast Cameron got attached to Sybil. He didn’t fear at all that they might change their mind about the adoption.
I spent my first two years in their house expecting them to take us back to the group home. But then I relaxed and actually enjoyed my last year in their home before I started college.
Grant: I’m heading to your house now.
Cameron: I’ll be there as soon as possible.
Sybil called before I even managed to finish getting dressed. I fastened my belt with one hand, keeping my phone between my ear and shoulder.
“Hey, Sybil. ”
“Good morning, darling,” she said. “How are you doing?”
“Fine. Had a productive week in Seattle.”
I headed down the stairs, grabbing my car keys and going into my garage.
“I heard you returned earlier. But Cameron said you didn’t go to the office. Darling boy, are you sick?”
“No. I would’ve told Cameron if I was.”
“Would you, though? You keep bad news to yourself.”
Sybil knew me well.
Climbing into my car, I put the phone on speaker as I drove off.
“I’m perfectly fine,” I said, then decided to tell her what was really going on. “Ruby got sick, and I came back earlier to check on her.”
She was completely silent.
“Sybil?” I prodded, looking at the phone. “Did the connection drop?”
“I’m here, I’m here. Umm... how is she feeling?”
“She’s back on her feet and at the restaurant today.”
“Does she need anything? Any medicine? Food?”
“She’s well taken care of.”
She chuckled. “Sorry about all the questions. I wasn’t expecting this, that’s all. I’m so very happy for you, Grant.”
“Thanks.”
“When I saw you two at the bowling alley, I figured something big was going on. But I didn’t want to say anything, just in case I was way out of line. I hope you find exactly what Thomas and I have had all these years.”
I blinked as I turned left. I’d never thought about my life in relation to theirs. I remembered Daphne saying that Ruby wanted exactly what her parents had. Did everyone use their parents as a point of reference?
“Thanks, Sybil.” What else could I say? I knew she had my very best interest at heart, and I had a lot of affection for her. “You and Thomas doing okay? ”
“Yes. We’re meeting our friends for a game of golf this weekend. I must say, the more time I spend in retirement, the more I enjoy it.”
“That’s good to hear.”
That was actually fucking fantastic to hear.
It hadn’t always been the case. In the beginning, they were miserable.
My brothers and I thought about setting up a business for the both of them—something they could run without too much stress—just to give them something to do.
They’d worked very hard their whole lives. They should be enjoying this time.
Thomas would begin the new security gig next week. We’d lined up two preschools for him to start with. It was best if he began slow and he could call the shots and hours he wanted.
“What are you doing today?” she asked.
“I’m heading over to Heath’s. We need to catch up on work. Then I’ll check on Ruby again. Depending on how she’s doing, we’ll see how it goes from there.”
She’d been adamant that she was perfectly healthy, but that wasn’t how illnesses worked. The body needed rest.
“It’s so good that you’re finally taking life one day at a time instead of trying to schedule everything in.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t overschedule things.”
“Grant, you know you do,” she admonished. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. But my mother’s intuition tells me that you’re happier now.”
“I am,” I replied. There was absolutely no doubt about that. And it was because of Ruby.
“See? That makes me happy. I’ll let you go, son. Have a great day.”
“You too.”
As I turned onto Heath’s street, I stopped at Evie’s favorite breakfast place to grab waffles. Why not spoil her a bit while I was here?
I got out of the car and walked to the door while texting my brother to let him know that I was going to be a bit late.
Thankfully, there was no line at the take-out counter.
I bought five portions—knowing my brothers, they would dig in as well, and I wanted to make sure there were plenty left for Evie.
As I went back to the car, I texted Ruby.
Grant: How are you feeling?
Ruby: I’m in perfect shape. Ready for rush hour. I’ll stay until midnight, as usual.
Grant: Damn it, woman. What part of “take it easy” don’t you understand?
Ruby: Oh, I took it easy yesterday, but no rest for the wicked. I have to make up for it today.
I shook my head.
Grant: Don’t make plans for the evening. As soon as your lunch rush is over, I’m picking you up.
Ruby: Isn’t there a question mark anywhere in there?
Grant: Absolutely not. You need to take it easy and won’t, so I’m going to make sure you do.
I had to look after her. It was my pleasure and prerogative.
I parked the car in front of Heath’s house. After punching in the code at the front gate, I jogged up the stairs.
The main door swung open before I even reached it. Evie grinned. “Uncle Grant! Oh, what are you bringing?”
“Waffles.”
She jumped up and down in joy. “Yay!” Then she looked toward the gate.
“Are you expecting anyone else?” I asked.
“Is Ruby with you?”
“No. ”
“Oh.” She pouted. “I was so sure she was coming with you.”
I narrowed my eyes as we both walked into the house. “Why?”
“Because Uncle Cameron said something like ‘Ruby’s got him by the balls.’”
No one in this family had a filter.
Evie and I went straight out to the pool. Cameron and Heath were already there, each with a drink in hand.
“What the hell?” I asked as I set the bag with the waffles on the table behind the lounge chairs. “You’re drinking? We’re supposed to talk shop.”
“Let’s start now. We just started drinking, so our neurons will still be working a while,” Cameron said.
“Dad, can I go inside and watch cartoons?” Evie asked.
Heath hesitated for a split second, then said, “Sure, but an hour. That’s your allotted time for the day.”
Evie grabbed a waffle from the bag before heading back inside the house. My brothers got one each.
I looked straight at Cameron and said matter-of-factly, “Your niece seemed to think I might be coming with Ruby today because she overheard you saying that Ruby’s got me by the balls.”
Cameron choked on his waffle, but I didn’t feel guilty in the slightest. He deserved it. “I didn’t realize she was listening.”
“Clearly! But more importantly, why would you think that?”
“Dude, you missed work, you went away for a weekend—all signs pointing to you finally embracing that whole ... What’s the saying? Ball and chain,” Cameron said.
I stared at Heath. “Are you making any effort at all to contain Cameron? At least around your daughter?”
He shrugged. “Containing our brother has never worked. Why bother?”
He had a fair point.
“So tell us, how is Ruby?” Heath asked.
I shook my head. “I’m not here to talk about her. ”