Chapter Twenty
Garett
I scroll through my phone, but there’s little there to keep me entertained. In the past, it was full of phone numbers and messages from women who sent texts and photos that made even me blush. I don’t miss that, and I think a certain beautiful blonde with a huge heart, quick wit, and perfect lips is the reason.
I tap the back of the phone and click the case until the nurse at her desk glares at me.
Something claws at my insides. When Ruby comforted her sister, it stirred up something that Clive and Flora had brought to my life, before he destroyed everything. I squeeze my hands like I’m squeezing dough. I know the feeling, but I’m scared to voice it. I can’t forget Ruby’s pale face as her sister wept, her panicked verbal diarrhoea in the van on the way to the hospital, and the need to fix everything, including entering this competition. It all bunches together to remind me that I miss having a family.
It’s stupid because I didn’t grow up with much of a family. Mine didn’t care about me, whether I was attempting my best in school or trying out hobbies. Cooking was originally an outlet and a way to keep myself fed, but my passion transformed into an obsession for success. I had to show them I wouldn’t be a failure. And then I found Clive, who was like a brother to me until he ruined my life.
A grain of want is buried in my belly, telling me to find that family. As much as I should be considering my future and moving to a kitchen I can run, the family I’ve found at Cloud makes it harder to go.
But at the end of the year, I need to leave this place if I’m ever to find the success I’ve chased all these years.
A message flashes on my screen from Kath as if she heard my thoughts.
Kath: Thank you for helping Ruby with the competition. You two make a good team.
Me: No worries. It’s nothing big.
The smile creeping onto my lips reminds me that this family thing isn’t just the school and having someone like Kath caring about me. There’s something special in Ruby, too, and with her, I’m tasting something I didn’t know I wanted.
“What are you smiling about?” My face heats as I lock eyes with Ruby. She’s all curves and curiosity as she stares at me. She’s a force of nature that’s too attractive for her own—and my own—good.
“Nothing, really. I was looking at old videos of Cookie.” The lie slips out of my mouth. I can’t tell her about my confusion about this cookery school without sharing my past, and I can’t let her in because she’ll hurt me, too. Everyone does.
She sits in the soft chair beside me and looks over my shoulder. “Show me.”
Another message appears from Kath as I fumble through the old videos on my phone.
Kath: We’re lucky to have you.
“Are you having a secret affair with Kath?” Ruby asks as I swipe the message away. “I can imagine all the women falling at your feet. You’re very good at seduction.”
I remember the kiss we nearly had. For her, it was a fuck you to her ex-boyfriend, but I’ll be thinking about it for weeks. But work is work, and after what happened with Clive, I need to be cautious. This isn’t my future.
“As you must remember from the day we met, the older ladies can’t get enough of me,” I reply as I find a good video of Cookie. It’s from his one-year birthday celebration that Flora and I gave him. He’s barrelling around Clive’s house, chasing the balloons I blew up for him. Ruby laughs as he barks and jumps at the balloons, pushing them higher. He jumps on sofas and bounces around like he’s consumed more sugar than a five-year-old with their face in a chocolate birthday cake.
Suddenly, Clive appears in the background, his face red and his body shaking. The video comes to a quick stop, but I remember vividly how he snapped at Flora and me for letting Cookie jump on his overpriced furniture. Everything was a status symbol for him. We got carried away, but Clive and I fought that day because he shouted at Cookie until the dog shook. Cookie was scared of Clive hitting him and reminding him of his suffering at the puppy farm. Our friendship had cracks before then, but I refused to see them.
“Is everything okay?” Ruby’s hand rests on my arm as I stare at the screen, reliving parts of the past I’ve avoided. “Is it because you’re missing Cookie? I’m sure Flora would bring him around again if you ask.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I try to distract her from more questions with a smile as I shake my head. I want to tell her the truth about who Clive really is. I need to talk about him and process everything that’s happened, but I can’t ruin her passion for his competition. Instead, I do what I always do and change the subject, hoping everything will improve.
“Not right now. You’ve got enough going on. Is your sister okay?”
“Yeah. She misses Kalen. The nurse told me that the specialist is still three hours away, so they’ll keep Amber in for rest and discharge her when the specialist arrives, which might be around seven in the morning.”
I check my phone. It’s already one.
“So you head off. I’ll wait for her to be discharged and probably get us a taxi back.”
“I can stay,” I say with a shrug, even though I’m adamant I will stay and ensure they’re both okay.
I wait for an argument, but none comes.
“Okay. Thanks. You’ll have to tell Kath you’ll meet her another night so she can rock your world,” she replies with a wink. The corners of my mouth turn up. Her brand of teasing is as addictive as chocolate fudge cake.
The waiting room sofa isn’t the most comfortable, but the lack of arms means we can slide closer. I’m such an arsehole that I’m sitting in a hospital, wishing to get closer to Ruby, when her sister sleeps in a nearby hospital bed. The scent of strawberries and passion fruit has a Pied Piper effect on me.
“You can rest your head against my chest if you want,” I say, as if I couldn’t care less either way. Yep, I’m the biggest arsehole.
“Thank you.” She pushes her boots off with the heels of her feet. They bang on the floor, drawing a cluck from the nurse at the desk. Ruby tucks her feet beneath her curvy bum. I open my arm so she can get closer, and she rests her head against my chest. My hand presses against her back to hold her steady, but the whole time, I can’t get her fruity scent out of my mind.
“You’re cosy and warm,” she murmurs in a sleepy voice that makes my pulse climb. She’s so sexy in this position but cute as hell, too.
I bite the inside of my mouth. Be a proper friend, Garett, for fucks sake. You’re a pillow to her.
“And thanks for earlier,” she says in a tired, sultry voice as she scoots closer. Her hand holds my hip as she snuggles against me. I count my breaths in and out to slow my heart rate.
“Earlier?” I ask before adding a forced sigh. There’s no chance I’m going to sleep with her on my chest.
“With Neil. My ex-boyfriend.”
“Oh yeah. No worries. He’s an ass.”
She chuckles, and it’s like a vibration against my heart. Her laughter is so damn adorable. “He used to be my world, but he wasn’t good enough to be my anything. You know?”
“Yeah.” Although I don’t. I’ve never had a partner, let alone one who I’d say is my world. My voice is possessed by a gruff beast when I say, “He was wrong about a lot of things, by the way. You’re sexy as hell. I’m certain he said that because he can’t deal with the fact that he lost someone as incredible as you.”
She’s silent. Hopefully, it’s because she’s asleep and not because I offended her. I hold my breath. I shouldn’t have said she was sexy. This was a heart-to-heart, not me cracking on.
“I haven’t felt sexy for a long time, and I don’t consider myself anything close to incredible, more like painfully average. So thanks. I promise I won’t tell Kath, though.”
I hide my grin. “You said before that he cheated. You don’t have to tell me, especially if you need to sleep.”
I want to keep chatting to her all night.
“Yeah, that’s why I’m back home and my business is over.” I can relate to it, but this isn’t about me. “The relationship was dead a long time ago. We were two eighteen-year-olds who got caught up in sex.” I grit my teeth. I shouldn’t be jealous of some prick who probably couldn’t even make a cheese toastie. “But also in having someone for you that cares about you. I moved to where he went to university and gave up my dreams, which I was happy to do because I loved him.”
“And you’re not happy about that now?”
“It was that obvious?”
“I’ve had my regrets on past decisions.” I kick myself for making her struggles about my life.
“I regret leaving my family and missing out on a lot, including the last years of my grandparents’ life. I haven’t spoken to my parents since I returned. I regret staying so long in a deteriorating relationship with Neil when I no longer loved him. We grew up, and what should have been our first relationship before learning about ourselves and moving on became this daily drudgery of existence.”
“Shit.”
Her laugh is empty. “It was. I stayed to save face. I didn’t want to be proved wrong. Not that my parents are like that, but I guess my pride kept me there.”
Maybe that was some of what happened between me and Clive. I didn’t want all I’d put into the business to be a mistake.
“And now you’re back.”
“Yeah. I came home because Amber needed me and because I caught Neil screwing my business partner on my countertop. They smashed my favourite bowl, too.”
“The bowl-smashing bastards.”
She looks at me, smiling, but it’s a sleepy smile that makes my heart echo with her name.
“Exactly.” She drops her head against my chest again. “But catching them cheating was the best thing that could’ve happened. I’m glad I can be here for Amber, and I’m enjoying running the cookery school.”
“I presume that’s because you get to work with me. I am awesome.”
She chuckles against my chest, and it takes all my control not to push it out with pride. “Obviously that.”
“So now what?” I can’t get my hopes up that she’ll stay. I have no intention of still working there in a few months, but my breath catches in my mouth.
“I’ll stay in the area for as long as I can. My family and the cookery school are here.” I bite my lip to stop my grin. “And there’s Clive’s competition, too. If I can win that, I get to stay. I’ll help at the cookery school and maybe one day start my own business again, but this time, it will just be me.”
My heart drops, and I close my eyes. Of course. The competition. The one thing that gives her hope is the same thing that destroys mine.
“Yeah, cool. We’ll do everything we can to get you that win,” I reply, stumbling over my words.
“Team Grumpy Sunshine.” I swear I can feel her smile against my chest.
She sighs softly, and eventually, she stills. Her silence turns to soft snores. As my eyes flutter closed, I pray for sleep so I can stop overthinking.
◆◆◆
The vibration in my pocket wakes me. I struggle to open my eyes. Where the hell am I? The scent of strawberries fills me as a snoring, warm Ruby cuddles me tight. I hum my joy. Ruby is the reminder that I’ve missed out on something important for years. With one hand, I extract my vibrating phone from my pocket while holding her close. Her curves are soft against me, and I don’t know if the need to kiss her can outweigh the one to keep her safe.
She stirs slightly at my jostling, and I freeze while looking at my phone screen. It’s Flora. My watch reads six thirty in the morning. Since she graduated in the summer, Flora usually stays out until late, presumably partying, although I’ve never asked, and then sleeps for most of the day.
“Flora?” I whisper with a croak. Ruby continues to sleep. The hospital is busier, with staff moving around the waiting room and corridors. I can’t believe we slept so soundly together on this poorly engineered sofa. “What are you doing up?”
My eyes strain against the lights that are slowly coming on.
“I have news,” Flora exclaims as if the early hour means nothing to her. “And it’s the best news.”
“Can you say it a little quieter?” Ruby isn’t snoring anymore, but her eyes are closed.
“Where are you? It doesn’t matter. Me and Brine—”
“Who is Brine?”
“The law guy from university.” What parent looks at a baby and thinks “Brine”? They must be fish fans. “We’ve worked on this all night… well, when we weren’t doing other stuff.”
“I don’t want to know about my pseudo–baby sister doing anything besides studying hard.”
“Oh, it was hard.”
“Flora,” I hiss as she laughs. I bloody love that girl and her dodgy sense of humour. Her brother doesn’t deserve her.
“You know me. I’m not the kind of woman that men want in that way.” I bite my tongue. Any guy would be lucky to have her, but I don’t think me saying that will help. “Anyway, Brine’s read the contract in detail. The only reference to a dog is that when one is purchased for the restaurant, it’s legally owned by the person who owns the restaurant. Except you didn’t purchase Cookie. You got him from a rescue centre, and although you gave them money, it was a donation. It wasn’t payment of an invoice. You didn’t purchase him, so there’s a loophole.”
I gasp, and the sudden blast of emotion overwhelms me, leaving me choked. “Are you serious?” I whisper.
“You can have your baby back, Garett. We need to work out how to get him away from Shit Pants.” This is her nickname for Clive when she’s pissed off with him because he once got so drunk that he shit his pants. “But once we do, Cookie is coming home.”
My lower lip trembles, and I close my eyes. Tears collect in my eyelashes. “Your friend Brine is a genius. But how can we bring Cookie home without being stopped? I want him with me as soon as possible, but if he stays at mine, Shit Pants will find him and take him.”
“I need time to work it out, but we can do it.”
“I can help, too,” Ruby murmurs, and I nearly drop her.
“Is that Ruby? What are you doing with her at this hour? Are you returning to your bad boy ways?”
I fumble my response as Ruby looks up at me, smiling. She grabs my phone and tells Flora, “He was helping me with something.”
“I bet he was,” Flora jokes, and my face heats as Ruby laughs.
“Get back to Brine and let me devise a plan,” Ruby replies, proving she heard enough. “I might have to get some details out of him, but I’m certain that Garett needs Cookie. I’ve never believed anything more.”
“Yes, Ruby,” Flora shouts down the phone. “Catch you both later.”
The phone goes dead, and I prepare for questions, but instead, Ruby hands me back my phone and wipes my forgotten tears away from my eyes. “You should have told me someone took Cookie from you and that’s why you didn’t have him. We’ll get him back and keep him somewhere safe so no one can take him from you again. I promise, Garett. Now tell me everything.”
My heart bottoms out. Oh fuck. This woman has found the way to my heart, and there’s nothing I can do about it except hide the fact forever. Now, I need to tell her everything while avoiding every mention of Clive. I can’t ruin this competition for her.
“And who the hell calls their child Brine? Were they really into fishing?” she mumbles to herself.
And there goes another brick in my barrier wall. I’m falling hard.