Chapter 29
One month later Girls' Wednesday
Ruby stares at the document in her hands, unable to contain a smile of satisfaction that spreads across her face.
It's the new lease for The Early Bayou, except now, the signature below the tenant's name belongs to Odette Bergeron.
After so many months of stress and thinking they would lose the bar, they can finally breathe easy, knowing their business is safe.
"You don't know what a relief this is. That issue was keeping me up at night," Ellie says, sitting across from her in the bar's backyard with a beer in hand.
It's girls' Wednesday, and although they signed the contract yesterday, they decided to wait to celebrate during their favorite time of the week, something they aren't willing to give up, even though their relationship has changed.
Now, the only difference is that instead of being two friends who take this moment to talk about their lives, they're a couple.
"Me too," Ruby admits, tucking the contract back into the envelope as if it were treasure. "Odette saved our business."
"We need to build that woman a monument," Ellie says. "She saved us and your mom."
Ruby raises her beer and smiles at Ellie with a different kind of tenderness.
In this last month, they've not only managed to save the bar, but their relationship has gradually solidified in such a simple and natural way that neither of them could have ever imagined.
As the days pass, Ruby has stopped fearing that Ellie might not feel completely comfortable, and Ellie continues wanting to bang her head against the wall for having been so blind for so many years.
"Hey, I wanted to mention something to you," Ruby says, changing the subject.
Her expression becomes so serious when she says it that Ellie sits up straight in her chair.
"What's wrong?" she asks, alarmed.
"Remember when I told you that once we resolved the bar situation, I'd go do Route 66?" Ruby asks, beginning to pick at the label on her beer bottle.
Ellie feels something ice-cold pass through her chest. With everything that's happened between them in these last weeks, she had completely forgotten that Ruby had planned to take that trip.
"Yes, I remember," Ellie responds, swallowing to try to loosen the knot in her throat.
"Well, I think now would be a good time to start planning it," Ruby continues.
"Yes, of course," Ellie says, trying to keep her voice from revealing the trembling she feels inside. "It's always been your dream. Go ahead, I'll take care of the bar without any problem until you return."
Ruby observes Ellie's expression and has to hold back laughter. No matter how hard she tries, Ellie is incapable of hiding her frustration or what Ruby perceives as disappointment and sadness.
"What if I don't go alone?" Ruby asks, leaning forward a bit.
"Excuse me?" Ellie furrows her brow, confused, as the first thing that pops into her head is the image of that girl Ruby was kissing in front of the bar.
"Instead of going by myself, we could go together. I'd love for us to do it together," Ruby clarifies.
Ellie's eyes widen so much that if they were spotlights, they could illuminate the entire city.
"Do you really want me to go with you?" Ellie asks, trying to make sure. "I don't want you to suggest it out of obligation. Just because our relationship has changed doesn't mean you have to invite me."
Ruby arches an eyebrow.
"I'm not suggesting it for that reason. I'd never do that.
I'm asking because you were the one who asked to come with me years ago when I first talked about the idea.
Although I kept postponing it, I always dreamed we would do it together.
The only reason I decided to do it alone was because I needed to put distance between us to accept that nothing would ever happen between you and me.
But now those circumstances have changed.
There's no reason why I wouldn't want to take that trip with you. "
Ruby extends her hand across the table, seeking Ellie's, but Ellie can't contain herself anymore and instead of taking her hand, she jumps up, sits on Ruby's lap, and kisses her with such force that they almost fall off the chair.
Ruby laughs against her mouth while Ellie kisses her as if she hasn't done so in years.
"Should I take that as a yes?" Ruby whispers against her mouth when Ellie pulls away just an inch to catch her breath.
"You bet," Ellie responds, kissing her again while her hands, desperate to touch Ruby's skin, start slipping under her shirt.
Ruby shivers under her caresses but also feels panic when she notices Ellie has no intention of stopping there. Not that she's complaining about Ellie's more than demonstrated sexual appetite, but Ruby feels exhausted, and tonight she wants to continue enjoying her company with clothes on.
"Hey, relax," Ruby says with an amused expression, gently removing Ellie's hands from her body. "We had sex this morning. Give me a break, please."
Ellie laughs, rests her forehead against Ruby's, and then gives her a kiss on the cheek before getting up to return to her chair.
"You're right, sorry," she apologizes with burning cheeks. "Lately, I'm worse than a teenager who just discovered sex."
"Well, actually, it would be fair to say you just discovered sex with women," Ruby says. "It's normal that you want more," she jokes playfully, "but you need to give me a little breather or you'll end up killing me."
Ellie smiles again, and Ruby gets up to grab two more beers.
"How's your mom?" Ruby asks as soon as she returns. "Is she still asking you about that supposed friend of yours?"
Ellie's eyes fly open.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asks.
"Oh my God, I almost forgot to tell you," Ellie says, surprised by her oversight, though she can't really beat herself up too much because when she's with Ruby, it's hard to think about anything other than biting her cotton-soft lips.
"Tell me what?"
"I told my mom we're together, yesterday, when I went to have breakfast with her."
Ruby's mouth drops open as if her jaw has become too heavy.
"Seriously? How could you forget something like that?" she asks, astonished. "How did she take it?"
"Better than I expected, honestly. I didn't tell you yesterday because I wanted to do it tonight, taking advantage of our quiet time," Ellie responds, leaning back in her chair as she remembers the conversation.
Flashback "So, tell me, how are things going with Rob?" Margaret asks, picking up her coffee cup. "Have you told him how you feel yet?"
Ellie puts her fork down on her plate and looks at her mother. She can't take it anymore. The lies are piling up, and it's becoming harder to make up answers about a non-existent Rob. Besides, she wants to be able to talk to her about Ruby, the woman who makes her eyes shine.
"Mom, I need to tell you something," Ellie says, taking a deep breath. "Rob isn't a guy."
Margaret puts down her cup and looks at her daughter with a furrowed brow.
"What do you mean he's not a guy?"
"It's Ruby, Mom. Rob is Ruby. I made up that story because I didn't know how to tell you that I realized I'm in love with my best friend."
Margaret picks up a paper napkin, but she's so thrown off that she doesn't know whether to wipe herself with it or stuff it in her mouth and chew it.
"Ruby? Ruby Hebert?" she asks, as if her daughter were best friends with every Ruby in the world.
"Yes, Mom. Ruby. We're together, I mean, I'm dating her as a couple."
The silence that follows her confession is so long that Ellie begins to wonder if her mother has frozen in her chair.
"Just to be clear, this isn't a joke, right?" Margaret asks, though her daughter's seriousness and the blush on her cheeks have made it clear from the beginning that what she's saying is true.
"No, Mom, it's not a joke," Ellie confirms.
"Well," Margaret says, "in that case, I'll have to get used to the fact that my daughter now prefers... clams?" she asks, and this time she's the one blushing.
Ellie first looks at her open-mouthed, but then bursts into laughter.
"Yes, clams works. Aren't you going to say anything else?" Ellie asks.
"What do you want me to say? Honestly, it doesn't surprise me that much. I've always thought that you and Ruby have an, let's say, intense friendship. What matters to me is that you're happy, and if it's with Ruby, so be it."
"And that was it," Ellie finishes explaining. "She didn't throw a party, but she took it pretty well."
Ruby laughs, perfectly imagining the scene.
"Your mother never ceases to amaze me. I thought she would faint or something. I never imagined she saw our friendship as suspicious."
"Me neither. She never said anything to me. But anyway, let's get to what's important. When do you want to start planning the trip?" Ellie asks.
"We could start next week. The first thing will be to find an RV that's comfortable enough for a trip of this caliber. You know, a bit spacious and all that."
"Sounds good to me. We should also research the safest places to spend the night," Ellie nods and begins listing all the things they think they should bring.
Ruby listens while watching her and smiles. Right now, there's nothing in the world she wants more than to take that trip with Ellie.