Chapter Six #2
Ellie’s eyes grew wide and I wasn’t sure if it was because of that tidbit of gossip or the overly dressed pooch.
And just like that, she and I did our part in activating the Ruby River gossip mill.
Mrs. Knapp was a sweet woman, but she couldn’t keep a secret to save her life.
“Well, now. How lovely. I’ll just have to tell my Victoria you’re off the market now,” she teased.
I gave her a faint smile. Victoria was five years older than me. But that wasn’t the reason we’d never dated. She was nice enough, and we’d chat anytime we ran into each other when she was home visiting her mother, but there wasn’t a spark of any kind for either of us.
“Well, I should get going. I forgot Ringo’s hat for his costume at home. The theme this week is our favorite musician and you know I had to dress him like his namesake.”
“Good luck!” I said knowingly as she smiled and thanked me. With a wave, she said goodbye and turned toward the parking lot.
“Theme for what?” Ellie asked.
Her blue gaze drew me in. This was supposed to be fake, but I couldn’t help but want to wrap my arm around her so that everyone we passed knew she was mine.
“Drew?”
I’d forgotten what she’d even asked. “What?”
Her nose scrunched up. “Ringo. Themed costumes?”
I blinked a few times. Right. “Our new mayor, Everly, is big into fostering town togetherness. She took suggestions, and one group wanted regular get togethers for dog owners. At their first meetup, Billy Johnson and Janie Locke got into a fight about who had the cutest dog, so Glamma had to get involved.”
“Oh, no.” Ellie turned her head, her cheek now resting on my chest as she stifled her laughter. “And what did Glamma do?”
“She said the only way to handle it was to have a dog fashion show and let the other owners vote for the winner. Well, that snowballed and everyone wanted to participate. So every week, anyone can dress up their dog, walk them around the town green, and a small group of judges vote on the winner.”
“And what do they win?”
I chuckled. “Bragging rights.”
Ellie laughed. “No way. That’s it?”
“Yup. You’d be surprised at how big an honor that is.” I chuckled.
“I can see why you like Ruby River so much.” Ellie’s wistful sigh made me wonder what it was like in her town. I could only imagine what it was like at home for her. “What was it like to grow up here?” she asked.
“Small town life is like no other place.” How could I sum up my entire life and how much this town affected the person I’d become?
I turned us to face the street, gestured to the old familiar buildings and gave it a try.
“What I loved most was growing up in a neighborhood that felt like something you’d see on TV.
We knew everyone. Adults, kids, grandparents, and even some of their out-of-town relatives that visited regularly.
It didn’t matter what day of the week it was, there was always someone to play with.
And despite the pain of everyone knowing your business, the second anything bad happens, we have each other’s back. ”
She was quiet for a moment. I followed her gaze to the bookstore down the street and wished I could take her there.
It was currently under renovation, but if Ellie came back to Ruby River, we could make it our first stop.
“That sounds wonderful. We lived on a small, dead end street with mostly older couples. It was usually just my sister and me. And when she was sick, there really wasn’t time to take me to friends’ homes for a playdate, so I’d usually read in the hospital to pass the time. ”
My heart hurt for little Ellie, but I knew she didn’t tell me so I’d pity her. Her sadness tugged at my heartstrings. I tightened my arm around her, secretly hoping I could find a way to make sure she was never sad again.
I took her hand, and we walked in silence past the general store, the local lawyer’s office, and the dance studio lost to our thoughts.
After the dance studio, Ellie’s natural enthusiasm returned and she stopped to take in the buildings around us.
I pointed to the hardware store across the street. “That’s where I had my first job.”
Confusion creased her eyebrows, and little wrinkles appeared above the straight bridge of her nose. “Not at Kingsley Jewelry?”
I shook my head. “My parents wanted me to understand what it was like to work for someone else.” I twisted my lips and rolled my eyes to emphasize what I thought about that.
She giggled. “Was it that bad?”
“The job I didn’t mind. It was my boss. He’d been running the place for over fifty years and had his own way he wanted to do things.
He was the biggest grump. The kind of guy who shooed kids off his lawn all summer.
But it was a humbling lesson to learn from him.
He taught me basic carpentry skills, how to handle difficult customers, and that new wasn’t always better. ”
She tilted her head, her long blonde hair shifting and falling behind her shoulder. “How so?”
“I wanted to modernize the place, bring in new equipment, make our jobs easier, but that’s not what he wanted.
And after a while, I realized it wasn’t about me and my big ideas.
He didn’t want to hear them and was happy with the way things were.
But it did give me a better appreciation of listening to my employees and the insight to appreciate their contributions. ”
“Does he still own the place?”
“No, he retired a few years back and his granddaughter took over. Not that retiring has slowed him down at all. He’s still a pain at our town hall meetings and usually likes to slow anything down that might bring us into the current century.”
“I bet he’s a hoot to listen to.”
I laughed. “You have no idea.”
We resumed our walk and soon Ellie stopped and peered into the window of the bookstore. “Oh shoot.” Her gaze landed on the ‘Closed for Renovations’ sign and future re-opening date. “This place looks like a treasure trove. It’s too bad I won’t be here when it opens again.”
I hated the sadness in her tone and had to stop myself from saying she could always come back again. But I didn’t want her to feel pressured.
I squeezed her hand. “The owners decided to retire while young enough to travel the world and Adele, their daughter, wants to update the store before reopening it.”
“What a cool legacy to pass on.” A hint of interest in Ellie’s voice made me wonder what she was thinking.
Next door to the bookstore was a tattoo shop. “My youngest brother, Wyatt owns the place. Want to meet him?” I asked as I waved to one of my sister’s friends passing by pushing a double stroller. Inside, her newborn and toddler were napping and I felt that strange flutter in my chest again.
Ellie pursed her lips. “Should I wait until you explain things to him?”
“He already knows. Likely Glamma messaged the rest of my family as soon as she left the office.”
She swallowed. Her hand tightened on mine, cutting off the circulation to the tips of my fingers. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
I opened the door and tugged Ellie gently behind me. Wearing her trademark faded band tee, Vivi Darling, Wyatt’s partner at the shop, frowned at the front desk and glared behind her blue cat’s eyes glasses.
“Did you lose another receptionist?” I asked. As a tattoo artist and co-owner, she didn’t normally greet customers.
She rolled her eyes and tucked her short black bob behind her ears causing her diamond engagement ring to sparkle in the light. Vivi was like a sister to our family and everyone hated her fiancé. “Tell your brother to stop breaking their hearts and maybe we can keep one for longer than two weeks.”
“Like he’d listen.” Wyatt was … Wyatt. I didn’t miss the way Vivi curiously regarded Ellie. “Vivi, this is my girlfriend, Ellie. Ellie, this is Vivi. She lets her friends call her Vee.”
Vivi gave her a cool chin nod. “Hey.”
Ellie waved awkwardly, yet it was somehow so damn adorable. “I love your tattoos.” She motioned towards Vivi’s full sleeve and the little heart high on her right cheekbone.
“Thanks.” Vee wasn’t one for long conversations.
“Speaking of Mr. Heartbreaker, is he available?” I inquired.
“He’s due for a break in a minute. I can go in back to see how much longer he might be.”
“Thanks, Vee.”
Vivi left the desk and headed down the short hall and tapped on the door of my brother’s workstation. Without waiting for an answer, she poked her head in. Mumbled voices filtered back to us.
“This place is so cool,” Ellie said. She slipped her hand from mine and wandered around the waiting area to check out the displayed art.
The walls, painted a deep forest green, gave the place an edgy vibe and framed the collection of decorative wooden signs made by a local artist. Returning to the counter, she stopped to flip through a book of tattoo ideas.
“Do you have any?” I asked her.
“A tattoo?” She looked up for confirmation.
“Yeah.” I had a few.
“No, but I’d love to have one. I just get nervous about picking something that I’ll have to live with forever. What if I regret it?”
“You can do what I did and ink them in places my button-down shirts cover,” I suggested.
Her laugh was cut off by my brother, who chose that moment to appear.
“I can guarantee you’d never regret one I’d give you,” Wyatt’s playful baritone boomed between us.
Vivi shifted around him, and rolled her eyes again as she settled back behind the desk.
Wyatt’s ambling gait brought him within a few feet from Ellie. His easy smile played across his lips. “You must be Ellie. I’m Wyatt, Drew’s better-looking younger brother. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“Thank you. It’s so nice to meet you, too.” Ellie held out her hand.
My brother took it, and with a quick glance at me, lifted her hand to kiss her fingers. “I’m not sure what a beautiful woman such as yourself sees in him, but if you ever change your mind, I’m always available.”
A faint blush stained Ellie’s cheeks, and I had to clench my fists so I didn’t punch him.