Chapter Eight
DREW
Damn it.
This was all coming out wrong.
I’d kissed Ellie because pure instinct told me to do it. To shut her up. To show her that she was desirable. To make her understand.
To prove that the fucking assholes she dated had shit for brains.
Her uncertainty in herself, her belief that my family might not like her, and her lack of confidence that she was perfect just as she was made me want to slay her dragons. To find those ignorant people and show them how wrong they were.
I drew in a deep breath as I faced her on the sidewalk.
Ellie’s soft, “oh,” echoed in my head along with her words. How could she think she was broken? It killed me knowing she thought that about herself. Rage coursed through me every time I thought about the way she saw herself, the way she didn’t think I’d choose her if it wasn’t for us pretending.
Fuck everyone who made her feel less.
This, whatever was happening between us, was moving fast. Probably faster than either of us realized. Because I was already catching feelings. The comfortable working relationship we’d built over the last few months had somehow made it easy to bridge being in a relationship.
Fake … or otherwise.
I told her what I really thought. “I want you to see that you should be someone’s sun, moon, and stars. Don’t accept anything less, Ellie.”
That faint blush that streaked her cheeks earlier was back.
I adored that pink shade that was unique to her.
“Okay.” She didn’t sound one-hundred-percent convinced, but I had plenty of time while we fake-dated to prove it to her.
She regarded me curiously. “So why did you kiss me?” she asked, and I hated how her voice trembled.
A blonde strand fluttered in the breeze, and I brushed it behind her ear. Her face turned into my palm so I cradled her cheek. “Because you’re beautiful, and better than most of the people I know.” I heaved a sigh. “I need you to stop talking shit about yourself. None of what you said is true.”
And I’m attracted to you, I wanted to add, but had enough self-preservation to know I should stop there.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” she finally admitted after a longish pause.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I replied.
“How can you truly know that, though?” she asked.
I was fairly certain she wasn’t fishing for compliments. Not that I didn’t have a million of them at the ready, but I hated that the people in her life didn’t appreciate her and made her doubt her worth.
“I get that people can hide behind a screen, but I don’t think that’s what happened with us. You’ve been straightforward in every one of our conversations. Who you are is very clear to me, even though until now we’ve only communicated by email or on the phone.”
“That’s true, but—”
I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head, which effectively stopped her next words. “Who was it that contacted Patrice’s son’s favorite band and got them to have a virtual meeting with him during the school day to wish him a happy birthday?”
“Um, me. But he’d been having a rough school year and was being bullied. Anyone would’ve done that.”
I raised an eyebrow. She was wrong. Everyone would not have done that. And she didn’t ever take credit for any of her thoughtful gestures. “Okay, and Selena?”
She gave an embarrassed chuckle. And thank God, unlike all her other gifts to my employees, she had not signed my name to this one. I’d heard all about it the next day at work.
“She’d been struggling after her divorce and I thought she could use a pick-me-up.
” By way of a host of male dancers that showed up at Selena’s house.
They not only danced, but hung out with Selena for hours afterward.
At the end of the night she had gotten the number of the “firefighter” and they’d been dating for the last month.
“My point, Ellie, is that you’re a good person. You listen to the people you’re having a conversation with, really listen. You hear the things they want or need and you try to help with it. You act on it to show you care.”
She let out a huffed breath and just stared at me. I had a feeling she had no idea what to say or do. Then she finally shook her head and grabbed my hand. “Show me the special river everyone’s hyped up so much.”
I intertwined our fingers and gave a little squeeze. I’d let her change subjects for now, but if nothing else came of our time together as a fake couple, I wanted her to know how truly special she was.
“It’s right over there.” I pointed further down the road. We said very little as we strolled by the next few shops on Main Street. I had a feeling she needed time to absorb the points I’d made, and I wanted to give her the chance to do so.
When she slowed down to look into the window of a storefront, I did too.
And I made special notes about the things she lingered over.
A pretty journal in the window of Art’s Content, a local artisan shop where residents sold their crafts.
I’d heard it wasn’t doing well since tourism had dwindled over the years.
A beautiful amethyst crystal displayed at Sacred Serenity, the New Age store, and how she lingered to read the seasonal food offered on the sandwich board outside the bakery, The Sweet Spot.
I waved to Penny, the owner, through the window.
Eventually, we reached the river and stopped on the stone bridge to watch the small—but—hypnotizing waterfall to our right.
“This is really pretty,” she said, her voice an awed whisper.
While I knew from experience she was correct, it was her beauty that I gazed at instead. The sun was setting in the distance. The orangey-yellow rays bounced off the water and provided the perfect backdrop to frame Ellie. Her arms rested on the ledge, her sexy curves pressed against the wall.
“Yeah,” I responded.
She didn’t need to know I meant her.
“Tell me about the myth again?”
I moved to join her at the wall. Her shoulders brushed against my arm and sent a warm feeling to my chest. I leaned in so that my lips were level with her ear. As I recited words I knew from memory, Ellie tilted her head closer to mine.
Knowing the Ruby River Legend was practically a requirement to be a resident.
“Long ago, when the world was quieter and their passion had to hide, two forbidden lovers met at the edge of the river. She wore a ruby necklace, a gift from her family. He had nothing to offer but his heart.”
Ellie gave a sweet sigh. “How romantic.”
“On the night of the red moon, they threw their tokens into the water—hers a ruby, his a vow—and chose each other. The river shimmered crimson by morning. Since then, when a ruby hue kisses the water at sunset, it’s said someone is about to fall in love.”
Ellie clasped her hands beneath her chin, a faint smile playing at her lips. “So they were star-crossed lovers, like Romeo and Juliet … but without the poison, and more of a Hallmark ending. That would be an awesome premise for a book.”
I agreed. “My parents swear the night they got together, they saw the river shimmer crimson. They partly credit it for the success of their marriage.”
We turned around and leaned on the wall, and I pointed to the other side of the bridge.
A large tree stood tall and proud, its smattering of colorful fall leaves partially shading the bench beneath it.
“They ended up sitting next to each other on that bench that same night and shared their first kiss.”
“That’s so incredibly sweet.” Ellie tilted her head just right, letting it rest on my bicep.
I froze, not wanting her to move away. I liked having her this close.
“There must be something to it,” I said. “They’ve been happily married for thirty-six years.”
“Relationship goals,” she said under her breath.
I decided to tell her more of the history. “When Kingsley Jewelry first started, my ancestors created a whole ruby line based on that legend.”
“Oh, I remember seeing that on the company website,” she said. “I thought the story behind it was so cool.”
“It really is. My family was especially proud of the wedding rings in that line. To propose to my mom, my dad asked his father to recreate one of the original designs.”
I’d always been fascinated with those older pieces. There was just something about them that called to me. Maybe part of it was noticing how often my mother glanced at her ring with a soft smile or the time she spent teaching me about how to create jewelry. Or maybe both.
“That’s just as sweet as the legend. I bet your parents are so cute together.”
“Mostly.” I smiled. They really were a great example of a loving, healthy relationship.
“I’ve always loved antique jewelry. I bet her ring is stunning.” Ellie’s tone was wistful, and made me wonder how she might feel to have a piece like my mom’s.
And I was trying not to get ahead of myself. Fail.
I’d have to show her the books that catalogued our old designs.
When I was younger and visited my dad at work, I’d pull them out and try to recreate the various pieces as I drew them on the copy paper I found in his office.
When I finally had my own office at Kingsley Jewelry, I had those same books moved to my office.
Ellie turned in a circle, arms out, taking it all in. “How cool is it that you get to live in a town that has a fun lore like this? And it sounds like it’s something the residents really get behind.”
“You have no idea.” I chuckled. “Every November, we have Ruby Night.”
She gasped. “Did I miss it already?”
Her enthusiasm reminded me of how fun Ruby Night had been for me as a kid. My siblings and I had looked forward to it almost as much as Christmas.
“No. It’s this weekend. We have a parade to celebrate the founding of the town, a small fair on the town common with vendors and food trucks, then we float flowers into the river to remember and appreciate the people in our lives, both past and present.
And even though they could do this year round, couples make wishes and leave coins on the river bank in buckets the committee decorates each year.
The best part is they get to make a wish, and the town uses the money for our local schools. ”
“So it’s a small-town celebration. I’ve always wanted to go to one of those!” She grabbed at my bicep and squeezed it hard in excitement. “Do they have any contests?”
I loved how into this she was. It was full-on adorable. “There is. On Ruby Night there’s a pie making competition and our spring fair hosts a chili cookoff.”
“Oh my gosh! This is so cool. Is there a repeat winner every year? In all the small-town movies and books I’ve read, there’s always one person who wins almost every year and they have a frenemy who swears to beat them the following year.
And sometimes their rivalry runs so deep it’s like a feud between their families and—” She stopped abruptly and pulled away. “I’m so sorry.”
“About what?” I’d been enjoying listening to her enthusiasm.
She bit her lip and turned away to stare at the waterfall. “Sometimes I let my imagination get away from me. I know it can be annoying.”
For the love of all that is good and holy!
I wanted to punch some sense into the people who told her that. She was like a wounded baby bird that had fallen out of the nest only to be ignored. Not that I’d ever say that to her. I wasn’t that stupid. But how could her natural enthusiasm annoy anyone?
“Not annoying at all,” I assured her. “I was just standing here remembering how much I used to love this time of year. Your excitement is a gift.”
“Used to?”
She was perceptive. I shrugged. I didn’t want to get into all the reasons I didn’t often attend the event anymore. My watch alarm went off at the same time as her phone alarm. We had a late meeting starting in thirty minutes.
“We should head back.” Ellie took one last look at the water, shimmering with the lowering sun. “Thanks for sharing your town with me.”
“Yeah, of course.” I hated how her voice had grown soft and the wistful way she stared at the bench with longing, like she wished she could be part of the magic of the town.
It made me want to give that to her.
And maybe, just maybe, I could figure out how to do that over the next two weeks.