Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
He’s not you
Ryker
I ambled along the aisles, absentmindedly pushing the cart as Mum added item after item. We were only partway through her shopping list and the cart was already almost full.
“Ryker, honey,” she said, gesturing to the top shelf. “Can you get some Coke?”
I put my height to use and grabbed a slab of cans, making sure to get the stuff with sugar. Ruby claimed any type of diet or sugar free soda was pointless.
“Remind me to stop by the Wilson house on the way home,” Mum added, tossing several packets of crisps into the cart. “Cherie bought Doug a tool kit for Christmas and needs help sneaking it inside while he’s out collecting Ruby from the airport.”
“She needs help with that?”
“Apparently it’s heavy.”
Right. So what Mum really meant was I needed to bring it inside.
This was probably just an excuse for her to stop at Cherie’s place regardless. They spent most days together, and Christmas eve was no exception.
While they generally kept their cool over the holidays – even with the amount of food they prepared, mouths they fed, decorations they hung and presents they wrapped – it was still a safe bet getting out of their way, so Ruby and I had pre-emptively made plans to hang out tonight.
I’d promised her Primos – her favourite Italian take out – and a Christmas movie. I’d even throw in some Christmas lights if she wanted. I was feeling generous. Consider it my Christmas spirit.
“So,” Mum muttered, slowly following alongside the cart. “Is Ruby still with the naughty boy?”
Though she kept her focus on her list, I caught the subtle glance she cast my way, gauging my reaction. I wasn’t biting.
“Naughty boy?” I prompted, playing dumb.
“Stefan told me what he saw over Thanksgiving.”
For fuck’s sake.
Stefan telling Mum was the equivalent of hanging a billboard in the town centre. Mum loved gossip, and she particularly loved gossiping with Cherie.
“That was a misunderstanding,” I was quick to clarify. “You haven’t mentioned anything to Cherie, have you?”
Mum squared her shoulders. “No.”
But she wanted to.
Whenever people claimed Ruby and I talked too much, they clearly hadn’t met our mothers. I swear, Cherie knew more about my mother and her life than my dad did.
“Mum,” I cautioned. “Ruby’s a smart girl. Don’t meddle in her relationship, and don’t go starting rumours.”
Mum had the audacity to look surprised, as if she hadn’t pulled this stunt before. Meddler should have been her middle name. I remembered my sister giving Mum a similar talking to when she met her now husband.
Mum hooked on to relationship drama like it was oxygen. She wasn’t exactly the forgiving type either. She held grudges.
Only once the cart was at tipping point did she steer us to the checkout. After paying and then loading up the trunk, I navigated the familiar streets to Ruby’s family home.
It was like Cherie had been watching from the window – or Mum had been giving her street-by-street updates while I drove over – because the instant I turned into the drive, Cherie was rushing out the front door and wrapping me in one of her bear-like hugs.
“Sorry we couldn’t make it to your Senior Night, hon,” she said.
I shrugged dismissively. “It’s fine. Ruby surprised me.”
She smiled, a smile all too similar to her daughter. “Ruby mentioned you had a very good game.”
I had. One of my best. I was glad I’d been able to turn it on for what was potentially one of my final college games.
Our team had scraped through to make it to the post-season, and although I had every intention of pushing the limits and fighting to the end, I knew our chances of going all the way were slim. There were some unstoppable teams out there this year, with countless draft prospects.
“So, where’s this toolbox?”
Cherie popped the trunk of her car, revealing the gift in question. It didn’t appear overly big, but it was freakishly heavy when I picked it up. What the fuck was it filled with, concrete?
After awkwardly carrying it inside, I set it below the Christmas tree as instructed, where there were already countless presents wrapped and waiting.
“Thanks, hon,” Cherie said, playfully squeezing my bicep before glancing at my mum. “Do you have time for a coffee? I bumped into Melanie Smidge at the post office.” Cherie lowered her voice mischievously. “She’s getting a divorce. Rumour has it her husband had an affair with his secretary.”
Mum’s eyes sparkled with interest. “And is it a rumour?”
“Nope. But what’s missing from the grapevine is the fact that his secretary’s name is actually John.”
Mum’s jaw hit the floor.
We couldn’t stay. There was stuff in the car that needed to be in the fridge and freezer and–
“Sure,” Mum said, falling onto the sofa. “Ryker, honey, can you please pop the kettle on?”
With a defeated sigh, I headed into the kitchen. While Mum somehow always remained calm and collected over the holidays, I never tested her patience by going against orders.
As I waited, I scrolled through my phone, half-listening to Mum and Cherie’s gossip sesh. I couldn’t help it. I’d slept with Melanie Smidge’s daughter in senior year so I was curious.
While our town wasn’t small enough to know every person, it was small enough that someone always knew someone else, which meant gossip travelled like wildfire. Particularly with women like the two whose tea I was currently making.
I carefully dodged the unwrapped Christmas presents on the floor as I walked Cherie’s drink to her. I was guessing they were Ruby’s gifts, based on the labels on the bags.
Cherie smiled warmly. “Thanks, hon. I need to finish wrapping those before Doug arrives back with Ruby. What did you get her for Christmas? I find her impossible to buy for.”
“Really? I’ve always found it easy picking Ruby’s presents.”
Unlike my mum, who I’d now bought pyjamas and a robe for three years running. My siblings weren’t much more creative than me. Savannah always gifted Mum a candle and a bottle of her favourite wine, and Stefan nabbed the latest romance book on the best seller list.
Cherie’s eyes narrowed. “What’s your secret?”
“I logged into her ASOS account and bought things from her wish list,” I grudgingly admitted, giving myself away. “She uses the same password for everything.”
“Remind me to steal that password off you before her next birthday,” Cherie chuckled before her face softened. “Gosh hon, you’re so thoughtful. When are you and my daughter finally going to get together?”
A question I’d been asked before, and one I was an expert at deflecting.
“Sorry to break your heart, Cherie, but Ruby’s just my friend. And in case you forgot, she does have a serious boyfriend.”
Cherie sighed. “I know. And Noah is gorgeous but...” She pinched my cheek as though I was still the five-year-old boy learning to tie his shoelaces alongside her daughter. “He’s not you.”