Chapter 28
This time, Ruby couldn’t be happier to drive an hour to visit Sapphire alone.
Being cooped up in the car with Jax after realising she’d developed feelings for him would’ve been torture.
Not that he would've come if she'd asked.
He'd made himself scarce the last seven days.
She'd expected his withdrawal from her the moment she'd seen the triumph in his eyes after the auction, when he'd scored his long awaited meeting with Harrod and the mining corporation.
She'd been happy for him, but a small part of her had shrivelled and died because she'd known what it meant.
The beginning of the end for their marriage.
She'd texted him her weekend plans out of decency, not expecting him to care. If the guy couldn't take time out from his hectic schedule for more than a few snatched moments, why would he bother about where she'd be spending a few days after visiting her sister?
The fact he hadn't responded spoke volumes. He had better things to do with his time, like schmooze his way into Melbourne's aristocratic society, seal more deals, make more millions.
Good for him.
Her company’s steady climb out of the red should've vindicated she'd done the right thing in proposing this convenient marriage.
But it wasn't enough. Not anymore.
Somewhere between saying, 'I do', that special night at Crown, the decadent interlude in her workshop, and the auction, she'd opened herself wide open to potential heartbreak.
She couldn't fathom it.
Jax Maroney was so not her type.
Maybe if she kept telling herself that long enough, she'd start to believe it.
Tenang looked the same as she turned into the long driveway, a peaceful oasis. She could do with some of what this place offered right about now.
How long had it been since she'd made the journey here with Jax? Weeks? Months? Enough time to ensure she'd done the unthinkable.
Fallen for her husband.
Another annoyance. She kept thinking about him in those terms, her husband, as if it was something to be proud of and treasured.
Wonder how she'd like it when they divorced and he quickly became her ex-husband?
Muttering swear words under her breath, she parked, signed in, and headed for the river. Saph would be there for sure.
She caught sight of her sister, lying flat on her back on a wooden bench, her bare feet dangling over the end, a floppy straw hat shading her face, doing absolutely nothing but soaking up the glorious spring sunshine.
Ruby’s heart lightened. She'd never seen her workaholic sister sit still for two seconds, let alone lie in the sunshine. This place had worked wonders and she couldn't wait for a healthier, happier version of Saph to rejoin her at Seaborn.
Okay, so her wish for a speedy return wasn't entirely altruistic: the faster Saph returned to spokesperson duties, the faster Ruby could go back to doing what she did best: create.
She needed to put the finishing touches on that commissioned engagement ring by Tuesday.
According to Opal, the buyer had paid in full already.
Impressive. And handy, considering their overdraft at the bank.
Another surprise: Sapphire hadn't asked her about the financials once.
Sure, she asked about Seaborn during her allowed once-a-week call, but never delved into specifics.
Very un-Saph-like. They talked about general stuff, Ruby taking her cue from her sister, who seemed mellower and more relaxed than she could've hoped for.
Yeah, Ruby couldn't wait for her sister to come back to Seaborn. She had a feeling she'd need her once Jax Maroney strutted out of her life.
"Are you staring at me?" Sapphire picked up the edge of her hat and squinted up at her.
"Yep. I’m about to take a pic of this to remind you what you need to do more of once you get back to Melbourne."
Sapphire removed the hat from her face, swung her legs over, and sat up. "You'll be pleased to know I won't need much reminding." She held up three fingers. "I'm going to schedule weekly yoga, Pilates, and t'ai chi sessions."
"Wow." Ruby sat, grabbed her sister's shoulders and gave them a gentle shake. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"
Sapphire shrugged, her smile radiant. "It's the new me. You like?"
"Yeah, I like." Ruby released Saph, tugging on the end of her ponytail. "I don't ever want to see you burnt out again, you hear me?"
"Loud and clear." Sapphire sat back and tilted her face up to the sun. "I wasn't expecting you this weekend."
"Can't a girl pop in to see her favourite sis for an impromptu visit?"
"I'm your only sis."
She smiled at Sapphire's dry response, a smile that faded as her sister abandoned soaking up the sun's rays to fix her with a probing stare.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing—"
"Rube, this is me you're talking to. What's that no-good Jax Maroney done now?"
"Nothing."
"That's two nothings in a row. Will your response be the same if I ask you if you've been silly enough to fall for his charms?"
Ruby clamped her lips tight.
"I knew it." Sapphire jabbed a finger in her direction. "You've fallen for the jerk."
"He's not like that."
Sapphire's eyes narrowed. "And there's my proof. You wouldn't have defended the guy a few months ago."
"I didn't know him a few months ago."
Sapphire snorted. "The guy was screwing our company."
Ruby refrained from stating the obvious: now she'd become the target of his screwing.
"I proposed this marriage as a deal, Saph, not him. He's gone along with it and he's helped put Seaborn back in the black."
Sapphire frowned and shook her head. "You've just admitted your marriage is a sham."
Realising her mistake too late, Ruby deflated. She couldn't continue the pretence any longer, not with her sister.
"Of course I did it for Seaborn. What did you think, that I'd seriously fall for a guy like him?"
Sapphire didn't respond, and when Ruby looked up, the pity in her sister's eyes almost undid her completely.
"Have you? Fallen for him?"
Tired of lying to Jax, to her sister, to herself, she bit her wobbly bottom lip and nodded. "How dumb is that?"
"It's okay to have a crush." Sapphire snagged her hand and squeezed it. "I presume you're sleeping together, so stands to reason you'd fall for him a tad."
When she didn't answer, Sapphire tugged on her hand. "It is just a tad, right? You haven't…"
Unable to hide the truth from her sister anymore, she met Sapphire's astute gaze head on.
Sapphire dropped her hand and leaped to her feet. "No way! You've fallen in love with him?"
"Getting overexcited isn't good for you—"
"Don't patronise me." Sapphire started pacing, her bare feet leaving indentations in the lush lawn. "This is a disaster."
"It's not that bad."
Sapphire stopped and squatted in front of her. "Really? Tell me this. What are you going to do when he heads back to the other side of the country? Because he will, and you'll be left with a broken heart."
Tears welled in Ruby’s eyes and she dashed them away with the back of her hand. "I didn't choose who I fell in love with."
"You love him?" Sapphire collapsed backwards onto her butt. “Shit.”
Ruby loved Jax?
No.
Not love.
Like. Lust. Lunacy.
Her phone chose that moment to ping loudly and she snatched it from her pocket before realising how desperate she appeared.
Sapphire arched a brow and Ruby turned away, reading the message, from him.
See you soon.
Short. Sweet. Cryptic.
"I can't believe you're in love with him."
Sapphire pronounced it as if Ruby had a terminal disease.
Defiant, Ruby glared at her too-smart sister. "So what?"
Sapphire shook her head. "You proposed this marriage, you proposed this deal. I'm guessing emotions weren't part of the plan?"
Annoyed by her sister's calm rationale as much as her pity, Ruby folded her arms and slumped on the seat. "I'm an idiot."
"You're a softie who always sees the best in people." Sapphire draped an arm across her shoulders. "You always have. But are you sure Jax Maroney is worthy of your love?"
Ruby remembered the small things he'd done for her when he thought she wasn't aware: turning the heating up when he'd stayed over in the wee small hours while she worked, having her coffee ready in the morning, sheltering her from the nitty-gritty financials when backing the auction, leaving her free to create.
Small things, thoughtful things, that belied his toughness and gave a glimpse of the man beneath the hard exterior.
"He's a good guy beneath the bad-boy brooding thing he's got going on."
Sapphire rolled her eyes. "A bad boy. I should've known."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"As if my bright, beautiful sister would ever go for anyone normal."
With his towering height, broad shoulders ,and piercing black eyes, Jax was far from normal.
"Are you going to tell him?"
"Hell no!" The last thing Ruby needed was the guy bolting before Seaborn had completely recovered from their financial fall.
Sapphire squeezed her shoulders. "Take it from someone who knows. You can't bottle up this kind of thing. It'll stress you out, then you'll end up here painting eucalypts and drinking wheatgrass."
“Yuck.” Ruby screwed up her nose. "You've gone from martinis to green gunk, gross."
"Yeah, but look at me, I'm a new woman."
Ruby had never heard her sister anything but confident, brazen, and in charge. Seeing Sapphire exhausted and broken had shattered something in her but now, thanks to this place and her sister's determination to recuperate, her Saph was back. Healed. Better than new.
"I've missed you, sis."
Tears shimmered in Sapphire's eyes. "Right back at you, Rubes."
As they hugged, Ruby felt luckier than she had in ages.
Until she remembered Jax’s text, her newly discovered feelings for him, and the fact she'd soon have to watch her husband walk out of her life.