Chapter 36
Sebastian
SINCE HELL HADN’T FROZEN over yet, I knew there had to be a serious reason Ruby wasn’t at the inn that morning.
She was always here—especially now, with the reconstruction in full swing.
The only thing that could rival the inn’s importance to her was if something rattled her carefully-ordered world .
.. like I did. She was fun and free, sure, but that freedom wasn’t the reckless kind it used to be.
By now, it was guarded by a set of rules she’d built for herself. And I’d shaken them.
“Ruby’s in town,” Sandra said as I walked past reception, nodding with a smile in her direction. “But I guess you already know that,” she called after me.
After another walkthrough with Dave, I headed into Ruby’s office to finish filling out the permit papers.
Around ten, I was skimming the last few lines, double-checking every figure before signing at the bottom. The structure was solid now, safer than it had been in years. It was good knowing I’d helped get it there, but the satisfaction was mixed with something heavier.
Ruby stepped into the office just as I set the pen down.
“Hey,” she said. “Sorry, I’ve been—”
I turned the papers toward her. She was standing in the middle of the room. “Hey. That’s the permit. You can submit it. I’m all done.”
I hadn’t meant for it to sound like more than just the project, but somehow the words echoed that way.
“All done?” She looked startled.
“Yeah.” I pushed the papers across the desk. “The roof’s solid, and the worst of the water damage is behind you. You’ve got a reliable crew—just keep me posted if anything else comes up.”
I could have delayed signing another day, but I wasn’t here to stall. I was here to resolve.
She nodded, eyes fixed on the papers instead of me. “Thanks for everything. Really.”
I could tell she was holding back more words.
“You’ve got this,” I said, drowning out words of my own.
She lifted her gaze and smiled, but it faded fast and didn’t reach her eyes.
“Seb,” she said as I moved from behind the desk and paused beside her.
That made me freeze. She never called me anything but Sebastian.
“Yes, Ruby Tuesday,” I said with a smile.
She nervously fiddled with her lips—biting them, sucking them in. “You probably have a flight to catch, right?” Her eyes flicked to my button-down shirt—the one she’d pulled from my shelf once before—as if it were a tell that the airport was next.
She wasn’t wrong. I usually wore button-downs when I flew out, heading straight from the airport to the office. I’d thought about stopping at my parents’, but Blueshore was out of the way, and I wasn’t in the mood for my dad’s third-degree about Julie, so I decided to skip it.
“Yeah,” I replied, although I could see this wasn’t what she really wanted to ask. I wasn’t going to push further. She had to face her own demons on her terms—it was the only hope for us.
“Okay. I’ll ... I don’t ... Thank you. I feel like ... I can’t ... Thanks, really. From the bottom of my heart.”
I almost wanted to laugh at how hopeless she was at this. It was cute in a Ruby way.
“I know. Don’t worry. Just let me know how it goes.”
“I will,” she said, eyes locked on mine like she wanted me to read something in the blue pools.
“You can tell me anything, Ruby,” I said quietly. One more try.
When she stayed silent, I walked out, leaving her standing there in the office.
I wanted to fight her. I wanted to shake her.
I wanted to fuck her. I wanted to kiss her and love her and never let go.
I’d turned it over from every angle since getting back from meeting Brandon last night, but there was no formula for her.
With Ruby, my instincts won over intellect.
And my instincts—my heart—told me that no one could be forced to change.
Least of all Ruby. She had to choose it for herself.
A good engineer knows when extra force only weakens the frame, and a true friend knows when letting someone find their own footing is the only way they’ll stand.
But it wasn’t easy, because God, I loved her. All of her. Even the parts that fought me, and herself.