Page 39 of Conflicted
They bantered a bit back and forth until Jewel reemerged from her bedroom, and Ruby realized she had only a few minutes left. “Bob, sorry but I got to go. See you on Friday?”
After Bob confirmed he would be at Club Indigo that weekend, he wished her a good evening, and they said their goodbyes.
Ruby disconnected the call and pushed the phone in her back pocket. She rubbed her sweaty hands on her jeans. Why am I so nervous about meeting him?
Jewel opened her mouth, but snapped it shut when the doorbell rang. “That’s probably your father.”
Ruby grimaced. “Probably.”
For a beat they stared at each other, then Ruby chuckled despite the tension she was feeling. “Aren’t you going to let him in?”
“Um, yes.” Jewel flushed red. “Yes. Yes, of course.” She rushed off to the door like a girl welcoming her prom date. In a sense, Luke was Jewel’s prom date, only tonight the couple wasn’t trying to impress scrutinizing parents, but they were trying to impress her.
Ruby couldn’t move as she listened to the high-pitched girly sounds from her mother – which didn’t sound like Jewel at all – and the low rumbling reply. She was about to come face to face with her sperm donor, the man she’d resented and secretly longed for almost her entire life. Struggling to maintain her composure, Ruby braced herself for the moment they would enter the kitchen. Still, the moment their eyes met stole her air like a sucker punch to the gut.
She’d seen pictures and video clips of him and Magenta Castle over the years, but the media didn’t prepare her for Luke’s charisma nor the fact that his eyes had the exact same shape and color she saw in the bathroom mirror every day.
All three froze as father and daughter stared at each other for several uncomfortable heartbeats. Luke was the first to move. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Ruby, I...” Awkwardly he held out a bouquet of daffodils.
Ruby blinked and looked at Jewel. Her mother was holding at least twenty flaming red camellias. As a tattoo-artist, the significance of the bouquet didn’t escape Ruby. The camellia meant gratitude and love. Luke had chosen the flowers with care.
She accepted the bouquet with a stammered, “Thank you.” Daffodils not only symbolized new beginnings, they also represented unrequited love. Ruby swallowed past the lump in her throat and addressed Jewel, “Do you have a vase big enough for your camellias?”
“I’ll have to see if I do.” She held out her free arm. “Let me put yours in water, too. Lovely daffodils, aren’t they the flowers of March?”
“They are.” Ruby looked down at the cheerful yellow blooms. They are also my favorite color. “But let me help you.”
“Oh no, no need.” Jewel shook her head adamantly. “You talk with your dad. He came for you.”
Luke cleared his throat. “Actually, I came for both of you.” The smoldering look he gave Jewel told Ruby two things. Luke was still very much in love with Jewel, and he was determined to stay in their lives.
“Ruby?” He made an inviting gesture to the living room, which suggested he knew his way around the house. Resentment flared inside her, but quickly died when he added, “Please?”
“Sure.” She marched towards the small sitting area. Her momma’s house was modest but had a homey feeling with colorful throw pillows, candles and pictures everywhere.
Without a word, Ruby nestled in one of the two armchairs and pulled the decorative pillow in her lap. Yeah, totally defensive – beat me.
Luke sunk onto the loveseat, his big body almost claiming the entire couch. For several moments they sat, and Ruby felt Luke’s gaze on her. She couldn’t make herself lift her face and look in eyes so eerily similar to hers.
Suddenly, they started talking at the same time and with a surprised look at Luke, Ruby closed her mouth. Their eyes connected for the second time that night, and the skin next to Luke’s crinkled. “You go first.”
Ruby’s mouth curled upwards. “That was what I was going to suggest, but you beat me to it. Actually, I have only one question right now.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“Why?” she didn’t elaborate more.
Luke’s shoulders sagged. “I’m not going to make excuses. I screwed up. With both you and your mother.” He pulled a hand through his thick black hair, greyed fashionably at the temples. He looked good for his age. “One thing you need to know, I always stayed faithful to your mother.”
She gave him an incredulous stare.
“I can see you don’t believe me, but there isn’t any other woman for me than your mother.”
“But, but,” Ruby stammered.
Jewel chose that moment to enter the living room, carrying an enormous vase with the camellias. She carefully placed the arrangement on the coffee table and looked Ruby in the eyes. “He’s telling the truth, honey and so should I.”
Luke scooted to the side and Jewel sank beside him on the loveseat.
