Page 32 of Made For Ruin

She takes it and slips it over her head. The sight of her in my clothes does something funny to my chest. She looks so right in my space. Like she belongs here.

With me.

I shake off the thought and start pulling ingredients out of the fridge.“Omelets okay?”

Lainey boosts herself up to sit on the counter, her bare legs swinging. “Sounds perfect.”

I have to force myself to focus on the task at hand and not the tantalizing expanse of creamy thigh on display.

“Tell me about your roommate,” I say as I start cracking eggs into a bowl.

Lainey grins. “Her name’s Ruby. We’ve been best friends since second grade. She’s a tattoo artist now.”

“A tattoo artist, huh? Interesting career choice.”

“She’s amazing at it, though. Super talented.” Lainey’s face lights up with affection. “We have this joke that we ‘co-parent’ her bearded dragon, Spike.”

“You co-parent a lizard?”

“Hey, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it, mountain man.” She wags a playful finger at me. “Spike is very high maintenance.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” I pour the egg mixture into a hot skillet, shaking my head in amusement. “How long have you two been friends?”

“Since second grade,” Lainey’s smile softens. “Ruby’s always been there for me. Especially after my mom died.” Her voice catches slightly. “She would bring extra cookies in her backpack for me every day. Just to make me smile.”

My heart clenches at the glimpse of pain in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Losing a parent is something no kid should experience.”

“Thanks. It was a long time ago. But it still hurts sometimes, you know?”

“What happened?” I keep my voice gentle, not wanting to push if she’s not ready to share. “To your mom?”

“Cancer. It happened really fast. By the time they caught it, it was already everywhere.” Her voice catches slightly. “I remember Dad trying so hard to be both parents after. He even tried to learn how to braid my hair for school.”

Something in my chest constricts at the image.

“That couldn’t have been easy for either of you.”

“It wasn’t. But he never gave up trying.” A small smile touches her lips. “Even when my braids looked more like bird’snests, he’d just kiss my head and say ‘practice makes perfect, sunshine.’”

She looks up at me then, and the morning light catches the tears gathering in her eyes.

“Sorry, I don’t usually get emotional talking about this.”

“Don’t apologize for missing them. I knew your dad pretty well. He was a great guy.”

“He was amazing. The diner was his dream. He wanted to create a place where everyone felt welcome, where no one ever went hungry. Even when business was slow, he’d feed anyone who came in needing a meal.”

The pride in her voice when she talks about him, the way she’s carrying on his legacy despite everything, makes my protective instincts surge.

“He’d be so proud of you, baby. The way you’ve kept the diner going, how hard you work to take care of everyone.”

Lainey ducks her head, a shy smile on her lips.

“I hope so. I just want to honor what he built, you know? Keep his dream alive.”

I take her chin gently and tilt her face up to mine. “You are.”

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