Page 39 of Shielding Aubree

He nodded. "Saturday."

Aubree looked up at him, grinning. "Okay, I'll see you then."

He turned as his arms released her. "Do you want me to walk you to the car?"

She shook her head. "No, I need to try and calm my heart a little."

Ruben put his hand to his chest. "Me, too."

Aubree took a few steps away before she turned back to look at him. Smiling, she lifted her hand in a farewell wave, and hecopied the gesture, lowering his hand as she got into the car and drove away.

9

How could a week of work feel like a month?

It could when you had to go through every single report and piece of evidence in a half dozen cases and basically idiot proof them.

She wasn't even a lawyer, but somehow it had fallen to her to 'fix.'

Aubree sat back against the cushions of her couch and groaned.

"So sore..."

Thank goodness she had another day before she was going to see Ruben. She just wanted a little bit of time to work out the pain in her back. Being at The Refuge, she'd had access to the pool every day, but since she'd been back home and, on the job, in her limited capacity, that hadn't been available to her.

Her phone rang and without turning, she reached out a hand and picked it up from the cushion beside her.

Aubree brought it up so she could see the screen.

RUBEN

She touched the screen to accept the call and sank further into the cushions behind her.

"Hey."

"Hello, there."

She loved the sound of his voice.

It wasn't nearly as amazing and rumbling as it was in person, but it was better than nothing.

"What are you up to?"

She lifted the phone closer so she could hear him better, but there was a curious silence from his end.

Worried that she'd lost the call, she looked down at the screen and saw his name still displayed across the screen. "Ruben?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I was just wondering if you were talking to someone else."

Aubree frowned and rubbed at her forehead with her fingers. "I feel like I'm missing something."

"Like our date tonight?"

"Our date?" Aubree looked up at the clock on the wall and then shook her head. The clock would only tell her the time. "It's Saturday?"

Another silent pause came from the phone before she heard him reply softly. "Yes?"

"You sound as sure as I am." She groaned. "I swear it's still Friday. I got home and I've been going over my paperwork and... Wow. I must sound like a total loon."

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