Page 41 of Betrayal & New Beginnings

“Iama better driver.Unlikeyou,Idon’t drive likeI’mauditioning forFast&Furious,” he said snidely but while also grinning.

I realized two things at that moment.One,Ruthiewas not the quiet little mouseI’dthought she was.Two, these two were ribbing each other— not in a mean, cynical way, but rather how siblings would tease each other.HowJackandIused to before he left for theArmy.

“My driving is just...peppy and efficient,”Ruthiedefended. “Iget us places quickly, unlike your turtle driving.”

“Speed racing is more like it, with a mild heart attack included,”Archeradded. “Ellie,Iwill get you there in one piece, unlike this one, who curbs sidewalks like it’s her second job.”

“That doesn’t count,”Ruthiedefended. “Thatconstruction worker put that cone too far out into the other lane.Ihad no choice but to drive a few inches over the curb.Admitit, it was a little thrilling.”

“If by thrilling you mean terrifying, then yes,verythrilling.”Helaughed.

“IfIdriveEllie, she won’t have to grip the door handle for dear life and will actually make it to the gym in one piece,” he stated and looked at me through the rearview mirror with a smirk on his face.

Ruthie huffed, andIlaughed.Thisreminded me so much of howJackandIused to quibble when we were kids, andImissed it.Imissed him.

Archer must have sensed my mood turning.

“Ellie, we’re just kidding, by the way.Noneed to be worried,” he said in a softer tone.

“Oh no,I’mokay,”Iexplained to them both. “Thisjust reminded me of the spats my brother andIused to have as kids, andIrealized how muchImissed him and being able to razz him.Youguys fight like siblings.Itake it you’ve known each other for a long time.Howdid you meet?”

For what seemed like a simple question, the mood in the car definitely shifted.Theyboth went quiet and looked at each other.Archerspoke up first.

“We met inVegas, and whenIwas packing up to move here to start the business with the guys,Ruthiewas also looking for a change and decided to move here too,” he said while glancing over atRuthiea few times. “Shehad the skills necessary to work with us, and we needed a receptionist so the timing all worked out.”

“Plus, my grandpa lives inGeorgia,”Ruthiedivulged.

I sensed that wasn’t the whole story, butIdidn’t want to press.MaybeIcould askRuthieabout it later when we were alone and see if she would open up.

The rest of the car ride was filled with more generic conversation about howArcherwas going to be on the other side of the gym and for us to let him know when we were done.

We walked into the gym, andRuthiehelped me get signed up for the class.Then, we headed to the locker room to drop our bags off.

Ruthie took off her ring and earrings and shared that sometimes the jewelry gets in the way, so she doesn’t like to wear her rings or earrings to class.

“Right,” she said, clapping her hands together once and putting on a determined face. “Nowlet’s go kick some ass to make ourselves feel better.”

I laughed and followed her into class.

An hour later,Iwas sufficiently worn out, sweating from head to toe—butIalso felt more empowered.Theclass combined kickboxing, taekwondo, and other self-defense tactics designed to teach basic self-defense while also providing an intense workout.

Ruthie andIshowered and changed in the locker room then metArcherout front.Weall decided to eat dinner at theMexicanrestaurant across the street.

“We just burned all those calories.Mightas well put them all right back on again with chips and queso,”Ruthieremarked.

“I’m not sure you understand the concept of a workout,”Archerinformed her with a grin as she rolled her eyes at him.

We got a booth and sat down, butArcherwent to the bar instead, mentioning thatWadewas going to meet him there.Honestly, this was better becauseIwanted to talk toRuthie, and it would be ideal ifArcherwasn’t sitting right next to us.

“Thanks for inviting me.Ineeded that,”ItoldRuthie.

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “IhopeIwasn’t too forward by texting you the other night and inviting you.Archersaid sometimesIcan be a little blunt.”

I chuckled a little at the look on her face that clearly conveyed that she didn’t want to admit that she agreed with him.

“I have to admit, whenIfirst met you,Ithought you were a quiet little introvert,”Ishared.

“I can be,” she remarked. “I’mprotective ofArcherand the guys because they gave me this awesome job, andIknow the security business deals a lot with privacy, soItend to seem that way whenI’minoffice mode.I’msorry ifIcame off as rude whenIfirst met you.Ididn’t know you wereJack’ssister.Wadejust mentioned you were some new hire from the pub.Ididn’t make the connection until later.”

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