Page 15 of The Fadeaway

It’s on the tip of Ruby’s tongue to ask Zoe and Theodore whether their father and her mother had ever had a relationship, but she knows that this isn’t the time or place.

“Questions?” Alan asks of them, just as he had of Ellen and Carmela.

“No, not right now,” Zoe says, dabbing at her eyes. She’s pulled herself together enough to speak. “We just want to say thank you to Mrs. Hudson,” she says, leaning into her brother.

“Um,” Ruby says. She has no idea whether she should argue against their thanking her, or just say “You’re welcome,” and move on, so she goes with the latter. She has nothing to do with her mother’s decision to fund their dad’s ongoing care, but it seems best not to quibble.

“I think this is a good time to end the Zoom call now that all matters have been covered, and then Ruby and I can move on to the family issues. Thank you all for joining us, and my assistant will be in touch with details and paperwork. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.”

Everyone murmurs their thanks and their little boxes fade to black in separateblipsas their calls are ended, and finally it’s just Ruby and Alan in the room. He turns off the screen and the camera, and leans forward on the desk, hands laced together. Today he’s in unrolled shirtsleeves, a tie, and he looks less like he’s about to end his day in order to play a quick nine holes with a circuit court judge, and more like he’s there to do serious business.

“I’m sure you have a million questions about what your mother has done with her will,” he says gently, keeping his eyes on Ruby’s face.

“I definitely do.” Ruby blinks in astonishment. “I know Ellen, and honestly, all of that makes perfect sense to me, but…who the hell are these other people?”

Alan nods sympathetically. “Your mother asked me to remind you of a conversation you two had once upon a time where she told you that you could never really know everything about a person, nor should you.”

Ruby is stunned. “I do remember it. In fact, I woke up this morning with that whole thing in my head. I laid in bed remembering it all: I’d been grounded, I was mad at her, and she came home late from court one night with a bag of tacos. We talked at the table and she told me that a mother never got to know everything about her daughter, and her daughter really never should know everything about her mother.”

Alan nods again. “Precisely. She was spot on there.” He pauses and then goes on. “She wanted you to remember that, and to decide for yourself whether you could simply accept that you’d never know everything about her, or whether you wanted to find out more about her as a person.”

Ruby contemplates this, though for her, there is only one answer. “I have to find out more,” she finally says, eyebrows raised as she exhales in resignation. “I need to know what life my mother was leading that caused her to bring all of these strangers to the reading of her will, and how in the world she ended up with a pied-à-terre in New York City and a bungalow on an island off the coast of Georgia.” Ruby stops and looks out the window for a moment. “Not to mention the reasons she might be funding an elderly gentleman’s long-term care. I’m totally at a loss, and I want answers.”

Alan pats the top of his desk with both hands and pushes his chair backwards so that he’s lined up to face his computer screen again. “Fabulous, then let’s wrap up here with the parts of the will that pertain to you, and I’ll send you on your way with the information you need.” Alan smiles at her curiously. “I know you’ve already lived in the White House, which not many people get to do, but I believe that you’re about to start a completely different adventure here, Ruby. I’d give anything to have the opportunity to learn more about my father at this point in my life, but unfortunately, everything about the man died with him. This is a gift she’s giving you, and to be perfectly honest, I’m jealous.”

Ruby takes a long, deep breath. “I guess I’m ready to meet my mother,” she says. “Again.”

Alan laughs gently, the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes crinkling. He goes back to the screen and most of it is as Ruby expected: major trust funds for Harlow and Athena; the house in Santa Barbara and the one on Jekyll Island left to Ruby, along with several million dollars, and a stock portfolio that Ruby would take a closer look at later.

Just before she leaves the office, he hands her a sealed envelope. “The information you’ll need to start your journey,” he says gravely.

Ruby almost laughs at the seriousness of Alan Berkshire’s face; he looks like he’s presenting her with a terminal diagnosis.

“Thank you,” Ruby says with sincerity. “For everything.”

She tucks the envelope into her purse, zips it tightly, and walks out into the midday sun. Though it wasn’t ever something she thought she needed to do, it’s time for Ruby to go in search of her mother.

It’s time to find the real Patty Dallarosa.

Ruby

Seattle has been checked off the list, but Ruby still has a big journey ahead of her.

“Hi,” Sunday Bond says as she walks in to The Scuttlebutt the morning after Ruby gets back to Shipwreck Key. “How are you?” She drops her purse into an empty chair and sits down immediately, never once taking her eyes from her best friend’s face.

As she waits for a response, Marigold Pim and Heather Charlton-Bicks walk into the coffee shop and make a beeline for the table. Sunday takes her purse off the chair to make room for Marigold to sit down, and soon all three women are waiting eagerly for Ruby to bring them up to speed.

“I’m hanging in here, girls,” Ruby says.

Molly, the owner of The Scuttlebutt, finishes pouring a coffee for a customer and then makes her way over to their table as she wipes her hands on the front of her apron. “What should I start making? I have a feeling we’re going to need caffeine.”

Each woman gives her order to Molly gratefully and then they make small talk until Molly is done making their coffees so that she can sit down and join them. What started as a book club when Ruby first came to Shipwreck Key has quickly becomea group of true friends, and without them, Ruby wouldn’t have had the strength to get through her first year and a half on the island. Having Sunday move down from D.C. in the midst of her divorce from the former Vice President helped too, but this group of women has become Ruby’s rock. She loves them dearly.

“Well,” Ruby finally says, putting an end to the small talk once Molly pulls up a chair and they’re all huddled around the table with their iced coffees and espressos. “I got my mom’s house boxed up and ready to rent.”

“You’re going to keep it?” Sunday asks.

“I think I am. I don’t really need a vacation spot in Santa Barbara at the moment since I already live in paradise here on Shipwreck, but I also don’t really want to sell the house, so I’m going to rent it out for the time being.”

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