Page 102 of Summer Longing
Everything was different now.
Chapter Forty-Three
Ruth invited Ben to join her when she looked at the house for sale.
“You’re a very decisive woman, Ruth,” he’d said. “I’m sure you don’t need my input.”
Of course she didn’t. But it was a great excuse to spend some time together; she’d barely seen him since the Fourth of July party last week. He took writing classes during the day and at night he was just as scarce. Her real estate opportunities might be opening, but her window to reconnect with Ben seemed to be closing quickly.
“It never hurts to have another opinion,” Ruth said. “Olivia might be able to meet me there but only if she’s back from the flats in time.”
Olivia seemed to be transforming into a full-fledged oyster farmer. Her wardrobe of trendy cutoff shorts, delicately ribbed tank tops, and strappy sandals had been replaced by utilitarian T-shirts, knee-high all-weather boots, a few pairs of rubber overalls, and an omnipresent baseball hat. She appeared at the house covered head to toe in muck.
Ruth had never seen her happier.
Ben agreed to join her, though she had to schedule the house tour within a very specific time frame.
What was he so busy doing? As the two of them walked to the West End, Ruth debated whether or not to bring up the topic of Bianca Barros. It was none of her business. But then, wasn’t it? He was living under her roof; he was supposed to be spending time with Olivia and, well, yes, maybe her. Instead, he was consorting with the enemy. Fine, maybeenemywas overstating it. But she did not like that woman—not one bit.
“So what’s with you and Bianca?” Ruth said as they passed the library. It was midway through their walk, so if she was going to initiate a conversation, there was no time to waste.
“We’re friends,” he said.
“Just friends?” she said, eyebrows raised.
“Ruth, is this an appropriate conversation?”
“We’ve known each other for forty years. We have a child together. If you can’t be frank with me, who can you be frank with?”
“Fair enough. Yes, at this point, we are just friends.”
“Well, I would keep my distance if I were you,” she said, glancing at him. “That woman can’t be trusted.” She knew him well enough to recognize the look of guilt on his face. “Ben, you didn’t trust her with anything private, did you? I don’t want her knowing my business.”
He shook his head. “I haven’t told her any of your business.”
“So what did you tell her?”
“Nothing about you,” he said defensively. “We just talked.”
“Well, I have to wonder why you picked the most unpleasant person in this entire town to become friends with.”
“She’s not unpleasant, Ruth. She’s just had a hard life. Did you know she was widowed in her thirties? She raised her daughter alone, working at the boatyard with her brothers.”
“That might be thecauseof her unpleasantness. But I’d argue there are plenty of widowed single mothers who are also nice people.”
“Look, not everyone has as much good fortune and self-agency as you have.”
“Good fortune and self-agency? What does that even mean?”
“It means you had a successful company—yes, you worked hard, I know that, but you did achieve success and now you have financial security and freedom. Bianca was edged out of the business by her brothers; her father left his house to her daughter—the house you’re currently renting—and then the daughter sold the house and moved to Florida. Bianca feels she’s lost her place in the world.”
“You always did like the lost puppies. Is that what attracted you to me?”
“You’re the least lost person I’ve ever known, Ruth. Even when things were bad, you always knew how to land on your feet.”
They passed the boatyard and Provincia. Soon, they would reach the corner of Nickerson Street, where Clifford was meeting them. Now was the time to tell Ben about her feelings for him—let him know that she had not landed on her feet. That eighteen years ago, she had initiated a permanent fix to a possibly temporary problem, and now she regretted it.
“Always early! I love that about you, Ruth,” Clifford called out from across the street, waving at them. He was dressed in a baby-blue seersucker suit and a pink bow tie.
