Page 9 of Saved By Love at Christmas
I held up my hands. “Marie, stop. You can’t just barge in there. Not yet. We need to give her time.”
“What’s happened, Ben? Is there something you’re not telling me?” Her eyes clouded with concern.
“There’s more to this than you could possibly know.”
“Then please enlighten me as to why she’s been hard to contact lately. You’ve got me worried now.” She chewed at her lower lip.
I told Marie about the desperate phone call from her, everything Ruby had told me, and even the fact Jamie had laid his hands on her.
Marie’s eyes filled with tears. “Jesus, Ben. How could anyone hurt Ruby? She’s so sweet and kind. Wait until I get my hands on him.”
“I feel the same, but he’s out of the picture now. She’s home, and she’s safe. We must give her time.” I thought back to how withdrawn she’d looked. “She’ll be in touch when she’s ready. She’ll want us for sure, but she just needs a little time with Tom first. You know how worried he’s been about her. We have to trust she’ll contact us when she’s ready.”
“I promise I’ll wait for her. Poor Tom. Poor Ruby. Oh God. What a mess that asshole’s created.”
“It was like all the light had gone out of her eyes, Marie.” I shook my head and ran a hand over my face, trying not to think of him hitting my friend or wondering how terrified she must have been.
My sister reached for me. “Hey, it’ll be okay, Ben. We’ll look after her.”
If I was honest, all I wanted to do was run back and hammer on the door until Tom let me in. Then I’d stay by Ruby’s side until her green eyes glittered warmly at me as she saw wonder in everything around her again. I wanted to run my fingers through her deep-red hair and hear her murmur my name. It was why she’d been called Ruby, because of the colour of her hair.
“Are you daydreaming about her?” Marie cocked her head to one side.
Was I? Well, if I was honest, I had always harboured a little crush on her. But I never acted on it because I valued her friendship so much more.
“No, of course not. I’m just hoping I can see the light in my best friend’s eyes again. That’s all. So,” I said as the waiter placed our starters in front of us, hoping to steer away from this topic of conversation. “Tell me about your latest acquisitions.”
Her eyes lit up. “I put a lot of work into this, and we were lucky to get these hotels at a knockdown price. They need an almost complete renovation, but they’re in such beautiful locations. I’m not sure whether we’ll flip them or hold onto them.”
“You’ll have to show them to me. I love the Suffolk and Norfolk coasts.”
“I know, right? And we have all the tradespeople in place. We do need one thing, though.”
I placed my cutlery down and took a sip of my water. “What’s that?”
“An interior designer. This project would be ideal for Ruby. What do you think?”
I knew Ruby had walked away from a great business she’d built up over the past few years to work for Jamie. I should have seen the warning signs then. She loved what she did.
“Maybe in a little while, it would be a great distraction for her and build her confidence back up. You didn’t see her, Marie. She’s broken.”
“I understand. Anyway, that’s a little way down the line. But it would be a great job for her. And I don’t want anyone else to work on it if I’m honest.”
The role was perfect for Ruby, but until I knew the extent of her abuse, I didn’t want anyone putting pressure on her. What she needed most was time, patience, and love.
CHAPTER4
RUBY
I woke up around six that evening. There was the comforting smell of home and the scent of cinnamon and Christmas spices in the air. And then another scent that filled my nostrils and made my stomach grumble. Home cooking. I moaned with happiness.
After a quick shower, I dressed and went to the kitchen. The festive smells were stronger there. I closed my eyes and inhaled. Memories of past Christmases in this kitchen, helping Grandad cook, brought back happier times. When life was carefree and simple.
“That smells so good. And you’ve made a Christmas cake too, haven’t you?”
Grandad beamed with pride. “Yes, love, I have. Now you’re back, you can help me eat it. I’ve also made sausage casserole in the slow cooker and baked some fresh bread in my new bread maker.”
I flung my arms around him. So many happy memories of this home filled me with emotions.I’m safe. I’m free.Those words would now be my mantra.
