Page 18 of Freeing Ruby

Her nose wrinkles as she considers my question. “I have a suggestion. How about an action film about a giant shark?”

I can’t help laughing because it’s so unexpected. “You mean Jaws?”

“Sort of, but from this century. It stars Jason Statham. He’s a big action hero.”

“I know who he is. Sure, that sounds good.”

We sit on the sofa, and Ruby reaches for the remote. She calls up a streaming service and locates a movie called The Meg. We watch the trailer, and it looks like it’s got a little bit of everything—action, suspense, a giant shark, and yes, a little bit of romance. I figured there’d be some romance in there somewhere.

As the movie starts, she asks, “Would you like a beer?”

I shake my head. “Still on duty.”

“But it’s late. Surely your workday is over.”

“It’s never over.”

She gets up, walks to the kitchen, and pulls a bottle of sparkling water out of the fridge. “Would you like one of these?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

She returns to the sofa, hands me my water, and sits, leaving plenty of space between us. She puts her feet up on the coffee table and wiggles her toes in her socks. “Take your boots off and make yourself comfortable.”

“That’s okay.”

“Because you’re on duty?”

“Yeah. I might have to move fast, you know? If something happens.”

The movie starts, and we turn our attention to the screen. But Ruby seems a bit tense. She flinches at every single noise she hears—neighbors’ doors opening and closing, the sound of a young child crying next door, a dog barking, footsteps in the hallway. She’s hypervigilant, but I guess that’s to be expected under the circumstances.

I watch her profile out of my peripheral vision, noting that she’s sitting as far away from me as possible. Her arms are crossed over her chest. I hate that she lives in this constant state of anxiety. I need some clear evidence soon so I can confirm her claims and ID the perpetrator.

It’s the least I can do for her.

A door slams somewhere on this floor of the building, and Ruby jumps. Immediately, she looks at me, but doesn’t say anything. It’s almost as if she’s saying, “You heard that, too, right?”

I don’t think she trusts her own judgment anymore.

Chapter 8

Ruby

I love this movie, and I’ve seen it before. That’s a good thing because right now I’m doing a lousy job of paying attention. Even though we’re sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, I can’t help being distracted by Miguel’s presence.

There’s a man in my apartment. And, he’s not leaving anytime soon. In fact, he’ll be spending the night—maybe many nights.

I watch him out of the corner of my eye. He’s got the ankle of one foot casually propped up on his other knee. One arm is resting on the sofa arm. Even though we’re sitting several feet apart, I can feel his presence.

When a door slams down the hall from my apartment, I jump. I look at Miguel to see if he noticed, but his attention is on the TV screen.

He downs his sparkling water pretty quickly and sets the empty bottle on a coaster on the coffee table.

“Would you like another one?” I ask.

“Thanks, but no. I’m good.”

Pumpkin jumps up on the sofa to join us. He walks across my lap, then goes to check out Miguel. He ends up curling up on the sofa between us. I smile when I notice Miguel reaching over to rub Pumpkin’s belly.

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