Page 67 of Freeing Ruby

I open the fridge and peer inside. “There’s not much to choose from.” I grab two bottles of sparkling water and hand her one. “I guess this will have to do. How about we sit out on the balcony and drink a toast?”

She looks apprehensive for a moment, but then she nods. “I hear the views from this building are amazing.”

We carry our drinks outside and sit on the two chairs on the balcony.

“To us,” Ruby says, holding her bottle up to me.

I tap my bottle to hers, and we drink.

While we sit quietly and enjoy the view, Ruby stares at the lake. “My parents used to take me to the beach when I was a kid. I loved the water.” She smiles sadly. “That was a long time ago, when I still had my mom and before my dad hated me.”

“Ruby, he doesn’t hate you.”

“Then how do you explain the way he treats me? The way he talks to me?”

That I don’t have an answer for. She’s right—it doesn’t make sense. I reach over to caress the back of her neck. “No one could ever hate you.”

She smiles at me. “You’re just being nice.”

“Have you been back to the lake since your mom passed?”

She shakes her head. “Dad and I never really did anything together after Mom died. Edward took me to the beach a few times, but eventually I stopped going anywhere. It was just too hard.”

“You did well leaving the hospital today. I wasn’t sure how that was going to go. You surprised me. I’m proud of you.”

She smiles as she sips her sparkling water. “My eyes were closed the entire time. That’s hardly an act of bravery. It was more like an ostrich sticking her head in the sand.”

She watches the sailboats and yachts on the lake, the people frolicking on the beach, the pedestrians and cyclists cruising along the paved path that borders the beach.

“Maybe we could walk down to the lake sometime,” I say casually. “It’s only a few blocks.” It’s just a suggestion. I’m not sure how she’ll take the idea.

She doesn’t respond, just keeps watching the activity on the lake. “I can smell the water, even from here. It brings back some good memories.”

After we finish our drinks, Ruby waters all her plants, the ones hanging inside as well as the ones out on the balcony. When she comes back inside, she says, “I can’t believe you managed all this in one day. Everything’s perfect.”

“Well, I can’t take credit for that. The movers did all the work. Actually, the credit goes to Shane. He made it all happen.”

She sets the watering can down just inside the balcony door before she turns to me and wraps her arms around my waist. “I couldn’t do any of this without you.”

I hug her back, but I don’t say what I want to say. She may not be ready to hear it.

There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.

Instead, I say, “You don’t have to thank me. I’m happy to help.” How lame. Those words feel so inadequate.

I stroke her hair, unable to resist the temptation. “Ruby, I—” I want to talk about our kiss earlier, but I stop myself. No matter how I look at it, I’d be taking advantage of her if I encouraged anything romantic between us. I’m all she has right now. I’m her lifeline. Her security, literally. It would be wrong of me to make things personal. Unprofessional. Inappropriate.

She lays her head on my chest, her ear right over my heart. I’m sure she can feel how it’s thundering.

Unprofessional, I remind myself.

Inappropriate.

Abruptly, I change the subject, hoping to get us on more solid ground. “There are some things I need to do this evening.” I need to talk to Darren Ingles. I have a feeling he’s the key to figuring out who’s trying to hurt Ruby. “Would you be okay if I asked Layla or Charlie to come stay with you while I’m gone?”

Ruby pulls back and gazes up at me. “What kind of things?”

I find myself staring into her eyes, unable to look away. “Investigative things.”

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