Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Miguel

I wasn’t sure what to expect when we arrived at the new apartment, but I certainly didn’t expect this. The sound of Ruby’s sobbing is breaking my heart. I really thought this would work. I thought having her things here would make her feel safe and comforted.

I pull her into my arms and hold her close. She presses her face against my chest, her hot tears soaking my T-shirt. “What is it?” I ask, feeling a bit lost.

I tried so hard to recreate her apartment in this place. I tried to make it as familiar for her as I could to ease the transition. Obviously, I failed. I pull back, cupping her face, and make her look at me. “Please talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Ruby turns and looks at her surroundings… the sofa, the chair, the coffee table, the floor rugs. Her TV hangs on the wall. Her plants hang from hooks in front of the glass balcony doors, and out on the balcony are her potted trees and containers filled with flowers and ferns. Her kitchen table and chairs are visible from where we’re standing. The framed photo of Ruby and her mom hangs on the wall. Everything’s here.

She wipes her cheeks with shaking hands, then gazes up at me. “It’s—” She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me. “It’s perfect, Miguel.”

Relieved that I didn’t mess this up after all, I slip my arms around her waist and hold her close. She’s practically vibrating with emotion. “I wanted you to feel safe. I wanted you to feel at home.”

I stare down into her crystal clear blue eyes—red-rimmed now and tear-filled—and my breath stalls. My heart races, and I can feel my pulse thrumming through my body. She’s looking at me like I just hung the sun and the moon for her. I brush tears off her freckled cheeks. My fingers slide into her hair. And still, she keeps looking at me, expectantly, almost as if—

She reaches up and touches my face, her fingertip gentle as she traces my brow, then the edge of my cheek. And then she gently traces the curve of my lips. “Miguel.”

There’s so much emotion in the tone of her voice. God, please tell me I’m not imagining this.

I realize we’re both frozen, both of us afraid to make a wrong move. I guess there’s only one way to know. “Ruby?”

“Mmm?”

“Would you be terribly upset if I kissed you right now?”

Her lips curve into a smile, dimples appearing in her soft, freckled cheeks. “Not at all. In fact, I’d be more upset if you didn’t.”

Cupping her face, I lean down to press my lips to hers. Her mouth is trembling, her breath shaky, and yet she’s clutching my arms. I test the water by deepening the kiss, and her hold on me turns into a death grip.

She’s definitely not pushing me away.

Her lips part, taking the kiss to a whole new level, and my doubts and concerns about what’s right and wrong go straight out the window. She wants this, just as much as I do.

When we hear Pumpkin’s plaintive wail coming from one of the bedrooms, we break apart.

“Oh, my God, Pumpkin!” she says.

I take Ruby’s hand. “Come on. Let’s free Pumpkin and finish the tour.”

As soon as we open Ruby’s bedroom door, Pumpkin comes racing out. He practically throws himself against her legs, purring like a motorboat.

“You poor baby,” she coos, scooping him up in her arms. “You must be terrified.”

Ruby walks into her new bedroom and turns in a circle, observing every little detail. She opens her dresser drawers and the nightstand drawers. Everything is right where she left it. She opens the closet doors to find her clothes hanging just as they were at her place. Her shoes are lined up on the closet floor. Her shoeboxes filled with mementos are sitting on the overhead shelf. Even the curtains hanging in front of her window are from the other apartment.

I show her the middle bedroom, which is now her art studio. Everything’s in place. All her canvases are hanging on the walls. Her worktable looks just like it did before. Her supplies are arranged on the bookcase shelves exactly as she had them.

She shakes her head. “I can’t believe this. It’s so perfect.” She turns to me. “You did this. You told them to make it perfect.”

I nod. “I wanted this place to feel familiar to you.”

After she examines the linen closet and the bathroom, she stops in front of the door of the last bedroom, which is currently closed. “Is this your bedroom?”

I nod as I turn the knob and open the door. Inside the room is my king size bed covered in a gray comforter, two nightstands, lamps, and a dresser. She opens the closet door to see all of my clothes and shoes, everything from my closet is here. Even my gun safe has been moved here, stowed in the closet.

She eyes my bed and frowns. “I’m sure you’re thrilled to have your own bed to sleep in again. No more sleeping on the sofa.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Actually, no. I’m not thrilled. Suddenly, having my own bedroom doesn’t seem like such a great idea after all. I much preferred sharing a bed with Ruby, even if it was purely platonic.

Pumpkin springs out of Ruby’s arms, jumps to the floor and starts rubbing against her ankles, purring loudly.

“I think someone wants his dinner,” I say.

She nods and heads for the kitchen. Pumpkin follows her, darting between her feet in his exuberance. In the kitchen, she locates the cat food in the pantry and dishes it into his bowl. She tops off his water bowl and sets it on the floor next to his food.

Pumpkin devours his food, purring loudly in the process.

“How does he do that without choking?” I ask. “Speaking of food, are you hungry?”

“No,” Ruby says. “I had enough to eat at the hospital. What about you?”

“I grabbed something after the movers finished. But I do think we should celebrate you getting out of the hospital and us moving into this apartment.”

“What did you have in mind?”

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.”

She frowns. “You’re referring to the person who drugged me.”

“Yes. We need to find out who did it. You could have died, Ruby. Whoever did it needs to be held accountable.”

“I’ll be fine by myself. I don’t want to trouble your friends.”

I’m not comfortable leaving her here alone yet. “I’d feel better if someone was here with you. Just until you settle in, okay?”

“I don’t need a babysitter. Besides, I’m really behind on my commissions, and I need to bury myself in my work and try to get caught up. You go do what you need to do. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve got Pumpkin for company.”

I sigh, recognizing defeat when I see it. If she’s asking for some independence, I don’t want to take that away from her. “All right. I’ll text you Layla’s number. If you need anything at all, you can call her. Her apartment is just down the hall.”

Ruby lays her hands on my chest. “I’ll be fine. You go.”