Chapter 14

fourteen

. . .

Ruby

I’d ignoredmy mother’s texts over the last few days, and I was actually enjoying setting these new boundaries with her.

The rent was paid, they had a roof over their heads, and my work was done there.

At least for the time being.

She’d come to the bar all high and mighty, telling me she’d hired River to represent her, and it had all been bullshit.

But I hadn’t minded going to his office at all. Hell, I couldn’t stop thinking about the jackass ever since he’d given me the best two minutes of my life.

Damn him.

Damn his sexy ass.

His handsome face.

His badass tattoos.

And his filthy mouth.

Especially his filthy mouth.

I’d always been turned off by men who thought dirty talk would impress me.

Dereck Hamilton, aka Professor Hamilton, had tried it once. He’d failed epically, but he’d taken his shot.

He’d smacked my ass with his perfectly manicured hand and told me he wanted to fuck me.

It was a hard no.

And by hard, I wasn’t referring to the professor’s penis. He took a while to warm up, and then once he was ready, everything was fast and uneventful on my end.

But River Pierce was a whole different story.

The man got me going the minute I saw him, and the bastard took me to euphoria on steroids in less than sixty seconds. Hell, I couldn’t even get myself there that quickly.

I hadn’t seen him since I left his office a few days ago, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was disappointed every day that he didn’t stop by the bar.

I’d never been big on flirty banter, but everything was different with him.

I walked the short distance to the Golden Goose because Demi and Peyton had me on some sort of group text that they’d added Saylor Woodson to, and we were meeting for lunch.

I pulled the door open to the diner, and when Midge looked up, I saw the panic when her gaze locked with mine.

Apparently, the dog-snatching devil had a conscience, and I was a reminder of what she’d done.

I raised a brow. “Midge.”

“Ruby,” she said, grabbing a menu. “The others are already here. They said they were expecting you.”

“I heard you got a new dog,” I said from behind her because when I’d gone to the Daily Market yesterday, Oscar had told me his dog was missing, and he was certain Midge had snatched him, as she lived two houses down from him.

“I have a rescue dog,” she snapped over her shoulder.

When she paused in front of the table, Demi, Peyton, and Saylor all stopped talking at the same time and looked up at her.

“It’s interesting that Oscar’s dog, Boone, went missing, and you suddenly have a rescue dog that’s the same breed as his? Does this not strike you as a bit too coincidental?”

She cleared her throat. “My dog was sitting on my front porch when I came home. He claimed me.”

“Or you lured him into your yard with beef sticks.” I raised a brow. “Just know that Oscar is pursuing legal action. It’s a felony to steal someone’s dog. And Boone has a chip in him, so if animal control comes to your house and checks the chip on that dog and it’s Boone, you’re going away for a very long time, Midge.”

This was complete bullshit. Oscar hadn’t considered legal action as far as I knew, and I highly doubted Boone was microchipped, but the look on her face was priceless.

If Casper had a cousin, her name would be Midge Longhorn, dog snatcher extraordinaire.

All the color had left her face.

The three women at the table were looking back and forth between us, and I was enjoying myself.

Stealing someone’s fur baby was evil. I wasn’t going to stand for it.

“Is that so?” She lifted her chin.

I leaned forward. “You do know that you can just go to the pound and adopt a dog, right? So do the right thing. Put Boone back in his yard and go get your own damn dog.”

She shocked the shit out of me when she did a curt nod and then stormed away.

Holy shit. This was as much of an admission as I could have hoped for.

That was far too easy. I dropped down to sit in the booth and smiled.

“Whatever that was, it was impressive. You had Midge quaking in her Crocs.” Saylor laughed. “Good to see you, Ruby. It’s been a long time.”

I didn’t know Saylor Woodson well, but we’d grown up in the same small town, and though she was a few years younger than me, we’d always been friendly. I’d run into her a few summers down at the lake when we were kids, and she’d always seemed a little shy but very nice.

“That was just me catching Midge with her hand in the cookie jar.” I shrugged before turning my attention back to Saylor. “Good to see you, too. Are you home for good?”

“That’s what we’re talking about,” Demi said. “Saylor wants to start a business, and we just came up with the best idea.”

Letty approached the table to take our orders, and we all quickly told her what we wanted before she walked away.

“I can’t wait to hear it,” I said.

“I want to open a romance bookstore.” Saylor waggled her brows like this was the most devious thing she’d ever said aloud.

“I am so here for it,” Peyton said as Letty set our drinks down in front of us.

“So, we have that space next to the coffee shop, and we’re thinking that she could put a bookstore in there. What goes better with coffee and muffins than a book?”

“I’ll tell you what goes better with coffee and muffins than a book. Coffee, muffins, and a book with lots of sex in it. A swoony man who loves his heroine fiercely and throws her down on the dining room table and has his way with her.” Peyton reached for her soda and took a sip.

Saylor and Demi both laughed as I gaped at them. “I’ve not read for pleasure in forever. I’ve been in school for so long that I haven’t gotten to read anything that wasn’t academic. Clearly, I’m missing out.”

“Oh, you are so missing out.” Saylor shook her head and smiled. “Romance is the best escape ever. I read a few books a week, and I think owning a bookstore would be the best way to spend my days. I’d be tying my passion to my career.”

“Damn straight,” Peyton said. “I am here for the passion. I love a dirty-talking asshole, and I’m guessing most of this town will be all over a romance bookstore. Even if some of the uptight locals act like they wouldn’t dream of reading swoony fiction. They’ll be there. Trust me.”

Demi was laughing now, and Letty set our plates down in front of us. “I think it’ll be brilliant. They can get their drinks and treats and then grab a book and read.”

“And then after they’ve had their fill, they can come on down to the bar to have a cocktail and find themselves a book-worthy man.” I reached for my burger, and they all nodded in agreement, like I hadn’t been joking.

Damn. Maybe I need to start reading romance.

“My brother will probably have a meltdown when I tell him I’m staying and investing in a business, but he’ll get over it.”

“Why wouldn’t he want you to stay?” I asked as I set my burger back down on my plate.

“My mom is back with Barry Leonard, and let’s just say, there’s no love there with Hayes and me and our evil stepfather. He doesn’t want me around Barry, but I love our mom, and I’m not going to stay away from my home just because she has a crappy husband, you know?”

“Well, coming from someone who has a very complicated relationship with her mother, I get it. I’ve stayed away for a long time just to avoid it.”

“But then they win. That’s not really fair, right? Why should I be run out of a place that I love? The place where I grew up. Where my brother lives and I have friends. No. I’m not running away because someone is an asshole.” She reached for her drink and took a sip.

“I never thought of it as running away because that’s not really my style. But I get what you’re saying. I guess it just depends on how toxic things are. If you can avoid being pulled under,” I said.

Saylor’s gaze softened as she took me in. “But you love your dad. You two have always been so close, from what I remember. I used to see you and Lionel everywhere together when we were young. So why shouldn’t you be able to be here? I get it. Sometimes being away is freeing. Being removed from the drama. But at the end of the day, this is home. I like it here. And where else can I open a romance bookstore next to the world’s cutest coffee shop?”

“Yes to that, girl!” Peyton said loud enough that several heads turned in our direction.

“Do you like being here?” Demi asked, turning her attention to me. “I mean, outside of the drama with your mom and brothers.”

“I don’t know. I never stop long enough to think about it, because there’s always something going on with one of them, and I usually can’t wait to get out of here. And the jobs that I’m applying for are not here in Magnolia Falls. I don’t know what I’d do here, and I certainly don’t want to run the bar forever. My life is just not here anymore.” It was the truth, but there was a peacefulness here that I hadn’t felt anywhere else. When I was out on the water, tuning out all the noise, it was actually my favorite place in the whole world. I’d applied for a therapist position in the city, as well as a high school counselor position in Arizona. I was open to anything at this point. But from a professional standpoint, the collegiate teaching position would be the wisest move for me at this point in my career.

“Well, maybe you should just enjoy this time while you’re here. Cutler is counting on you to ride with us every week now, so hopefully, we can convince you that this place isn’t all bad.” Demi reached for her water and took a sip.

“How’s your dad doing?” Saylor asked.

“He’s doing so much better. He still has a ways to go, but I spent the morning over at the hospital, and he’s working hard in physical therapy every day.”

“I took him some pastries yesterday, and I guess I’d just missed you, but he was going on and on about how proud he was of you,” Demi said. “I think he loves having you home.”

My chest squeezed the slightest bit, and I nodded. “Yeah. It’s been nice spending all this time with him again. I didn’t even realize how much I’d missed him.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here, even if it’s just temporary. We’ve got a fun group to go out with now,” Saylor said as she lifted her glass to clink with ours.

“Cheers to a badass girl group.” Peyton waggled her brows.

I shook my head and acted like they were ridiculous, but the truth was, I was enjoying myself. It was nice to feel like part of something.

I’d been solo for so long that I didn’t realize how alone I’d felt over the last few years.

We finished up lunch, and I made my way back to the bar. Doreen was unloading inventory downstairs, and I checked on the kitchen staff to make sure all the orders had arrived.

Things were running smoothly here.

My father had let things go a bit, but the books were getting cleaned up, and the bills were all paid. If he’d stop loaning money to his friends, he’d be making a good living. I’d had to turn away a few of his buddies with outstanding tabs that hadn’t been paid in years.

It was funny how quickly they’d come up with the money once they’d realized they weren’t going to be served until they’d paid it off.

I had just unloaded the dishwasher and cleaned up behind the bar when the door was pulled open, and River walked in.

“Hey, I thought you were avoiding me. It’s been a few days,” I said, as my heart pounded in my ears, which pissed me off for obvious reasons.

I wasn’t a girl whose heart fluttered or whose stomach had butterflies.

But my body was clearly responding to the man who’d managed to give me an epic orgasm and made it look as easy as taking his next breath.

“Ahhh, did you miss me, Queenie?” He pulled up a barstool and sat down. “Just a Dr. Pepper today, and how about a turkey club?”

“You got it,” I said as I filled his glass with ice and soda before sliding it over to him. “How’s the office going today?”

“Hmmm… funny you should ask. Cassie brought her cousin to the office. Yeah. She brought an actual human to work with her and acted like she’d brought a plant or a picture to set on her desk.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “She just looked at me and said, ‘Hey, boss, I hope you don’t mind that I brought my cousin to work today.’”

I leaned forward and chuckled. “What is her cousin doing there?”

“They talk non-fucking-stop. And then Cassie peeks her head in every twenty minutes or so to tell me that she’s still working while visiting.” He shook his head with pure disgust on his face.

“So, it’s exactly like bringing a plant to the office, then?”

His lips turned up in the corners, and he nodded. “How’s it going over here?”

“Good. It’s been busy. My dad said you were there early this morning. I must have just missed you.” I heard Calvin, our short-order cook, call out that the sandwich was ready, and I walked the few short steps to the window leading into the kitchen and grabbed his order. “Here you go.”

“You think I can eat this in sixty seconds?” He smirked, and damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.

“I don’t know why you’d want to.”

“I think there’s only one thing that I’d want to eat that quickly.” His tongue swiped out along his bottom lip, and his gaze locked with mine. “And I’m looking right at her.”

I did my best to act unaffected. “That was a one-and-done, remember?”

“Sure, it was.” His head turned when the light came in from the door that had just opened, and I sighed as Rico strode toward me.

“Hey, sis. I’ve texted you twice today, and you haven’t responded.” He sat in the seat beside River and turned to give him a quick nod. “I’ll take a beer as long as I’m here.”

I’d ignored his texts because I’d already answered the question he was asking, and he knew that.

“We’ve already talked about it. There’s nothing more to say.”

River sat there eating his sandwich as Rico started to unravel. My brother was charming and sweet, but he had a habit of behaving like a child when he didn’t get his way. I was used to it.

Rico took a long pull from his beer and then flailed his hands around. “We didn’t talk about it. I asked for a goddamn job, and you just shut me down. That’s not talking about it.”

I leaned forward, making no effort to hide my irritation. “You had a job. You chose to no-show to said job multiple times, and you lost it. Oscar said you failed to come to work three times over the last week. You think that makes you appealing to hire? No thanks.”

“You’re being such a bitch,” he hissed, and before I could put him in his place, River moved so fast I startled.

He grabbed Rico by the collar of his shirt and yanked him off his seat so they were both standing. “Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to her.”

“What the fuck?” Rico yelped, and River towered over him. “She’s my sister. Why is it any of your fucking business?”

“She’s my fucking business. You got me? Call her a bitch again, and I will beat your ass so bad you won’t walk for days.”

Holy shit. This was equal parts annoying and hot as hell all at the same time.

My inner feminist was shouting at me to stop this madness, but I stood there, watching with my heart pounding like my goddamn knight in shining armor had just rescued me from the big bad wolf.

Apparently, I liked having someone stand up for me.

And I liked that it was River doing it.