Borrowing Love

Chapter 2

2

Parker watched Ruby hurry out the door. Her long dark hair bounced slightly with each step, and it seemed to glow as she walked into the sunlight. After all these years he still couldn’t help but watch her every move.

“Parker, did you want me to bag these up for you?” Rebecca asked. From the way she looked at him, it seemed like maybe it wasn’t the first time she had asked.

“Yes, please. Thank you.” As Rebecca rung up the cake and figurines, a flash of light on the counter caught Parker’s eye. He walked over and saw that it was a blue wallet. Tiny jewels sewn into the surface reflected the light that streamed through the window. Parker opened it and saw Ruby’s face staring back at him on her driver’s license. Except the license had expired. He closed the wallet and hit it against the palm of his hand, wondering what he should do.

“What have you got there?” Rebecca asked, walking over with the cake box.

Parker glanced down at the wallet. “Ruby left her wallet. Must have been when she was looking for her cake design.” He glanced at the piece of paper sitting close by. A rough sketch of pink baby booties was drawn in the middle with writing scrawled around it.

“If you give it to me, I’d be happy to make sure she gets it back,” Rebecca said. She held out a hand to take the wallet, but something held Parker back.

“I can take it to her on my way home. It’s not a big deal.”

Rebecca eyed Parker before retracting her hand. “Suit yourself. You’ll find her at Little Dumpling Daycare.”

Parker smirked. “So, she has kids.”

Rebecca stopped Parker with a hand on his arm. “You didn’t hear, then.”

Parker stepped back, disarmed by the sudden sadness in Rebecca’s eyes. “Hear what?”

Rebecca paused, like she didn’t know if she should say anything. “Ruby owns the daycare,” she finally said.

Parker could tell she wasn’t telling him everything but didn’t push it. He slid Ruby’s wallet into his back pocket and took the cake and figurines from Rebecca. “Thank you for everything,” he said as he backed out the door, trying not to drop anything.

It had been a long time since he’d thought of Ruby Freedman.

Parker stopped in front of a building with a dancing dumpling on the front. There were no words accompanying it, but this had to be the right place. His hometown of Amor had changed a lot since he’d last visited. It had been too long, he now realized. Amor had grown, though it was still tiny, and he wondered how much he had missed over the years.

Parker stepped out of the car and touched his back pocket, making sure Ruby’s wallet was still safely tucked there. When he walked through the front door, he wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it hadn’t been seeing Ruby’s older brother, Sam, dressed in a bright pink shirt and painting with kids. There were several other tables filled with children engaged in a variety of activities. Two young women wearing pink shirts similar to Sam’s walked amongst them.

Sam glanced up from the small table he sat at with three little girls. He stood and walked toward Parker.

“Hey, how can I help you?”

Sam didn’t seem to recognize Parker, and he suddenly wished he’d let Rebecca return the wallet. “I’m sorry, I think I’m in the wrong place,” he said.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “You accidentally walked into a building with a huge dancing dumpling displayed out front?”

“Yeah,” Parker said with a nervous laugh. “Shows how oblivious I am. Thanks, though.” He turned to leave, but Ruby walked in. She stopped when she saw Parker.

“I just remembered, I have something to do in the back,” Ruby said, turning to leave.

“Wait,” Parker said, finding his voice. “You left your wallet at the bakery.” He pulled it out of his back pocket and held it out, almost like a peace offering.

Sam folded his arms. “I thought you said you were in the wrong place.”

“Guess not,” Parker said. He held out a hand to Sam. “I’m Parker Loveland. I went to high school with Ruby.”

Sam shook Parker’s outstretched hand. “I thought you looked familiar.” He then turned to Ruby and smiled. “But I don’t remember her ever mentioning you.”

Parker’s hands curled into fists. Of course she wouldn’t have. He was just a nobody, while she had been valedictorian. Ruby couldn’t be bothered with someone so—average. “I should probably get going. I have a cake in the car.”

“Let us at least repay you for returning Ruby’s wallet,” Sam said, pulling out his own.

“Really, there’s no need,” Parker said, backing toward the door. “Anyone else would have done the same.”

“Maybe,” Sam said. “But we’d still like to thank you.”

“I appreciate it, but I can’t accept your money,” Parker said. “I was happy to help out.”

“Then let us at least show you our hospitality by feeding you. Come over to the house and have dinner with us. For old times’ sake.”

Parker blinked. “Old times?”

“It seems you two were friends in high school and might want to catch up.”

Parker glanced at Ruby and felt some satisfaction when he saw her blush. Maybe he should feel some guilt at being glad she was embarrassed, but he figured it served her right. For old times’ sake. “Actually, that does sound nice. Just tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”

Ruby’s gaze snapped to Parker, and she glared at him.

Yup, this would definitely be more satisfying than a night at home.

Sam grinned and clapped his hands. “Great. My wife and I will meet you at Ruby’s house tomorrow night at six.” Sam pointed to Ruby, then Parker, then himself, while silently counting. “You know what I just realized? This will kind of be like a double date,” he said, acting surprised, but doing a terrible job at it.

Parker’s stomach sank, and he noticed Ruby had paled as well.

Was now a good time to tell Sam that he and Ruby couldn’t stand each other?

“I know what you are doing, and it won’t work,” Ruby told Sam. “You can’t just invite random guys over for dinner—to my house—and expect me to fall head over heels in love.”

“He’s not random,” Sam said, walking back to the table where the little girls were now painting each other instead of the paper. “He’s an old friend of yours. It would have been rude not to invite him.”

“He’s not my friend,” Ruby said with an exasperated sigh. “He is a jerk who I’d really like to avoid, if you don’t mind.”

Sam grabbed a washcloth from the counter and started wiping down one of the girls. “You do a lot of that these days.”

“What?”

Sam glanced up. “Avoiding. Other than me and Katie, have you spent time with anyone besides little kids who struggle to talk in complete sentences?”

“I’m hanging out with Zoe tonight,” Ruby said. “So there.” She stuck her tongue out at Sam.

“I’m just trying to help,” Sam said with a sigh.

That was the problem. Everyone was always trying to ‘help.’ She was someone who needed fixing, and everyone was willing to try their hand at it. “I know,” Ruby said. “But have you ever stopped to think that I don’t need help? I own my own business, I have family and friends who care about me, and a niece on the way.” That last part hurt when she said it, but she’d been trying to be normal about it—prove to everyone it didn’t make her spirit ache just thinking about it. “Life is good,” she said, her voice quiet, and not quite as convincing as she wished it was.

Then it hit her. Hard. She’d had this conversation before. With Clark, when they had first met. Had she really gone full circle? It was Sam who was mayor of Amor now, instead of her father. And she owned a daycare instead of her own plane, but everything else…was actually worse.

Sam stood and walked to the sink. “It’s been four years,” he said, rinsing pink paint out of the washcloth.

Ruby felt the tears coming long before they clouded her vision. “I know how long it’s been,” she choked out. Why was Sam doing this to her? They didn’t talk about it. Ever. That was the rule. It was the only way she managed to make it through each day.

“I just want to see you happy again, that’s all,” Sam said. He slipped an arm around Ruby’s shoulders and held her close as the tears fell fast.

When Ruby wiped the moisture from her eyes, she noticed the kids staring at her. “You’re scaring the children, Sam,” she said.

Sam stepped back and Ruby managed to flash a smile to the kids so they would know everything was okay.

“Just promise me you’ll be nice to the guy when he comes over tomorrow night,” Sam said.

“It won’t change anything.”

“I don’t expect it to,” Sam said.

“You probably want me to not only host, but cook as well,” Ruby said with a frown.

“No, no,” Sam said. “You just be your lovely self and Katie and I will do all the cooking.”

Ruby gawked. “Neither of you can cook. Katie grew up on the streets and you’re—you.”

“Hey, come now. No need to be rude,” Sam said, though he was smiling. “Katie and I have been taking couples cooking lessons.”

“Oh yeah?” Ruby smirked. “How’s that been going?” She imagined the poor teacher must have the patience of a saint.

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” Sam said. “But for now, I better get back to the office.” He went into the back and when he came out, he was no longer wearing the pink dancing dumpling T-shirt, and instead wore a nice suit.

“Have fun, Mr. Mayor. Say hi to Zoe for me.”

“Will do. See you tomorrow,” Sam said with a wink.

Ruby paused as she watched Sam leave.

Zoe. Of course. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? Zoe might be Sam’s assistant, but she was also Ruby’s best friend, and Sam had never said she couldn’t invite additional guests.

Ruby smiled. Sam wasn’t going to pull one over on her that easily.