by Ann, Natalie
“Ruby saw copies of the purchase so I’m sure it’s probably fine.”
“Sounds good. Let’s get to it,” Clint said. “You aren’t going to pull that gun out if I give you bad news, are you?”
He’d taken a few hours from work and didn’t bother to remove his badge or gun. “Guess you’ll have to make sure I don’t get bad news to test it out,” he said back with a grin.
He found that, as nervous as he was, he was still smiling. There was an excitement in him he hadn’t felt in years.
By the time they were done with the basement, Nathan had shown up and was talking with Ruby in the kitchen. “I like your friend,” Ruby said.
“Thanks for stopping by, Nathan. This is Clint.”
“Great location. Solid house. You want me to just walk around and check it out and see what needs to be done and give prices and ideas? You’d already said what you planned.”
“That would be great. Don’t worry about the basement. I’ll do that last. I’m more concerned with the main level and the master suite upstairs than anything else. I want to make sure I’m not biting off more than I can chew right away.”
“Works for me,” Nathan said and pulled out his phone and a tape measure in the kitchen. “You want to try to match these floors with the wood under the carpets or do tile?”
“Depends on the shape of the floors. I’d like wood, but don’t have a problem with tile if I need to do that.”
Nathan nodded his head and went back at it while Josh followed Clint from room to room.
By the time it was all done there wasn’t anything to be concerned about. “I’ll write up the report and email it to you. A few leaks, some drafty windows, but if you fix the locks, that should fix it, tiny pieces of mold under the sink.”
“All things I’ll probably replace anyway.”
“Not one item that would come up to twenty-five hundred. I think you should be good to go. When is the appraiser coming?”
“Pretty soon. Ruby is staying to meet them here.”
“Moving fast. Bet she loves that.”
He didn’t know what to make of that comment. “Meaning?”
“Meaning she’s good. Always seems to find what people want and gets them in their house, then moves on to the next. She doesn’t dilly dally around about anything when it comes to work.”
“She found this for me pretty fast,” he said and let it drop. It was most likely innocent enough comments and no reason for him to think otherwise. He’d never been one to get jealous over a woman before and wasn’t going to start now.
They’d had two nights together, both on Saturdays. He’d stayed the night and left pretty early the next morning as she had viewings scheduled. She really did work a lot and all odd hours. When she wasn’t working she was relaxing at home.
He’d taken her out to eat twice more, which was all they could manage on her schedule. If he was wanting more time with her, he kept that to himself. No reason to push too soon.
They did talk daily and what they had seemed to be going well. He had to remind himself that he was busy with work and now with the house. He’d have to start packing at some point too, but figured that could hold off.
Clint left and Josh walked back to the kitchen and leaned down to kiss her neck, causing her to jump. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. It’s hard to see you and not get my hands on you.”
“I’m glad you held back while Clint was here. What about Nathan?”
“He knows we are dating. I told him. I should go find him now though. Do you know where he is?”
“I think he’s on the deck. He’s kind of scary. Doesn’t smile much at all, walks quietly, and just types into his phone. He’s not in uniform so I’m going to guess he’s an investigator too?”
“Nope. He’s a trooper and it’s his day off. Great guy. The quiet type that could scare the shit out of people though.”
“Not you, though, huh?”
“Not too much scares me,” he said. It wasn’t just talk. When Ruby had made comments about his past and how well he turned out considering, he thought back and realized it was because of what he’d just said. Not much scared him.
He’d lost the two most important people in his life in a violent horrific way. He had nightmares of it more than he cared to admit.
But he helped put the killer away for life without parole. He put a lot of criminals away and he was going to continue to do that. He was hoping that he could prevent some other child from experiencing what he did but unfortunately knew he didn’t have that kind of control.
“I can see where that is in your life,” she said. “I’ve seen my fair share of nasty things. Horrible things that I hope no other kid has to, but I know that won’t be the case. There is always evil out there and good to combat it. You’re the good.”
Ruby always knew the right things to say to make him feel so powerful. To make him feel like he was making a difference in someone’s life. And wasn’t that what he wanted to do? Like those law enforcement officials did for him and his grandparents?
He’d like to think he was making a difference in Ruby’s life but knew it was too soon for that.
“More evil than I care to see,” he said back.
“Tell me about it,” Nathan said from the other direction of where Josh had thought he was. He’d just come in from the front.
“Where were you?” he asked.
“Front porch. Deck looks good. Yard is great. I went around the front and checked out the porch. This is a good neighborhood. Probably not a lot of profit in flips though.”
“Not really,” Ruby said. “Houses go fast here and not many are in bad enough shape that they’d go so low. This house is one of the lowest and I knew if Josh didn’t put a bid in right away, he’d probably lose it. It was listed less than twenty-four hours before he saw and bid on it.”
Nathan pulled a card out and handed it over. “If you ever come across anything you think has a lot of potential give me a call.”
Ruby took his card and then pulled out one of her own. “Likewise when you are ready to sell one of your flips.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” he said. “Josh, I’ll talk to you back at the office.”
He watched Nathan walk back out the door and pulled Ruby up into his arms. “I can’t believe I’m going to own this place.”
“Me neither. Are you getting excited about it?”
“I am. I don’t get excited about a lot in life, but I’m looking forward to moving in here and making it my own.”
“Now I’m hurt. You weren’t excited about coming to my place over a week ago?”
Her brown eyes were sparkling, her hair was pulled back, and the grin on her face made him want to pick her up and throw her on a bed upstairs. “That was eager. Wasn’t that your word?”
“Yes, it was. Too bad we both have to work this afternoon.”
“Tell me about it. I need to get back. The appraiser will be here soon?” he asked. “Do you want me to stay with you?” At the moment he was having thoughts of her being in the house alone with a stranger when he hadn’t before.
“He should be here in about ten minutes. He just sent me a text he was on his way. I’ve worked with Simon before. It’s all good. Should be fast.”
“Do you know how to protect yourself if you needed to?”
She looked up at him and frowned. “You mean because I’m alone in the house with people?”
“Yes. I guess I didn’t think much of it before and now I can’t stop thinking of it.”
She ran her hand across his cheek. “I’m good. I’ve never had a problem. But thanks for the concern.”
“I’m going to continue to have that concern. Maybe you should carry pepper spray or something with you if you needed it.”
She laughed at him. “I might need it when an annoying client ticks me off, but for no other reason. It’s all good, Josh.”
“I could show you some self-defense moves.”
“Josh, I’m fine.�
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He’d have to take her word for it. No reason to worry or stress her because he was having thoughts of protection. “You know a lot of people around here, don’t you?”
“Comes with the job,” she said. “The appraisal is the last step since it sounds like the inspection went so well. Then it’s just getting the lawyers to do their thing. You do have one, right? I can’t believe that slipped my mind.”
“I’d like to think I’ve been a bit of a distraction for you.”
“You have been.”
“Yes, I’ve got a lawyer. Everything seems to be on track. Just about twenty days to the closing if all goes well.”
Then the place would be his. His first home.
Already he was having images of a family here someday and wasn’t sure why.
He’d only been dating Ruby about two weeks. They didn’t spend a ton of time together, but they knew some of the deepest darkest secrets of each other’s lives.
“It looks to be going well,” she said, then stopped when her phone went off and she groaned.
“What?”
“This pain in the butt couple. They want to see another house. It never seems to end with them.”
“When do they want to see it?” he asked.
She flipped through her phone and read the whole message. “Tonight. That isn’t happening and I’ll let them know that. When I leave here I’ve got one showing and then I’m going home to relax and prepare for a closing I’ve got tomorrow. Not only that, most homeowners don’t reply back right away when I request a viewing.”
“So no dinner tonight?” he asked. “How about I cook for you and you can stay the night and relax at my place?”
“Really?” she asked. “Are you sure?”
“You haven’t been to my place. Why not? I won’t be there much longer.”
“True. If you don’t mind, that would be great.”
“I should be out around five. When is your showing?”
“Four. I should be done no later than five too. Maybe sooner. I’ll just run home and change and grab some clothes for tomorrow.” She ran her hand down his face. “Are you sure? We both have to get up for work in the morning?”
“I’m sure. I want you there. Only if you want to be there.”
“Surprisingly I do.”
He wasn’t sure what to make of that comment and decided that maybe he didn’t want to know.
16
Stepping Stone
“Are you nervous?”
“Why would you ask that?” Ruby said as she twisted her hands in the seat.
He looked down to see what she was doing, making her stop immediately. “I always thought you had nerves of steel and right now you are acting like a virgin at a rock concert.”
“I’ve never been a virgin at a rock concert so I can’t tell you how one would act.”
He laughed at her. “I’m not sure what to say. Either you’ve never been to a concert or I hope you went later in life.”
She snorted. “Never been to one,” she said. Rock concerts weren’t things the foster homes she lived in were willing to spend money on. Most wouldn’t even approve it if someone else paid for it. “And as for being a virgin, if we are sharing, I was nineteen and out of school since there weren’t many opportunities for me to hang out with boys my age. Not without breaking curfew and I wanted to stay at the last house I was at.”
“Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” she asked.
“I shouldn’t have brought it up. Sometimes I just forget.”
“It’s my life. I’m not afraid to talk about it with you. I don’t do it with people often, but you know and it’s fine. I think you’re trying to avoid sharing when you lost your virginity. We aren’t getting out of this car until you tell me.”
“Now I think that is you avoiding meeting my grandparents.”
She looked at his grin while he was driving. “Guess we are at a stalemate then, aren’t we?”
“Sixteen,” he said. “Betsy Lampher.”
“Bet she was the one everyone wanted and you got her,” she said. Josh seemed like the all-American boy. Probably lettered in three sports for four years and had the girls all hanging on his arm.
“I don’t know about that,” he said. “We were in math class together. She started to flirt, I flirted back and we ended up at a few parties together and started to date. We dated for six months before she broke my heart and went after the quarterback.”
“What sports did you play?” she asked. “I’ve got a feeling you were pretty popular.”
“I hung out with the popular kids, but I wasn’t at the top of the feeding chain. We were at some of the same events, played some of the same sports, but if anyone hears my name now they say ‘wasn’t that the kid whose parents were murdered?’”
Oh man. Guess they both had a lot of baggage. “Now I’m sorry.”
“Just like you said. It’s my life. I don’t have a problem talking about it. I can’t hide from it and never have. I can tell you I often wondered if I had friends because they felt sorry for me.”
“Really, Josh? I doubt it. Maybe when you were younger. I remember when I was first in foster care and younger, the kids don’t single you out as fast in school. If you are new they tend to take you in. That preteen age is when all the segregation starts.”
“You’re probably right. I stayed in the same school so everyone knew me and knew my history. I played sports and had friends. I would just say I was middle of the road. I didn’t make waves because the truth is I didn’t care enough to.”
“You knew what it was like to lose something and little shit like mean girls and jocks weren’t worth your time,” she said.
“How do you know that?”
“Because I felt the same way. I wanted a roof over my head. Food in my stomach. School was just a stepping stone and something I had to do to stay where I was. I wasn’t going to college; it was never a dream of mine. I just wanted to get through those years of school and get where I made all my own decisions. Keeping my nose clean... I had stock in soap, trust me.”
He reached his hand over and patted her knee. “We are just so much alike and no one would ever realize that looking at us.”
She was trying not to be insulted. “Why is that?”
“Oh man. What did I say? I just mean that we look like two normal law abiding citizens, not two people with horrific pasts.”
“Not all scars in life are visible,” she said and looked out the window.
“Scars remind us of what we overcame...they don’t dictate our future,” he said.
“No, they don’t.”
“Okay, let’s change the subject. My grandparents are going to love you. I’ve told them a lot about you. Why are you so nervous?”
Family dinners weren’t something she had a lot of experience with. She’d dated over the years and when she was in a relationship and it was around the holiday, she’d drop into that person’s house if she couldn’t avoid it, but she never stayed and didn’t celebrate.
The few short weeks they’d been dating she’d felt closer to Josh than any other man in her life and it was too scary for someone who swore she was better off on her own.
That she wasn’t going to hand over her heart to anyone.
She’d been hurt way too much and the best way not to get hurt again was to make sure her heart stayed locked up tight with chains around it and she swallowed the key.
“This is big for you.”
“It’s Thanksgiving dinner,” he said, letting out a snort.
“It’s important for you. Your grandparents are your world.” He talked about them all the time. She knew love when she heard it. And maybe that was part of it too. Seeing something she’d never had before.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t have room in my world for more.”
“Wow. What a sweet statement.”
There was so much to Josh she never expected.
In the past few weeks she’d though
t of Sheri’s nickname for her. Cupid. She wondered if there was an arrow aimed right at her heart at times trying to break through those chains.
How many times had she been affected by sweet statements a man made to her? Not often.
Then she wondered how often she was told sweet statements. Maybe more than she thought, but since they never affected her like Josh, she had no memory of them either.
“I’ve been known to say sweet things before,” he said. “No reason to act so shocked.”
“I wasn’t shocked as much as touched,” she said.
“That’s my girl,” he said with that big grin that melted her chained-up heart more than she felt comfortable with. This was turning into more than she bargained for.
* * *
Josh couldn’t understand why Ruby was so nervous about a holiday dinner. He figured she’d enjoy it. When he found out she was going to be by herself there was no way he was letting that happen.
Little did he know he’d have to all but twist her arm to get her to go. And they had to return home later tonight because she was booked up with showings all day tomorrow. He had to work anyway, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“This is a nice neighborhood,” she said when he turned into a development. Not the one his grandparents lived in. “I bet you were happy living here.”
“I was for a few years,” he said as he started to drive by his parents’ old house.
She turned sharply. “Your grandparents lived in the same development as your parents? That had to be hard to see every day.”
“This is the first I’ve been back down this street since the murder.”
“Why are we here?” she asked.
“Because you were right about scars. They aren’t visible. I guess now that I’m buying my own house I wanted to see if my memories are what I thought.”
He’d been thinking of that for weeks. Did he make up those things in his head or were they real? Were they things he just wanted so badly that he couldn’t push them out or fabricated them?
“Does it matter?” she asked. “You are buying that house because you love it. Because you felt something when you walked into it. If it reminds you of this place or not doesn’t make a difference at this point. Time to make your own memories.”
