“Stop what? Complimenting you? Should I not tell you your beauty is only exceeded by your sharp mind, and I can’t seem to resist either?”
“You definitely shouldn’t.”
“Why, are you a nun as well as a lawyer? I’d respect any vows you’ve taken. If not disinterest, then what is it? I suppose my tech center is not the most romantic of settings.”
Ruby sighed.“No, I’m not a nun.”When he said nothing, she continued.“I’ve dated, nothing has stuck. And I haven’t wanted it to. I’ve wanted simple. I have my work.”
“Very important work.”
“You’d be complicated.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me.”
“You need your head examined. Stop by and see Amy on your way out. She’ll set you straight in no time.”
“Your concern warms my heart.”He grabbed her hand, and held it to his chest. When she didn’t pull away, he linked his fingers with hers.
“Emilio?”
“Yes, Rubina?”
“Go deploy your drone.”She unlinked their hands and used hers to push him out the door.
He could still hear her laughing when he reached Colin’s desk.
“I like having you around,”Colin said. “She hasn’t laughed like that since—”he stopped short.
“Since?”
Colin hesitated, and then continued.“You’re on the team. I suppose I should tell you about Tara Baxter.”
“I hear you have a flair for technology. Why don’t you tell me while we send Jaspyr on his mission?”
“Yes, absolutely. Let me switch over to auto-respond.”He changed modes and bolted upright.“Where are we heading?”
“To the roof.”
“But we aren’t cleared for roof access.”
“I have various real-estate holdings.”
“This is your building.”
“Yes, allow me to give you a behind-the-scenes tour, starting with its roof.”
“Don’t tell Ruby that you own the building.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. She insisted that I accept a fee.”
“That’s Ruby for you, as quick to help others as she is to decline aid. She prefers to make it on her own. Don’t stand in her way.”
“My aim is to help her, not hinder her.”
“What did she think of the Ruby Special?”
“She insisted on pretending it was junk food.”
“She ate it? Huh, she ate fortified food. Isn’t that something?”
“Is it?”
Colin studied him.“I say this as a happily attached man. I don’t know if it’s the genius factor, the gorgeous face, the accent, or a combo, but Ruby doesn’t know what’s coming. It’s about time someone gave her a reason to surface from her legal cave.”
“You’ve spoken to Justin, have you?”
“Yes, and I have excellent vision.”He tapped his glasses.“I like you, but that’d change fast if you hurt her. She’s family to us.”
“I won’t put her heart in any risk beyond which I’d place my own.”
After a moment, Colin nodded and said,“Fair enough.”
“What would Rubina think of your efforts to protect her?”
“It would irritate her.”Colin grinned at the thought.
Emilio returned his smile.“What are brothers for?”
Chapter 15
Emilio entered Ruby’s office and said,“You must have received my drone reports.”
“Yes.”
“And . . .”
“And there’s a lot to do before Monday.”
“Which means?”
“I have to work it all through. While you’re here, I need info about your latest gadgets—the ones not on the market yet.”
“I’d be delighted to discuss it over dinner.”
“Now’s not really the time for a date.”
“Your objection is to the timing? You’ve been holed up in here for hours, Rubina.”
“Yes, I don’t micromanage. We all come and go as we please. We’ll reconvene at eight.”
“You also don’t feed your team.”
“Colin can dial for delivery as well as I can. Have him order lunch.”
“It’d be quite late for that. I took the liberty of ordering a spread at the appropriate hour.”
“What time is it?”
“Four. The others warned me not to interrupt you.”
“And yet here you are.”
“Yes, here I am.”
“Did it glow green?”
“What?”
“Did your lunch options glow?”
“No. I took your aversion to real food and penchant for junk into account. Jasmine helped me with the selection. We decided on a mix.”
“She has her own vices. Did she order you for dessert?”
“I have a hunger for you, Rubina. I’m not the type of man who indulges in a sampler. Understood?”
“Yes,”she said.“Thanks for taking care of lunch. I sometimes forget not everyone fuels up on sugar and caffeine.”She looked up hopefully.“Any of the junk left?”
“You cannot survive on caffeine, sugar, and tenacity, Rubina.”
“I know. They’re not good for me, and neither is sarcasm. But after two hours of sleep in forty-eight, they sustain me.”
He brushed the pad of his thumb against the dark marks under her eyes.
Caught off guard by his tenderness, she held still and watched him.
He saw spine and fatigue in her sea-green eyes.“You’re a fascination.”
“Perhaps.”She moved his hand aside.“Be fascinated later. Let’s talk possibilities.”
“Between you and me?”
“No, gadgets. We need solid evidence, safety, and a plan involving subterfuge. Think your techie mind is up to the challenge?”
“I know it is.”
“There’s that robust ego.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a healthy awareness of one’s abilities.”His heated look told her he meant more than technical prowess.
“No, there isn’t. I figure it’s only a matter of time before I find out if it’s real or imagined.”
“We’ve made ample progress, Rubina,”Emilio said.“It’s nearing the dinner hour. Your consultant must have three squares or his productivity will plummet.”
“Nobody’s stopping you.”
“Our work will await our return.”
She gave him her full attention and a wicked grin.“Where did you have in mind? Jet over to Denmark and dine at the world’s best restaurant? We’d nibble toast points loaded with caviar harvested from the Caspian sea, sip the most sought-after wine?”
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Are you done?”
“For now.”
“What’s your answer?”
“No, thanks. I’d rather grab a burger and eat it in my office.”
“May I make a suggestion?”
“Actually, I’m not done. I know about high-end. I’ve seen dear friends and clients seduced by it with lasting consequences. I have no interest in it.”
He started to speak.
She raised her hand, palm facing him.
“I’m not an heiress or an aspiring actress. I have no interest in glitz, your fancy food, or your mountains of gold. All I’m after, Emilio,”Ruby paused to tap his temple, and continued,“Is your mind. Got it?”
“Ah, so you’ve pegged me as a playboy and decided you’re immune to my charm?”
“Yes. That sums it up.”
Her verbal blow connected with his gut. Keeping his tone casual, he said,“As you wish. How about a classic that’s survived the ages—pasta with meatballs the size of your fist?”
“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”
“You took issue with fancy. We won’t go for fancy. Unless there’s another reason you’re reluctant to be alone with me?”He looked at her in challenge.“You wouldn’t fall for a frivolous Casanova’s adv
ances, would you?”
“No, no reason.”Ruby jutted out her chin.“What kind of meat are we talking? Soy blend?”
“No, the real deal. Grass-fed beef.”
“Real cow.”Her mouth watered as her eyes narrowed.“Who ratted out my weakness?”
“That I won’t say. But I will tell you it cost me a bulk bag of espresso beans, and an espresso maker that’d do them justice.”
“I hesitate to ask the brand, but you already know my affinity for the brew. Which one?”
“Hollenbeck.”
“It’s Arianna, then. Best friends since Kaye High and you turn her traitor with Hollenbeck.”
“If you’re nice, Anna might share.”
“Anna? On a nickname basis now?”
“Yes. Believe it or not, some women enjoy my company. Seek it out, even.”
“Some women stay with companions that throw them around their living quarters.”
His expression darkened.“Which begs the million-dollar question.”
“What do you think that is? Why do these women stay?”
“No, Rubina. Why do these men degrade, demean, and violate women? The responsibility is theirs.”
Ruby considered him. Decision made, she slapped her thighs as she rose.“So . . . where’s this meatball joint? I’m starving.”
✧
The Gabriella Blanca Center had pride of place in the city’s center. Towering and majestic, it brushed against the gauzy clouds floating leisurely across the azure sky.
Ruby trailed her hand along the sandstone as they made their way to the impressive entrance.“You don’t see architecture like this anymore.”
“Its residents affectionately call it the Castle, particularly the pint-sized ones,”Emilio said.
“Residents? I’ve often wondered what happens here.”
“It’s a comprehensive program that requires many volunteers—for life-skills classes, for its childcare program. It aims to break the cycle of abuse. Women and their children are welcome here.”
“How long do they stay? How does the program work?”
“The program is designed to rebuild their confidence and give them dignity. Each woman works, and pays rent based on her income. She becomes better educated and a better mother during the program, which can take up to two years. Many women transform in astonishing ways in eighteen months, and are ready to go it on their own. Of course, they’re not really on their own. They’ll always have this community supporting them.”
“So you’re—what? A volunteer?”
“Yes, and there’s my beautiful date for the evening.”
A woman with glowing skin and youthful eyes held her arms wide as she spotted Emilio.“Mijo,”she exclaimed, and planted lavish kisses on his cheeks.
“Rubina, meet Gabriella—my mother.”
“Your mother? So nice to meet you, Gabriella.”
“Bienvenido, Rubina. Welcome, welcome. Please come in. And do call me Gabi.”
“Call me Ruby. Gabi, is it a coincidence you share your name with the program?”
“My son went and named it after me. He didn’t tell you?”
“Somehow he missed that part.”
“He’s humble to a fault.”
“And Blanca? Middle name?”
“My mother’s first.”
Ruby shot Emilio a meaningful look.“Break the cycle,”she muttered.“You excel in omissions.”
“Like you, Rubina, my mother has no interest in the glitzy and the fancy. This center is the only thing I could get her to accept. Though I haven’t given up trying.”
“Oh hush, Mijo.”She beamed at him.“I’m very happy with what I have. With a son like this, how could I not have everything?”
“You might give her the impression I’m an affable guy. She’s determined to think otherwise.”
“Yet she’s here tonight.”
“Yes, I am here. May I join the conversation, or would you rather continue without me?”
“My goodness you have spine. You’ll need it with this one. He’d talk you into chocolate ice cream when you’re wearing white gloves.”
“It wouldn’t take much to talk me into old-fashioned chocolate ice cream. Real cream and sugar, no substitutes.”
“My mother is fascinated by the old,”Emilio said.
“I am, yes. I make my food the old way—none of this zapping with rays. When you make it with your hands, you’re adding love. I’ve always said so. Verdad, Mijo?”
“Si, Madre.”He kissed her crown and gave her a one-arm squeeze before releasing her.“I’m going to touch base with Angela and make sure she has everything she needs for the week.”
Gabriella guided Ruby into an expansive, gleaming kitchen.
“This is unlike any kitchen I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen some of these contraptions in a client’s kitchen.”
“She enjoyed the old way?”
“She may have, had it been a choice.”
Gabriella nodded in understanding.“It’s modeled after a late nineteenth-century kitchen. Emilio and I toured a house from the Gilded Age preserved by the historical society—one of the Vanderbilt’s summer cottages. Are you familiar?”
“Fairly. Cornelius Vanderbilt was an early American business magnate. He made his fortune in rail and water transport. I’ve always wanted to see the Vanderbilt summer houses, particularly The Breakers—the grandest mansion in Newport. It sounds magnificent.”
“You’re standing in a replica of its kitchen. My sneak of a son went and added it when he built this home for me.”
“It must take a lot of work to prepare meals in here by hand.”
“Oh, no, I enjoy this too far much for it to be work. And I have plenty of help. The volunteers also do brilliant work with my girls. We’re a family here, you see—the volunteers, the women who stay here, and their little ones. They find a sense of belonging here, as well as love and acceptance for who they are. It inspires them to figure out who that is, to become their best selves. They feel safe to do so here.”
“That’s beautiful. I feel honored to be part of it tonight.”
“I imagine Emilio brought you here because he knows you believe in this work. He’s very involved with this program, and particular about whom he invites in.”
She felt her heart space expand, inflated by Gabriella’s warm words. Unsure what to say, she asked,“Who designed this place? Is the rest of it inspired by The Breakers? The outside looks more like something you’d find from the Renaissance period.”
“As a girl in Granada, I saved my pocket money to tour La Alhambra. It’s a beautiful palace on the city’s outskirts. Es increíble.”Her eyes glossed over as she transported to her girlhood in her home country.“I’d spend hours sitting in the courtyard looking up at the sky. It was a second home to me, and much safer than my first. As a teenager, I was hired to give tours. By then, I knew it all by heart. It was my favorite place. Emilio first heard about it through bedtime stories. There wasn’t enough good in his life, or magic. I tried to bring him both. And he has returned it to me a thousandfold.”
Comprehension dawned. Ruby touched her hand to her heart before placing it on Gabriella’s arm.“He built this for you. I mean, I already knew that. But it’s not for show—for splendor and extravagance. He brought your favorite part of your home country here.”She said with sheer awe in her voice.
“For me, yes, and for other women who are seeking a safe home. La Alhambra was not just a palace. It was also a fortress.”
“He brought Granada to the center of Minneapolis. Is there nothing he can’t do?”
“Not if he puts his mind to it,”she said with a mother’s pride, and patted Ruby’s hand.“Now, how are you with a knife?”
“Rusty. Nothing like my friend Alfred. He’s a history professor turned antiques dealer. He has many talents.”
“Yes, we adore Alfred. I’ve known him for years.”
“Yes, of course. It makes sense you’d know him. Alfred introduced me to y
our son.”
“Alfred the Matchmaker. That man does wear many hats, no?”
“Those weren’t his intentions. I needed an e-man.”
“We both know my son is overqualified for a consulting position. He has a sweet heart. He’d never turn down Alfred. He’s been like a father to him.”
“I’ll have to have a word with dear Freddy.”
“I’m sure he had the best intentions.”
Ruby softened.“Yes, he always does, and is impossible to stay mad at. Well, I have to tell you I’m an amateur at this.”She dangled a knife, point down, from her fingertips and examined it.
“I have a feeling you’re a quick learner.”
Emilio stood in the doorway and watched his mother guide Ruby through chopping vegetables. The tension she carried eased as she laughed with his mother at her own clumsiness. He felt the tug—the same that had compelled him to bring her with him tonight, and walked to her.
“I hope one of the secret ingredients tonight isn’t my finger,”Ruby said.
“Nobody has lost any digits under her watch.”He picked up a knife and slid it through carrots before moving on to celery.
Ruby gaped in disbelief.“And he’s good with a knife. Unbelievable.”
“I was trained by the best. She’ll have you chopping like me in no time.”
✧
“I’d like to walk you back to your office, Rubina, but I have a young audience to prepare for,”Emilio said as they left the ruckus of the dining room behind.
“For what?”
“Their bedtime story. They’re eager to find out if Aragon and Tabitha outwit the evil sorcerer and live happily ever after,”he said as they left the ruckus of the dining room behind.
“Do they?”
“I’m concocting this tale as I go. There will be slaying and valiant escapes to sate the bloodthirsty and adventurous, to be sure. Somehow, it will work out in the end. Every good bedtime story requires a suitably happy ending. Would you like to stay, Rubina?”
“Who wouldn’t? I have to get back though. I want to run through everything again, make sure there’s nothing I missed. Thanks for dinner.”
“Thank you for your volunteerism. The Center greatly appreciates your service. Rather well done, I must say, for a beginner.”He lifted her hand.“And with fingers intact.”He kissed the inside of her palm before turning her hand to link her fingers with his.“Tomorrow, we’re making Thai food, if you’re interested. The rest of the week my mother plans Spanish fare. The weekends are for adventures in taste.”
The Veiled Cage (Lady Lawyer Series Romantic Suspense Novels Book 1) Page 16
