"I'm excited too. I want to thank her for helping you so much. She sounds like a great detective and a great friend."
Nate glanced at Ruby, then turned his attention back to the road. "I think I'm falling in love with her."
Ruby flicked her cigarette out the window and turned to Nate. "I never thought I'd hear you say that about anyone."
Nate laughed. "Why is that?"
"Shoot, the way you like to party, and that Boniva. I've always thought you were too good for her. Girl ain't been nothing but trouble, since she was thirteen years old."
"I could say the same about Mick."
Ruby nodded. "I bet the only reason he missed me is because nobody was there to take care of his ass."
"He came to the precinct a couple of times. He vowed to change his ways and said he's going to treat you better. I don't know how long that will last, but he did seem sincere."
"He used to be a really sweet man. He fixed my car for free when we first met. I hope he can be like that again.”
Nate turned into Highpoint. "He’d better. If he doesn't you need to move on. I mean it!"
"I will, Nate. I'll give him one more chance, but if he hasn't changed, I will leave his ass. I'm even stronger now."
"You're a survivor," Nate said, as he pulled into Ruby's driveway.
Ruby raised her eyebrows. "A lot of damn cars parked on the road. We must have some new neighbors."
"Maybe," Nate said, and hopped out of the truck. He ran around to Ruby's side and tried to help her.
"I don't need any help," Ruby said, pushing him away.
Nate looked at his watch. "Ebony should be here with Keith in less than an hour."
"Do you think she's really changed?" Ruby asked.
"She did a good job with Keith through all of this."
"I hope so. I don't even know what it's like to have a mother."
Nate followed Ruby. She stopped just short of the front door and looked down at the weeds growing through the sidewalk.
"What's wrong?" Nate asked.
"Nothing," Ruby said, and opened the front door. She was greeted by a big welcome home banner and lots of smiling, familiar faces. "Oh my God, look at everyone."
"Welcome home," Nate said.
Ruby stepped through the doorway and spotted Jeff Roe. He wore a big wide grin, revealing his gleaming gold tooth. "You're out," she yelled excitedly.
Jeff brushed past Sarge and Scarecrow, putting his arms out to hug Ruby. "I'm out because of these fine detectives." He gave Ruby a tight squeeze. "I'm so glad you're home safe."
"And you must be Esperanza Rosales," Ruby said after Jeff let go.
"No, that's Conejito," Sarge said, with a big boyish grin.
"Nate's told me all about you," Ruby said, and gave Rosales a hug. "He's told me about you too, Sarge."
Scarecrow stuck a grape lollipop in his mouth. "If you haven't guessed, I'm the one they call Scarecrow."
"Fitting. Thank you guys, so much," Ruby said.
Mick put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "It's good to have you back. I'm so sorry for how I left you here that night."
"It's all in the past now," Ruby said as she noticed Boniva standing near the back of the room. "Get over here, Boniva. I heard you had to spend a little time in the hospital. I expect to see you at the center. I'm looking forward to getting back to my volunteer work."
"No more walking there," Mick said.
Ruby shook her head. "Nothing is going to stop me."
"I figured that. There's plenty of drinks and snacks in the kitchen," Mick said.
"Thanks, but we have to run," Sarge said.
"Lots of bad guys to catch," Scarecrow added.
Ruby gave them a hug. "Thank you for not giving up and helping Nate. You guys be safe out there."
When Sarge and Scarecrow were out the door, Mick pointed his thumb toward the kitchen. "Come on, have some snacks. I even cleaned up the grill and have it lit. It's chilly out but I know how much you like burgers, Ruby."
Jeff rubbed his stomach. "Now you're talking, dog—I haven't had a good damn hamburger in ages."
Mick led everyone to the kitchen and Ruby's eyes widened. "You even got me a cake—Welcome Home, Ruby. Way to make a girl feel loved."
"It's a party," Mick said and turned on some music. He started dancing to the retro soul beat. His pudgy belly jiggled under his tight white tank top.
Boniva grabbed Jeff by the waist. "How about a dance, big guy?"
Jeff put an arm around Boniva's back and pulled her in close, as he started moving his hips.
Rosales was laughing.
Nate smiled. "I told you you'd like this family."
Mick danced his way to the back door. "I'll throw on the burgers and hot dogs."
Ruby laughed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him like this.”
“I still don’t like the guy. He’s going to have to keep it up a good long while before he’s convinced me of anything.”
Ruby nodded. “Same here.”
Nate watched Boniva and Jeff dancing. Then, he watched as Ruby and Esperanza sat at the table and started chatting away. He thought back to his drive to Indiana, when he first imagined the two of them meeting, not knowing if Ruby was even alive.
Nate grabbed a beer from the fridge and heard someone knocking on the front door.
Ruby looked his way. "Who could that be? Everyone I know is here."
"Only one way to find out," Nate said, heading to check the door.
When he entered the living room, he could see that it was Maria. "I'm so glad you're here," he said, when he let her in.
Maria looked around the room. "I wasn't too sure. To be honest I'm still not sure."
"I get it, I really do. I think once you meet everyone, you'll be glad you did. Come on into the kitchen.”
"Oh my God! Are you Maria?" Ruby asked, as soon as they stepped into the room.
Maria gave her an awkward half-smile. "That's me."
Ruby stood up from the table and put her arms out. "I'm Ruby. Get over here for a hug."
Maria gave Ruby a half hug and patted her back with the other hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Ruby pulled a chair from the table. "Have a seat. Mick is out back cooking burgers. This is Jeff, and Boniva. Have you met Esperanza Rosales?"
"We've crossed paths," Maria said, after an awkward moment of silence.
Rosales leaned back. "I know you probably hate me—"
Maria cut her off. "No, I don't hate you. You were just doing your job."
Ruby smiled as wide as she could when Maria sat down at the table.
Jeff put his arm around Boniva. "The four of us grew up together."
"And let me tell you, Jeff and Nate were little shits sometimes," Ruby said.
Maria leaned back in her chair. "I bet they were."
"They were always trying to ditch me. They'd even tell me we were going to play hide and go seek and run off while I was hiding.”
Maria and Rosales laughed.
Nate sipped his beer and listened to their conversation until Mick came back inside, with burgers and hot dogs.
"Let's eat. I'm starving," Jeff said, as he let go of Boniva.
Nate watched everyone fill their paper plates with food. Everything was perfect, now, but Nate knew things were never good for long. He smiled, wanting to enjoy every minute while things were OK with the Randolph family. They all deserved their moment of happiness.
Thank you for reading. If you liked my book, a quick review on Amazon would be highly appreciated. As an author, my main goal is writing books for people to enjoy. I would love to hear from readers.
Sincerely,
Casper
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Come Find Me Page 16
