by Layla Holt
The one person who made everything make sense and who splashed color into his world. Dean was in trouble. Ruby had wholly captured his heart again. He belonged to her in every sense of the word.
He kissed her softly on the mouth before breaking the embrace. "Let me take those," he said gesturing at her cases. "You've come back heavier than when you left."
Ruby laughed. "Jewelry. Lots of pieces."
"I can't wait to take pictures of them," Dean said.
"You have to let me pay you," Ruby said.
They had had that discussion before when she told him her idea about the online store and asked that he take pictures of her pieces.
"No can do," Dean said. "I’m not a professional photographer."
"The quality of your pictures is professional," Ruby said.
They reached outside and Dean unlocked the car and stowed Ruby’s cases into the trunk of the car.
"If you insist," Dean said and banged the trunk shut. "You can pay by taking me for lunch. Fred's pizza is still open. We used to like having lunch there."
Ruby did not respond. In the car, he searched her face. "Don’t you like pizza anymore?" Maybe her tastes had grown more sophisticated and here he was asking her for a pizza date.
She turned her sea green eyes to him and his heart skipped a beat. He was struck anew by how perfect her features were. He stared for a moment; time suspended.
"It's not that," Ruby said. "I still love pizza."
He smiled. "That’s a relief. Our taste buds are simple here in Lockwood."
She took his hands into both of hers. A flash of attraction raced through him at the contact.
"Is there somewhere else we can go for pizza?"
"Sure," Dean said. He didn’t understand what was going on. She had always liked Fred's and so had he.
"I want to know you again Dean. I don’t want to do things that we did four years ago. Those won’t help me know the new Dean. I've changed in the last four years and so have you. I want to know the new you," Ruby said.
"I haven’t changed," Dean said. He couldn’t think of a single thing that had changed about himself in the four years she had been away. His life had remained frozen into place.
"Of course you have," Ruby said. "For instance, you didn’t know how to cook when I left."
Dean laughed. "I remember that. You did all the cooking when we stayed home. I took some cooking lessons when I realized how helpless I was in the kitchen.”
"See what I mean," Ruby said. "I know there’s a lot more and I want to know it."
"You'd make a fine lawyer," Dean said to her.
She had made her point. They had both changed and the more he thought about it, the more it hit him what they had been trying to do. Going back to the people they had been four years ago was impossible.
He glanced at her and found her gaze on him. "A new beginning?" Dean said.
She nodded. "Yes."
"Sounds perfect."
“WE SHOULD ASK EACH other things that people ask when they’re getting to know each other,” Ruby said as she munched a slice of pizza.
“Sure,” Dean said. “Go first.”
Ruby drummed the table and leaned across the table. Her face was only inches from his and he did the only thing he could do. He kissed her on the lips and continued eating.
"What is your deepest secret?" Ruby said in a menacing tone. “The one that would cause you untold embarrassment if anyone found out."
He didn’t have to think too hard to find the answer. "I still have our wedding rings."
She went still and then tears welled up in her eyes. "Why did you keep them?"
He had always secretly hoped that Ruby would return to Lockwood and they would hit the unpause button. Well, she’d returned to Lockwood but the unpause button was not an option. You didn’t just continue from where you had stopped.
"I don't know," he said. "That didn’t go like a normal date answer. Sorry. let's try a lighter question. Tell me about your friends. You talk about Penny a lot."
Her face lit up. "We met when I first got to New York. We were signed up at the same Agency. We still are. She's fun and kind and I hope one day you and she will meet."
"I’d like that," Dean said.
"How is Max? I'm surprised I haven’t run into him anywhere," Ruby said. She grabbed a water bottle and took a sip.
Dean's gaze settled on her lips and an overwhelming urge to take her home and keep her there hit him. Except that was not what love was. Love was given and taken freely. It had to be Ruby's choice to love him and to stay in Lockwood.
"Max is well," Dean said and went on to tell her about Max's company and how well he was doing.
"Is he married?” Ruby asked.
"Nope," Dean said. "He used to be a serial dater but he doesn’t do that anymore. His company takes up all his time now."
"I remember he used to have a thing for Megan. I used to tease him about it," Ruby said.
Dean frowned.
Ruby laughed. "Don't tell me that still irritates you?"
"He had no business having feelings for my little sister. Anyway, she's safely married and, in another country now."
Ruby laughed again but she did not pursue that conversation. “Do you have any other hobbies apart from cooking and hitting the gym?”
Dean gave it some thought. “Oh yes, I run. Every morning.”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “I’d never have guessed that. You like enclosed spaces. Scratch that. Used to like.”
Dean chuckled. “What about you, any new hobbies?”
“Yes. I discovered a love for art galleries. I can spend hours getting lost in paintings. It’s fun.”
Dean gave her a dubious look that made her laugh. “There’s a huge gallery here in Lockwood. I’d like to take you,” he said.
He’d never been to a gallery or rock climbing. He would do either, if Ruby wanted to.
“It’s a date,” Ruby said.
"Plans after this?" Dean asked her after a moment. "I'm sure you're tired and want to go home.
"I have to go to the cafe," Ruby said. "We'll miss seeing you working the tables."
When Ella had returned to work, his first thought had been that he would not see as much of Ruby as he was used to. But luck was on his side. He was photographing her jewelry and that meant more time with her.
"Have the buyers said anything?" Ruby said.
"Not yet, but I wasn’t expecting them to say anything over the weekend," Dean said. He would be happy if they stayed a while longer without saying anything. He and Ruby needed time to figure out this thing between them.
If the sale went through, then she would shift gears to New York.
Ruby hit her forehead. "Of course. I forget normal people don’t do business on the weekends."
Dean glanced at his watch as unobtrusively as he could. He needed to get back to the office soon for an afternoon meeting with a client.
"Oh no, I'm keeping you from work," Ruby said. "I'm done. Ready when you are.”
So much for being discreet. "It's fine. I still have a few minutes," Dean said. "When do you want us to start taking the photos?"
“It’s up to you. You know when I’m free,” Ruby said.
“We can do evenings but once or twice, I'll need to come early in the morning to catch that morning light,” Dean said, excited as his mind pictured the photos his camera would capture.
He stood up and held out his hand. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her up. Had they married four years ago, Dean wondered what kind of memories they would have made. And how they would have been now?
Would they have been like those couples who could barely tolerate each other? He glanced at her and knew without a doubt that they would not have turned into one of those couples. They would have been deeper in love with each other with every passing year.
Chapter Thirteen
After work, Dean drove towards Glenn Acres to pick Adrian up and pop in to see his parents. He hadn�
��t seen Ruby all day and he wouldn’t see her later. She had a meeting with Maisie to go over the website details and Adrian had asked for a last-minute favor.
He wasn't supposed to accompany him to the final venue walkthrough but something had come up with Leah and she couldn't make it.
Dean whistled as he drove towards his parents' home and tried to remember how it had felt when his own wedding with Ruby had been less than a month away. The details had faded with time but he was sure he'd been excited.
He drove through the gates, down the driveway and stopped in front of the house. He killed the engine and got out. Dean always felt a tinge of sadness every time he crossed the threshold.
He paused to gather himself and then walked purposely to the east wing. He found his mother in the small living room, writing in a diary.
"Hello Mother," Dean said and bent to kiss her on the cheek. "What are you writing?"
She smiled and glanced at the notebook. "I'm going through the seating arrangements for the wedding reception. It's a nightmare."
He grinned. "But you love it."
She winked. "Maybe. Sit down for a bit and tell me how you are."
He did as she said and sat down next to her on the couch. "I'm fine mother. Nothing to complain about."
Dean knew what she wanted to know but she was going to have to work for it. He launched into details of a succession case he was handling and fought to keep a straight face at the barely concealed impatience on his mother's face.
"Isn’t that the same thing you were doing for Ruby's parents?" she said.
Game, set and match. He looked at his mother in admiration. She had managed to seamlessly bring up Ruby's name. "Yes, it is."
"Interesting. How far have you gone? Has the bakery found a buyer?" she said.
"Not yet, but I believe we're close. There was a couple who've been to see it and we're expecting them to say something this week."
She nodded. "That's good. You might want to see your father before the nurse gives him his medication."
She had dismissed him. Which meant that she’d gotten the information she wanted from him, only he couldn’t figure out what it was. He'd always found his mother an enigma and trying to figure out her thoughts was an exercise in futility.
Dean did as she suggested and went next door to his father's room. He found the nurse massaging his father’s feet.
"Hello father," Dean said and went and kissed his father's forehead. "Hi Teresa,” he said to the nurse.
"Hi, do you want me to leave for a bit?" she said.
"No, it's fine. I can't stay for long," Dean said.
He met his father's gaze and he fought to keep his facial expression neutral when what he longed to do was to throw himself against his father like he used to when he was a boy. "How was your day father? You look well."
His father said something unintelligible. Dean pretended to understand and nodded. "You're improving every day father and before you know it, you'll be back on your feet."
He looked away.
Dean stayed for a few more minutes and then said goodbye. In the small living room, he kissed his mother goodbye.
Outside, Dean took a huge breath, filling his lungs with fresh air. It was never easy visiting his father, no matter how many times he did it. He walked around the house and cut across the lawn to the cottages. Dean quickened his step when he saw Adrian’s figure pacing in front of the cottage.
"Are you okay?" he said to Adrian when he got within earshot.
"Leah is in there with her parents and I don't know what's going on," Adrian said.
Dean understood the significance of Leah's parents’ appearance. Leah was estranged from them and their coming was a big deal. It meant that the rift that had grown between them could finally be mended. It wouldn’t be easy ironing out deep-seated issues and it would take time and goodwill on both sides.
What they did not need was his brother hovering by or worse, bursting in and demanding to know how far they had gone.
"Where's Matt?" Dean asked. His nephew was a noisy boy and Dean usually heard his voice before he reached the cottage.
"He’s with Maisie," Adrian said.
Dean gripped his hand. "We're going to be late for the appointment at Crown Arc."
"I don’t feel right about leaving Leah," Adrian protested.
Dean stared at his older brother in astonishment. He had turned to mush since he fell in love. To make matters worse, Adrian had been the older brother who was intense and serious. The one who everybody looked up to. But when it came to Leah, he became a complete idiot.
No wonder Lance liked to say that he hoped he never fell in love.
"They're her parents Adrian, what can possibly go wrong? Let's go. This is doing you no good. Besides Leah is an adult and she has a good head on her."
The door to Lance's cottage opened and he stepped out. He narrowed his eyes. “Were you going to leave me behind?"
"Why do I need to come if Lance is coming?" Dean asked. He could still catch Ruby at the cafe if he left now.
"You're here because you're standing in for Leah. You’ll need to be sharp about it. She said she’ll have questions to ask you afterwards," Adrian said.
"Let's go in my car," Lance said.
Before unlocking his car, Lance gazed at his reflection on the driver's window. He smiled at his reflection admired his gleaming teeth and then opened the door.
Adrian and Dean exchanged a look of exasperation. Lance had always been in love with his own looks. No wonder he hadn't met anyone. What woman could compete with Lance's love for Lance?
Lance drove too fast and five minutes into the ride Dean regretted agreeing to go in his car.
He leaned forward in the space between the driver and passenger seats. “Can you ease off the gas a little,” Dean said testily.
“Sure, old man,” Lance said.
“That makes two old men,” Adrian said. “You heard Dean, slow down. I want to make it to my wedding day and I’d like to have my best man and groomsman with me.”
Adrian had asked him to be his best man but Dean had begged off with the excuse that he wanted to take some pictures. He'd wanted to be excused from the entire wedding party but Adrian had refused.
Lance had stepped into the best man’s position and for that Dean was glad. He dreaded being a groomsman as well but he couldn’t let his brother down. Dean hated weddings. But this time, it would be easier. For one, Ruby would be with him. She would come to the wedding as his plus one.
He hadn’t asked her yet but he didn’t anticipate a problem.
"Ruby still around?" Adrian asked him.
"Yes," Dean said. "She's not in a rush to go back."
Adrian turned to look at him. "Rumor has it that you're seeing a lot of each other."
Dean shrugged. He resisted the urge to go on the defensive.
"Is she staying in Lockwood then?" Adrian said.
"What is this, an inquest?" Dean said.
"Says the man who broke into pieces four years ago," Adrian said.
"I'm surprised you have time for this. You're getting married in a couple of weeks. Maybe you ought to concentrate on that first," Dean said his tone deceivingly casual.
He was tired of everyone in the family being in his business. There was a very thin line between caring and interfering. What they were doing fell firmly in the second category.
"Take it easy bro," Lance said staring at him through the rearview mirror. "We just don’t want to see you get hurt again."
"I'm fine, don’t worry about me," Dean sad.
They got to the venue in good time and found the director of special events waiting for them. She took them around the hotel grounds and then the ballroom where the reception would be held. Remembering his own experience, Dean asked a few questions, which was just as well because Adrian and Lance were mute.
“I hate weddings,” Adrian said when the wedding director stepped aside to answer a phone call.
“M
e too,” Dean said.
“I love them,” Lance said. “They’re the ultimate hunting ground for women eager to find Mr. Right.”
Dean turned to him. “Are there any women who mistakenly think you could be Mr. Right?”
Adrian burst out with laughter and Lance scowled at both of them.
Chapter Fourteen
If her mother walked in, she would not recognize her living room. It glittered with jewelry pieces strewn everywhere. On the coffee table, couches and hanging from the mantel. Designing and making jewelry was a piece of cake but Ruby admitted to herself that arranging them artistically was beyond her skills.
She had hoped to make it easier for Dean by thinking up positions where they would be captured well on camera. Just as she was about to gather them back into their cases, the sound of tires screeching to a halt caught her attention.
Her heart leaped ridiculously in her chest. She was behaving as if she was sixteen years old. Disgusted with herself, Ruby hurried to the front door and flung it open. Dean had changed from his work clothes and looked sexy casual in a pair of chinos and white fitting t-shirt.
He waved as he got out of the car and then opened the back door. He removed a box and carried it to the front door.
“Hi sweetie,” he said and planted a light kiss on her mouth.
Ruby’s heart stumbled in her chest. That had been his pet name for her four years ago.
“Hi,” Ruby said. “Are you moving in?”
“Now that’s an idea. These are things that we need. Jewelry needs more props than say, human beings.”
“Now I feel foolish,” Ruby said with a laugh.
“Why?”
“Maybe you’d better come in and see for yourself,” she said and led the way in.
In the living room, Dean placed the box on the floor and looked at the jewelry cluttered room.
“My idea of an artistic arrangement,” Ruby said. “I imagined it was like modeling. Nice background and all.”
“They’re beautiful,” Dean said, ignoring her haphazard arrangement. “You’re very gifted.”
