Page 121 of Heart & Hope

Since when does Ruby Robbins hope?

Hard work, all the way. No glitches. And Morley here is definitely a glitch. How the hell did he make the guest list without me realizing? Again!

But if Reed isn’t worried, that’s good enough for me. And then I see it, the chair by Morley is empty. Who is he waiting for? A vacancy that could end in disaster. I sink onto the seat by Reed and adjust my dress. His hand, warm and strong, finds my thigh before his fingers tangle through mine.

When the music fades, Bill stands, glass in hand.

“Welcome! First off, thanks for coming out tonight. And a big thank you to the investors who were here for the last event and this one. The revamp and opening would not have happened without you. To my lovely wife for helping with the plans for this, my new venture. Have a great night, y’all.”

Hisnew venture? Mary-Sue does all the grunt work and the long hours. What an ass.

A few men wander over, congratulating Bill on the inn. Mary-Sue sinks further into her chair with every dismissive comment that leaves his fucking mouth. The hurt on her face drives me wild. How can she sit there and let that jerk of a husband claim her success and hard work? It’s inconceivable.

Food appears at my place, and Reed orders another beer.

“So Ruby, Reed was telling me you two have other business. Something about a holiday ranch.”

I stiffen and Reed gives me a nod, a manic smile filling his face.

“Yes, actually, we were working on a ranch in the area. The opening was almost as good as this one.” I force a too-bright smile.

“And how exactly did you get that job, Ruby?” Morley asks, malice glinting in his eyes.

Tampering down the overwhelming need to stab a fork through his eyeballs, I clear my throat and smile. “I worked a party for Louisa Rawlins over by Lewistown. So, word of mouth, I guess.”

I shrug, hoping... No,prayingMorley will drop it.

“The Rawlinses, what did you think of them?” Morley leans forward, eyes darting between Reed and me.

“Lovely. Are you from around here?” I ask, innocence plastered over my face.

“Oh, Justin here is our nephew. And one of our newest investors,” Bill says, slapping Morley on the shoulder.

“How wonderful.”

I guess Morley and I are both faking who we are and what we know now.

“Yeah, we like to keep it in the family round here,” Morley says, sipping his beer, eyes narrowed.

I catch my eye roll before anyone can notice and dig into my food. When nobody else has anything else to say, I glance up. Morley’s smirk is set on me before it tracks to Reed. Who is happily ignoring him. Like they really just met, and they have nothing to talk about. I relax a little, enjoying the flavors of the meal, sipping on the champagne.

“Oh, my lord! I’m so sorry I’m late, babe,” a woman says, rushing past, bumping my chair as she rounds our table and flops onto the chair by Morley.

Skye.

My gut sinks.

And when she scans the table and her focus slams to a halt on my face, I push my shoulders back and suck in a breath. I can almost see my career swirling the drain with the next lungful of air I drag in. Reed shifts on his seat.

Fuck.

“What the hell?” Skye says to Morley before turning to Mary-Sue. “This is the woman that threw the wine in my face at the bar!”

Fuck. Please, please don’t mention the lawsuit!

Mary-Sue’s face goes from happy with Skye’s arrival to confusion to outright disgust. I’m guessing Morley is aclosenephew. And Skye has been automatically made part of the family.

“Ruby, is that true?” Mary-Sue says quietly. I can see the disappointment bloom over her face.

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