Page 48 of Lessons in Heartbreak

The line of her throat worked on a swallow. “Yes.”

I leaned in to whisper, “Plus, I looked at your sizes once I finished counting all your cardigans.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, and my gaze traveled over the curve of her waist, around her hips and backside.

“Stop looking at my ass,” she commanded.

“There’s no helping it, birdy. It looks excellent in those pants,” I said smugly. “And you can’t tell me you don’t feel good wearing clothes that fit you a little bit better, right? Feel powerful. Confident.”

She huffed, taking a seat next to me on the bench. “I wish I was a more proficient liar, because your ego will be out of control once I admit the truth.”

I nudged her gently with my shoulder. “Say it, Ruby. You know you want to.”

The sidelong look she gave me was full of exasperation. But underneath it, there was a tiny spark of affection, and fuck if that didn’t make me want to puff out my chest. “Fine. The clothes are amazing. I almost wore that white lounge set to work just because it’s the most comfortable thing I’ve ever owned.”

“And you look incredible in it,” I told her.

Ruby’s forehead wrinkled slightly. Compliments, I’d decided, made her very uncomfortable.

“What exactly are we achieving, though?” she asked. “The clothes and the movie night—and you stalking me outside my place of employment. I thought you were going to tell me what to do. Give me homework or a checklist or something.”

“I’m going to ignore the stalking accusation because you don’t own this bench.” I also ignored her heavy sigh. “We’re accomplishing the first important few steps.”

“Which are ...? You bolted so fast after the movie last night I wasn’t sure exactly what was happening.”

“Oh, I didn’t bolt. I just needed to rush home to download the full Jane Austen catalog. I have a feeling she could teach me a few things.”

“Undoubtedly,” she answered in a dry tone. “Pass her along to Marcus while you’re at it.”

“Way too many big words for that man.”

Ruby exhaled a quiet laugh.

“I watchedPersuasionthis morning.”

Her head whipped in my direction. “You did not.”

“Her dad is a total dick. At first I wasn’t sure I liked Wentworth, but I have to give the guy credit—he always loved her, didn’t he?” Ruby’s mouth fell open. I reached over and gently closed it using the tip of my finger. “We’re building confidence,” I told her. “Without that, nothing else will work. Last night, we stayed in your space, doing something you like, because you’ll naturally feel more comfortable. How would you have felt if I’d forced you to go shopping and then took you to a club?”

“Like I’d need heavy psychotropic medication,” she answered without hesitating.

“Exactly. And I bet you felt like a badass when you walked into work this morning, didn’t you?”

She shifted uncomfortably. “I wouldn’t use that word exactly,” she hedged. After a moment, she cut her eyes to mine. “But I did feel good. Taller or something.”

“Bingo. That’s what we’re looking for.”

“I had a meeting with the library trustees this morning.” A pretty blue bird fluttered in front of us, landing on the sloped banks leading down to the creek. Ruby’s eyes tracked its movements. “Someone commented afterwards that I was a bit more ... forceful than they’re used to.”

“Attagirl. Anyone on that board you want to sleep with?”

Ruby managed to tear her gaze away from the bird long enough to give me a dry look.

I held up my hands. “Just doing my duty. Making sure we’re not missing any opportunities.”

“I haven’t had an opportunity in this town in years,” she said.

“Why do I find that hard to believe?”

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