Page 50 of Strictly Friends
Ruby released her breath in a long sigh. While she felt bad for him, it was almost a relief to know that even a world-famous artist like Mac could suffer from insecurity. But as much as she had enjoyed their flirtatious banter and would always be grateful that he had chosen her to model for him, Ruby felt no compunction about turning him down. Mac wanted her not because he loved her, but because he thought he needed her.
She gently turned his face towards her and gazed into his eyes. ‘You’re a wonderful artist, as you never tire of telling me, but you’re also a lovely man, and I’ll never forget how kind you’ve been to me and Jake. He’s a different boy from the one who came out here and you’ve been so important in building his confidence.’
‘But?’
‘But,’ she echoed with a grin, ‘you’re not in love with me and I’m not in love with you, which would be the only reason for meto up sticks to live in New York. Mac, you don’t need me to be inspired to paint. I don’t know much about art, but I’ve grown to know you. You’re a tough-minded and resilientlegend, and you are going to create loads more incredible art.’
He looked at her moodily and then after a moment the twinkle returned to his eyes, and he raised his hands in surrender. ‘Well, it was worth a try, kid.’
Ruby burst out laughing at his sheepish expression and hugged him tightly. She had spent many hours with Mac, and he had been an integral part of her experience of Sorrel Island. Furthermore, Jake wasn’t the only one whose confidence had been boosted by him. While Ruby’s childhood scars would never fully heal, Mac’s sketches had shown her a beautiful woman with distinctive sculpted features, a powerful yet graceful physique, and luminous, almond-shaped eyes that hinted at a sensuality she’d never known she possessed. Seeing herself through Mac’s eyes had been liberating, and he would always hold a special place in her heart. She wished she could find the words to tell him how much he had helped her see beyond the cruel taunts that had blighted her life but, instead, she gave him a final squeeze before releasing him.
Mac stroked her cheek gently, his thumb rough against her cheek. ‘I’m gonna miss looking at this beautiful face every day,’ he said with a regretful sigh. ‘It’s been like seeing Estella, but without the heartache.’
Knowing that Mac didn’t love her butdidlove his estranged wife made Ruby feel a lot less guilty about turning down his offer and quick to proffer her own advice.
‘Instead of signing the divorce papers when you get back, why don’t you take them to Estella yourself?’ she suggested.
When Mac looked ready to protest, Ruby added firmly, ‘Talkto her, Mac. You obviously still love her, and maybe if you show her that you’ll do whatever it takes to fix things between you... Well,you never know. Like you said, it’s not as if she’s been chasing you to sign the thing.’
‘But what if she kicks me to the kerb?’
‘You’ve got nothing to lose. If Estella’s not up for it, at least then you’ll know, and you can move on properly with your life.’
‘If she says no, will you reconsider?’ he asked hopefully.
Ruby giggled and punched his arm affectionately. ‘No, but thanks for asking! You’ll be fine, my friend. I know you will.’
Leaving Mac in the clearing lost in thought, Ruby made her way down the sandy walkway to the beach. The great Mackenzie Castro might not be in love with her, but he had still asked her to go away with him, she thought happily.Not bad for a giraffe!Suddenly, Ruby couldn’t wait to tell Fi about Mac’s offer. Perhaps, this time, her boss would be so shocked, Ruby might finally get the last word. After all, how often did a girl get to turn down George Clooney!
35
For the first time since their arrival, the sky was overcast with ominously dark clouds and the breeze felt so heavy Ruby could almost taste the unshed raindrops. Although the rain had held off, there had been occasional rumbles of thunder throughout the day. After the unbroken sunshine throughout their visit, the uncommonly gloomy weather also brought with it a sense of finality.
The routine of the past few weeks was ending. With a pang of regret, Ruby watched the back of Zeke’s taxi – carrying Michelle, Derek, Jake, and the kids – disappear down the drive. Having waved Mac off that morning, Derek and his family were leaving the following day, and had taken Jake off for some last-minute souvenir shopping.
While part of her felt sad that their time on the island was coming to an end, life looked unbelievably bright, and Ruby’s spirits were buoyant with hope for the future. Since the outing to the Marina Bar with Griffin, she had been floating on a cloud of sheer bliss while still trying to wrap her head around the monumental shift in their relationship. Not that Jake had given her much opportunity to do so. To Ruby’s mounting frustration, her son had scarcely left her side for the past couple of days, forcing her and Griffin to make do with goofy smiles, briefly snatched kisses,and furtive lingering touches. Her only comfort was that Griffin seemed equally frustrated.
Under the guise of a good night hug before she propelled a sleepy Jake up to bed the night before, Griffin had whispered urgently in her ear. ‘Rubes, this iskillingme! I can’t stop thinking about us and – can’t you come to my room later?’
Despite the desperation in his voice, they both knew Jake was a light sleeper and too young to leave unsupervised, and Ruby had simply shaken her head and clung on to him for a few seconds longer. Until they’d had a chance to talk properly, she wasn’t ready to disclose their changed relationship to Jake.
Wearing only a t-shirt over her shorts, Ruby shivered as a strong gust of wind passed over her, and she rubbed the sudden goosebumps on her arms. Griffin would soon be back from Ocean House and, with Jake gone for the afternoon, her face lit up at the thought of finally getting time alone with the man filling her every waking thought.
Turning to walk back to the house, she was halfway up the steps when she heard the light toot of a car horn. She looked back and her heart sank at the sight of Kenny’s Range Rover sweeping up the driveway. She gnawed on her lip, trying to hide her exasperation, as she waited for him to park at the side of the house. He was dressed casually in jeans, a short-sleeved white shirt, and the ubiquitous baseball cap, and he smiled tentatively as he approached.
‘I thought we were meeting tonight,’ she said, hoping she didn’t sound as dismayed as she felt about Kenny’s intrusion into the time she had earmarked for Griffin.
Kenny adjusted the visor of his cap over his eyes as he walked up the steps to join her. ‘I know that was the plan, but I’ve been sitting around getting more nervous by the hour. I was hoping I’d catch you sooner so we can get this discussion out of the way.’
Knowing Kenny felt anxious did nothing to settle Ruby’s nerves. Shying away from this moment until now, she acknowledged, had been less about disrupting her son’s relationship with his father, and more about wanting to avoid raking up the desperate pain of rejection. But as much as she dreaded the prospect of delving into the past, it was time to face up to it and she nodded brusquely.
‘Well, I suppose your timing’s good because Jake has just gone out with Derek’s lot. Let’s go down to the beach and talk there – it’s more private than the lounge. Do you want to get a drink first?’
Not waiting for an answer, she led the way inside and into the lounge, taking two bottles of water from the fridge where MissIda kept cold refreshments for the guests and handing one to Kenny.
Ruby slid open the French doors and walked out, rubbing her arms as a strong breeze swept across the terrace. As they walked down to the beach, neither she nor Kenny spoke until they sat facing each other on loungers under the shelter of a large umbrella.
Ruby played nervously with the bottle of water she had yet to open as she peeked at Kenny from under her lashes. It was still hard to grasp that the man sitting across from her was the same person she had woken up to every morning for years, sharing a child, a home, and a life.
