Page 84 of Dare to Dance
Once the shower was beating down on us, I lathered soap over her very mouthwatering breasts. “Penelope was at the gym when Ms. Waters was there today. Penelope asked me if you were a prostitute.”
She reared back.
“Before you get upset, I explained that you weren’t.”
“Did she believe you?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” I wasn’t about to lie. “But we should go talk to her first thing in the morning. She needs to know the truth. It will help our case if we’re honest. We can also check on Raven.”
Ruby shook her head. “Telling her the truth will only harm my case. She’ll never recommend that I get custody of Raven.”
I cupped one side of her face. “Baby, Ms. Waters can help protect Raven.”
She rested her head on my chest and sighed.
“We’ll get through this,” I whispered. If it took every ounce of energy I had, I would fight to the death for her and Raven.
25
Ruby
The next morning, Kross and I sat in a busy coffee shop in a suburb of Boston. The constant drone of the coffee machine, the voices, and the chairs scraping against the floor competed with the pounding in my ears. Every time the door opened, my head shot up along with my pulse.
Kross slid his hands across the table and latched onto mine. “Ms. Waters will say yes.”
I wished I had his confidence. Visits with Raven were supervised. I didn’t think Ms. Waters would spend the entire day with us. I also would have bet my life she wouldn’t allow Kross and me to take Raven unsupervised.
“But first, I have to come clean,” I said. That was the scary part. I didn’t want to lose Raven. Yet I knew in the long run, Kross was right. Ms. Waters did need to know the truth, not only to help my case, but also to help protect Raven.
“So, you fought for money. You didn’t go to jail. You still worked legally as a waitress.” He traced circles on the backs of my fingers.
The soothing sensation did nothing to erase the nausea in my stomach. Even the coffee aroma that I loved smelled putrid. But in the midst of my internal turmoil, his words were soothing. I would die for Raven.
The door opened, and Ms. Waters breezed in. I waved a shaky hand. She padded around two tables, removing her gloves. When she reached us, her dark gaze regarded me then Kross.
Ever the gentleman, Kross rose and pulled out her chair.
Ms. Waters angled her head as though surprised. “Thank you.” She lowered herself into the chair, then Kross returned to his. “What’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait until Monday?” she asked matter-of-factly.
I hated that we had to bug her on a Saturday. I also hated that time was of the essence since Kross was fighting tonight. “We’d like Raven to spend the day with us.” I held my breath.
She swung her creased forehead from me to Kross then back to me. “Why today? Why the last-minute desperation?”
I knew she would sense that something wasn’t right. Kross and I went through every objection Ms. Waters might have. We didn’t want to lie. We also didn’t want to alarm her since we didn’t know for sure if Trent would harm Raven. He’d never said he would, although the underlying threat was out there. Our plan was for Kross to bring Raven and me to his house in Ashford, where I would stay with his parents until his fight was over.
“My parents have been dying to meet Raven,” Kross said. “We’d like to take her out to their house in Ashford for the day.”
At first, Kross had been reluctant for his parents to meet Raven until the paternity test came back. But now that Kross wanted me in his life, it didn’t matter. Raven would be with us regardless of any paternity test.
“You could’ve asked me this on Monday. Again, what’s the urgency? Does this have anything to do with what I overheard at the gym about Ruby being a prostitute?” She said the last word in a low voice.
I heaved a sigh. Here went nothing. “I told you that I had a job waitressing at Firefly. That’s true. What I haven’t told you was I’d been in two street fights for money. However, in no way have I made money selling my body.” The coffee shop wasn’t exactly the best place to talk about me, although judging from the noise level, people were engaged in their own conversations around us.
Her jaw dropped as her eyes narrowed. “Okay. I’m a little shocked at the fighting, but I still feel you’re not telling me something. What am I missing?”
She wasn’t about to allow Raven to spend the day with us unless we told her the real reason. Even then, she would say no. Or hell no, especially if she suspected that Raven’s life was in danger. With my luck, she probably thought Kross and I would run with Raven. That idea wasn’t far-fetched in my mind. Several times since yesterday, I had considered snatching Raven from her foster family and leaving the state.
A phone shrilled. Kross glanced at his on the table. Ms. Waters dug in her purse for hers. As she pulled it out, the ringtone grew louder.
