Grabbing her purse, she jumped out of the car and carefully locked the door, calling over her shoulder, “Granny, it’s me!”

  Rushing up the steps toward the front door, she chastised her fanciful notions, hating that she had worried her grandmother. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

  She made it to the front door and gently assisted her grandmother to turn around and move back into the living room. “I’m so sorry you were worried about me.”

  Granny sat heavily in her seat and smiled up at her. “I just wasn’t sure who was in the driveway,” Granny said, staring intently at Ruby. “Where’d you get that new car?”

  “Oh, Granny, you wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had.” She bent and kissed her grandmother on the cheek and said, “Let me get dinner going, and I’ll tell you all about it.” She hurried into the kitchen and threw open the refrigerator door. After staring for a moment, she knew she needed to squeeze in a visit to the grocery store soon. Deciding it was going to be hotdogs, mashed potatoes, and baked beans, she pulled out what she needed. Not fancy, but it’ll fill an empty spot. Her lips curved slightly, remembering the saying her mother used to say about a simple dinner. Chasing the memory away, she pulled out the pans and got busy.

  It did not take long for her to reappear in the living room to assist Granny into the kitchen. With the dining room being used as Granny’s bedroom now, a small table and two chairs had been placed in the corner of the kitchen. Once seated, she fixed their plates at the stove and brought them over. Putting ice into glasses, she filled them with water from the sink.

  Sitting in the chair, placed at a right angle to Granny’s, she lifted her hotdog and took a large bite. As she was chewing, she glanced over and saw Granny staring at her, one eyebrow lifted in question.

  Trying not to choke, she finished chewing and swallowing before she said, “Sorry. I guess you’re curious.”

  “You might say that,” Granny replied, cutting her hotdog into smaller bites.

  Wiping her mouth, she said, “In a nutshell, my car died on the side of the road after I left the Smithfield’s house. Thank God I got their house clean before it died because she would not have been very understanding if I had been late or had to reschedule.”

  Granny’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “Oh, my goodness! Were you stranded on the side of the road?”

  Nodding, Ruby said, “Yeah. I wasn’t sure what to do because I dreaded having to call for a tow truck. But I didn’t have to wait long, because good fortune shone down on me and a man stopped who happened to be a mechanic.”

  Her eyes still wide, Granny said, “Well, bless me. That was good fortune!”

  “He was really nice, took a look at my car, and told me that it would need some work. He called somebody at his shop—”

  “His shop?”

  Chewing and swallowing again, she nodded. “Jayden is not only a mechanic, but he’s the owner of the shop.”

  “Jayden?”

  Hearing the difference in Granny’s voice, she looked over and saw her grandmother staring at her. Wiping her mouth with a paper towel, she said, “His name is Jayden. Jayden Chapman.”

  “Well, tell me more about this Jayden Chapman.”

  Shrugging, she said, “He was really nice.”

  Granny grinned and said, “You’ve already mentioned that.”

  “Oh…uh…well, he called for his tow truck and then took me to McDonald’s for lunch while we waited.”

  “McDonald’s!” Granny cried out in surprise, her smile wrinkles deepening. “What a treat!”

  Grinning, Ruby agreed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten out, so I have to admit it was kind of fun.” The two continued their meal for a moment, before she continued, “We went back to his shop as my car was towed, and he took a look at it.” Sighing, she said, “It’s going to take two days to get it fixed because they have to order some parts.”

  She watched as Granny’s face fell, and she said, “Yeah. Looks like I’m going to have to add a few more hours at the diner to cover everything.”

  “Oh, Ruby, dear. I hate that you work so hard.”

  She lifted her shoulders in a little shrug and said, “Granny, lots of people work hard just to make ends meet. I’m no different from them.”

  Granny was quiet for a moment, then asked, “And the car in the driveway?”

  “That’s a loaner car that Jayden said he kept at the shop in case someone needed it while their car was being worked on. I tried not to take it, but he insisted.” She held Granny’s gaze and said, “I really didn’t have a choice, you know. It’s embarrassing to have to take it, but if I don’t have a way to get to work, I won’t get paid. And if I don’t get paid, I surely can’t afford to get my car fixed.”

  Granny sighed, shaking her head. “Work hard just to be able to have a car so that you can turn around and work hard.”

  Ruby laughed and said, “That’s about the size of it.”

  Granny reached across the table, taking Ruby’s hand in her gnarled one, giving a little squeeze. “If I could do anything to lift the burden, I would.”

  Tears stung Ruby’s eyes as she stared at her grandmother. Her hair was tinted blue-grey once again, and her face was slightly fuller from eating well. Granny’s complexion was soft and smooth, although her smile lines were deep. Ruby’s heart warmed every time she thought of how lucky she was to have Granny in her life. “You’re not a burden at all. You’re my gift, Granny. The greatest gift I’ve ever been given, besides my parents.”

  The two women held each other’s gazes, both blinking back tears, before Granny sucked in a deep breath and said, “So, tell me more about this Jayden.”

  Ruby bit her lip and hesitated. She hated the instant look of concern on Granny’s face, so she decided to blurt out the whole truth. “I’d actually met him once before. Well, not really met him. Just…um…encountered him.”

  “Child, now you’ve got my curiosity up,” Granny exclaimed, leaning forward, her gaze intent.

  “It was a while back…right before you came out of rehab. He drove by once on his motorcycle and offered to help me because I was out struggling with that stupid lawnmower. You might think that I’d be scared…a big guy driving up on a motorcycle. But he took his helmet off, and he was so handsome. But mostly, his eyes were just so kind.”

  “What happened?” Granny asked, breathlessly.

  Her face twisted in a grimace, as she explained, “Kevin was over here. He’d been drinking and was belligerent.”

  Granny leaned back in her chair and pinned Ruby with a hard stare. “Are you telling me that you were outside struggling with that cantankerous lawnmower, and Kevin was lying about the house, drinking and eating our food?”

  Ruby did not answer but simply sighed in response.

  They were quiet for a moment, and then Granny encouraged, “Tell me more about Jayden.”

  Smiling shyly, she said, “I thanked him for his offer but insisted that he leave. Kevin was at the door and was just itching for a fight. I knew he’d never go after Jayden because it was obvious Jayden was such a big man…”

  Granny’s voice softened, and she choked as she said, “Oh, baby girl. You were afraid Kevin would take it out on you.” When Ruby did not reply, Granny continued, “I’m so proud of you for breaking up with him. So proud of you for finally standing up to him and standing up for yourself. You deserve nothing but someone special. A real prince of a man.”

  “Oh, Granny, you always told me that there might not be a prince out there and raised me to be a woman who doesn’t need one, but I’d take a good man. A good man who’d take care of me and treat me right.”

  The meal over, she jumped up to assist Granny to stand before taking their empty plates to the sink. Washing them, she heard the walker come right up beside her and twisted her head to stare at her grandmother.

  Granny lifted her hand and sifted her fingers through Ruby’s hair and said, “Don’t ever forget, sweet Ruby, that the right man, a good man, can be your prince.”

  Granny turned and moved slowly out of the kitchen toward the living room, leaving Ruby standing at the sink, her hands buried in suds, staring after her. The image of Jayden’s face filled her mind, and she closed her eyes. It was not hard to imagine him as a prince, but if there was one thing life had taught her, it was not to put all your faith in dreams. There was no way a man like him was going to be hers forever, but that did not keep her from being grateful for the help he had already given her. And it can’t hurt to dream a little, can it?

  7

  “Here you go. Best nachos in town,” Zeke called out, setting a huge platter, piled high, in the middle of the table. Jayden’s eyes grew wide staring at the loaded nachos, and a quick glance around the table at his brothers, whose eyes were just as big as his, let him know he needed to jump in.

  Reaching over, he began loading nachos onto his plate, barely managing to throw out a thanks to Lynn, one of the servers, as she brought his beer.

  Jayden scooted over so that Zeke could sit next to him. Zander, Rafe, Cael, Asher, and Jaxon rounded out the group. He was glad that none of their women seemed to mind the brothers getting together at Grimm’s bar for a chance to catch up with each other. For several minutes, there was very little talking as each man shoveled in Zeke’s nachos.

  Looking up, he watched as Cas walked into the bar, his eyes immediately going to the table. Waving him over, he shoulder-bumped Jaxon and said, “Scoot. Make room for Cas.”

  They all shifted around so that another chair could be added, and he was glad that Cas had decided to join them. “All good?”

  “That Toyota you’ve got me working on?” Cas began. “I’ve found quite a bit that it needs to get it running really well.”

  Nodding while shoving a plate of nachos in front of Cas, he said, “Whatever. Fix it.”

  “You want me to call her with an estimate, or did you want to do that?”

  Shaking his head, he swallowed before replying, “Don’t call her. Whatever it is, just fix it, and the shop will cover it.”

  If Cas was surprised, his expression did not change, but Jayden’s words caught the attention of the others.

  “You givin’ free work at the shop now?” Cael asked.

  Rafe jumped in, “Must be some her for you to fix a car for free.”

  Before Jayden had a chance to respond, Jaxon asked, “What gives, bro?”

  Not holding anyone’s gaze, he took a pull from his beer and answered, “Just a woman I met who’s down on her luck. Thought I’d do her a good turn.”

  “Good turn?” Cas commented. “He found her stranded on the side of the road, rescued her, brought her back to the station after calling for a tow, and is now going to completely overhaul her car for nothing. On top of that, he gave her a loaner car to use.”

  “You want to shut the fuck up?” Jayden asked, scowling at Cas.

  Cas, a grin playing about his mouth, mumbled, “Sorry, man.”

  His brothers at the table had grown quiet, and he looked around at their questioning faces. Raising his hands, he said, “Honest to God, guys, there’s no story to tell. I’d seen her about a month ago in a neighborhood not too far away from Miss Ethel’s, and it seemed like she needed help. I was unable to do anything for her at that time and always felt bad about it. I came upon her yesterday on the side of the road, and it looked like she was in a bad way. Her car’s a piece of crap. She works several jobs to pay her bills. That’s all I know. Like I said, just seemed like she could use some assistance.”

  The others must have accepted his explanation, because their conversations resumed. Jayden’s mind wandered to Ruby, although he knew that, quite frankly, his mind had never been far from her. She had mentioned that she had broken up with the man that was at her house, and Jayden was thrilled he was no longer in her life, hoping he was gone for good.

  Lost in his musings, he did not realize time had passed until Jaxon nudged his knee and quipped, “You still here?”

  Ducking his chin, he said, “Yeah. Just thinking over shit.” Eyeing the others at the table, he realized that Zeke had left and was heading back to the kitchen, and Rosalie had appeared, stealing Zander’s attention. Rafe and Cael were also getting ready to leave, both wanting to get back to their wives.

  “You do know that I know you better than anyone, right?” Jaxon asked, his gaze penetrating.

  Chuckling while shaking his head, Jayden replied, “Yeah, I got that figured out a long time ago.” Appreciating that Jaxon remained quiet, he gathered his thoughts before saying, “I don’t know what it is about this girl. There’s just something about her that calls to me…something so vulnerable, and yet, I swear, this isn’t about some hero complex. I don’t know what her story is. I just know that I’m drawn to her.”

  “Then keep helping her,” Jaxon said. “It doesn’t have to be forever. Hell, it might not be next week. But if you think she needs help and you can provide it, then go for it.”

  He nodded, having already come to that decision. But what he did not tell his brother was that he wondered if there was the possibility she could be more.

  Leaving Grimm’s, he climbed onto his bike, deciding on a detour on his way home. He had checked her address when she left it at his office and knew that she was living in the same place where he had first seen her. As he headed down the road, he wondered about his sanity. Now I feel like a stalker.

  She had told him she worked late at a diner so she probably was not home, but he was drawn by a magnetic force to just to check on her. Yeah right. He wanted to do a lot more than check on her. See her, talk to her, laugh with her, just watch her smile.

  Figuring that most neighbors would not appreciate the roar of a motorcycle late at night, he slowed down, vowing to just pass by. Nearing, he did not see a car in the driveway, although the front porch light was on. It was almost midnight, and he hesitated.

  Suddenly, headlights appeared at the corner and came down the street. He watched as a car turned into her driveway and recognized the loaner from his shop. Ruby alighted from the car, bending over to grab something from the passenger seat. She was wearing a short skirt, and his eyes dropped to her ass that was barely covered by the material.

  Unable to quell the desire to speak to her, he rolled into the driveway, stopping behind the car. She whirled around, her eyes wide with fright, a squeak leaving her lips.

  He jerked off his helmet so she could see who was there. “I’m sorry, it’s me,” he rushed, swinging his leg over the seat and stepping closer.

  He was glad to see her stance relax even as her hand stayed at her throat. “Oh, my goodness, Jayden. You gave me such a fright.”

  His gaze moved over her clothing, now able to see a pink, tight blouse with the logo of Carter’s Truck Stop Cafe embroidered over her breast, and the tight, too-short black skirt. In her arms, she clutched the large, red hoodie, a Styrofoam food container, and her purse. She had dark circles underneath her eyes, attesting to fatigue, and her face was pale.

  “You work at Carter’s?” he asked, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice.

  Her smile fell, and she nodded. “Yeah,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

  He heard her defensiveness in that one word, but continued, “That’s a rough place. Why the hell are you working there?”

  Now her smile dropped completely, and she stared up at him, her narrowed eyes pinning him to the spot.

  “I have to work, and Carter pays decently,” she said, her voice still soft but her words clipped.

  Jayden scowled, and she huffed, amending, “Okay, he doesn’t pay decently, but I make good tips.” She lowered her chin and heaved another sigh. “Why are you here anyway?”

  Stepping closer, Jayden reached out and lifted her chin with his knuckle. He was so close that she had to lean her head back to maintain eye contact. “I just wanted to check on you.”

  Confusion passed through her eyes as her brows drew together. “At this time of night?”

  “I know it makes me sound like a stalker, but honest, I was just heading home and decided to come by. I assumed I’d see the loaner car in the driveway, and I’d be assured you were in, safe and sound. I had no idea that you would be getting home at this time or where you were working.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she mumbled, her hand tugging on her skirt. “Look, I know it isn’t a great place to work, but I do get good tips, and for the most part, the customers leave me be.”

  “As beautiful as you are, I can’t believe they don’t give you any trouble.”

  Her eyes narrowed as her face scrunched. She stepped back and said, “Fine. You’ve checked to see that your car is here and still in one piece. It’s late, and I need to get to bed.”

  He watched, stunned, as she whirled and stomped away. “Wait…Ruby…wait!” He caught up to her and reached out to place his hand on her shoulder. “Please, wait.”

  She stiffened at his touch, and he jerked his hand away. She turned around, and he saw her flinch.

  “What did I say that upset you? Please, let me know,” he begged.

  “I don’t know what your game is, Mr. Chapman. I might have to take your charity, but I don’t have to take your lies.”

  “Lies? What lies? I’ve never been anything but honest with you,” he protested. He thought back to what he had said to her. “I only said that you were so beautiful, I had a hard time believing that the men at the diner would leave you alone.”

  “That! That right there. You don’t have to tell me I’m beautiful.” She took a step backwards and added, “I know I’m not. I’m just plain ol’ Ruby.”

  Understanding mixed with disbelief slowly dawned on Jayden. Her skittishness had him battling the desire to step closer. “What did he do to you?” he asked, his voice low and soft.

  She jerked her eyes to the side, biting her lip. If he had had any question in his mind that the man she had been with was the cause of her insecurity, her confusion pointed it out plain as day. “Ruby,” he called, gaining her attention. “I don’t know what he said or what he did, but if nothing else, always believe that I’ll tell you the truth. And the truth is, I think you’re beautiful.”

 

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