Light in the Shadows (Find You in the Dark #2)(47)
Author: A. Meredith Walters

“I wish she’d just leave well enough alone,” he grumbled, putting the casserole down on the counter with a hard slam.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, getting annoyed by my dad’s rudeness. Whatever his feelings for Clay, how he could be less than friendly to Ruby after all that she had been through seemed callous.

My dad sighed. “I feel horrible for Ruby. She’s a sweet woman, always has been. But it doesn’t change the fact that her nephew caused you a lot of anguish. Anguish I don’t want to see repeated. And I think prolonging our contact with that family, whatever the reason, is just asking for more heartache.” I understood his hesitance about putting Clay and me in close proximity. That didn’t change the fact that Clay and Ruby had lost someone they loved and needed as much support as we could give them.

But I understood where my dad was coming from. He had to watch his only child waste away in the middle of a severe depression brought on by a destructive relationship with Ruby’s very sick nephew. I could get why he wanted us to keep our distance.

But that just wasn’t realistic.

“Dad, Clay lives here now. You can’t expect me to avoid him altogether. It takes you all of ten minutes to drive from one side of Davidson to the next,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

My dad gave me a look that saw entirely too much. “Look, Maggie May. I won’t tell you to stay away from him. We did that once and it didn’t end very well.” I cringed at assessment.

“I can only hope you’ve learned something from what you went through with that boy. That maybe you’ve figured out what works in your life and what doesn’t.” He watched me closely, and I tried to keep my face neutral.

When I didn’t respond, he sighed again and held out the casserole dish. “Here, run this over to Ruby’s for me. I’ll order the pizza.” He didn’t look at me and I blinked in surprise. Was he serious? He was actually suggesting that I go to Clay’s house?

I slowly took the dish out of his hands and went to grab my purse. My dad was standing at the counter, staring down at the phone book, though I wasn’t sure he was seeing it. I got the sense that he felt he was releasing me into the lion’s den.

Right then I loved him so much. For letting me make my own choices and not trying to control my potential mistakes. And I swore that I wouldn’t let him or Mom down again. That I would do things differently.

How that would pan out, I didn’t know. But my resolve was ironclad.

For the moment.

***

“Maggie! What are you doing here?” Ruby asked, opening the door to me. I tried not to recoil at the sight of the shrunken woman in front of me. Ruby’s shoulders were hunched over, her normally happy face, lined with grief and pain. Her skin held a sallow sheen and her hair was dull and lifeless. She was a shadow of the person she was before and this image of her shocked me to the core.

“Uh…well, my mom made you another one of her casseroles. I thought I’d drop it off.” I held out the foil covered glass dish. Ruby’s smile was a sad caricature and I tried not to grimace.

“She really is such a lovely woman. Tell your mother thank you for me.” She took the dish out of my hands and slightly tugged on my arm. “Do you have a moment for a cup of tea? I would love to spend time with you, sweetheart.”

I looked over my shoulder, looking for Clay’s car. Part of me wanted to see him. Part of me wanted to avoid him. I was in a serious quandary. But Ruby solved my internal debate for me.

Ruby patted my cheek. “He’s not here, love. He won’t be home for a while. So, please come in and spend some time with me.” Damn, she’d seen right through me. I pulled out my cellphone to double check the time. I probably had some time before Dad called out the Calvary. So I followed her into the house.

I hung up my coat and scarf and joined Ruby in the kitchen. I noticed that the tiny bits of Lisa that had been everywhere the last time I was here were slowly disappearing. Peeking into the living room, I noticed that the coffee cup was no longer there, though the slippers remained. In the kitchen, Lisa’s laptop still sat untouched on the table, but the newspaper she had been reading was gone.

Ruby opened up a cabinet and pulled out an ordinary box of Earl Grey tea. I was relieved I wouldn’t have to force down one of her questionable herbal mixtures. We were silent as she put the kettle on and found two mugs and placed them on the counter.

When our tea was steeping, she brought me my cup and set it down in front of me at the kitchen table. She joined me and started dumping sugar and milk into her drink. I wondered how long we would sit there, drinking our tea, without talking. Ruby watched me as I sipped on the hot liquid. She appeared as though she wanted to say something, but was in no rush to do so. It made me a little uncomfortable.

“How’s the shop?” I asked, though I could answer that question myself, having just been there last week. Ruby lifted her shoulders in a tired shrug.

“Fine. Tilly has been running things for me. I’m hoping I’ll feel up to going in next week.” Her voice was soft and she ran her finger around the rim of her cup. “Thank you for helping Clay with the deliveries last week. He mentioned you had come by and unloaded some things. I really appreciate it, Maggie.”

“I didn’t do much, honestly,” I said offhandedly. Ruby put her mug down and covered my hand that lay on the table.

“Thank you all the same.” She let out a soft sigh. “I just haven’t been able to do it. I hate making Clay do so much. I know it’s not fair on him, given how much he’s gone through himself…”her words trailed off and I swallowed thickly.

“I think he’s just happy to help you. He loves you so much, Ruby,” I told her, hating the sound of her guilt heavy in her mouth. This woman was dealing with so much. Ruby’s answering smile was sad.

“I know he does. I know that’s why he’s still here when he should be back in Florida. I should have made him go back. He’s not ready to be here, to deal with all this.” Her voice caught and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand, closing her eyes tightly on the tears that started to drip down her cheeks.

I got up and moved to sit beside her. Wrapping my arm around the smaller woman’s shoulders, I squeezed her tightly. “You know that Clay would never leave you when you needed him,” I said quietly, rubbing her arm soothingly.

Ruby’s body shuddered as she tried to pull herself together. She reached up and held the hand that was wrapped around her arm. “You’re such a good girl, Maggie. Clay and I are so lucky to have you in our lives,” she said sincerely. I tensed a bit.