Page 15 of A Tempting Seduction
“What now?”
“Oh! I almost forgot. Here's a number. Got a pen?” She rattled off ten digits so quickly I barely caught them.
“A number for what?”
“For who. Ruby Miller. You know, the redhead from Java Jolt? The one you struck out with yesterday?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “How did you… Never mind. I don't want her number.”
“Of course you do. Ruby's perfect for you, Ford. She's smart, funny, hardworking, and she makes the best coffee in three counties. Plus, she's got that whole independent but nurturing woman thing going on that you find attractive.”
“I don't—”
“Ford, she’s not Lydia. Now, you know I liked her. She was smart. She was competent and sometimes she could be funny.”
“Cursed by faint praise,” I muttered.
“Come on Ford, Lydia wasn’t the woman for you. She just about puked the first time she saw you change a dirty diaper. And then there was the time that Cleo messed up her hair before y’all were going out to Lawton’s for dinner. You could see she was ready to yell at my daughter, and she was only two.”
“Lydia was, I mean, is, a good woman. She and I just had different goals.”
Carrie snorted. “You can say that again. She was all about work.”
“So was I at that point.”
“Incredible, you always had time for family.”
I sighed. “Cut me some slack, Sis, Lydia’s in the past.”
“Which brings me back to Ruby. Now that I’ve given you her number, call her. Just know that she's been through some stuff. Even so, she's not the kind of girl who expects a man to fix all her problems. She's got a huge heart and she takes care of everyone around her. Do you know she visits Luther and Violet Randolph every week? And she quilts with the ladies at Dorothy's shop. She's salt of the earth, Ford.”
I found myself listening despite my better judgment. Everything Carrie said matched my impression of Ruby from our brief encounter. The woman who'd knelt beside me on Java Jolt's floor had radiated kindness and competence in equal measure.
“She told me she doesn't date.”
“She tells everyone she doesn't date. That doesn't mean she's not interested in the right guy.” Carrie's voice took on the tone she used when she was absolutely convinced she was right about something. “Trust me on this one. Ruby Miller is worth pursuing.”
“Carrie—”
“Just think about it, okay? What's the worst that could happen? She says no and you're exactly where you are right now. But what if she says yes?”
The question hung in the air between us like a challenge.
What if Ruby did say yes?
What if her initial rejection had been reflexive rather than absolute? What if Carrie was right about her being interested in the right guy?
“This is the last call I'm making to you today,” Carrie continued. “Or at least this morning. I promise.”
“Carrie, it's not even ten o'clock.”
“Exactly. I'm showing remarkable restraint.”
Despite my frustration, I found myself smiling. My sister's relentless optimism was both exhausting and endearing. She genuinely believed that every problem had a solution and every person deserved happiness. It was hard to stay irritated with someone whose biggest flaw was caring too much.
“I need to get back to work.”
“Of course you do. But, Ford? Think about what I said, okay? Ruby's one of the good ones.”
