“No. I’ve been completely ghosted by every hotel I’ve applied at.”
After years of planning, Ruby was finally moving to the UK for one main reason: to fulfill her and her mother’s lifelong dream to run their own business there—an inn or a bed and breakfast in the English countryside.
About three years ago, Ruby had learned that her motherhad set up a trust with money from her personal savings account, payable to Ruby ten years after her mother’s passing. There was a letter enclosed, in which Ruby’s mother wrote that she was sorry she wouldn’t be there to carry out their dream together, but with this money, Ruby could do it on her own. The ten-year wait was so Ruby’s father wouldn’t find out about the money and try to claim it as his own, but it was also so Ruby wouldn’t get it until, as her mother put it, “you know who you are.”
Even with the money, Ruby knew achieving the dream now was a long shot, so she’d been approaching the plan rationally and practically. The first step had been getting a visa to live, work, and own a business in the UK. The next step had been to find a job in the hospitality industry there, so she could learn more about hotel management while looking for her own property. But it turned out that getting a job in a UK hotel as a Canadian with literally zero experience in the field and no contacts was next to impossible.
“So, are you going to work in a store, then?” Marley asked.
Ruby shook her head. “Nope. I have enough savings to last a bit—I’m going to hit the pavement the old-fashioned way when I get there. I’ll walk into every hotel in London until one of them hires me.”
There was a courtesy knock at the door then before Nadim and Reena noisily came in, holding baby Aleem. Everyone rushed to greet them and help get the baby and all the baby’s stuff inside. And then everyone wanted to see Aleem’s Santa outfit under the heavy snowsuit he was wearing. And wanted to squeeze his cheeks and then take pictures of him. Thankfully, Aleem tolerated his doting aunties and uncles well.
After the chaos the baby brought, they all sat around Ruby’s coffee table. Shayne was holding the baby in one arm and a mug of Ruby’s signature chai eggnog in the other.
“I’m sorry we’re late,” Reena said as she made herself a plate of cookies and fruitcake. “We were at Jasmine’s longer than expected. Poor thing’s going througha lot. She left her husband right after she started her own business.”
“Oh, that sucks,” Ruby said. “Right before the holidays, too.”
“It doesn’t suck,” Nadim said. “It’sgood. I’ve only met the guy twice, but Derek is a stuck-up, arrogant douche. But it is hard for Jasmine and her kids right now.”
Reena nodded. “She’s got twin five-year-old girls. And no family of her own in Toronto. Jasmine is such a sweetheart.” Reena looked at her husband. “I have no idea how she ever fit in with your London friends.”
“We used to call her the Angelic One. I was closer to her twin, Ayesha, anyway. Hey, Marley, can I invite Jasmine to your Caroling party next month? She doesn’t know a lot of people in Toronto.”
“Yeah, absolutely,” Marley said. She and Shayne, who shared a house, threw a big holiday cocktail party every year. Shayne and Marley had been best friends since high school and had been through a lot together.
“She’ll need a babysitter,” Shayne said. “No one under eighteen allowed.” He looked down at baby Aleem in his arms. “Not even you, stinkers. You have to wait seventeen years for your invitation.”
Reena grinned. “Hey, Ruby, did you get a date for the party yet? Because we know someone who would beperfectfor you.”
“Yes! Ruby needs a man.” Shayne nodded vigorously. “The Caroling party is couples only this year!”
Ruby exhaled. She shouldn’t be surprised at this. In the last year every person in this little friend group had experienced a major life change. Reena and Nadim had baby Aleem. Both Shayne and Marley, who’d previously been chronically single and commitment phobic, were now in committed relationships. And since all her friends were quite smugly in happy little families now, they were obsessed with changing Ruby’s relationship status, too.
“Seriously? You’re making your party couples only?” Ruby asked.
Marley gave Shayne a warning glance. “No.Shayne’s being silly. You don’t have to bring someone if you don’t want to. I mean, of course you’re welcome to if you meet someone, but—”
“I know exactly who!” Shayne said loud enough to make Aleem stir. Reena shot him a warning glare. “Sorry,” Shayne whispered loudly. “Anderson’s cousin Jonathan is single. He’s very cute. Imagine John Cho in that space movie.Star Hikeor something…”
“Star Trek?”Anderson asked, laughing.
Shayne nodded. “Yes, that! Jonathan isadorable… and single. Smart, too. He’s an anesthesiologist. You know what they say about anesthesiologists, don’t you?” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
Marley gave Shayne a confused look. “They put people to sleep?”
“They’re full of gas!” Nadim suggested.
“Shush, all you,” Shayne said. “They are… like useful or something.”
“The guy we had in mind for her is a doctor, too!” Reena said. “Maybe she can check out their Rate My MD scores and pick between them. Or try them both out! Nothing wrong with a second opinion!”
Ruby shook her head. “Or I can try neither of them out. I’m moving in, like, a month and a half.”
“That’s plenty long enough for a fling with someone who understands youranatomy,” Shayne said wagging his brows.
“I’m not going to date adoctor!” Ruby said. “Plus, I’m literally working six days a week in December—it’s a terrible time for a fling.”
