“Can I talk to you? You live close, right? We can go there.”
Ruby shook her head. “I just got off work. I’m exhausted.” There was no way she was going to bring her father to her apartment. She knew he’d criticize the size, the wallpaper, and theeverything.
“Rubina, I came all this way. I even had topayto come onto this street. What a waste of money.”
Ruby shook her head. “It’s just because of the Winter Market.” Ruby was too tired to argue. “I’m exhausted and sore. I just want to crash.”
“After everything I’ve done for you, you won’t even have a coffee with your father?”
Ruby exhaled. “Okay. Let’s have a coffee. Follow me.”
Without saying a word, she walked to a Tim Hortons just outside of the Distillery District. It wasn’t her favorite café inthe area, but she knew her father wouldn’t care about Sophie’s single-origin beans or artisan teas. After they silently waited in line, her father ordered a small decaf, and Ruby chose one of their holiday items—a gingerbread oat milk latte. He paid for their drinks, miraculously not complaining about how expensive Ruby’s was, and they found a table near the window.
In the bright overhead lights, her father looked rough. She’d been struck at how old he looked when she saw him last month, and now he looked even older. But hewasold—the man was over sixty. And still working stooped over car engines. Was his body failing him? Was he thinking of retiring?
“Okay. What’s going on?” she asked. She took a sip of her drink. It was surprisingly good.
“Pamela lost her job after we saw you last.”
Ruby winced. “I’m sorry to hear that. What a terrible time to lose a job.”
“She’s having trouble finding more work.”
“It’s only been a few weeks. And companies don’t really hire this time of year, do they? Did she get severance?”
“No.” He didn’t elaborate. Ruby didn’t know where her dad’s wife worked or even what she did for a living, but to leave a permanent job without severance meant either she was the one who quit, or she was let go with cause. Her dad didn’t seem to want to explain which it was. Ruby took another sip of her latte.
“Are you going to leave her while she’s facing hardship, like you left Mom?” Ruby had been nice and polite every time she saw him all year, but she was too tired to put on her mask right now.
Her father shook his head, disappointed. “Rubina, that’s not fair. I didn’t leave your mother because she was sick. I was—”
“You were faced with having to work more hours because Mom couldn’t bring in money while on chemo. And you were mad that you had to cook and clean, too. I wasthere, remember? I heard your arguments.”
He didn’t say anything for a while. He didn’t have to. There was no denying what had happened.
Finally, he said something. “I thought, since you’re a manager at that fancy store, you might be able to help Pamela get—”
Ruby shook her head. “I’m only there a few more weeks. I can’t make any hiring decisions now.” Shecouldrefer Pamela for a position at the flagship store, which could get her to the front of the hiring line, but there was no guarantee she’d get a job. Many people would give their right arm to work at Reid’s. “What does Pamela do, anyway?”
“She’s a bank teller.”
“I wish I could help, but if she doesn’t have experience in high fashion, Reid’s isn’t for her. She could try getting clothing store experience in a store in the mall and work her way up.”
Her father frowned. Ruby wasn’t sure if he believed that she couldn’t help his wife. “Maybe you can give us a loan then?” he asked. “The mortgage on our house—”
“You can’t afford your mortgage after she’s been off work for onlythree weeks?”
He scowled. She knew that expression too well. “Rubina, I’m your father. Is that how you talk to me?”
Ruby sighed. “You know I’m planning a big move—I’ve been saving for it for years. I don’thavemoney to loan you.”
“What about the money your mother left you?”
Ruby froze. He wasn’t supposed to know about her trust. “How did you find out about that?”
His eyes narrowed, which almost made Ruby shudder. “A little bird told me. That money should have been mine.”
Ruby shook her head. “The trust was inmyname only. You weren’t supposed to know about it.”
