I answered him honestly even though I didn’t want to. I typed out anothermessage.
Ruby:You don’t have to come. I’m fine. I won’t get lost. Text me whenyou’redone.
I sent it and then added:)because that wasn’t passive-aggressiveenough.
Aaron:Ruby
That was all hisresponsesaid.
Ruby:It’s okay. You need to hang out with your friends too and not spend all daybabysittingme.
I typed upI’m used to being alone, but deleted it because that didn’t sound all melodramatic and pathetic at all. Instead, I settled forI’ll be with Mindy.Havefun.
Putting my phone back into my bag, I reached up to my face and pressed my fingers against my brow bone, my thumb on my cheekbone, and let out a shaky breath. I needed to get over this crap, or at least learn how to deal with it better, ASAP. I couldn’t be a jerk to him because of the things going on in my head that he had no part of. I couldn’t be mad at him for flirting with a prettywoman.
…Even if it felt like everything inside of me had gotten beaten up, and I felt defeated and more than a littlealone.
My phone didn’t vibrate again as I slipped into the first shop I found open. Mindy wasn’t in it, but I walked around the glassblowing store, taking in all the knickknacks there. Then I went into a souvenir shop and spent some time in there, buying a small magnet for my mom and Ben that was on sale. After that there was a T-shirt store, an art gallery… I must have spent an hour going from one business to the other, never coming across Mindy. It wasn’t until my phone started ringing that I finally pulled it out again. Aaron’s name flashed across thescreen.
I held back a sigh as I went to answer it. “Hello?”
“Whereareyou?”
I smiled at the man behind the register as I walked out of the shop, trying to remember what direction I’d come from. “At a store. I couldn’t find Mindy. Are youalldone?”
“She just got back here a minute ago. I thought you were going to bewithher?”
I knew I was in one of my rare crappy moods when his worry irritated me. “I was going to, but I couldn’t find her. I’ll head back if you’re readytogo.”
There was definitely a sigh over the receiver followed by a, “We’ll see you here. Becareful.”
Squeezing my hands at my sides, I shook off the emotions I could and started walking back in the direction I’d come. It didn’t take me more than ten minutes to make it back to the restaurant after I’d taken a wrong turn a block too early. By the time I made it, I could see the group standing on the street right by the two cars. Brittany was by her white Alero, keys twirling in her hand. The one blond in the group, the one I could probably recognize from a mile away stood beside the passenger door of his pickup, his head swinging left to right, up and down thestreet.
It was Mindy who spotted mefirst.
“I had no idea you were looking for me, I’m sorry,” she said immediately once I was closeenough.
“It’s okay,” I assured her, making sure to keep my gaze on her face and her facealone.
“I’ll give you my number for next time,” she offered, already rattling off numbers before I even had myphoneout.
“I’m sorry for taking so long,” I apologized to the other four, the second Mindy stepped aside. Brittany looked fine, but the three men… not so much. Even with more than five feet between us, I could see the red in Max and Des’s eyes. I still hadn’t glanced at Aaron because, what was thepoint?
How much had they had todrink?
“Yeah, you’re going to need to drive,” Brittany said, as if readingmymind.
Thankfully, Aaron wasn’t an idiot because he asked, “Ruby, can youdrive?”
I nodded, finally glancing in his direction but setting my gaze on his mouth. I started to say that maybe I wasn’t the best person to drive a big pickup around, but with Mindy’s arm in a cast, who else would do it? So I settled for a crusty, “Sure.” I only had to drive. I could do it. I knew enough people with trucks. If they could do it, Icouldtoo.
He didn’t toss the keys, and I was thankful for it. Walking toward him, I took them from his hand, noticing he held them a moment longer than he needed to, and walked around to the driver side of the door. The doors were already unlocked as I lunged up on to the first step and then swung inside the cab as Aaron took the passenger seat and Max and Mindy took the bench in the back. I didn’t look at him as I adjusted the seat so I could reach the pedals, and I didn’t look at him as I messed with the mirrors either. I also definitely didn’t look at him as I pulled his truck onto thestreet.
“Want me to navigate you back?” Mindy asked from thebackseat.
“Yes, please,” I told her, fully aware I only knew the basics on where we were supposed to begoing.
It wasn’t until we were basically on the straight shot back to the beach house that Aaron’s question came at me, like he was trying to be quiet, but it wasn’t happening. “Did you buyanything?”
