“Plus, we want all the unabridged details of your trip, now that it’s girls’ ears only.” Elle winked as she moved to the cabinet and took out three wineglasses.
“I’m glad you guys are here,” Ruby admitted. This was exactly what she needed tonight. She pulled open a drawer in the island and took out the corkscrew, setting to work on the bottle of wine. “I could use a good chat-fest tonight.”
“And a sob-fest too, if you need one.” Elle placed a hand on her shoulder with a sympathetic smile. “How did it go when you and Flynn said goodbye? I thought I picked up on some weird vibes between you guys at lunchtime.”
“Oh, there were weird vibes, all right.” Ruby poured herself a glass of wine and took a fortifying sip. She waited until they’d all filled their plates and settled themselves on the oversized couch in the living room before she told them what had gone down during her hike with Flynn that morning.
“Holy shit, you told him you were falling in love with him?” Megan exclaimed.
Elle set her plate on the table and pulled Ruby in for a hug. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”
“It’s okay, you guys. I’m feeling pretty heartbroken about it, but I don’t know, maybe he was right to end things now instead of trying to make it work long distance.”
Elle scoffed. “Love is always worth fighting for. Just look at Theo and me. Things seemed so hopeless for us at first too, but we made it work, and splitting our time between here and London hasn’t even been that big of a deal. It’s been fun.”
“Yeah, but Flynn doesn’t just work in London. He travels to job sites all over the world. How would I have a life if I was always following him around, living out of a suitcase while he oversees new hotels being built?”
“Well, how did you envision it when you asked him for the chance?” Megan asked.
Ruby spiraled a bite of pasta around her fork as she pondered her answer. “I guess…I guess I really didn’t. I just knew how I felt, and howrightit felt when we were living together in Paris, and I just wanted to fight for any chance to make things work.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I think you were one hundred percent right to fight for that chance,” Elle said. “I mean, how would you know if it would work until you tried?”
“Maybe he’ll get home and realize you were right,” Megan offered before stuffing a bite of bread into her mouth.
Ruby was already shaking her head before she’d formulated her response. “I don’t think so. He seemed pretty firm on it. And it’s not just the traveling. He’s been under a lot of scrutiny from his family. They’ve always treated him like somewhat of a screw-up, and I think he’s taken it to heart.” She sighed into her wine. “So, I think that’s probably affecting his judgment too.”
Elle frowned behind her wineglass. “A screw-up, how?”
“He struggled a lot in school before he was diagnosed with ADHD, and he’s struggled to find a spot in the family business that really suits him too.” She paused, staring into the depths of her wine. “If you ask me, he doesn’t belong in the hotel business at all. He’s an architect at heart, and he does amazing work. He should open his own firm and build things that excite him. He could still collaborate with Exeter if he wanted. But he’s afraid of letting them down again, so I think he’ll just stay, doing something he doesn’t really love to make them happy.”
“Well, that’s sad,” Megan said.
“It is,” Ruby agreed. “But he has to make those decisions for himself. And while I’m kind of crushed right now, I’ll be okay. I have you guys to help me get back on my feet.” She smiled as they embraced her for a group hug.
“Always,” Elle said fiercely. “We will always be here for each other.”
After dinner, they opened a second bottle of wine, put on a cheesy movie, and made a proper girls’ night out of it. By the time they left, Ruby was feeling much better. When she got in bed that night, she mentally ran through her to-do list for the next day. It was good to be home and get back into all her routines. Good. Definitely good.
As if they had a mind of their own, her fingers opened the camera roll on her phone, scrolling through the pictures of her time in London and Paris with Flynn. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks. They looked so happy together. They’d shared so many laughs, such an easy rapport. Ruby didn’t often open her heart to people. She usually analyzed every decision before she leaped. She’d been different with Flynn, more uninhibited.
And she meant to hang onto that newly discovered part of herself, even if it meant letting go of Flynn in the process.
Misery.
That’s what Flynn’s first day back in London felt like. He spent the majority of the day in meetings, fighting the constant urge to tap his pen obnoxiously against the table or shuffle his feet against the carpet. How could they spend so many hours talking about a building that would wind up looking like every other hotel they’d built?
He stared at the screen in the front of the room, looking at the final rendering for the hotel in Dubai. It was tall and sleek, with the trademark Exeter logo near the top. A striking building, no doubt. It would attract plenty of business once it was complete, another jewel in the Exeter crown. And he couldn’t muster even the slightest bit of excitement about overseeing its construction.
His chest physically ached at the thought of spending the next six months doing just that. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself sitting in the flat in Paris with Ruby. He’d felt more relaxed in his weeks there than he could ever remember feeling. Happy. Inspired, as he worked on the design for Aidan’s house. The relentless restlessness that was his constant companion at Exeter had been absent in those weeks.
The meeting broke up, and he made for the door, eager to step outside for some fresh air to clear his head.
“Flynn.” His mother’s voice halted him in his tracks.
He turned to face her. “Mother.”
“It’s so good to have you in the office this week,” she said with a warm smile. “We do miss seeing you when you’re off working on job sites. How did everything turn out with your friend in Paris?”
