Chapter Four
Ruby
Ruby spotted Celeste the moment she pulled into the rental lot. Hard to miss her, really. She was leaning against a dependable black Honda, coffee cup in one hand, phone in the other, looking like she'd stepped out of some fancy commercial. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that probably took thirty seconds but looked effortlessly polished. Dark jeans, a cream sweater that looked expensive and ankle boots that definitely were.
Ruby glanced down at her own outfit—vintage band t-shirt, leather jacket with a fashion rip in the sleeve, sneakers she couldn’t be bothered to replace—and felt suddenly underdressed.
“Morning,” she called out, hoisting her duffel bag higher on her shoulder.
Celeste looked up, and something flickered across her face. Resignation, maybe. Or the look of someone about to jump out of a plane and regretting every decision that led to this moment.
“Good morning.”
“How long have you been here?” Ruby checked her phone. Five minutes to nine. She was early, which meant Celeste was…
“About thirty minutes.”
She paused a few feet away. “Seriously? Do you do this all the time? Show up early to things?”
Celeste's expression went blank. “Yes.”
Of course she did. Celeste probably arrived at appointments fifteen minutes early with a color-coded planner and backup plans for her backup plans. The woman was control personified.
“That's—” Ruby caught herself. She was supposed to be making this easier, not starting off by judging her travel partner’s hypervigilance. “Sorry, just asking. Definitely not judging.”
“I didn't think you were judging.”
“You're kind of giving me a look that suggests otherwise.”
. “I'm not giving you a look.”
“You're definitely giving me a look. It's very, um,” Ruby made a vague gesture. “Hostile adjacent.”
“Hostile adjacent?”
“Yeah. Like, not outright hostile, but in the general neighborhood.” Ruby grinned, hoping to lighten the mood. “Close enough that the hostile individual could walk over and borrow a cup of sugar.”
Celeste's mouth twitched, but she gave no other indication that she enjoyed the joke. “I already got the key and signed both our names. We can go whenever you're ready.”
“Lovely.” Ruby moved to the back of the Honda, popping the trunk. She tossed her duffel bag in next to what could only be described as a luggage set. Matching pieces in dove gray, the kind with wheels and organizational compartments and probably a built-in weather station.
Seriously?she thought.A full matching set fora not so lengthy trip?
But she kept her mouth shut and climbed into the passenger seat. The interior smelled like Celeste's perfume, something floral with a hint of citrus.
Celeste slid into the driver's seat, adjusting the mirrors with precise movements. The silence stretched, not quite comfortable but not entirely awkward either. More like two people trapped in an elevator, hyperaware of each other's breathing.
Ruby opened her mouth just as Celeste did.
They both stopped.
“Sorry, you go,” Ruby said.
Celeste cleared her throat, eyes fixed on the windshield. “I wanted to apologize for the other day. I was unnecessarily cold.”
Ruby couldn't help it—she grinned. “Is this an official apology? Did someone put you up to this? Because you look like you're being held at gunpoint.”
“I'm an adult.” Celeste's voice was stiff. “Adults reflect on their behavior and make amends.”
