“You thought we were your agent? I'm wounded. Deeply wounded.”
“I'm sorry! I've been—” she gestured vaguely. “Distracted.”
“Distracted.” Ronan's eyes narrowed, studying her face through the screen. “You look different.”
“I look exactly the same.”
“No, there's something…” His eyes widened. “Oh my God. You met someone.”
She felt her face grow hot. “What? No. I mean, it's not like that.”
“It's totally like that. You have that stupid happy look you get when you're into someone. Tell me everything immediately.”
“There's nothing to tell.”
“Ruby Langley, I've known you your entire life. You're a terrible liar. Remember when you were twelve and tried to convince Mom you didn't eat the entire cake? You lasted approximately thirty seconds.”
Ruby glanced toward the convenience store, making sure Celeste was still inside. “Fine. There might be someone, but it's casual. Just a short-term thing.”
Her brother’s amused expression shifted into concern. “Ruby. You don't do casual. Everyone knows you're a romantic. You spent the better part of your teenage years watching happily-ever-after Disney movies long after everyone else had outgrown them.”
“Maybe I'm changing.”
“Or maybe you're setting yourself up to get hurt.” Ronan’s voice was gentle but firm. “Look, I'm not trying to rain on your parade. If you're happy, I'm happy. But be careful, okay? I don't want to have to fly out to wherever you are and commit crimes because someone broke your heart.”
Before Ruby could respond, their mother's face appeared on screen, squeezing in next to Ronan. “Ruby! Finally! We've been so worried.”
“Hi, Mom. I'm fine, I promise. Just on the road.”
“Are you eating properly? Sleeping enough?” Renee Langley’s eyes were sharp and assessing. She'd always had this way of seeing straight through Ruby's deflections.
“Yes and yes. How are things? How's the community center proposal going?”
“Good! I think we're close to getting approval. Your brother's been helping with the tech infrastructure plans.” Renee's face softened. “Your father would have been so proud of you both. Ronan with his startup, you with your art. He always said his children would do extraordinary things.”
Ruby felt the familiar pang at the mention of her father. He'd died when she was seven in a car accident, but her mother had kept his memory alive, talking about him often, and making sure Ruby and Ronan knew how much he'd loved them.
“The funding round's going great, by the way,” Ronan interjected. “In case you were wondering.”
“I was definitely wondering,” Ruby said, “Tell me about the investors.”
“They're cautiously optimistic. We're in the final stages of negotiation and should have an answer by next week.” Ronan's excitement was evident even through the screen. “If this goes through, we'll be able to scale way faster than projected.”
“That's amazing. I'm so proud of you.”
“Don't get too proud yet, kiddo. There’s a lot that could go wrong.” But he was grinning.
As more conversation flowed easily, Ruby felt herself grow more relaxed. This was what she loved about her family—the way they could pick up where they left off, no matter how long it had been. The way they supported each other, challenged each other and genuinely cared.
“Take care of yourself, sweetheart,” her mother said as they were saying goodbye. “And whoever this person is that has you smiling like that, be careful with your heart.”
“I will. Love you both.”
The call ended just as Celeste returned, arms loaded with snacks—chips, candy, two enormous fountain drinks and what appeared to be half the store's sandwich selection.
“Did you buy out the entire convenience store?” Ruby asked, laughing.
“I wasn't sure what you'd want for lunch.” Celeste settled back into the driver's seat, distributing the haul. “So I got options.”
