Rubi laughed and then quickly silenced herself as she took in the surroundings. She cupped her hand around the phone and turned sideways. “Not for me, for my sister.”
“Oh. I’ll get the information together this morning.”
“Thanks. And Melanie?”
“Yes?”
“How do you feel about moving to Georgia for a while?”
There was a pause. “Considering I just broke up with Jeffrey on account of his inability to breathe around the word ‘marriage,’ I’d love to.”
“Great.” Rubi shook her head. “I mean, not great about Jeffrey, but great that you’re willing to come. You can stay with me if you’d like—until you get your own place.” Her house was filling up quickly. The idea of noisy breakfasts of fried eggs and biscuits warmed her from the inside out.
“Ooooh, can I do a photo montage of your house for the website?” Melanie was always thinking of promotion. She must not have been all that broken up about the breakup.
Promotion was the last think on Rubi’s mind right now. Then again, she was concerned about keeping Carolyn out of the spotlight, so perhaps pubbing the move and the house was a good idea. She needed sleep before she could make that decision. “We’ll talk about it when you get here.”
“Thanks hon. It might take a couple weeks to get things figured out with my apartment and such. Until then, we’ll make lots of phone calls.”
Rubi agreed and they ended the call. Now that her life was in an orderly state of chaos, she dialed her mother.
“Mama?” Rubi pressed her fingers to her lips, the emotions spinning into a tornado.
“Rubi? I was just about to get in the shower darling. Can I call you back?”
“Mama.” Rubi put urgency in her tone. “You need to be here. We lost Jelly Bean. Carolyn needs her mama.”
“Where?”
Rubi gave her the name of the hospital and the room number.
“You’re home?”
She took a deep breath of sweet Georgia air.Home
The sense of belonging was too strong to ignore. This is where the Lord wanted her for a season, and truth be told, she’d been looking for an excuse to come back. Her modern-style beach house in Santa Barbara, with its massive windows and no porch, clean lines and minimalist bookshelves, was sterile compared to the plantation-style home she owned in the Buckhead suburbs decorated in rich brocades and wood floors. She wanted to listen to the bugs at night, see the stars she grew up under, and take care of her sister. Those roots were crying out for nourishment in the Southern heat, and she was all too happy to feed them.
“I’m home,” she declared.
“I’m gettin’ your father and we’re comin’”
Her mother’s geeze always cut off when she was emotional. She’d wanted to be a grandmother so much more than she’d ever wanted to be a mother. Rubi hurt for her and for Carolyn, and for herself. She gripped the cushion she sat on and looked up to blink the tears away. Such a short life, and Jelly Bean had such a huge impact.
Mama sniffed. “She must have been an angel God couldn’t live without darlin’”
Rubi’s stomach tightened. “Thank you, Mama,” she whispered.
“We’ll be there shortly.”
“I’ll stay with her and she can stay at my place.”
Mama cleared her throat. “I’m so glad you two have each other. Love you.”
That was the first time Mama had ever said something along those lines about her girls. Her heart must be breaking if she was being so tender. “Love you too Mama.” Rubi pressed the button to end the call and curled up on the bench.
Inside, she was a blender of emotion, and some of it spilled over to the ebony leather seat as she cried. Six years her junior,Carolyn was an innocent child when Trent Hill swaggered into her life. He hadexperiencewritten all over him and some of the words weren’t PG, but Carolyn was smitten and flattered and fell hard for Trent’s rough-and-tumble version of romance.
How dare he walk out on her sister!
