‘Okay,’ she said, and traipsed back to the kitchen, not sure whether or not she was pleased with all those compliments. There was something...odd...about them, as though Zack and Sebastian had some secret agenda going on involving her. She couldn’t think what. Maybe it was all in her imagination. There was a lot going on in her imagination, all of it about Sebastian.
Ruby stacked the dishwasher slowly, her head going round and round with frustrating thoughts. When she heard the men come in from outside and walk towards the front of the house, she returned to clean off the rest of the table. She heard the front door bang shortly afterwards and was in the process of making herself some coffee—which didn’t keep her awake like most people—when Sebastian made an appearance. Alone. Clearly, Zack had taken a taxi home.
‘Did Zack make a nuisance of himself when I was taking that call?’ were his first words.
Ruby turned from the coffee machine to eye her grim-looking boss. Lord, but those blue eyes of his could go quite dark when he was angry.
‘Not at all,’ she replied. ‘He was very nice. Quite the gentleman, really.’
Those eyes narrowed further, his high forehead bunching into a frown. ‘You like him,’ he said, almost accusingly.
‘Yes, I do.’
‘I did warn you about him.’
‘Sebastian, stop,’ she said firmly. ‘I like Zack, but not in that way.’
‘I find that hard to believe. Most women drool over him.’
‘Then I’m not most women. I assure you, he’s not my type. On top of that, I’m just not interested in men at the moment.’ Just one man in particular. ‘I’ve come back to Sydney to study for a degree. I want a career, not a boyfriend. Men cause complications.’
‘You don’t want to get married?’
‘No. Marriage is not for me.’
His head tipped to one side as he studied her. ‘Why is that, Ruby?’
‘That’s a very personal question,’ she told him with more than a touch of anger.
It brought him up short. ‘You’re right. It’s none of my business. I apologise.’
‘Accepted. Do you want coffee?’
‘God, no. I’ve already got enough to keep me awake tonight. By the way, thanks for offering to cook dinner for my mother next Saturday night. That was very kind of you.’
Their eyes met and Ruby’s heart melted with that squishy feeling she always got when anyone talked about kindness, and mothers.
‘My pleasure,’ she said thickly. ‘Do you know what foods your mum likes most?’
‘Not really. Give Gloria a ring tomorrow and ask her.’
‘I’ll do that.’
A rather long look passed between them, a look that had Ruby’s heart pounding behind her ribs.
‘Is there anything else?’ she asked at last, just to break the awkward silence.
‘No,’ he said brusquely. ‘I’m off to bed to try to get some sleep. I have an extra early call tomorrow. Goodnight.’
And he was gone, leaving Ruby to stare after him with a mixture of longing and curiosity. What a strange man he was. One minute caring about her welfare, the next dismissing her abruptly. She decided then and there that when she spoke to his sister tomorrow, she would try to find out a little bit more about him, and about his late wife.
CHAPTER TEN
‘RUBY!’ GLORIA EXCLAIMED. ‘How nice to hear from you. I hope there’s nothing wrong.’
‘No, no,’ Ruby replied. ‘Unless you count the rain. Isn’t it strange? We were all dying of the heat and praying for rain, then when it comes, it’s annoying.’
‘I know exactly what you mean. Janice was complaining about it this morning. Said she hates having to use the dryer all the time instead of hanging the washing out on the line.’
For a split second, Ruby wondered why Gloria was talking about Janice’s washing, till she remembered Janice was Gloria’s cleaner as well as Sebastian’s.
‘I don’t have a clothes line here,’ Ruby said. ‘I send all the washing out, as per Georgia’s instructions.’
‘Lucky you.’
‘They do a brilliant job, I have to admit. And it saves me a lot of ironing. Anyway, Gloria, the reason I’m calling is because I’ve offered to cook your mother a special birthday dinner here on Saturday night and I wanted to find out what sort of food she liked.’
‘Goodness! That’s brave of you. Mum’s hard to please where food is concerned. I usually take her to a buffet where she can pick what she likes. She’s very fussy.’
‘Perhaps I should give her a call and ask her personally what her favourite meal is.’
‘Actually, I think that’s an excellent idea. Her number’s in your house phone, under Frieda Marshall.’
‘Right. So is there anything else I should know about her?’
Gloria chuckled. ‘So much I don’t know where to start. Just make sure the table setting is pretty and use the dining table inside. She hates insects almost as much as she hates the heat.’
Ruby frowned. ‘You make her sound like a grumpy old woman.’
‘She’s not. Not really. Just hasn’t got enough to think about. But she’ll love this personal attention. Trust me on that. Thank you so much, Ruby. You’re very thoughtful.’
‘Just trying to help my boss out really. He seemed in a bit of a panic about it all.’
‘Really? That doesn’t sound like Sebastian.’
‘Perhaps panicky is an exaggeration. More like put out that he couldn’t go to the Gold Coast for the weekend.’
‘He was going up to the Gold Coast for the weekend?’
‘He was.’
‘He never said. What was he going there for?’
Ruby realised this was the opening to find out some more information about Sebastian but the words got stuck in her throat. Which was just as well, for it would sound as if she was prying, and Gloria was no fool. She would put two and two together and conclude that Ruby fancied Sebastian. Which, unfortunately, she still did.
‘I have no idea,’ Ruby said with feigned indifference. ‘I’d better go and ring your mum. I’m off to the supermarket later and I’ll want to know what to get.’
After they said their goodbyes, Ruby rang the number for Frieda Marshall straight away.
‘Hello?’ came the slightly quavering answer.