‘And where do you want it to go, Ruby?’ he asked, sitting back and watching her closely.
Ruby sat back also, the suspicion forming that he was trying to see if she wanted more from him than he was prepared to give. If she pressed him, he might end things here and now. If she wanted their relationship, such as it was, to continue, then she had to lighten things up.
She hoped her shrug looked nonchalant. ‘Well, as I told you, I want to become a social worker. And to do that, I need a secure roof over my head and time to study. I suppose after Georgia gets back I’ll try to get another job as a housekeeper here in Sydney. I don’t really want to live with one of my brothers.’
‘You still don’t want to get married?’
‘Lord no!’ she exclaimed straight away. To say she wanted to marry him would be the kiss of death.
His sigh could have been relief. Or something else. Ruby wasn’t sure and was afraid to hope.
‘I’m sorry, Sebastian,’ she said, and he threw her a questioning glance.
‘Sorry about what?’
‘It’s Christmas, for heaven’s sake. Time to be merry and have fun, not get all serious about the future. We’ll worry about next year next year, okay?’
‘Okay,’ he said slowly, leaving Ruby with the impression that something was still bothering him.
‘We should get going soon,’ she suggested. ‘The traffic is only going to get worse as the day wears on.’
The day ended well after that, their moods having lightened. They chatted away during the drive home, enjoyed dinner together that night, then went to bed together. Ruby wallowing in the pretence that they were, if not really married, then acting as if they were. And if there was a tiny little niggle still at the back of her mind, she steadfastly ignored it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
‘HERE ARE THE books you asked for,’ Sebastian said as he placed them on the tray table next to Zack’s bed.
‘Thanks,’ Zack said, picking them up and reading the blurbs before looking up. ‘I’ll enjoy these. So tell me, Seb, how long have you been sleeping with Ruby?’
Sebastian wasn’t surprised that Zack had twigged. After all, he already knew how much he fancied her.
‘Since a week before the Christmas party,’ Sebastian confessed.
Zack looked surprised. ‘That long.’
‘We decided to keep it a secret.’
‘We decided to keep it a secret. Or you decided to keep it a secret.’
‘I guess it was my idea. But Ruby didn’t object.’
Zack made a tsking sound. ‘I expected better of you than that. Ruby’s a nice girl, as you went to great pains to tell me. She won’t be happy with being your secret bit on the side for long. You must know that.’
‘She doesn’t want to get married,’ Sebastian said with a sigh.
‘What are you talking about? You don’t want to get married, either. But marriage isn’t the only card in the pack, Seb. You could ask her to be your girlfriend. What’s wrong with that?’
‘Nothing. I’ve actually already done that. And we won’t be keeping our relationship a secret for much longer. We’re letting the cat out of the bag on Christmas Day. But the strange thing is, Zack, I’ve realised I do want to get married. I thought I only wanted her to love me but I want more. I want her to be my wife.’
Zack’s eyebrows almost hit the ceiling. ‘Wow. Now you’ve really surprised me. You, Mr I-don’t-ever-want-to-fall-in-love-and-get-married-again Marshall. Not that I’m surprised it’s Ruby who’s stolen your heart. She’s a great girl. If you hadn’t warned me off I might have fallen for her myself.’
‘Didn’t you hear what I said? She doesn’t want to get married.’
‘Did she say that to you?’
‘Loud and clear.’
‘Did you tell her you love her?’
‘Well...no...’
‘It might be an idea to tell her,’ came his dry advice.
‘She won’t believe me.’
‘Then it’s up to you to convince her, isn’t it? Pull out all stops. Go all romantic. I know you’re not used to romantic gestures, buddy, but they work.’
Sebastian had to smile. ‘You’d know. But you’re undoubtedly right.’
‘Of course I’m right. Faint heart never won fair lady.’
‘No wonder you get the women, Zack. Poetry, no less. Now I have to get going. I have lots to do.’ Already Sebastian’s mind was buzzing with ideas. But they would take time. And effort. And money.
At least he had no shortage in that department.
‘Good luck,’ Zack called after him.
Luck, Sebastian decided as he hurried away, had little to do with success in life.
His first job after leaving the hospital was to go shopping. For a ring. Sebastian refused to countenance failure, so a ring was what he would need. Eventually. After what proved to be a long shopping expedition, he dropped in at the extremely popular Cafe Sydney and spent a small fortune, getting what he also wanted.
It was well after lunchtime as he drove away from the city, hunger pangs telling him he needed to eat. But he needed to get home more. He wanted to see his Ruby. Just see her. He didn’t need to do anything else.
She wasn’t at home, however, when he got there. He texted her immediately and found out she was at the supermarket, stocking up on food, plus a few last-minute gifts. She would be home soon.
Not soon enough for his stomach, Sebastian thought, so he made himself a sandwich and coffee.
‘Didn’t you eat in town?’ she asked when she saw him.
‘No,’ he said between mouthfuls, his gaze drinking her in at the same time.
‘Then what took you so long?’
He could hardly tell her the truth. I was looking for the right ring for you, my darling.
But he decided on a partial truth.
‘After I visited Zack, I went shopping for something for you. For Christmas.’
‘Really? That’s sweet.’
‘Unfortunately, I couldn’t seem to decide what to buy. In the end I settled for taking you out somewhere special instead. I have a booking for lunch at Cafe Sydney on Christmas Eve.’
Her eyes lit up. ‘But isn’t that a pretty exclusive place?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then how did you manage to get a table this late? You said all the restaurants would be booked out.’