“You just gave me up like that?” Mari snapped her fingers dismissively.
“Not at all,” Ruby shot back, anxious to stifle Mari’s attitude. “It nearly crushed me.”
Mari twisted her lips to one side. “Sorry, it’s been a tough week.”
“We all have them.” Though Ruby had expected Mari’s insolence, she’d hoped her daughter would understand. “Everyone was older and more experienced than I was. What they said made a lot of sense. I didn’t want to give you up, Mari. In the end, I did it so that you could have a real childhood.”
“Still, you just left me on the ranch,” Mari said, flinging her hand.
Ruby gripped Mari’s hands. “I couldn’t take you with me. I made one film after another and many on location. It wasn’t as fun or as glamorous as it sounds. But on the ranch, you had a carefree childhood. Remember that horse you loved? Champ. How about the rodeos and your trips to Galveston at that beach house you adored? And your menagerie of pets. You couldn’t have had them in an apartment in L.A. And more than that, you wouldn’t have had the love of two solid parents.”
Subdued, Mari glanced to one side. “I suppose you have a point.”
Feeling her blood pressure rise, Ruby blew out a breath. “Patricia and Michael had already been looking after you whenever I had to work. After the studio took steps to terminate me, my agent came up with an idea to salvage my career. He had a vested interest, of course, but my parents quickly agreed and pressured me, too.”
“Wait. There’s one part I don’t understand,” Mari said. “I checked my birth certificate, which clearly states that my mom gave birth to me. She and my dad are listed on it.”
“That’s right,” Ruby said. “The studios demanded legal proof that the child I’d been charged with having in the tabloids wasn’t mine. Doc Schmidt, a country doctor, delivered you. So, my father and Michael approached him and arranged a deal. I paid the doctor and the local records office clerk to create and back-file a new birth certificate.”
“Wow,” Mari said. “Guess you could do that before computers?”
Ruby nodded. “When your parents produced that, the studio dropped its case against me, and my agent demanded an apology. Finally, the studio reinstated me, and the near-scandal faded away. But I was devastated. I loved you so much, and you were all I had left of my husband.”
Mari stared into her coffee. “I suppose I can understand how you felt,” she said quietly. “I couldn’t imagine being forced to give up Ariana when she was a baby.”
And yet, Mari had effectively given up Ariana to boarding schools. Ruby reined in her thoughts. Mari had been a single parent with a demanding position, reeling from a devastating divorce. She had done the best she could under trying circumstances. And Ruby had been thrilled to help.
“In retrospect, this plan was for the best,” Ruby said. “Patricia and Michael loved you so much, and I was too young to be a proper mother. I was even a little jealous of Patricia for a long time. But I grew up and came to terms with it.”
Mari bent her head, and Ruby heard a muffled sniffle.
“I understand your position,” Mari said. “For years, I beat myself up about my failed marriage. I worked so hard to prove myself. I wasn’t good at being a wife, or even a mother, but I could excel in business. And I did. Maybe I’m like you, after all.”
Ruby smiled at her. “You and I, we’ve both made mistakes, lived with our choices, and grew strong as a result. Ariana is one of us, too. She has the blood of strong women in her.”
Mari drew her hands over her face. “These last few weeks, I’ve had time to think about my mistakes. I should’ve gone to Ariana’s wedding. Worse, I didn’t even call her to see how it went. I guess she went on her honeymoon. Of course, after the way I acted, I couldn’t expect her to call me. So, how was the wedding?”
“Ariana changed her mind and left Phillip at the altar,” Ruby said.
Mari sighed. “I should have been there. Was she shattered?”
“It wasn’t easy,” Ruby said. “But thankfully, she recognized that Phillip wasn’t the one for her.”
Mari tapped her fingers on the table. “Better than a divorce later. I should fly to L.A. after I leave here.”
“You won’t have to.” Ruby touched Mari’s hand, risking a connection. “Ariana is here. And she has a lot to share with you. All I ask is that you listen without judgment. She’s smart, and she’s changing her life for the better.”
“I’ll try,” Mari said, her voice cracking. “This is a rough time for me, too.”
Tentatively, Ruby put her arm around Mari’s shoulders. She hadn’t been able to get this close to Mari since she was a teenager. “Just when you think life is all set, it serves up surprises. We’re all reimagining our lives right now.”
Mari rested her head on Ruby’s shoulder. “Change is scary at my age. A woman in her mid-fifties is ancient for Wall Street,” she said with a bitter laugh. “Many burn out or become disillusioned, and I’ve lasted longer than most.”
Ruby stroked Mari’s short hair. “You probably have plenty of money to retire.”
“I’m fortunate, but I’m not ready to retire,” Mari said. “If you still want me to take over the management of your charitable foundation and portfolio, as you’d mentioned in your letter, I’d like that.”
“I’m quite serious about that,” Ruby said. “I’m going to be even busier than I realized now.” She gazed at her daughter. For the first time in years, Mari seemed to be examining her life. A fresh surge of hope coursed through Ruby. There was still a chance to change their family dynamics.
Mari looked surprised. “Are you making more films?”
Ruby chuckled. “Oh, my dear, you have so much to catch up on. I know there will be a lot to take in, but I hope you’ll allow me to make things up to you.” She motioned to the Villa Fiori. “I have plenty of room, and I’d really like it if you could stay awhile. I know Ariana would like that, too.”
Footsteps sounded behind them, and Ariana’s voice rang out. “Mom? What are you doing here?” Ariana had pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, and her strawberry blond curls tumbled from a haphazard ponytail. Her mouth was set in a thin line—obviously prepared for the worst.
Ruby nodded to Mari. “Now is your chance,” she whispered. A chance for Mari and Ariana to reconcile before Ruby shared the rest of her story—the ending of which not even she had dreamed possible.
Mari rose and rushed to meet her daughter. Embracing Ariana, Mari’s words tumbled out. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you at your wedding. That was wrong of me. But I’m so proud of you for knowing what you want—and what you don’t.”
Unprepared for her mother’s uncharacteristic outpouring of support, Ariana’s mouth fell open in disbelief. She returned her mother’s hug with an awkward motion.
“Join us, Ariana,” Ruby said. “We’ve been having a good talk, haven’t we, Mari?”
Mari hooked her arm into Ariana’s. “We’ll have lots of time to talk. My job in New York is over, so I can stay for a while.”