Greater Than Rubies, a Novella inspired by the Jewel Trilogy by Hallee A. Bridgeman Page A

you in the morning since we can ride the train.
    Robin’s phone rang in her hand. “Hey Maxi. She just got here.” Sarah rolled her eyes at her older sister’s display of what she considered over-protectiveness. She made a drinking motion with her hand and headed toward the kitchen
    On the other end, Maxine said. “Okay, good. Glad you’re all safe. If the roads are clear, I’ll bring you clothes in the morning. If not, I’ll see you at church.”
    Robin disconnected the call and stepped down into the living room. She gestured at the doorway toward the kitchen. “I guess I should have warned her Derrick was in there.”
    “I guess she’ll find out soon enough,” Tony said, typing on his phone. “Did you get settled into Sarah’s room okay?”
    Robin curled up on the couch next to him. “I did. I’m so glad you’re not thousands of miles away and that we were together tonight. She would have been stuck.”
    Tony put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “This will be her home, too. You two will soon think of it that way. You could have come here whether I was home or not.”
    Robin linked her fingers with his, pulling his arm closer around her. “We could go ahead and skip this whole event of the year, thing, and just get married. Then I could move in now.”
    “You’re not getting out of it that easy,” he said, setting his phone on the couch next to him. “But, nice try, to tempt me like that.”
    She smiled up at him and stared into his eyes. “Tempted, eh?”
    His smiled faded and his eyes grew serious. Robin felt her heart rate accelerate. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” he admitted softly, running a finger down her cheek.
    “Disgusting!” Sarah said, storming into the room.
    Tony frowned and lifted his head. Robin settled more comfortably against him. “I beg your pardon?” she asked.
    Sarah pointed in the general direction of the kitchen. “That boy in there is disgusting. And crude.”
    The dining room door swung open, and Derrick came through, wearing cotton pajama pants and a white T-shirt, holding a large tuna fish sandwich in one hand and a big glass of chocolate milk in the other. “You want to watch the game?” He asked Tony as he sat on the couch next to Robin.
    “Sure,” Tony said. He gestured at the coffee table. “The television remote is the black one.”
    “Seriously?” Sarah said, crossing her arms. “You’re just going to let him eat that in here?”
    “I wasn’t rude. I offered her some,” Derrick said around a bite of tuna. He chewed and swallowed. “But she certainly did not want any.” He emphasized certainly and not to sound haughty.
    Robin giggled and Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’m going to bed. I’ve had a long day. Goodnight.”
     

     
    OBIN opened the door to Sarah’s room and stopped short when she found her on the couch, reading a book. “Hey,” she said, coming all the way into the room and sitting next to her, setting the T-shirt and shorts Tony had loaned her on the cushion next to her. “I thought you were tired an hour ago.”
    “I wasn’t, but I just didn’t want to stay in there with him and watch that silly basketball show.”
    Robin raised an eyebrow. “With Tony?”
    Sarah sighed. “Of course not. I love Tony.”
    “So, Derrick then?”
    “Yeah. Something about him irritates me. Maybe it’s just the smell of that canned fish he’s devouring.” Sarah’s eyebrows scrunched down behind her glasses, clearly perturbed.
    “You must have just gotten off on the wrong foot. He’s really nice.”
    Sarah put her book down and took off her glasses, then stretched. “I’ll take your word for it.” She looked around at the big, nicely furnished room. “It’s crazy to think that this will be our home soon, isn’t it?”
    Robin nodded. “I’m having a hard time coming to grips with it myself. I don’t know how it happened.”
    Sarah leaned over and hugged her. “Because you’re wonderful and you deserve happiness a