didn’t have to go beyond that. He wouldn’t let it go beyond that.
Satisfied with his decision, he called and ordered the pizza. But as he waited for Hank and their food to arrive, he thought of the spontaneous combustion Deanna had set off the other night simply by licking an ice cream cone, her gaze locked with his.
Friendship? That’s all he was interested in? Yeah, right. The lies just kept piling up.
“I’ll drop Kevin off at Joey’s around six-thirty, and then take off,” Ruby said casually as she and Deanna ate breakfast on Thursday morning.
Instantly suspicious, Deanna stared at her. “You’re not having dinner? I thought you looked forward to Joey’s spaghetti all week long.”
Ruby shrugged. “I’m not in the mood for spaghetti.”
“And at 7:00 a.m. you know that’s how you’re going to feel in twelve hours?”
“Yep. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve been thinking about cutting back on pasta for a while now. Too many carbs.”
Deanne peered at her intently. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I mentioned Hank and Sean might come by, would it?”
“Why would that matter to me?” Ruby asked, studying her cereal as if she’d never seen a bran flake before.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Deanna said.
“Leave it alone,” Ruby said, pushing away from the table and dumping her cereal down the garbage disposal. “I’ve got to get to work.”
Since Ruby’s job was only part-time assistant in the same neighborhood law firm where Deanna worked days as a receptionist, something was off here. Deanna could have let it alone, but it wasn’t in her nature. She might not pry into Ruby’s social life, but she did pay attention when her friend was behaving weirdly.
“We never leave the house before seven-thirty,” she pointed out. “We’re not due at the office till eight. It takes us five minutes to walk to work. What’s the sudden rush? Are you trying to avoid talking to me?”
Ruby evaded Deanna’s direct gaze. “I’m filling in for Cassandra this week, remember?”
“So?”
“I’ve got a lot of typing piled up. I’m not as fast as she is, and I still need to get out so I can be home when Kevin gets here after school.”
Deanna’s gaze narrowed at the mention of her son. “Is baby-sitting Kevin getting to be a problem?”
“Of course not!” Ruby said, staring at her indignantly. “Don’t you dare think that. You know I love that kid as if he were my own. Heck, I’ve been around since the day he was born.”
“Well, something’s going on here,” Deanna said, studying Ruby thoughtfully. She decided to go for broke and throw her suspicions on the table. “You haven’t been yourself for days now, not since the night you got together with Hank at the fire station.”
“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” Ruby insisted, her jaw set stubbornly.
Deanna wasn’t buying it, but she couldn’t very well drag the truth out of Ruby if she wasn’t willing toshare it. “Okay,” she said at last. “I’ll drop it for now, on one condition.”
“Anything that will get you to back off,” Ruby agreed.
“Have dinner at Joey’s tonight.”
“Dee!” Ruby protested.
Deanna held firm. “That’s it. That’s my condition. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to convince me that Hank’s not at the bottom of your weird mood.”
Something that might have been a tiny flicker of relief passed across Ruby’s face, then gave way to an air of resignation. “Okay, okay. Geez, you are such a nag.”
Deanna grinned at her. “I should be. I learned from the best.”
Ruby shook her head. “Obviously I should have kept that lesson to myself.”
Sean and five other firefighters in uniform piled into Joey’s Italian Diner around six o’clock. Deanna was just coming out of the kitchen with an order when they arrived. She heard her son’s whoop of delight, but missed the fact that he was racing
Satisfied with his decision, he called and ordered the pizza. But as he waited for Hank and their food to arrive, he thought of the spontaneous combustion Deanna had set off the other night simply by licking an ice cream cone, her gaze locked with his.
Friendship? That’s all he was interested in? Yeah, right. The lies just kept piling up.
“I’ll drop Kevin off at Joey’s around six-thirty, and then take off,” Ruby said casually as she and Deanna ate breakfast on Thursday morning.
Instantly suspicious, Deanna stared at her. “You’re not having dinner? I thought you looked forward to Joey’s spaghetti all week long.”
Ruby shrugged. “I’m not in the mood for spaghetti.”
“And at 7:00 a.m. you know that’s how you’re going to feel in twelve hours?”
“Yep. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve been thinking about cutting back on pasta for a while now. Too many carbs.”
Deanne peered at her intently. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I mentioned Hank and Sean might come by, would it?”
“Why would that matter to me?” Ruby asked, studying her cereal as if she’d never seen a bran flake before.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Deanna said.
“Leave it alone,” Ruby said, pushing away from the table and dumping her cereal down the garbage disposal. “I’ve got to get to work.”
Since Ruby’s job was only part-time assistant in the same neighborhood law firm where Deanna worked days as a receptionist, something was off here. Deanna could have let it alone, but it wasn’t in her nature. She might not pry into Ruby’s social life, but she did pay attention when her friend was behaving weirdly.
“We never leave the house before seven-thirty,” she pointed out. “We’re not due at the office till eight. It takes us five minutes to walk to work. What’s the sudden rush? Are you trying to avoid talking to me?”
Ruby evaded Deanna’s direct gaze. “I’m filling in for Cassandra this week, remember?”
“So?”
“I’ve got a lot of typing piled up. I’m not as fast as she is, and I still need to get out so I can be home when Kevin gets here after school.”
Deanna’s gaze narrowed at the mention of her son. “Is baby-sitting Kevin getting to be a problem?”
“Of course not!” Ruby said, staring at her indignantly. “Don’t you dare think that. You know I love that kid as if he were my own. Heck, I’ve been around since the day he was born.”
“Well, something’s going on here,” Deanna said, studying Ruby thoughtfully. She decided to go for broke and throw her suspicions on the table. “You haven’t been yourself for days now, not since the night you got together with Hank at the fire station.”
“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” Ruby insisted, her jaw set stubbornly.
Deanna wasn’t buying it, but she couldn’t very well drag the truth out of Ruby if she wasn’t willing toshare it. “Okay,” she said at last. “I’ll drop it for now, on one condition.”
“Anything that will get you to back off,” Ruby agreed.
“Have dinner at Joey’s tonight.”
“Dee!” Ruby protested.
Deanna held firm. “That’s it. That’s my condition. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to convince me that Hank’s not at the bottom of your weird mood.”
Something that might have been a tiny flicker of relief passed across Ruby’s face, then gave way to an air of resignation. “Okay, okay. Geez, you are such a nag.”
Deanna grinned at her. “I should be. I learned from the best.”
Ruby shook her head. “Obviously I should have kept that lesson to myself.”
Sean and five other firefighters in uniform piled into Joey’s Italian Diner around six o’clock. Deanna was just coming out of the kitchen with an order when they arrived. She heard her son’s whoop of delight, but missed the fact that he was racing
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