She took another deep breath and stepped inside.
Her mother was asleep.
Ruby exhaled in relief. The tension in her shoulders eased a little, she unclenched her fists.
She stared down at her mothers pale, beautiful face and felt an unexpected tug of longing. She had to forcibly remind herself that this lovely, red-haired woman who looked like Susan Sarandon wasnt really her mother. Rubys mother--the woman whod played Scrabble and made chocolate-chip pancakes every Sunday morning--had died eleven years ago. This was the woman whod killed her.
Nora opened her eyes.
Ruby felt an almost overwhelming urge to run away.
Nora gasped and scooted up to a sit, self-consciously smoothing the tangled hair from her face. "You came, she said softly, a note of wonder in her voice.
Ruby forced her hands to stay bolted to her sides. It was an old stand-up rule. No fidgeting. The audience could smell a set of nerves. “How are you?”
Stupid question, but Ruby was off-balance, afraid of pitching headfirst.
“Im fine. ” Nora smiled, but it was an odd, uncertain smile.
Ruby crossed her arms-another anti-fidget technique. “So, I guess youve lost your good-driver discount. ”
“Thats my Ruby. Quick with a joke. ”
“I wouldnt say your” Ruby. "
Noras smile faded. “Im sure you wouldnt. ” She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, exhaling softly. “I see you still think you know everything . . . and you still dont take any prisoners. ”
Ruby could feel the shale of old habits sliding beneath her feet. A few more well-chosen words and there would be a full-scale war going on between them.
“I dont know everything,” Ruby said evenly. “I dont think I ever knew my mother. ”
Nora laughed, a fluttery, tired sound. “That makes two of us. ”
They stared at each other. Ruby felt a mounting urge to escape; she knew it was a survival instinct. Already she knew she couldnt spend a week with this woman and feel nothing . . . the anger was so sharp right now it overwhelmed her.
But she had no choice.
“I thought . . . Id stay with you for a while. Help you get settled. ”
Noras surprise was almost comical. “Why?”
Ruby shrugged. There were so many answers to that question. “You could have died. Maybe I thought of what it would be like to lose you. ” She smiled woodenly. “Or maybe this is your darkest hour; the loss of everything you left your family for; and I dont want to miss a minute of your misery. Or maybe I got a contract to write a magazine article about you and I need to be close to get the inside scoop. Or maybe I-”
“I get it. Who cares why. I need help and you obviously have nothing better to do. ”
“How do you do it-slam me in the middle of a thank-you? Jesus, its a gift. ”
“I didnt mean to slam you. ”
“No, you just thought youd point out that I have no life. It wouldnt occur to you that Ive rearranged my life to spend some time with you, would it?”
“Lets not start, okay?”
“You started it. ”
Noras hand moved to the bed rail, her fingers slid close to touch Ruby. She looked up. “You know Im going to the summer house, right?”
Ruby couldnt have heard right. “What?”