Down Under

He smiles. “You’ll just have to trust me.” He plants a gentle kiss on my lips. “Tomorrow morning, you’re gonna go out by yourself and do something fun. Call Liz if you need the car.”

“It won’t be fun if you’re not there.” I can’t blame Brian for wanting to get out before my dad comes home, but I see no reason why he can’t take me with him. My thoughts swirl around the drain in my head, all converging on one simple truth: Brian is leaving me. Just like my dad did.

“I can see you’re upset,” he says, “but I need you to trust me. I will steal you away from here. Of that, you can be certain. I will see you tomorrow, Miss Ruby. I promise.”

I take a deep breath as Brian wraps his arms around me. Somehow, I’m even more confused now than I was before. Maybe I’m an idiot, inviting this man to become my Daddy so he can break my heart all over again. But I feel like he’s telling the truth. My only options are to either pack my bags and go home, or go to bed with a smile on my face because I know I’m going to see him again.

It all comes down to trust, and although there’s a small, scared little girl inside of me screaming, don’t believe him, I’m going to trust that he’ll be there tomorrow, because he could just as easily have fucked me and run.

“Three o’clock,” I mumble against his chest.

He kisses the top of my head. “On the dot.”

Chapter Five

All night, I dream of Brian watching me. No matter where I am, or what I’m doing, his presence is all around me. Like a benevolent Eye of Sauron. Always there, always observing.

For the first time in a long time, I wake up feeling excited.

The house is empty when I pad into the kitchen to scrape up some breakfast. I didn’t dare leave my room last night after Brian left, so I have no idea when my dad went to sleep. He obviously didn’t feel the need to apologize for cancelling dinner. I expect to still feel bitter about it, but to my surprise, I don’t feel anything. I have more important things to think about now, like what I’m going to do for fun this morning.

With six hours to kill before I’m supposed to meet Brian at the office, I decide to do a little something just for me. I call Liz to schedule a car to take me to the beach, and spend the whole morning and a good chunk of the afternoon with the sun on my face. I eat cookie-dough ice cream while watching the surfers perform tricks out on the waves. Later, I buy a powder-blue dress from a seaside boutique because it reminds me of cotton candy.

Brian isn’t here, but just like in my dreams, he’s all around me. I feel like I can relax and go wild at the same time. I came to Australia hoping to reconnect with my dad, and I ended up stumbling upon something better: someone I can talk to and eat dessert with, who wants to know everything about me—including the way my entire body trembles when I come. Who needs an absent dad when you can have a dirty Daddy?

I arrive at the office a few minutes early, wearing my new blue sundress. As I step into the elevator, I consider stopping in to see my father on my way up to Brian’s office—that is, if he’s willing to break away from his computer long enough to speak to me.

Memories of yesterday’s reunion flicker like holiday lights throughout my body: the tension in my shoulders from my dad’s reluctance to greet me, my twitchy fingers after our awkward hug, the ache in my chest when I found out he hadn’t actually invited me. When I compare those sensations to the way Brian made me feel last night, the thought of trying to reconnect with my dad seems pointless. He doesn’t want to know me, while Brian is genuinely curious about my life.

My hand hovers over the elevator panel.

I press the button for Brian’s floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, I note the high ceilings and glossy black walls. The dark stone floor that echoes as I walk across it. I make my way down a wide hallway toward a young, sharply dressed man seated behind a massive desk. He glances up, quirks his eyebrow curiously, and asks if my name is Ruby Clark.

“Yes,” I tell him. “I’m Ruby.”

He tells me to have a seat. The couches in the waiting area on the executive floor are a lot more comfortable than those outside my dad’s office. I check my phone for the hundredth time, triggering a sudden wave of déjà vu. My own flesh and blood had no qualms about blowing me off. What makes me think Brian won’t do the same?

I distract myself from this destructive line of thinking by counting down the seconds. Twenty seconds to three. Ten seconds. Four. Three. Two...

Three o’clock comes and goes.

I try not to jump to conclusions. There could be any number of reasons for him not rushing out of his office to greet me. He could be stuck on a conference call, or in a meeting. Maybe he’s having a heated discussion with a branch manager in Perth.

A call comes in on the receptionist’s phone at exactly 3:07.

“Yes, sir?” the young man answers. “Of course, right away.” He comes around the desk to address me directly. "Ms. Clark, Mr. Murdoch is ready for you now.”

I shoulder my purse and follow the receptionist to a pair of black doors, one of which he opens for me.

The first thing that strikes me about Brian’s office is that regardless of the dark walls and floors, it’s very bright—thanks to the wall of windows overlooking the city. Then I note the fact that it’s both huge and sparsely decorated, peppered with black leather furniture that clearly reflects his masculine taste.

But the most striking feature has to be my father, seated across from Brian in the formal sitting area by the gas fireplace.

“My apologies for the delay, Miss Ruby.” Brian stands as I approach cautiously, his hands extended. “Your dad and I were just discussing your job interview.”

“Job interview?” I accept his chaste kiss on the cheek, then take the seat he offers me. My dad smiles tightly, looking almost as surprised to be here as I am to see him.