18
Remi
Ruby waits in the park across the street while Lillie and I get our ice cream.
My daughter is on her tiptoes pointing at the chocolate-dipped waffle cones. “You sure you want a cone, peanut? It’ll drip all over you.”
“I want a cone!” She pumps her little fist over her head like a cheer.
That does it. “Two swirl cones, please.”
As soon as the girl passes them to us, I grab an extra set of napkins and my daughter’s hand. We walk across the street to the town square, where Ruby is sitting on an iron bench in front of the gazebo… with that fucking Henry Pak again.
What the hell? Does he live here now?
I catch the end of Ruby’s sentence as we approach. “How soon are you looking to move?”
Good, maybe he’s planning to go back to Korea.
“We’re closing on the condo tomorrow. Depending on the contractor, it’s possible I could be here full time by the end of the month.”
“That’s great.” I can’t tell if Ruby really thinks it’s great or not.
When she sees me, her expression changes. She shifts in her chair and looks worried.
“Remi!” Her voice is too high. “You remember Henry Pak. You met him last night?”
Thankfully, my hands are full with my daughter’s hand in one and an ice cream cone in the other. I’m not interested in shaking this guy’s hand.
I nod. “How’s it going?”
“Ah, yes.” He smiles, but I can tell he’s about as glad to see me as I am to see him. “You’re Ruby’s boss, right? The tech guy?”
It’s tech billionaire, asshole. “She’s living in my house now.”
Ruby’s eyebrows shoot up. “I’m the nanny. I share a floor with this little girl right here.” She reaches for Lillie, who is completely oblivious.
My daughter crawls onto Ruby’s lap, focused entirely on licking her ice cream as it tries to melt all over her hand and arm and striped sack dress.
“Here, I have extra napkins.” I hold them out, and Ruby takes them, quickly catching the chocolate drops.
“Last time we talked, you were working with Drew at the Friends Care Clinic.” Henry’s brow furrows as he watches her. “What happened with that?”
Like it’s any of his business. “I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”
Her lips press into a frown, and she cuts her eyes at me. “Actually… it’s not as easy as you think to build a client list. You know how tiny Oakville is.”
Henry nods. “I can relate to that dilemma. As a physician, I was lucky to work with your father and other prominent men in Charleston. It fast-tracked my career.”
I don’t like the way he says physician like he invented the lightbulb or the internal combustion engine or air.
Ruby jumps in with some story about her dad I don’t kno
w, and they both laugh. It’s annoying as fuck the way he’s sitting beside her, talking to her.
“Daddy! You’re dripping!” Lillie points at my ice cream, and I just barely catch a drip of vanilla before it hits my slacks.
“Oh, no! Here.” Ruby hands me a napkin and smiles. “I think custard melts quicker than regular ice cream.”