put down the mug. “I was just going. It was really nice to meet you.”
“You, too!”
Ruby said good-bye, but from Tofu’s bare-bones reaction, the enthusiasm in her salutations had been based not on warmth, but on the perception of the threat to her territory.
At the bottom of the stairs, Stu opened the door for them. “I’ll call you when I have something.”
“She’ll nag you if you take too long,” Ruby interjected.
Laura ignored her. “She’s nice, Stu. And pretty.”
“Glad you approve.”
She heard a touch of annoyance in his voice, as if he either thought she was being disingenuous or she was focused on the wrong thing. So she had to do something to impress him, and the only way to impress that particular hipster was to be honest to the point of pain. “I didn’t say I approved.”
“I like that you never change,” he said.
But she didn’t like it. Not at all.
They stood in line for coffee at the hipster place. Her fourth cup of the day. She needed some kind of drug to get her through the next hours, and the medication of choice was caffeine. Ruby tagged along, even though Laura knew she had someplace to be.
“You coming to the showroom?” Ruby asked.
“No, I have to bring Yoni some fabric approvals, or she’s going to give birth to a squid.”
“Not nice. You shouldn’t wish that on her.”
“Why? You think I’m so powerful that Thomasina bit it because I wished her dead when she pushed you?”
“You didn’t !”
“God, you are such a little sentiment fascist. What’s your deal?” Laura turned away, making mental notes of what she saw: striped jeans with voluminous geometric tops and old lady glasses, tiny floral prints, muted colors. Teased hair was apparently making a comeback. She dubbed it Geriatric Nouvelle and filed it.
“Bringing you to Stu was a mistake,” Ruby said. “I should have dragged you to Jeremy’s. That would have cheered you up.”
“Anything would have been better, actually.”
“He’s your friend. You shouldn’t cut him out.”
“I know,” she said, her voice barely audible under the white noise of the coffee place.
“I know it’s hard, but—”
She couldn’t listen to a platitude, so she interrupted, “You know what is hard? That he was it? He was my chance to be with someone who wasn’t interested in you, and to have someone you couldn’t steal.”
“I don’t want—”
“Exactly. I liked him, and he was safe, and he was a sure thing, and I blew it. Do you know how hard it is to listen to you talk about real relationships, and I have zero experience? I’m so tired of wondering what it’s all like. I can’t even read books anymore without getting jealous of the characters who are actually… you know.” She lowered her voice too late. The guy behind them had heard, even if he pretended he didn’t.
Laura looked at Ruby and could feel a big apology, or compassion that came right from the gut. But she didn’t want anything more than to run away from the whole conversation.
Like a blessing from above, they reached the end of the line. She ordered something, but forgot what it was, then babbled about old lady stylings in the hipster set before Ruby could offer a dose of saccharine or sympathy.
CHAPTER 7.
Ruby knowing about Jeremy had not worked in Laura’s favor. She dealt with constant winking and nudging, especially after Stu turned out to be such a dud. The innuendos and coy looks drove her up a tree, and more than once, Jeremy had pulled her to the side and asked if Ruby was okay or if she had a case of Tourette’s that would damage her usefulness in the showroom. Of course, once he introduced them around and saw how Ruby took control of the situation, how she was inviting, warm, personable, and made immediate friends, he respected her professionally. After that, the favors streamed in, but he never really warmed to her. Laura thought it a pleasing turn of events. Even though she officially wasn’t interested
“You, too!”
Ruby said good-bye, but from Tofu’s bare-bones reaction, the enthusiasm in her salutations had been based not on warmth, but on the perception of the threat to her territory.
At the bottom of the stairs, Stu opened the door for them. “I’ll call you when I have something.”
“She’ll nag you if you take too long,” Ruby interjected.
Laura ignored her. “She’s nice, Stu. And pretty.”
“Glad you approve.”
She heard a touch of annoyance in his voice, as if he either thought she was being disingenuous or she was focused on the wrong thing. So she had to do something to impress him, and the only way to impress that particular hipster was to be honest to the point of pain. “I didn’t say I approved.”
“I like that you never change,” he said.
But she didn’t like it. Not at all.
They stood in line for coffee at the hipster place. Her fourth cup of the day. She needed some kind of drug to get her through the next hours, and the medication of choice was caffeine. Ruby tagged along, even though Laura knew she had someplace to be.
“You coming to the showroom?” Ruby asked.
“No, I have to bring Yoni some fabric approvals, or she’s going to give birth to a squid.”
“Not nice. You shouldn’t wish that on her.”
“Why? You think I’m so powerful that Thomasina bit it because I wished her dead when she pushed you?”
“You didn’t !”
“God, you are such a little sentiment fascist. What’s your deal?” Laura turned away, making mental notes of what she saw: striped jeans with voluminous geometric tops and old lady glasses, tiny floral prints, muted colors. Teased hair was apparently making a comeback. She dubbed it Geriatric Nouvelle and filed it.
“Bringing you to Stu was a mistake,” Ruby said. “I should have dragged you to Jeremy’s. That would have cheered you up.”
“Anything would have been better, actually.”
“He’s your friend. You shouldn’t cut him out.”
“I know,” she said, her voice barely audible under the white noise of the coffee place.
“I know it’s hard, but—”
She couldn’t listen to a platitude, so she interrupted, “You know what is hard? That he was it? He was my chance to be with someone who wasn’t interested in you, and to have someone you couldn’t steal.”
“I don’t want—”
“Exactly. I liked him, and he was safe, and he was a sure thing, and I blew it. Do you know how hard it is to listen to you talk about real relationships, and I have zero experience? I’m so tired of wondering what it’s all like. I can’t even read books anymore without getting jealous of the characters who are actually… you know.” She lowered her voice too late. The guy behind them had heard, even if he pretended he didn’t.
Laura looked at Ruby and could feel a big apology, or compassion that came right from the gut. But she didn’t want anything more than to run away from the whole conversation.
Like a blessing from above, they reached the end of the line. She ordered something, but forgot what it was, then babbled about old lady stylings in the hipster set before Ruby could offer a dose of saccharine or sympathy.
CHAPTER 7.
Ruby knowing about Jeremy had not worked in Laura’s favor. She dealt with constant winking and nudging, especially after Stu turned out to be such a dud. The innuendos and coy looks drove her up a tree, and more than once, Jeremy had pulled her to the side and asked if Ruby was okay or if she had a case of Tourette’s that would damage her usefulness in the showroom. Of course, once he introduced them around and saw how Ruby took control of the situation, how she was inviting, warm, personable, and made immediate friends, he respected her professionally. After that, the favors streamed in, but he never really warmed to her. Laura thought it a pleasing turn of events. Even though she officially wasn’t interested
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