CHAPTER SIX

"Three, two, one," she heard Chace calling from his office, staring up at the clock on the wall.

 

Ruby heard the door dividing the sales floor from the garage swing open, and in came Belen Bermudez, a petite, caramel-skinned mechanic, her jet-black hair wound up behind her in two braids, still looking cute despite her oil-stained overalls. She pointed down at her clothes. "Sorry I didn't have time to clean myself up before our little get-together," she said, grabbing a plastic cup from the stack and holding it out to Chace to fill. "But I couldn't miss the toast.”

 

Fox appeared, poured himself a glass and held it up. “To Ruby, the jewel in our crown. Happy one-year anniversary."

 

She felt herself lean into his embrace, and it wasn't just the champagne. He was heat and heart, and his leather smell made her feel protected, cocooned, and whole. Having a protector wasn't so bad, she reasoned hazily. It was needing a protector that caused all the trouble. Because when you needed a protector, all the power was in his hands. The key was to be strong and independent enough that a protector was only a bonus.

 

"Is all this really necessary? I just file and answer phones," she said. "And you had to train me even to do that."

 

"Ruby," said Fox, "You were the one who realized that the filing system this dealership had been using since the Nixon era should have resigned with Watergate. And take it from me, Chace's sales have doubled now that he can actually find his keys. Of course it doesn't stop him from using a bottle of Jager for a paperweight, but we'll take it one step at a time."

 

"But I should be thanking you guys," she insisted. "All of you, but especially Fox. For more than you know." His ice blue eyes flashed into hers, an unspoken communication.

 

"I have a present for you, Ruby," said Fox. He opened up a desk drawer and pulled out a manila envelope.

 

"Fox, I was afraid you would do this. You didn't need to get me anything. Really." She looked at her expectant coworkers, from Fox to Chace to Heather to Belen in her overalls. There was no way out of it. She sighed, tore into the paper and pulled out a thick booklet. She recognized the logo instantly; she'd been surfing the university's website for months, like a Facebook user stalking a crush: UC Berkeley. She wrinkled her brow.

 

"I'm sending you to college," Fox said.

 

Ruby blinked at him. "Oh, you mean like a night course. For fun."

 

"No, full time. For four years, you'll be a student again. Not having you in the office will be a big adjustment. Well," he paused with a grin," with just me and Chace on the sales floor sniping at each other, let's face it, it'll be hell." The rest of them laughed. "But there are more important things to think about than answering phones. Your future is one of them. The only catch is..." he paused dramatically. "You have to promise to come back once you graduate. As an assistant manager of the dealership," he added.

 

Ruby's mouth hung open. "But this is ridiculous Fox. I haven't even sent in my application yet."

 

"Belen helped me take care of that. Besides, you already had your high school transcripts, essays and test scores sent to them; the rest was just a matter of assembling the other paperwork."

 

She sank down into a desk chair, planted her ballet flats on the carpet, and started swiveling her herself back and forth, not daring to look further at the catalog in front of her. "Fox, I can't let you do this. This is more than..." Her father always talked about wanting her to go to college, back when his jewelry store was making a narrow profit. But even if he worked for forty years, he wouldn't have had enough money to pay her entire tuition. She'd expected to be paying back student loans until she retired, though she knew it would be worth it to make both him and Kyle proud.

 

"I want to do this for you, Ruby." He looked almost hurt. "Kyle was like a little brother to me. And that asshole from the Steel Jockeys shot him because he couldn’t stand the fact that he was going to break away and make something of his life. If he was alive, Kyle and I would be partners right now. It would be him here making this announcement. I can’t think of a better way to honor your brother’s memory."

 

Ruby looked down at her shoes. Her eyes suddenly felt hot and wet. "I know, but it's just too much. I don't..." She slid the papers back into the envelope and handed them back to him, not wanting to make a scene in front of her coworkers. "I need time to think this over."

 

Belen, puzzled, looked from Fox to Ruby, and then opened her mouth. "But Ruby, you--"

 

Fox put a hand on her shoulder to quiet her. "Belen, she's right. This is a big step for her. Nothing has to be decided right now, anyway. In the meantime," he reached for the bottle on the file cabinet, "who's ready for a refill?"