There’s a flicker in Ruby’s eyes while the question hangs between us, but it disappears as quickly as it came, and then she’s agreeing. She’s taking me up on my offer.

This was not part of the plan, but I’m happy to go with it.

I don’t know what it is about her that makes me do crazy shit like this. Setting up an auction for her was one thing, but now I’ve propelled us directly into relationship territory. Her cheeks are red—she didn’t expect this, either—and when she finally takes her hand back, it’s to reach for her wine again.

“Now that that’s out of the way—” She laughs, interrupting me. It’s almost a giggle. “Please know that you’re not going to ruin anything by, say, texting me once we’ve been apart for a ridiculous length of time.”

“What counts as a ridiculous length of time?” Ruby asks, abandoning her wine for one of the rolls in the basket, which gives me a chance to take a bite of mine. The bread at this place is fantastic—cloud-like, melt-in-your-mouth. It’s almost as good as tasting Ruby, but not quite.

“An hour. Maybe two,” I tease.

“You’re so possessive.” She says it with a smile that lights up her entire face.

“You’re so…” I can’t find a single word that’s worthy of her in this moment, and I laugh instead, warmth filling my chest. Maybe I blurted out the question because I wanted to stop her from agonizing over whatever it is that makes her look out the windows with that faraway gaze. Or maybe I wanted some solid ground for the both of us. Out here, in public, in a restaurant of a decent caliber, I want to be able to call her mine. The way I feel about her shouldn’t stay behind closed doors.

Make no mistake, though—I want to be behind closed doors with her. 

Right now, if possible.

Get it together. I have plans for the rest of the evening that will involve plenty of time away from the public eye.

“Lost for words?” she teases.

“It’s hard not to be when I’m looking at you.”

Ruby’s face flushes a deeper shade of pink, and then her expression goes serious. “I would never have predicted this.”

“Being together?”

“Yes.”

“I wouldn’t have either. You hated me.”

Another flash in her eyes. Did I touch a nerve? Ruby’s smile stays in place. “I hated the situation. Maybe I only thought I hated you.”

“The more important question is…” I lean in, like it’s a top-secret question. “Do you hate me now?”

She raises her eyebrows, shaking her head. “Not in the least.” It doesn’t quite ring true, and there’s a hollow thud in my heart. “But could we…” Now it’s her turn to lean in. “Could we move on to…you know, first-date kinds of questions? Your girlfriend should know things. Like whether you hate steak.”

“Nobody hates steak.”

“Not true.”

“I don’t hate steak.”

“See? That’s one thing I didn’t know about you. What else don’t you hate?”

“Apple pie.”

Ruby makes a face.

“You don’t like apple pie?” I look at her with mock horror.

“I don’t. I really don’t. Any fruit pies, really.”

“I will never order that for dessert.”

Ruby reaches across the table and takes one of my hands in both of hers, her expression sincere, right on the edge of being teary. “Thank you. Thank you, Levi. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

A bubble bursts between us, and all at once everything feels right. There’s no doubt in my mind that I made a good choice. The sound of Ruby’s laughter wipes away that flicker in her eyes, making it forgettable, meaningless, and I laugh along with her.

We go back and forth for the rest of dinner.

“Favorite color?” Ruby looks at me with one eyebrow arched.

“Orange.”

“Orange? Okay. Mine is…” She stops and considers. “Pink. This week, anyway. We had a book cover come in that was this unbelievable shade.”

“There’s not one you’ve loved forever?”

She smiles, a wrinkle in her nose. “Oh, there is one. My grandmother’s china. I was obsessed with it as a kid. My mom would only ever bring it out for holidays—we had other china for regular meals—and I loved it. It had this pattern of little flowers…” Ruby traces a fingertip around her dessert plate like she’s seeing the pattern against its white surface. “They were this lavender color. If I had to choose one favorite, it would be that.” She nods firmly. “That specific shade of lavender.”

Her face falls, and my heart sinks. I know exactly the china she’s talking about. I know, because it was among the items the team packed up last week for the auction. It’s from a rare manufacturer, and I expect it will bring a great price. “Ruby…”

She looks back up at me and purses her lips. “You know, the thing about all the china…the thing about most of those things, actually, is that they’re hellish to store.” When she laughs, it’s not quite as lighthearted as before. “Even if I could keep everything from my parents’ house, I’d need an actual house to put all of it in.” Her blue eyes meet mine, like she’s determined not to be upset about this, to keep it cool. “I don’t know that I want a house of that size any more. I used to think I’d be happy with keeping their estate—you know, when it was time for me to take it over—but I don’t know. It seems risky either way.”

“I know what you mean.” I don’t—not fully—but I also don’t want the sadness about the auction to creep back in. Not now. Not when we’ve broken through some invisible barrier. Not when the rest of the evening is about to begin. “Are you ready to go?” The bill has been paid from the moment we walked in the door in preparation for this moment.

Ruby gives me a grin. “Yes. Are you—are you taking me back to my place?”

“Only if you want to go there.”

“I don’t.”

“That’s a relief. I have lots of other plans.” I stand up from my seat and move around the table to offer her my arm.

“Lots of other plans? And you’d have let me go home?” She takes my elbow and stands up. She moves so easily in the gown that I chose for her, so elegantly. It’s hard to take my eyes off of her and focus on where I’m walking.

“I might have given you a hint.”

“Give me a hint now,” she says.

“Not a chance.”