“I’m glad I could help.” He took the menu the waiter offered him. “Can you give us about ten minutes? Thanks.”
Simon glanced at the menu. “Wes said the food here is to die for and we should try the pasta apparently.”
“Are you two friends?” Ruby leaned her elbow on the table.
“More like business acquaintances. I give to some of his charities so we meet up now and then.” He could see her mind ticking over. “And before you decide we were in this together, I had nothing to do with it. I think this is a plot of Wes’s own making but I was thrilled when he announced it. Even Tyler couldn’t help himself once it was announced.”
“Really? You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with this?”
“Yep. Oh, I admit the idea of seven dates was all mine and Tyler may or may not have egged me on. Can’t blame a guy for trying. But the idea to auction off one date with you had nothing to do with me. I was as surprised as you were when he announced it.”
She tilted her head sideways as if weighing up his answer. “You sound honest but if I find out different, look out.” Ruby stared at him, then spoke. “So to be clear, you didn’t tell Tyler to bid against you to bump up the price?”
He shook his head. “No. He got excited and went a little crazy. I guess he wanted to help you too.”
She picked up the menu and looked it over. “The pasta, you say?”
“According to Wes, yes.”
Once they ordered, Ruby appeared to be more relaxed. “Tell me about the shelter. You mentioned the lease expiring the other night.”
She bit her lip and then glanced over at him. “Yes. According to Carly we may not get another year. Still waiting to see what he really wants to do with it. The lease is certainly going up but not sure how long he will give us. The property is very developable and our landlord might want to explore his options. We expected it but still, it wasn’t what we wanted to hear.”
Simon frowned. “Can you offer to buy it?”
She shook her head, her rich brown curls shimmering over her shoulders. “No. We don’t have that kind of money even with the very generous donation you made. I’m sure something will turn up. It usually does.” She fiddled with her cutlery again. “How are your mom and dad?”
“They miss you, obviously. They live in the same area but I talked them into letting me buy them a newer house with less maintenance. Our old place was too big for them and I wanted Dad to retire while he still had the urge to go travelling. They always talked about doing it but came up with excuse after excuse. They’re in Australia now. Doing a train ride across the desert.”
“That’s nice. Say hello to them for me.”
* * *
One of the things Ruby missed the most, apart from Simon, was Simon’s parents. They’d been so good to her over the years. Almost became her surrogate family. Her own family lived so far away she hardly ever saw them. His mom especially had been more than kind to her.
But no point getting maudlin over what she couldn’t have. “Tell me more about the business.”
Simon leaned back in his chair. “Well, you know the International Space Station?”
Ruby nodded. Who didn’t know about that? She’d seen it on television and read about it in the newspapers but the workings of it weren’t something she understood that well.
“We have equipment up there helping it run.” Simon grinned like a little kid at Christmas. “That was the biggest buzz when they called us. I don’t think I’ve seen Tyler so excited in his entire life. His mom cried when she found out.”
“That’s so sweet.” It almost brought tears to her eyes.
“Yeah, it was. He even bought her a larger apartment when we signed that deal. And you know how hard it is to make him spend money.”
She gaped. “Even now, with all your billions?”
“Especially now. If it wasn’t for me pushing him in the early days, she’d still be living in the same old house that he grew up in. Not that there’s anything wrong with it but it was getting a bit rundown and hard for her to maintain. Now she has someone to do all that for her. She deserves to have an easier life.”
Ruby laughed out loud. Tyler was so kind and caring toward his mom. She’d thought the first thing he would’ve done was buy her a mansion. “I don’t believe it.”
Simon grinned. “Believe it. He hasn’t changed a lot which is kinda nice to know.”
“Well, I’m glad his mom is settled somewhere nice. She did well raising him on her own.”
“She did.”
“I have to ask you – did you hide your first big sale from her too? Did she find out in the news the same way I did?”
Simon looked away and frowned. So she wasn’t the only one kept in the dark over the money. The bitterness came back to stick in her throat. One stupid move had hurt more than just her. How on earth was she going to get through these dates with this unease still between them?
“I don’t want to ruin the night, Ruby. Can we discuss this another time?”
“I don’t think it’s worth talking about anymore. From what you didn’t say, I get it, Simon.” She needed to manage the best she could because if nothing else, he deserved what he paid for. And the shelter needed that money no matter what her feelings were. She swallowed her pain and picked up her glass. “Of course, Simon.”
They sat back when the waiter brought their meals and placed them on the table. “Enjoy. Is there anything else I can bring you?”
They both shook their
