Ruby headed to the wharf and parked her car before walking down the small flight of stairs to the sand. She stood for a moment counting the boats bobbing in the ocean to steady her nerves before kicking off her shoes, holding them in one hand and walking toward the little part of the beach they used to call their own, hoping she was in the right place.
Simon stood near the rocks that secluded the tiny bay they used to sneak into at low tide. The private beach that wasn’t open to the public. The elderly couple who’d lived there never ventured down to the water so they’d figured they were safe.
“Ruby. You look stunning.” He held out his hand and she stared at him for a silent moment before taking it. His skin was soft and warm. “Thanks for coming.”
“How could I refuse? I owed you a date.” She didn’t mean to sound so bitchy. “Sorry.”
“You know I would’ve understood if you’d decided not to after last night.”
“Yeah, well. You can hardly blame me. But I have an apology to make.” She paused and took back her hand, glancing over the ocean before going back to look him in the face. “I had Graham over today. He wanted to see the little dog I was holding for him and Laura.”
Simon smiled. “That’s nice. Did they adopt it?”
“They did. Laura was in tears and it was all very emotional.”
“That’s sweet. I didn’t know he was serious about getting a friend for Bubbles.”
“Yeah, he was keen to add to the family. Anyway, that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about. He told me how the land deal really went down.” She swallowed. “I’m sorry I doubted you. You didn’t deserve my snippy attitude when you’d been so kind.”
He shrugged. “You had every right to be upset. I would’ve been too if I’d only heard the same thing you did. It wasn’t up to me to tell you the story though. That was Graham’s business and I do appreciate that he told you about it eventually.”
“Simon, I get it was his business but you could’ve told me it was all his idea instead of letting me grill you like that.”
He licked his lips. “Would you have believed me?”
Her cheeks flamed. “No.”
He shrugged. “After the way we broke up, I wasn’t silly enough to think I could throw money at you and have any chance of getting you back in case you found out. You have no idea how hard it was for me to only donate the odd blankets or trays of dog food. I was hesitant of doing more than the average citizen in case you found out and thought I was trying to buy you back. That almost killed me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I was so tempted to give you a big cash donation or a huge delivery of food but I couldn’t do it. It felt like I would be undermining your work if I stepped in and threw my money around.”
“And you still want me back knowing how I feel about that?” After what she’d put him through, why would he?
“Of course I do. There’s never been anyone else but you.”
She found it hard to believe that someone as good looking and eligible as Simon wouldn’t have women hanging off of his arm all the time. She was still confused as to why he was still single. “All this time, you’ve been waiting for me to, what – realize what we had?”
“I guess so. Sounds strange when you say it like that. But the thing I want the most, apart from you by my side, is your forgiveness.”
He said it with such sincerity that Ruby almost cried out. This was a much more compassionate man than the one she’d known before. More grown up, more mature. He seemed more relaxed in his own skin. Their time apart had done him good from what she could see.
“You know it’s funny. Some days I wake up and wonder what you’re doing, where you are. And then I remember what you said, the group of people that you lumped me with and I want to hit out and make you hurt the way you hurt me.”
He dropped his gaze.
“You can never take that back, Simon. I was the person rooting for you and Tyler to succeed. The one who brought you meals when it was impossible for you to go out because you were that close to nailing your program glitches.” She took a breath knowing she had to get this off her chest if they were to have any hope of making this work. She had to say the words out loud to him and share her pain so he understood what he’d done to her. Perhaps then she could let it go.
“I was the girlfriend who never complained when we didn’t go on dates like other couples did because I understood what was important. We were together at least. And I figured that one day, our time would come. You’d finally make the big time and we’d be able to relax a little bit. We’d go on a date now and then. A proper date like other people did and not pizza from a box on the couch while your programs updated or you sorted out some particularly complex code.”
“It was what I hoped too.”
“But I was never that girl who was chasing the boyfriend with the money. I didn’t have plans for a mass shopping spree when you hit the big time. I wasn’t with you because I saw dollar signs at the end of it. I liked simple things. You, me, our fur babies.”
He swallowed and pain radiated from his eyes but it was too late to stop now. He’d asked and for the first time, she was telling it like it was.
“My mission in life was to rescue dogs, make a happy home with you and have a family. That one stupid sentence you
