The question clearly flustered Ruby. Bright patches of color burned in her cheeks.
“You haven’t, have you?” Deanna said triumphantly. “You’re pretty good at dishing out advice, but not at following it.”
“Two different situations,” Ruby said tightly.
“Meaning you have no interest whatsoever in pursuing a future with Hank?” Deanna asked skeptically.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, then? What are you waiting for?”
Ruby’s expression turned thoughtful. “I suppose you and I could make a pact. We could vow to jump off this particular bridge together. That way, if we crash land, we can always console each other. What do you think?”
Deanna studied her with a narrowed gaze as she considered this so-called pact Ruby was proposing. “I tell Sean how I feel, and you tell Hank how you feel, is that the deal?”
“Pretty much.”
If it would give Ruby the shove she needed to be honest with Hank, Deanna was willing to agree to just about anything. “Okay.”
Ruby stared at her with obvious shock. “You’ll do it?”
“If you do,” Deanna said.
“Okay, then. It’s a deal. When?”
“First opportunity. You’re seeing Hank tonight, right?”
Ruby swallowed hard. “I said I’d call him if I was free.”
Deanna grinned at her. “Then make the call.” Her grin spread. “I guess I won’t bother waiting up for you to get home tonight.”
“You’re being a bit overly optimistic, aren’t you?” Ruby grumbled.
“No way. I’ve seen the way Hank looks at you.”
“That doesn’t mean he wants any more than a quick roll in the hay. He probably wants it a lot, since I’ve been keeping him at arm’s length all these months.”
Deanna regarded her with a pitying look. “Ruby, think about it. If sex were the only thing on Hank’s mind, he could have dumped you weeks ago and moved on to someone more willing. He never had any trouble finding playmates in the past, at least not to hear Sean tell it. He’s stuck around because you fascinate him. You’re unpredictable. You keep him on his toes. Honey, you’re a terrific woman. Any man with half a brain would know he’s lucky to have you in his life.”
Ruby grinned as she stood up and headed out of the kitchen. “Nice pep talk. But if he says yes to going out tonight, I think I’ll put on something outrageously sexy, in case you’re wrong. What about you? When are you seeing Sean?”
Deanna shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
Ruby stopped in her tracks. “Hold it. I’m going out there with my heart on my sleeve, and you’re what? Curling up with a good book?”
“A couple of decorating magazines, actually.”
“I don’t think so,” Ruby protested. She handed the phone to Deanna. “Call Sean right this second. Invite him over. I’ll run downstairs and see if Kevin can spend the night at Timmy’s.”
“Timmy’s out of town,” Deanna said, not even trying to hide her relief at the excuse to put off the promised encounter with Sean. She’d never intended to make good on her end of the deal, anyway.
Ruby frowned at her and came back into the kitchen. She held out her hand. “Give me one of those magazines.”
“Why?”
“Because we made a deal to do this together.”
Deanna stared at her suspiciously, suddenly aware that Ruby had had no more intention of following through than she had. “You never had any intention of talking to Hank tonight, did you?” she demanded.
Ruby ignored the question and began flipping through the magazine.
“Did you?” Deanna persisted. “It was a trick to get me to talk to Sean.”
Ruby peered over the top of the magazine. “Would I try to trick my best friend?”
“In a heartbeat,” Deanna said.
“Only if I thought I was acting in her best interests,” Ruby retorted.
“That’s no excuse.”
Ruby laughed. “Is your heart one bit purer? Were you really going to spell things out for Sean, if not tonight, then whenever you do see him?”
“Of course,” Deanna said, working hard to maintain a pious expression.
“Yeah, right.”
Deanna sighed. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we? At this rate, we’ll be 102 and still talking about what might have been.”
“Now there’s a thought that ought to terrify both of us into action,” Ruby said.
They exchanged a look, then chorused with heartfelt sincerity, “Tomorrow.”
“Soon enough for me,” Ruby added.
“Me, too.”
In the meantime Deanna had a hunch they both ought to be praying that tomorrow didn’t turn out to be too late.
Chapter Fourteen
Sean had already passed the point in his relationship with Deanna when he would normally call it quits. She was getting under his skin. Not a minute went by that he wasn’t desperate to kiss her, even more desperate to make love to her. If the reaction had been purely physical, he would have run with it, but it was more than that. Which was why he ought to be giving her a wide berth instead of putting himself smack in the way of temptation by going over to that disgustingly shabby new apartment later this morning.
Then again, how much trouble could he possibly get into while they were painting? As far as he knew, she hadn’t picked out any furniture, so there wouldn’t be so much as a sofa, much less a bed, to give him any ideas about what he’d prefer to be doing with her today. Besides, Hank and Ruby would be there. Kevin would probably be underfoot.
Sean grinned whenever he thought of Kevin with his wise-guy tongue and the expression of total adoration that crept across his face whenever Sean came around. Kevin was a very big part of what was going on between him and Deanna. The boy needed a surrogate dad, and so far Sean hadn’t seen any evidence that anyone else was going to step up to the plate and fill in. He tried really hard not to think about what would happen if his relationship with Deanna ended. Or, worse, if she found some other man who was eager to play daddy.
Sean clenched his jaw. That wasn’t going to happen, not unless he’d checked the guy out
