JARED CARRIED LUCAS IN and placed him on the bed nearest the window. “I’ll take the bed by the door,” Jared said, as Ruby followed him in carrying her beloved Big Brown Bag. “OK.” “I don’t want Lucas getting up in the middle of the night, opening that door and wandering outside.” “I’ll make sure he can’t,” answered Ruby. Ruby’s first thought when she saw their room was that it wasn’t the Ritz Carlton but it was warm and they weren’t in any danger of being hit by a truck. All in all, she was grateful. They would not freeze to death in their car. She went over to where Lucas lay asleep, unbuttoned and removed his coat while caressing the sleeping child’s head. She was removing his little shoes when Jared returned with the rest of their luggage. “That’s …show more content…
I’ll take one of the blueberry ones for Lucas and a banana nut for myself and some of that coffee,” he said, taking a seat at Ruby’s table with Lucas on his lap. “He loves you very much,” Ruby said” “And I love him.” “It shows.” Ruby said nothing more. She simply went about filling the two plastic cups with hot water and adding a coffee packet to each stirring them with a plastic spoon. She passed one over to Jared. She glanced at him trying to get a handle on how he was feeling. He was sometimes short on patience when things weren’t going his way. Like today. She put two packets of sugar in her coffee – no cream – and used the same plastic spoon to stir hers. Jared took his coffee black no sugar or cream. She plopped a plain muffin on her plate and then moved quietly over to a chair beside the bed. “What are you doing?” The question took Ruby by surprise making her nervous. Her hands shook when she was nervous or afraid. “I’m having my breakfast. Is there something you need?” “Aren’t you going to sit with us?” “No. I just assumed you wouldn’t want me to.” “What is this? The eighteenth century? I thought we were in this together. So would you mind taking your place at the table,