She bites her bottom lip, and it takes everything in me not to lean in and steal that lip from her teeth with my own.
“So, are we really doing this? I mean, you don’t really have a date, right?”
“Actually, I have a long-standing date. Every Sunday.”
“With an old lady?”
“Yeah.”
“Are the two of you related?”
“No, but she’s important to me. Remember when I told you about Bình stealing the love of my life from me?”
“Don’t tell me this is her?”
“Oh, you’re funny, smartass.” I grin. I can’t fucking stop smiling when I’m around Lo. “Ruthie was looking for a tenant to rent one of the rooms in her house. I had no fucking money to my name. I was barely eighteen years old, no job, no support system in LA, and I was now homeless because I couldn’t swallow my goddamn pride.”
“Bình kicked you out?”
I screw up my face. “No. But I was so pissed I was willing to risk living on the street. Going back to Charleston, back to my father with my tail between my legs, was not an option.”
“I get that.” She nods and I want to ask her about it—I wanna know everything about her—but the last thing I want is to make her unhappy.
“So, there I am, no money, and no roof over my head. But I was young and strong, and she had a garden she couldn’t manage and repairs around the house she couldn’t fix.”
“So, Ruthie took you in.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grin. “She’d probably whoop my ass if she heard me say as much, but my success? The shop, the fact that I followed my dream and worked hard at something my parents told me I couldn’t do? She’s the reason for all of it.”
Lo’s smile lights up her whole face. “Then I can’t wait to meet her. Should we go back to the mini-mart though? I feel weird showing up empty-handed. Old ladies like wine too, right?”
“Ruthie definitely likes wine, but she’ll kick our asses if we bring anything.”
“Seriously?”
“Black belt in karate,” I say earnestly. “I mean, she may be too old to perform a roundhouse kick, but she’s still hell on wheels with a wooden spoon. Flowers are all I can get away with.”
Lo holds her hands up in a warding gesture. “Okay, no wine then. But seriously, she won’t mind me crashing your date, will she?”
“Nah. Ruthie’s an equal opportunist ass kicker. She’ll love that I’ve brought someone else along to take her anger issues out on.”
“And now I’m seriously regretting this old lady date.”
“Relax, Freckles. You’ll love her.”
I pull Lo down a side street and open Ruthie’s rusted garden gate. I don’t even make it to the stairs before my favorite girl is waiting at the door. I thrust the flowers at her.
Ruthie takes them from me and swats me with them. “I told you not to bring anything.”
“I know, but I also know you’re a sucker for a man who brings flowers.” Gabe rakes a hand through his hair. “Besides, I needed to butter you up because I wanted you to meet Lo.”
Ruthie gives me a sly grin. “Well, let’s see her then.”
Lo climbs the porch steps and offers a hand. “Hi, Gabe’s told me so many wonderful things about you.”
Ruthie grabs Lo’s hand and pulls her into a hug. “He’s told me absolutely nothing about you, but he’s always been a selfish bastard like that.”
Lo pulls back and glances between me and Ruthie with a shocked expression.