Page 86 of The Through Duet
I turned to face her, making a mental note of that little factoid.“What kind of tea?”
“Well, I don’t like to be picky, but I prefer Bellocq White Wedding Tea if it’s available,” she said, looking like she’d love a cup right now.“There’s just something so soothing about tea, don’t you think?”
“I haven’t had a whole lot of experience with tea, so I’ll just have to take your word for it,” I told her, tossing her a quick wink just to see her blush.
“Enough about tea and coffee,” Leandra said.“I’m waiting for an explanation about Ruben.”
“Who’s Ruben?”I asked, clearly just to be nosey.
Instead of Ms.Ruiz answering, Leandra was the one to explain.“He’s Ms.Elena’s current beau, and he’s having issues with Trent Tutelage sitting next to Ms.Elena on the bus whenever they ride together.”
“As any good man would,” I remarked seriously.“If Ruben isn’t doing everything that he can to protect the gem that he has, then he’s not the man for you.”
Ms.Ruiz tittered again, and it really was sweet.“Oh, look at you.”
“Ruben also wants to make things between them a little more serious, but Ms.Elena is playing hard to get,” Leandra went on, a sly grin on her face.
“I am not,” Ms.Ruiz denied.“I’m simply...well, it’s not the thing to rush into a relationship quickly, you know.”
“Ms.Elena, you’ve been dating Ruben for months,” Leandra pointed out.“I’d hardly call that rushing into anything quickly.”
“I don’t know, baby,” I said, seeing if I was reading Ms.Ruiz’s situation correctly.“If I lost you too early, I can’t say that anything after that would ever really feel right.”
Leandra’s blue eyes widened a bit as soon as she finally realized how she might have been reading the situation wrong all this time.I mean, it was one thing to date after being widowed, but it was quite another thing to replace the love of your life in every aspect, and lots of times, older couples chose to stay single with their memories.I could see loneliness making Ms.Ruiz get back out there, but it was clear that her heart still belonged to her deceased husband.
Even from the distance of the kitchen I could see Leandra’s eyes glisten a bit.“Yeah, I can’t imagine anyone else ever making me feel the way that you do.”
“Well, I can tell you that a person may experience many loves in their lifetime, but you only get a true love once, and I’ve had mine,” Ms.Ruiz said.“As much as I adore Ruben, he needs to accept that he will never amount to anything more than what he is right now.”
“Have you told him that?”Leandra asked quietly.
“No,” Ms.Ruiz sighed.“But he’s leaving me no choice.Cruel to be kind is what it’s going to have to be, I suppose.”
I watched Leandra place her hand on Ms.Ruiz’s knee as she said, “Or else Ruben will completely understand, seeing as how he’s been widowed himself.”
My chest hurt a little as I watched their interaction because I couldn’t believe how badly I had misjudged Leandra all these years.I had accused her of being shallow, conceited, and vain, but it was clear that she was none of those things.Leandra Rollins had a good heart, and I’d been too stupid and self-absorbed to see it.I had let jealousy cloud my vision, and all because I’d been convinced that I’d never be able to have her.
I really was a jackass.
Luckily, I’d been given the chance to make it up to her, and I planned on spending the rest of my life doing just that.She really did make me want to be a better man for her, and I wanted to give her all the things that no one else had ever been able to give her.
“You know, I think you ladies could do with a nice relaxing pedicure this afternoon,” I said, meaning it.Love was always a heavy topic, and it could ruin the entire day if you let it.
“Oh, I can’t recall the last time that my feet were tended to,” Ms.Ruiz cooed.“I mean, I’ll paint them when I can, but I haven’t had a pedicure in ages.”
“Then maybe Ruben isn’t the man for you,” I teased.“After all, what kind of man doesn’t treat his girl to pedicures?”
“Well, the kind that isn’t certain of where he stands would be my guess,” she sighed, taking responsibility for her role in the mess that she’d found herself in.
“Never mind that,” Leandra said, patting her knee.“We’ll get the works, and it’ll be my treat.”
Even though it was an innocent remark, it was also a swift reminder that Leandra’s financial worth would always be greater than mine, and I was very aware that it was something that I was just going to have to get used to.Nevertheless, I made more than enough money to be able to afford pedicures for my girl, not to mention the sweet lady who really rocked track suits like nobody’s business.
“Yeah, no,” I said, not caring how chauvinistic my next words might sound.“It was my idea, so I’ll be treating, and I don’t want to hear any arguments about it.”
“Oh, what a gentleman,” Ms.Ruiz fluttered, and had she any idea of the things that I’d done to Leandra last night, she wouldn’t be saying that now.
“He’s something alright,” Leandra muttered, though not low enough for me not to hear her.
