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Ruby’s shoulders were back, chin up, as if she were about to confront a fucking mob boss as she stared at the older woman with a brow raised. Midge turned away quickly and led her in our direction, and Ruby’s gaze locked with mine. They stopped at the table beside our booth, and she dropped the menu down for Ruby.
Ruby shot her a death glare, and Midge hurried off.
“Didn’t I tell you she stole that dog?” she said, keeping her voice low as her gaze moved from me to Cutler. “Oh, hey. I’m Ruby.”
“I’m Cutler, but you can call me Beefcake.”
“Beefcake, huh?” Ruby dropped to sit on the chair. “Good name. I like it.”
She paused to place her order with Letty, one of the servers, and Cutler was practically bouncing in the booth now. “Why don’t you sit with us? We just got our food.”
I could tell Ruby was uncomfortable about how to answer him because apparently, her hostility didn’t extend to children. “He just told you his handle. The least you could do is sit with him.”
She fidgeted with her napkin before moving to her feet and sliding into the booth beside Cutler. “You don’t have to wait for me to finish eating, though.”
“We aren’t in a hurry. Uncle River is watching me until my pops finishes work.”
She nodded, and Letty smiled at her before setting down her soda.
“Okay.” Ruby took a sip from the straw and peeked up at me. Damn, she was pretty, and I was glad she was sitting with us. “So, tell me why you go by Beefcake.”
“Well, I was just telling Uncle River that Tara picked my real name, Cutler. And I don’t like it.”
“Who’s Tara?” Ruby asked, as Cutler finished chewing and smiled up at her. I wasn’t surprised Ruby didn’t know about Tara. Tara hadn’t been from here, and her relationship with Nash was short-lived.
“She’s my mom, but she doesn’t come to see me much, so I’m calling her Tara now.”
“Ah, I see,” she said, as Letty set her food down in front of her. “My mom was kind of like that, too. I get it. I call her Wendy instead of Mom.”
Cutler’s eyes widened as she bit off the top of a french fry. “Really?”
“Yeah. But I have a great dad, and I’m happy about that.”
“I like Lionel.” Cutler mimicked her by dipping his fry into the ketchup and then waggled his brows before biting off the top.
Why am I so fucking fascinated watching these two interact?
“I like Lionel, too.” She chuckled. “And that’s all you really need, right? It seems like you’ve got a great dad, and it’s obvious that all your uncles love you, too.”
“Joey Bindle says that it’s weird that I don’t have a mom who brings me to camp.”
Kids could be little fuckers when they wanted to be.
“Who is Joey Bindle?” Ruby asked when she set her grilled cheese back down on her plate and finished chewing.
“He’s in my class at school, and he goes to summer camp with me.”
“Well, I think he’s weird.” She shrugged.
“You do?” Cutler asked, eyes wide.
“Yeah. Why does he care who drops you off at camp? Do both of his parents drop him off every day?”
“No. I’ve never seen his dad. Just his mom.”
“Well, why does Joey make the rules? Why can’t a dad drop you off? Or a grandparent? Everyone’s families are different, and that’s what makes them special. You tell Joey that you feel lucky to have a great dad who shows up for you every day. But you don’t have to make him feel bad that his dad isn’t there; just let him know that you’re okay with having a parent who comes to get you. Not everyone has that.”
Cutler’s lips turned up in the corners. “Sometimes my uncles pick me up. Like today, Uncle River picked me up.”
