The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding by Kang Lydia

Author:Kang, Lydia
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2022-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Maggie dropped her boot in alarm.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” she asked, eyes wide.

Maggie was getting dressed in her heavy work clothing and was sitting on the edge of her bed, trying to lace up her boots. Ruby had propped herself up on her elbows, chestnut hair tousled in the most alluring way.

“I said, can I go with you to the Navy Yard?”

“Why would you want to do that?” Maggie said, hiding her shock.

Ruby sidled up to her, and her lips disturbed a few tendrils of hair by her ear. “I want to see what you do all day.” God, that voice. Velvet on the rocks.

“No! That’s not . . . no.” Maggie shook her head. “You’re not allowed in without an ID. It’s not like a museum, where anybody can get a tour.”

“Of course not! But I’ll be so lonesome at home.” Ruby squeezed her arm. “Tell you what. We’ll go together, and I’ll wait outside. All day for you. And then we can go home together.”

Maggie’s heart was thumping like a drumroll. Ruby would ruin her whole day if she came. Maggie had had a very clear plan in her mind when she woke up. She desperately wanted to see Felix again, to get more information. Why did he want to be so closely involved with Ruby’s father? But the allure of being treated like a queen was also irresistibly tantalizing. She couldn’t let Ruby know she wanted to go back to Felix’s house. And she felt the urgent need to spill her thoughts into another letter to her mother. She hadn’t had a chance to write one yesterday.

Maggie shook her head. “I’m sorry, no.” Relief came to her in the form of an idea. “You need to stay here to be safe! Why don’t you start making the new bomb shelter? Dig the foundation in the backyard?”

“Oh!” Ruby smiled, but it was the kind that shallowly hid disappointment. “Sure.”

Will was already gone for the day, a plate of cold eggs and toast sitting on the kitchen table for them. Maggie smelled fresh coffee. Even in his absence, she could sense his melancholy. It was a familiar feeling; she’d felt it with her mother after her father had disappeared from their lives. The house seemed to feel lonelier, too, as if it knew that Ruby’s time with them was ticking away.

Outside at the back of the house, Maggie handed Ruby a spade. Ruby looked at it as if it were as alien as a rhinoceros.

“The neighbors aren’t too nosy, but just in case, try not to draw too much attention,” Maggie added. “Five feet across, seven feet long.”

Ruby nodded. She leaned closer, as if to give Maggie a kiss goodbye, but Maggie swayed away. In the light of morning and outdoors, it seemed terribly wrong for her to be so close. But also—there was something oddly pleasant about wanting to keep Ruby . . . wanting her. About not revealing all that she was.

Boarding her trolley, she briefly looked over her shoulder.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.