Page 35 of On the Rocks

There he is again,I thought.There’s the man from last Friday night.

“Anyway, I want to make it up to you,” he said, grabbing the back of his neck with one hand. “Just tell me how.”

I chewed my lip, watching him as if I was looking for anything other than sincerity in his steel gaze. When I found nothing, I smirked, standing straight as I uncrossed my arms. “Fine. You can make it up to me by meeting me somewhere in a couple hours. Bring your swim trunks.”

He cocked a brow. “Swim trunks? Where exactly am I meeting you?”

I smiled wider. “I’ll text you the address. Be there at two, sharp.”

Noah checked his watch, nodding with an amused smile before he tucked his hands into his pockets. “Alright, then.”

“Alright,” I repeated.

We watched each other for a long moment, until someone clearing their throat brought our attention to my left.

“Ruby Grace,” Mama said, smiling at Noah before she eyed me cautiously. “Why don’t you hop in, now. We better get going.”

“Yes, Mama,” I said before turning back to Noah. “See you around.”

“See you,” he said, catching on to the fact that I didn’t saysee you in a couple of hours.

Some things Mama didn’t need to know.

She smiled politely at Noah, wishing him a blessed day, but her smile faded when he turned to walk back toward the church. She eyed him until he was around the corner of the building before sliding into the driver seat next to me.

“What were you talking to Noah Becker about?” she probed.

I shrugged, pulling out my phone to text Anthony. “Nothing. Just the barrel for Anthony. He wanted to know which one I’d decided on.”

“Oh,” Mama said, a mix of doubt and relief in her voice.

I thought she’d say more, but she just put the car into reverse, backing out of the parking spot as I let my gaze float out the window.

Ruby Grace

“No, no, no,” Betty said, shaking her head — which was quite comical, considering her long, silver hair was wrapped up in a hot pink swim cap. “You’ve got to really get your hips into it. Channel Mr. Swayze, son.”

I covered my smile with one hand, and Noah cocked a brow at me as if to sayare you enjoying yourselfbefore he grinned at Betty. That grin was deadly on any occasion, but when he was shirtless and slick, the pool cutting him off right at the hem of his board shorts, it was absolutely lethal. His arms were a little more tan than his abdomen, but the way his skin was already bronzing, I knew it wouldn’t take much time outside for him to even the lines.

My eyes slipped to the ridges of abs that lined his stomach, smaller at the top and growing larger toward the bottom.

I wondered what those ridges felt like.

“Yes, ma’am,” Noah said, hanging his hands on his hips as he caught his breath. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you’re so much better at this than I am.”

She waved him off. “Years of practice. Don’t worry, you’ll catch on. Now, let’s get through this. Lord knows we’re going to need more time to work on the lift.”

Betty winked at Noah then, and I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me. He eyed me again, fighting against a smile of his own as Betty sidled up beside him once more. Noah took her hands in his, listening carefully as she walked him through the dance at the end ofDirty Dancingfor about the seventh time.

It was a hot afternoon — a warning that summer was here to stay. I relished it, leaning back on my hands and angling my face toward the sun as I swung my feet in the pool. Summer was Betty’s favorite time of year for this exact reason — pool days. The other residents generally skipped out, or if they did come outside, they’d stay under the umbrellas and watch the pool rather than get in it.

But not Betty.

She moved best when she was in the pool, like she hadn’t had a hip replacement a few years before, and like her body wasn’t failing her just as quickly as her mind. In the pool, she was free to move, to dance, to laugh.

And she did all three that afternoon.

She was having a good day — a day when she remembered everything, when she wasn’t too tired to leave the bed, when she was the same, sassy old woman I’d met when I was fourteen. I’d been spoiled by her good days, lately, and I was thankful. Annie said it was the most she’d had in a row since Christmas.