Sean's Reckoning - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,7

for the bare necessities. Even with Sean’s hundred dollars in her pocket and a tiny bit of savings in the bank, she was going to come up short. Way short. She sighed wearily.

“I was barely making it as it was. How can I find a new place, pay a security deposit, furnish it and buy all new stuff for Kevin and me?” she asked, overwhelmed by the task ahead of her. “We don’t even have a toothbrush.”

“Stop worrying. Kevin has a toothbrush here. He also has clothes and toys here,” Ruby reminded her. “And you wear those blah uniforms at Joey’s. At least one’s got to be at the laundry, right? You can pick up a couple of skirts for your job at the law firm with that cash Sean loaned you. And my blouses will fit you. You can borrow anything in the closet. As for finding a place to stay, we’ve already discussed that. You’ll stay right here.”

“For a night or two, maybe, but you can’t have us underfoot indefinitely.”

“Why can’t I?” Ruby asked indignantly.

“For one thing, you only have one bedroom.”

“So? We can share it, and Kevin can sleep on the sofa,” Ruby insisted, determinedly putting the best possible spin on the situation. “He’s been falling asleep there on the nights you work late, anyway.”

“I’m grateful for the offer, I really am, but won’t that play havoc with your social life?”

Ruby shot her a wry look. “It’s not like it’s all that hot at the moment, anyway. An excuse for a break will do me good. I can use the time to reevaluate the way I’m going about choosing the men I date. Clearly I’m doing it all wrong.”

Ruby sounded totally sincere, but Deanna studied her worriedly. “Are you sure? Really sure?”

“This is what friends do in a crisis,” Ruby repeated. “Now quit worrying about it. We’re going to be fine.”

“I don’t know how to thank—”

“No thanks are necessary, and if you keep it up, I’m going to get cranky. Now, I just got paid for helping Mrs. Carlyle clean her apartment, so I recommend we get Kevin and go out for pizza.”

Deanna shook her head, struggling to her feet. “I have to get back to work.”

“You most certainly do not. Joey knows what happened. I explained when I called. And I’ve already told him you won’t be back in until at least tomorrow, possibly the day after.”

“This is no time for me to miss work,” Deanna protested, as panic rose up in her belly. “He could fire me.”

Ruby grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. “Hey, wake up. Not even Joey is dumb enough or mean enough to fire you under these circumstances. You’re half the reason people keep coming back there. It’s certainly not for his gourmet cooking. Now listen to me. You’ve just been through a trauma. In my experience the only thing to do in this kind of situation is eat comfort food. In fact, I think we ought to follow the pizza with hot-fudge sundaes.”

Despite her dismay over the wild spin her life was taking, Deanna laughed. “I’m the one with the crisis. How come you get to indulge?”

“I’m giving up men.” Ruby winked at her. “In my book, that is a genuine trauma.”

For Deanna, who’d given up on men after being dumped by Kevin’s dad, it didn’t seem like any sacrifice at all, but she wasn’t Ruby. Ruby might have been devastated by her divorce, but she’d bounced right back into the game. She made no apologies at all for the fact that she enjoyed having a man in her life.

“You could always take Kevin to the fire station. Try your luck with Sean Devaney again,” Deanna suggested, ignoring the surprising pang of dismay that swept through her at the prospect of pushing Ruby and Sean together.

“And have that gorgeous hunk reject me twice? I don’t think so. A woman has to have some pride.” Ruby regarded Deanna slyly. “Of course, when you take Kevin over there, I might just tag along and see what the rest of the pickings are like.”

Deanna sighed heavily. “I suppose that’s how I’m going to pay you back for taking me in.”

“Absolutely.”

An image of Sean Devaney crept into her head. The man was seriously gorgeous. What healthy woman wouldn’t want to sneak another look at him? It didn’t mean she was actually interested in anything more. And she did owe Ruby big-time.

“Done,” she agreed eventually.

And based on the way her hormones dipped and swayed in