he was out of earshot. “Are you seriously going to spend that kind of money on something that depreciates as soon as you roll off the lot?”
Instead of getting annoyed, I smiled. “You sound like Mom.”
She reacted with surprise. “What?”
“Do you remember when Mom and Dad took us with them to buy a new car? You were, like, twelve? I was eight-ish.”
“Like I could forget!” She laughed. “Mom had her calculator and red pen, and Dad droned on and on about depreciation and interest rates and APR until you fell asleep with that free ice cream cone melting all over your shirt.”
I cringed. “I forgot all about the ice cream part.”
“You smeared it all over their new seats on the ride home,” she remembered with another gleeful laugh. “It was the one time I ever saw Dad that close to losing his patience.”
“I never appreciated how calm they were,” I admitted, allowing myself to feel a bit sentimental. “Now, I know better. They were really wonderful parents.”
“They were,” Ruby agreed without any of her usual sarcasm. After a moment, she confessed, “Sometimes, I wonder what they would think about us. About me.”
Taking a step closer, I gently reached for her hand, giving her ample time to pull away if she wasn’t comfortable. She let me take her hand in mine, and I said, “Ruby, they loved you. They would have moved heaven and earth to help you. They would have been so proud to see that you’ve taken responsibility, paid your dues, and are trying to put your life back together.”
Sensing that she was a bit uncomfortable, I added, “But they probably wouldn’t have like Ivan much.”
She frowned. “You think? I mean—yes, the tattoos and the whole what-he-was-before thing—but he owns a successful business and loves you. I can’t imagine they’d want more than that for you. Eventually, they would have learned to like him.”
Hearing her praise Ivan stunned me. “Wait. When did you decide that you like Ivan?”
She rolled her eyes. “I never didn’t like him.”
“But you—”
“He was taking you away from me,” she blurted out. “I was...” She glanced away briefly and sighed. “I was afraid, okay? I was so messed up on the drugs, and Andrei was dead. I was alone, and I was going to jail. Suddenly, this guy shows up, and you’re obsessed with him. I was afraid you would forget me. I was afraid you would stop caring. I was afraid you would realize how awful I was and how much I had taken advantage of you and hurt you. He was going to steal you away, and I was going to be left behind.”
“Ruby,” I said, my heart aching for her. “It was never going to go that way. Never.”
“I know.” She squeezed my hand. “You came every single week to visit. You always answered my phone calls. You came back even when I was a complete bitch. You invited me to stay with you before I could even muster up the courage to ask. I never...I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“It’s okay. Really,” I emphasized, seeing her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Unable to hold back, I wrapped my arms around her. If people were staring at us for hugging in the middle of a dealership, I didn’t care. This was a discussion I had desperately wanted to have with my sister, and finally, it had happened. For the first time in years, I felt so much hope for our relationship as sisters.
When we separated, Alexei stood nearby, his gaze averted as he gave us some space. “If you’re ready, we can go outside and pick one out for a test drive. I grabbed the keys for three different trims.”
Outside in the chilly January morning, I chose the top of the line trim for my test drive. Alexei seemed happy with that choice and slid into the middle row of passenger seats for the drive. He didn’t bother with high-pressure sales tactics. He let me enjoy the drive and ask questions that he easily answered, proving that he was a hands-on owner of his auto sales empire.
“Did you feel like this might be the one?” Alexei asked when we returned to the lot. “Or would you like to look at something else?”
“I like the size and the way it drives, but I'm not thrilled with the price,” I said as I handed over the key fob. “That’s not me trying to negotiate. That’s me wondering if we could find something with a list