Phantoms of Fall (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 2) (49 page)

“His parents flew out to be with Drake. They’re
lawyers, you know, so they’re trying to fight his suspension
from the NFL. That and probably working on a defense—it
looks like he’s going to need one.”

I pulled Zach out into the hallway, out of earshot from
Boone. “Do you think Drake’s innocent?”

 

Without hesitation, Zach replied, “I do. But I still think
he’s going to have a tough time proving it.”

Was there some way I could help him? If I went in
search of her, would Alison Cornell be able to provide me with
anything that would clear Drake’s name? More importantly,
was I up to the task? If Zach had to save my life again anytime
soon, he might reach his breaking point. No, I needed to stay
out of this situation and not invite trouble.
There was one
thing I felt I needed to do though and I wanted Zach to be a
part of it.

“Zach, I want to go put some flowers on Garnet’s
grave—will you come with me?”

 

“I’ll go anywhere with you. Do you know where she’s
buried?”

 

“Yeah,” I said nodding my head, “Heaven’s Gate
Cemetery—out by the hospital.”

 

“Okay, let’s go now. That way I won’t miss any of the
game.” He may not play football any more, but he sure did
like to watch it. Sometimes, he was
such
a typical boy!

After a quick stop at the grocery store for a small
bouquet, we pulled into Heaven’s Gate Cemetery. I led Zach
through the maze of broken headstones to Garnet’s burial
spot. It was weird. Even after everything she put me through,
I felt like she was somewhat of a friend.

I kneeled down and placed the orange and yellow
flowers on the ground by what was left of her headstone.
“She was so sad Zach—I felt all of her pain.”

“I can’t even imagine what you went through, what
she
went through. It’s just so sad no matter how you look at
it.” Zach tried to balance the broken top of her headstone
onto the bottom piece with no luck. “And I feel bad for Mr.
Raspatello, too. I know how I’d feel if I lost you like that.”

Zach put his arm around me and I leaned my head
against his chest. “I know—the worst part is he never found
anyone else to fill that void.”

“Yeah,” Zach agreed. We stood there in silence for a
few minutes then he said, “Do you want a minute alone with
her?”

“I do.” It was strange but I felt like I just buried a
friend.

 

“Okay. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Zach descended
the hill, leaving me alone with her. Almost.

“Were you close?” Startled by a familiar voice behind
me, I glanced over my shoulder to find Clay standing directly
behind me.

We were close but I couldn’t tell
him
that. If he looked
at the dates on her headstone, he would think I was a total nut
job. “No, she was a friend of the family—I just came to pay my
respects.”

“So, you hang out in cemeteries a lot, don’t you?”

 

Seriously, what was he getting at? “So do you,” I
retorted.

 

A wide smile engulfed his face. “You’re a fiery little
thing, aren’t you? Zach’s got his hands full with you.”

Really? Was it just me or was he actually flirting with
me in a graveyard with my boyfriend only several feet away?
Exactly how did he expect me to respond to that?

“I had a girl like you once—but I messed it up and lost
her.”

Great. Now he was going for the sympathy angle. I
had to let him know in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t going
to fall for his routine. “That’s no shock,” I snapped at him as I
took off down the hill. There. That should do it.

When I got to the car, Zach asked me instantly, “Who
were you talking to up there?”

So his anger was now in check but apparently he still
needed to work on the jealousy thing. “Some loser named
Clay. He seems to know you.”

Zach got an odd look on his
face. “Clay? Clay
Roseman?”

“I don’t know—I guess.
He never told me his last
name.” Something told me to end the conversation there and
not look back. So of course I did the opposite. “Do you know
him well?”
“I did. But I haven’t seen him since.…”

Why were we still talking about that loser? “Since
when?” I prodded, anxious to get the conversation over with.

 

“Since his funeral.”

Insert dramatic, suspenseful
music
here.
There
should be mandatory sound effects
to accompany such a
revelation. “His
what
?”

“You heard me—Clay’s dead. He died last year.”

 

“So you didn’t see him just now then?” I was
not
ready for this.

 

“Nope. All I could see was you.”

“Zach,” I said shaking, “Can we please not talk about
this? I’m not ready! It’s too soon after.…” I couldn’t finish my
sentence.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” he said rubbing my knee gently.
“We’ll talk about it when you’re ready.”

If
I’m ever ready. But definitely not now, not so soon
after Garnet. I changed the subject. “I can’t wait to taste your
mom’s turkey.”

“She makes the
best
turkey too. You’re going to love
it!”

“I’m sure I will. But not as much as I’m going to love
Ruby Matthews Appreciation Day.” So many bad things had
happened to us—it was time for something good.

“I’ll make it as special as I can, sweetie. Nothing but
the best for you.”

 

“Rita didn’t even ask why I needed Sunday off—she
just said okay and that was it. What about Andy?”

“He didn’t question it—I asked him while he was busy
so he wouldn’t over think it. He knows where your dad and
Shelly are going that day—I didn’t want him to make the
connection.”

“So we’re all set then?” I
was
ready for
this
.

“All set.” Zach parked the car in front of the mansion.
“Just remember, if you change your mind at any point—and I
really do mean any point—tell me okay? Don’t do anything
you don’t want to do.”

“Thanks, Zach, but that won’t be an issue. I’ve never
been more certain of anything in my life. Nothing will change
that.” Nothing.

Dinner was delicious—even more so since I almost
wasn’t around to taste it. I had a lot to be thankful for but
Zach was at the top of that list. Now that Garnet was at peace,
school would be so much less traumatic. Even Misty couldn’t
top yesterday’s activities. As long as I stayed away from
Heaven’s Gate Cemetery, I was ghost-free.
It was time to
focus on being happy and being with Zach, time to open a new
chapter in our lives. I was ready for a new beginning. Sunday
couldn’t come fast enough for me.

41. The End of the Beginning

I woke up Sunday morning both nervous and excited
all at the same time. Months of waiting came down to this—
today was the day we would lose our virginity together. Zach
planned out the whole day for me so I had no idea what we
would be doing. Well, aside from the obvious, of course. Zach
arrived about an hour after Dad and Shelly left for New York
carrying a cardboard box with him.

“What’s in the box?” I asked, lifting a flap to take a
peek.

 

Zach backed away quickly. “Your surprises will be
revealed in time. But for now, this box is off limits!”

I had a real hard time with surprises—waiting was
absolute torture. It reminded me of all the times as a child
when I would sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to
open up my Christmas presents. It didn’t matter that morning
was only a few hours away—I loved the thrill of opening them
carefully, seeing what was inside and then wrapping them
back up for morning. My dad never knew I did it but I was
sure Zach wouldn’t be so naïve. Knowing him, he would
guard that box with his life.

But what Zach didn’t know was that I had a little
surprise of my own. I stopped at the Village on my way home
from work yesterday and found the most luxurious red satin
sheets and a comforter to match. They stayed locked in the
trunk of my car until today. As soon as Dad and Shelly were
on their way to New York City, I dragged my haul upstairs to
the attic and put them on my bed. They looked and felt great
so I could justify how much cash I shelled out for them.
Before I took my shower, I climbed into bed to test them out.
Perfect. As good as they felt alone, how much better would
they feel once Zach was in the bed with me? This morning I
sprawled on my back, kicked my legs in the air and squealed
with
excitement
because
today
was
the
beginning
of
something big.

Zach set the box down on the floor and picked me up.
“Happy Ruby Matthews Appreciation Day!” he said as he
twirled me around. “I hope you like everything I have
planned.”

“I know I will,” I said as he put me down and kissed
me on the cheek. “So what do you want to do first?”
Suddenly, I was super nervous.

“Well, I’m going to take this box up to your bedroom
to set everything up. You,” he said ushering me into the
dining room, “are going to wait for me down here so I know
you can’t sneak a peek.

Dammit! How did I know he would say that? I waited
impatiently at the table for fifteen minutes while he worked
his magic upstairs.
What other boy would go to so much
trouble to make sure my first time was unforgettable?
No
other boy would care this much—I was sure of that. When he
finally returned, he was smiling like I’d never seen him smile
before.

“Look,” he said pointing toward the window. “It’s
starting to snow.”

He was right. It was the first snow of the season—so
pure, so dazzlingly beautiful. Kinda like our love. It seemed
fitting that it should arrive on the day we gave ourselves to
each other.

“They’re calling for six to twelve inches you know. It
would be a shame if your parents got stuck in New York and I
had to stay here with you all night.” Shame my ass. He looked
like he was willing it to snow harder.

“That would be absolutely awful. What would we do
all night if that happened?” Suddenly the sexy voice that
always eluded me came rolling off my tongue.
Wow.
That
sounded hot even to
my
ears.

Zach must have agreed because he wrapped his arms
around my waist and pulled me close. “I have an idea or two.
Starting with this.”

I expected him to kiss me but instead he took my hand
and said, “Follow me.”

This was it. He was taking me upstairs. I thought Mr.
Romance would want to wait until later after he had me
thoroughly entranced by him. It wasn’t necessary—I’d been
mesmerized since the moment we met.

I was wrong again. Instead of my room, he led me to
the conservatory.
The snow looked like it was going to fall
right on us until it hit the glass panes and came to rest.
I
watched the flakes
flutter to the ground—dancing
and
sparkling in the air before forming a soft carpet of pure white.
It was
the perfect way
to start our day.
I should have
expected no less from Zach.

“It’s breathtaking! Can we go for a walk in it?”

“I was hoping you would say that.” He opened the
door and stuck his hand outside. “It’s not too cold. Do you
want your jacket or do you think you’re okay with just your
sweater?”

“Definitely sweater—that way you can warm me up
when we get back.”

 

“I like the way you think.” He pushed the door until it
was fully open. “After you, my love.”

We walked hand in hand through the snow stopping
only
occasionally
to
try
to catch a
gigantic
flake on our
tongues. It was pure magic—
he
was pure magic. The fact that
he was willing to indulge my fantasies before heading for the
goal line said a lot. It said he loved me the right way—the
only way I ever wanted to be loved again.

When we stopped by the fountain, he brushed the
gathering snow out of my hair and asked, “Are you ready to go
inside yet?”

I nodded my head. “I’m ready for you to warm me up
now.” There was a chill in the air but a fire in my heart.

“Before we go inside, I want you know how special
this day is for me, too. There isn’t anyone I would rather be
with.” He kissed me with lips chilled from the snow. “I love
you, Ruby Matthews.”

“And I love you, Zach Mason.”

 

We walked inside the mansion and started up the
stairs. “Wait—I forgot something.”

 

“What did you forget?”

 

“There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge—if we only have
a little, my parents will never notice it’s gone.”

 

Zach winked at me. “If you want wine, we’ll have
wine.”

I was never really interested in alcohol before but
drinking wine felt like a grown up thing to do. And I was only
minutes away from being an adult.
Plus, I figured it would
help steady my nerves. “I’ll be right back.”

I ran into the kitchen and nearly skidded right into the
dishwasher I forgot to close after breakfast. Slow down! Now
is
not
the time to go and hurt yourself!
Calmly, I closed the
dishwasher door and reached into the cabinet for a pair of
wine glasses.

I grabbed the bottle out of the refrigerator and pulled
out the cork. Why do they call it White Zinfandel when it’s
pink? I inspected the bottle to see if I was missing something.
But now wasn’t the time for mindless trivia, so I poured two
glasses and returned to the steps where Zach was waiting for
me.

“Here you go,” I said handing Zach his glass. “I’m
ready if you are.”

Before he could reply, a heavy knock sounded against
the front door. Who could it possibly be? I never heard a car
pull up and we were too far out of town for anyone to have
walked here. Whoever it was would just have to go away—I
wasn’t about to open the door for some pushy magazine
salesman.
I mean, for real, which was more important—
losing my virginity or gaining a subscription to Cosmo?