Read Online Ruby (Orlan Orphans Book 2) by Kirsten Osbourne - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kirsten Osbourne
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starving."
Ruby grinned at her friend. "You're always starving."
"I know. Can we eat? Edna Petunia packed some fried chicken, and it's all I've been able to think about for hours."
"Of course. I need to figure out what to make for Lewis and me." Ruby thought about what she had on hand that would be quick to fix. It would probably have to be a sandwich so they could both get back to work quickly.
"Oh, Edna Petunia packed lunch for all three of us. She said you were probably about to waste away to nothing since you were only eating your own cooking." Penny winked at Ruby.
Ruby sighed. "I'm not a bad cook. I simply don't enjoy it like she and Sarah Jane do. Robert and James are thrilled with my cooking, compared to what Lewis used to make."
"I'm sure you're an excellent cook when you're compared with Lewis."
Ruby refused to be baited. "Let me go get Lewis so we can all eat together." She hurried to the back room. "Edna Petunia sent lunch with Penny for all three of us. Are you ready to take your lunch break?"
He nodded. "Let's lock the door for thirty minutes and have a real lunch. I need the break."
Ruby rushed to the front door to do his bidding. Usually they took turns eating lunch, but it would be nice to have a break together.
By the time she turned from locking the door, Penny had spread a quilt on the floor of the store, and she and Lewis were sitting on it, digging through the picnic basket. "That smells delicious," Lewis said.
Ruby joined the others on the quilt, taking out the lemonade and glasses the old woman had kindly packed. "Make sure you tell Edna Petunia that I'm doing just fine without her shoving food in my face every fifteen minutes. I won't see her until church tomorrow, and we don't need her to worry about me all that time."
Penny laughed. "I'll tell her."
They talked about how the boys were doing with their new grandmother while they ate. "Edna Petunia has those boys spoiled rotten. She told me that bastards need extra spoiling."
Lewis grew rigid. "My boys aren't bastards."
"Of course they're not," Penny returned. "Edna Petunia thinks all children should be bastards."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because she thinks bastards deserve extra love, and when it comes right down to it, she wants to shower all children with extra love. So she calls them all bastards," Ruby said. She'd finally put it together, and she was thrilled to understand the old woman for the first time.
"Why do bastards deserve extra love?" Lewis asked, truly confused.
Ruby shrugged. "I have no idea. That's a question only Edna Petunia can answer. She wants to think all of us are bastards too. I corrected her for the longest time, but then I finally realized that she wants us to be bastards. If it makes her happy, I'll be anything. She's been good to us."
He shook his head. "That's crazy."
Penny laughed at that. "No one ever claimed Edna Petunia was the least bit sane. She's lovable, though."
"She is that!"
As soon as lunch was over, Penny cleaned up their mess while Ruby unlocked the door, and Lewis got back to work. It was nice to take a real lunch for a change, but it was just as nice to get back to work. There was a lot to be done.
*****
Ruby forgot all about the letter from David until she was baking the following afternoon. She put her hand into her apron pocket and pulled the letter out. She briefly considered throwing it away, but she felt like she should at least read what he had to say. She'd spent a lot of years thinking she was in love with him, after all. She knew now she'd had no idea what love was, but she'd believed it then.
She slid the two loaves of bread into the oven before sitting at the kitchen table and opening the letter. Why would he have written her again? Wouldn't Maggie object to that?
"Dearest Ruby,
The last letter I sent was premature. It only took me three days to realize I was making
Ruby grinned at her friend. "You're always starving."
"I know. Can we eat? Edna Petunia packed some fried chicken, and it's all I've been able to think about for hours."
"Of course. I need to figure out what to make for Lewis and me." Ruby thought about what she had on hand that would be quick to fix. It would probably have to be a sandwich so they could both get back to work quickly.
"Oh, Edna Petunia packed lunch for all three of us. She said you were probably about to waste away to nothing since you were only eating your own cooking." Penny winked at Ruby.
Ruby sighed. "I'm not a bad cook. I simply don't enjoy it like she and Sarah Jane do. Robert and James are thrilled with my cooking, compared to what Lewis used to make."
"I'm sure you're an excellent cook when you're compared with Lewis."
Ruby refused to be baited. "Let me go get Lewis so we can all eat together." She hurried to the back room. "Edna Petunia sent lunch with Penny for all three of us. Are you ready to take your lunch break?"
He nodded. "Let's lock the door for thirty minutes and have a real lunch. I need the break."
Ruby rushed to the front door to do his bidding. Usually they took turns eating lunch, but it would be nice to have a break together.
By the time she turned from locking the door, Penny had spread a quilt on the floor of the store, and she and Lewis were sitting on it, digging through the picnic basket. "That smells delicious," Lewis said.
Ruby joined the others on the quilt, taking out the lemonade and glasses the old woman had kindly packed. "Make sure you tell Edna Petunia that I'm doing just fine without her shoving food in my face every fifteen minutes. I won't see her until church tomorrow, and we don't need her to worry about me all that time."
Penny laughed. "I'll tell her."
They talked about how the boys were doing with their new grandmother while they ate. "Edna Petunia has those boys spoiled rotten. She told me that bastards need extra spoiling."
Lewis grew rigid. "My boys aren't bastards."
"Of course they're not," Penny returned. "Edna Petunia thinks all children should be bastards."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because she thinks bastards deserve extra love, and when it comes right down to it, she wants to shower all children with extra love. So she calls them all bastards," Ruby said. She'd finally put it together, and she was thrilled to understand the old woman for the first time.
"Why do bastards deserve extra love?" Lewis asked, truly confused.
Ruby shrugged. "I have no idea. That's a question only Edna Petunia can answer. She wants to think all of us are bastards too. I corrected her for the longest time, but then I finally realized that she wants us to be bastards. If it makes her happy, I'll be anything. She's been good to us."
He shook his head. "That's crazy."
Penny laughed at that. "No one ever claimed Edna Petunia was the least bit sane. She's lovable, though."
"She is that!"
As soon as lunch was over, Penny cleaned up their mess while Ruby unlocked the door, and Lewis got back to work. It was nice to take a real lunch for a change, but it was just as nice to get back to work. There was a lot to be done.
*****
Ruby forgot all about the letter from David until she was baking the following afternoon. She put her hand into her apron pocket and pulled the letter out. She briefly considered throwing it away, but she felt like she should at least read what he had to say. She'd spent a lot of years thinking she was in love with him, after all. She knew now she'd had no idea what love was, but she'd believed it then.
She slid the two loaves of bread into the oven before sitting at the kitchen table and opening the letter. Why would he have written her again? Wouldn't Maggie object to that?
"Dearest Ruby,
The last letter I sent was premature. It only took me three days to realize I was making
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