“Why?”
Her eyes were sad, and it was so much worse than if she’d been pissed. She waved her hand around the bathroom. “This is why. I can’t do this. We both know your music has to come first. It should come first, and even though I know you have to focus on your music, I can’t help wishing that I was just as important to you. But I’m not—no one can be. So please, just go. It’s for the best.”
He stared at her and, just for a second, he wondered if maybe she was right. Because at that moment he wanted to ignore the interview and stay with Ruby. For the first time in his life, he considered putting something—someone—before his music.
Silently, he turned on his heel and walked out the door.
Chapter
Eighteen
She was lacing her boots when the call bell rang. Who would be stopping by at nine-thirty on a Saturday morning? Not Mark. She hadn’t heard from him since they’d parted ways at Ghirardelli Square, and she didn’t expect to. It was probably some kids walking by the building who thought it was clever to push buttons as they meandered up the block.
Ignoring the ringing, she pulled a sweater over her head, having decided to spend the day at Golden Gate Park. The grounds always calmed her, and for some reason she felt the need to lose herself in the spring gardens.
She trotted down the stairs and pushed through her building’s front door. The sun was shockingly bright, and she began digging through her purse, looking for her sunglasses. They were always buried at the bottom—
“So you’re home.”
Her mouth went dry. She knew that voice, but it couldn’t be…
She looked up and her stomach dropped. “Ash? W–what are you doing here?”
Her gaze skimmed over him. It had been over a year since she’d seen him, but of course he looked as gorgeous as ever. Thin, with shaggy blond hair and a light beard stubble that gave him that perfect artsy photographer look. It was even more irritating that the whole thing came so naturally to him. He simply forgot to cut his hair, and he couldn’t be bothered to shave. He’d been in the Navy, and he’d always said it was a great pleasure to not have to worry about his appearance after he was discharged. And that was all he’d ever said about his military experience. Whatever the reason, the look worked well for him, and the stack of broken hearts he left behind was proof enough of that.
His eyes bored into hers, like they always had. “I came to talk with you.”
She smoothed her bangs, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. For some reason he’d always made her self-conscious, more aware of her appearance than she normally was. “Good, because I wanted to talk to you, too.”
He quirked a brow. “Oh? About what?”
“The photographs you sold. I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t do that.” She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice.
Scanning her face, his brow narrowed. “Which photographs?”
It was as she’d thought. He’d simply forgotten. She shrugged. “Never mind.”
Ash reached out and touched her arm. “No, you’re upset. Which photographs?”
“There were a few you took of me when we were, um, together. I wanted them, but you said they were your favorite pieces—so I let you keep them if you promised never to sell them.”
Shaking his head, he let out a deep breath. “Oh, fuck. Yeah, my intern—”
“You have an intern?” She couldn’t help laughing at the thought of Ash being in charge of shaping young minds.
He grinned, too. “Don’t laugh. I’m teaching a class at SFSU this semester, and it’s part of the deal. Anyway, my intern was taking a bunch of my work to various galleries, and he must have dropped those off by mistake. I’ll get them back, I promise.”
What twist of fate had landed those pieces in Mark’s hands? She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m just glad you didn’t purposefully sell them.”
“Are you sure? Because I can call the gallery right now.”
“No. It’s fine.” She didn’t mention that the pieces had already been sold. “Just make sure no other nude photos of me are out there, will you?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” she asked.
He leaned against the building and stared at her. “I wanted to apologize for not showing up at Emmett’s party a few weeks ago.”
She blinked. “Really?”
“You look surprised,” he said.
“I am. You’ve never apologized for anything a day in your life.”
“I know how hard you work, Ruby, and I’m sorry I flaked. I got distracted with a shoot.”