“No way,” Meg said. “He’s totally into you. All you have to do is say the word.”
She had said the word. It started with C and rhymed with wawa. “I’m sorry, Meg. I just can’t take the instability of being with him. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
On Friday night the doorbell rang and Ruby’s heart did a little leap. Would she ever hear the damn bell without thinking of Mark?
“Yes?” Ruby said into the call box.
“Surprise!”
“Claire? Is that you?”
“Yes, and I’m freezing in this damn fog. Let me in!”
Ruby buzzed her in, and a second later Claire was crushing her in a bear hug. “I’m so happy to see you!”
“You too!” Ruby said, pulling Claire even tighter. “I can’t believe you’re here!”
After a few minutes they pulled apart. Ruby eyed her sister’s small bag. “Where’s the rest of your luggage?”
“You’re looking at it.”
“God, I couldn’t even fit a weekend’s worth of shoes in that thing.”
“I guess that’s the one thing I learned from Mom. Remember what she always said?”
“If you don’t use it every day, don’t bring it!” They finished the last part together and burst into laughter.
Smiling, Ruby stood back and gave her sister the once-over. Designer jeans enclosed Claire’s long, supermodel legs, and she wore a T-shirt with lots of sparkles. She was much taller than Ruby, but her four-inch brown boots added even more height, and Ruby had to tilt her head back just to make eye contact. The only physical characteristic the sisters shared was their blue eyes.
Ruby touched a lock of Claire’s hair. “You have highlights.”
“You can never be too blonde in Hollywood,” she said.
Ruby laughed, smoothed back her ponytail. “Which is why I choose to live here in San Francisco, where anything goes.”
“Well, San Francisco really is the best place to be an individual, I’ll give you that.”
Ruby lifted Claire’s suitcase and walked to her bedroom, where she dropped it on the bed. “Make yourself at home. You want anything? Coffee? A glass of wine?”
Claire glanced at her watch. “It’s almost five. How about some wine?”
“Sounds good. You freshen up, I’ll go open a bottle. Meet you in the living room.”
Ruby went about getting out the chardonnay and glasses. All week her house had seemed extra quiet, extra dead. Just her sister’s presence cheered her up immensely.
In the living room, the sisters sat on the sofa facing each other, resting their backs against the arms of the couch.
“Cheers,” Ruby said, holding up her glass.
“Cheers!”
“How’s L.A., anyway? Any roles lately?” Ruby asked.
Claire shrugged. “Not really. But I tried out for a part in an indie film that could be awesome. It pays shit, but it would be great name recognition.” Her eyes started twinkling. “Enough of that. What I really want to know is what’s up with you and Mark St. Crow.”
Ruby shrugged “Nothing’s up. I haven’t talked with him since last Saturday.”
Just then Ruby’s cell vibrated on the coffee table. Claire had never been known to respect her sister’s privacy, and she set down her glass of wine to pick up the phone. “Oh, look! A text message. From Rufus.” She looked up with one quirked brow. “Rufus, huh? It says, ‘In Munich. Miss you.’ ”
“It does?” Her heart leaped. This was the first communication she’d had from Mark since he’d left.
“Rufus wants to know if you want to come to Germany. On him.” Claire glanced up. “Come on him in Germany? Hell yeah, you do.” She started typing.
“What?” Ruby set her glass on the coffee table and lunged for her sister.
But Claire had always been the more agile of the two, and she managed to avoid Ruby’s grabbing hands.
“Rufus wants to know why you won’t talk to him.”
“Claire! Stop it right now!”
“If you don’t tell me who Rufus is, I’m going to start having text-message sex on your behalf.”
“You little… !” She rolled Claire onto the ground, but her sister just sat on top of her, pinning her to the floor with her freakishly long legs.
“Oh my God! Rufus wants to know what kind of panties you’re wearing!”
Ruby’s face burned, and she glared up at her sister.
Claire talked as she typed. “Rufus, if that is your real name, this is Claire, Ruby’s sister. Who are you?”
“I’m going to kill you,” Ruby said, through clenched teeth.