Ruby snapped her fingers twice in front of Yvette’s face.
“Sorry,” she said, taking a swig from her beer. “The eighties are back, ya know.”
“So I hear.”
“Anyway, he won’t go through with it. Shagging those chicks, I mean.”
“How do you know?”
She plopped the empty bottle on the counter. “Because I know him, and he only wants you. You know,” she said, pointing a finger at Ruby, “loving you scares the shit out of him. He thinks if he commits to a woman it’ll be the end of his career. Of the band. And he doesn’t want to turn into his father.”
Ruby laughed wryly. “God, we spend so much time trying not to become our parents, we totally lose sight of who we actually want to become.”
“Cheers to that, sister!” Yvette saluted her with the beer bottle.
She studied the gorgeous woman for a moment. “What about you? You’re willing to risk him having a relationship with someone who lives so far away? Someone who will demand his attention? Because I promise I’ll be demanding.”
Yvette’s gaze sharpened. “I love Mark. I want to see him happy. You make him happy, happier than I have ever seen him. So I’m willing to take the chance. I’m willing to encourage him to take that chance.”
Shaking her head, Ruby took in her words. “But—”
“No buts.” She snatched a pen and a napkin from behind the bar and scribbled a number onto the crinkly paper. “Now, you scurry on up to room 2025 and rescue that man from himself.”
Her heart started thumping in her chest. Yvette’s words were pumping her up, making her want to go to Mark. But could she really barge in on him like that?
“Listen, Ruby. Mark is probably the best man I know, and, frankly, if I swung that way I’d have nailed him down long ago for myself. But he’s still just a man, and sometimes men need their asses kicked.” She pushed the napkin toward Ruby. “So I encourage you to go forth and kick some ass. Everything else will fall into place.”
Ruby’s fingers shook as she looked at the napkin.
“Go.”
Ruby hopped off the barstool. She had no control over the future. What she did have control over was the present, and she wasn’t going to let Mark go just because he was scared.
“Thank you, Yvette.”
She smiled. “No problem. Just make sure you have him in the lobby by eight. I kinda need him for the show later.” Grinning, Yvette swigged her beer.
She gave Yvette a quick hug and hurried to the elevator. As she rode up to the twentieth floor she thought that even if Mark had done something with those women she’d forgive him. Because despite all they’d done together, he’d never promised her anything. They had made no commitments, no promises. Cringing, she realized she’d made sure of that.
But, if they were going to try to make it work, that would have to change.
Finally the elevator doors opened and she burst into the hallway. But her dash to Mark’s door slowed when she caught sight of two familiar women walking toward the elevator. She pretended to study a rather hideous landscape painting but watched the girls out the corner of her eye.
Red Miniskirt twisted a blonde curl. “I can’t believe he asked us to leave.”
Black Miniskirt smacked her gum. “I know. I’ve always heard Mark St. Crow was a real animal.”
The rest of their words faded away as Ruby’s heart swelled with relief. Yvette had been right. He hadn’t been able to go through with it. She jogged silently down the carpeted hallway. She didn’t need the napkin to tell her where she was going, and seconds later she was pounding on his door.
And then that door was opening and he was there, looking down at her, brown eyes wide with shock behind his glasses.
“Ruby! What are you doing here?”
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Meeting his gaze, she swallowed. “Yvette made me.”
He looked confused and then horrified by what she must have seen leaving his room. “Nothing happened,” he said fiercely.
“I know that, you idiot. And I know why you blew off the party. Not that I’m over it, but I’m willing to punish you later. Now, just hold me.”
He yanked her to him, hugging her so tight she could barely breathe. Closing her eyes, she let him hold her, wanting to stay in his arms forever.
“I love you, Mark, and I’m sorry about those things I said the night of the party.”
He pulled back, his eyes a warm brown as they bored into hers. But still he remained silent.
“I hope you can forgive me,” she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.
“You had every right to be mad.” His expression turned downright sheepish, and he pulled something from his pocket. It was the necklace she’d dropped outside the theater into the homeless man’s hat.