Read The Bad Boy Next Door: A Red Hot Bad Boy Romance Online
Authors: Lacey Legend
Your book launch party is going to be great, and here’s some excellent news:
The rights to do a TV show for your first book:
Love and Old Lace
have been optioned! Now, don’t get your hopes up. Loads of books are options and never go anywhere, but this could be HUGE! The network who is optioning it is owned by a world-famous talk show hostess, and she loves the idea of a strong, African-American leading lady who can hold her own in a man’s world.
Ruby fanned her face as she read, her smile almost cracking it in two.
“
Oh, my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, omigosh!” she exclaimed over and over again. She fired off a reply, wondering after hitting the SEND button if it had been at all coherent. Ruby looked at her SENT ITEMS folder and read the email.
Blanca, OH MY GOD! Just tell me what I need to do!
This is amazing news! Invite the network bigwigs to my book launch???
-Ruby
P.S. Considering expanding to another genre under my own name?
“More coherent that I would have guessed,” she said aloud, still laughing over the news. She slid into black flats and picked up her purse, shoving her phone into it. Then she sat on the top step of her porch and waited for Julia to pull up. While Ruby sat there, feeling giddy and light-headed, she happened to look next door in time to see Isaac getting into the driver side of a red sports car. No doubt another rental. Ruby stood up and ran down her steps waving and yelling Isaac’s name. She saw him look at her over his shoulder, but he made no other sign of recognition. Rather, he gunned the motor and peeled away from the curb without another backward glance.
Ruby felt like she had been stabbed in the gut. She walked back to the porch, her once giddy feeling melting into disappointment and hurt feelings. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on her knees until Julia pulled in. Ruby got into the SUV driven by her best friend and buckled her seat belt. Julia was wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a bright pink ribbon tied around the hat band. It trailed down the back of the hat several inches and complemented her pink halter top nicely.
“We match today,” Julia said brightly. Then she put the vehicle in park and turned sideways in her seat. “You look like you’re about to cry, Ruby. What’s wrong?”
“Oh,” Ruby said dashing her hands at her eyes. “Stuff, ya know. I had some really, really amazing news from Blanca, and then a thing happened with Isaac just before you showed up. I’m a mess.”
“Well, let’s figure out where we want to go eat and you can tell me everything on the way.”
“Somewhere with a dark corner booth,” Ruby said.
“Biaggi’s,” Julia responded confidently, and put the vehicle back into Drive before pulling away from the curb.
Ruby sighed and looked out the window, feeling tears threaten to spill over. She was thankful that she wasn’t a woman who needed make up, and had rather been blessed with blemish-free skin. No mascara to run down her face that way. She took another deep breath and began, in a shaking voice.
“Isaac got understandably upset yesterday when the Genie thing blew up.” Ruby proceeded to tell her best friend in detail what had happened, ending with Genie storming out taking Regina with her.
“Wow. That had to be stressful for everyone involved.”
“Yeah, even the nanny didn’t seem to know what was going on,” Ruby responded. She picked at the hem of her dress, where a thread had started to come loose.
“Then today, as I was sitting on the porch waiting for you, I saw Isaac get into a car, so I waved my hands and ran down to the sidewalk thinking maybe now he’ll talk to me. But he just looked at me like he didn’t know me and took off, squealing his tires. Didn’t say boo to me.”
“Oh, Honey. If he’s really as upset as you say he is, then maybe he’s pushing away all the people who love him. You said he threw a big party last night?”
Ruby nodded fiercely. “Yes, after telling his aunt in no uncertain terms that he wanted to be
alone
.”
Julia blew out a breath and cocked her head to the side, thinking. “I went through a phase when my husband left me. Do you remember? I didn’t talk to you for at least a week, and I was out at bars and night clubs every night for a month.”
Ruby admitted begrudgingly that she did indeed remember. “Do you think he’ll snap out of it? Or have I lost him because of some stupid bimbo and her gold-digging plan gone awry?”
“I can’t honestly answer that question. But if I were you, I’d give him a full week before you decide to cut ties. Like you said, his aunt was against this whole thing and he probably didn’t want to be reminded that she was right and he was taken in.”
“I think too,” Ruby said slowly, “That maybe he realized that he wants kids after all, and he felt like that was ripped away from him.”
“It was, if you think about it.” Julia took Ruby’s hand and held it as she drove. “Now don’t think for a second that I am condoning his actions. I’m only saying that I understand what he’s going through and it sounds like he’s just acting out of a need to forget.”
Ruby nodded. “You’re right. But it still hurts. Patience, I guess, is what’s needed. I’ve already left two messages saying that I love him and am here for him. Can’t do much else.”
Chapter12
They arrived at the restaurant and were seated immediately. The manager came out to greet them personally.
“Hello, Julia. How are you?”
“Oh, Ben! Lovely, thank you. How’s business?”
“Excellent since you planned that grand re-opening for us last year. Profits are up over a hundred percent since that night.”
“I’m glad I could be part of your success then,” Julia said, squeezing Ben’s hand warmly.
“I’ve unfortunately handed out all the business cards you gave me,” Ben laughed.
Julia rummaged in her handbag and came up with a thick stack. She handed them over with a smile and Ben disappeared to do whatever it was managers at restaurants do.
“No wonder you like coming here,” Ruby joked. “You get personal attention from the manager.”
Julia laughed as the waitress approached carrying a pitcher of ice water. Her name tag read: Clarinda. She filled their goblets with ice water and set down a dish of cucumber and lemon slices.
“Hello, Clarinda,” said Julia who always acknowledged wait-staff by name whenever possible.
“Hello again, Miss Gordon. It’s great to see you back here again.” Clarinda pulled two menus out of the back pocket of her long black apron and laid one in front of each of the woman. “I’ll be right back with bread for the table,” she said as she stepped away.
Ruby and Julia perused their menus and soon Clarinda was back to take drink orders. Both girls ordered peach Bellinis.
“I think we’ll have some almond dates as an appetizer also,” Julia said.
They were left alone again to continue perusing the menu. When the appetizers were presented, the two women placed their entree orders: Risotto for Ruby and Butternut Squash Ravioli for Julia.
“So, tell me the good news now,” Julia said, taking a drink of her Bellini. She enjoyed the blood orange flavor and the fizz of the soda water.
“Oh yeah!” Ruby felt excitement bubbling up again. “Blanca emailed me before you showed up and a network wants to option
Love and Old Lace
as a TV show!”
Julia’s eyes lit up. “That is the most amazing news I’ve heard in months! What network?”
“Well, Blanca doesn’t want me to get my hopes up, but she says the network is owned by a world-famous talk show hostess.”
Julia laughed. “You know who that is right? There’s only one world-famous talk show
hostess
I know of who owns her own television network.”
“Of course I know who she means, but still. I hope this works out. It could mean huge things for my writing career!” Ruby downed her Bellini in one excited gulp and set the glass down.
“We should invite this network owner to your launch party,” Julia said mentally making a check list already.
“That’s what I said when I replied!” Ruby gushed. Clarinda stepped up to the table to clear the empty glass.
“Another?” She asked quietly.
“Please, Clarinda,” Ruby nodded.
“I bet this will convince Blanca and the editors at the publishing house to move your launch party to somewhere a little swankier too. We don’t want the network owner at the Roach Motel conference center for Pete’s sake.”
“I’m leaving the details to you and Blanca,” Ruby said holding her hands up, “I’m just really, really excited about this. My second book in the
Affair
trilogy is about half done, so I’m ahead of deadline there. I already have ideas for the third book, too.” Ruby toyed with the stem of her glass, twisting it back and forth.
“Julia,” she said.
“Ruby,” Julia responded, playfully.
“I’m thinking about expanding my genre and self-publishing under my own name. That is, if Blanca doesn’t want to represent me. She’s normally only a romance rep, but I know another writer personally who she represented because of the success in the romance genre.”
“That could do big things for your career too,” Julia said. “Do you have something in mind?”
“Thriller with romantic elements, but not a romance novel per se,” Ruby responded.
“Do it. I think it would be great. Are you going to publish under your own name if you switch genres?”
“I’m still thinking about that. Either my own name or another pseudonym that sounds similar to Ophelia Maddox.”
Their food came and the two women tucked into their dishes with zeal. Ruby was feeling a little tipsy from the alcohol she drank on her nearly empty stomach. She savored the flavors of the onion, carrots, and zucchini in the risotto before her. Julia was likewise enamored with her squash ravioli. Ruby didn’t blame her a bit; she’d had the squash ravioli many times and it was a delectable dish.
After finishing their entrees, Ruby leaned back and patted her belly. “Stuffed,” she said simply.
“Hmm,” Julia grunted in response.
Julia paid the check, amid protests from Ruby that she was perfectly capable of picking up the tab. “Nonsense. You’re a women in distress. You shouldn’t have to pay for anything today.”
Ruby relented and promised to pick up the check next time. Then Julia asked how her job at the human resources office was going.
“They haven’t really needed me on the schedule, so I put in my two weeks there as a formality,” she responded. “Besides, if I am going to branch out with my writing, I need to spend as much time as possible doing that.”
“Makes sense. What are you going to do after I drop you off?” Julia had an unmistakable tone in her voice.
“Um, what is the right answer?” Ruby asked, laughing lightly.
“The correct answer is to say that you’re inviting your best friend over to watch movies and stuff our faces with popcorn.”
“Then that’s what I’m doing,” Ruby said, smiling. “I could use something to keep my mind off of Isaac anyway.”
***
Back at Ruby’s house, Julia dug through her friend’s movie collection and came up with an action-adventure-comedy flick and a tear-jerking drama. She waved them both at Ruby, who was mixing lemonade, spiked with homemade Limoncello, a vodka infused with lemon zest.
Ruby thought about it for a moment and opted for the action-adventure. “I don’t need anything to make me cry right now,” she said as she poured two goblets of the spiked lemonade.
Drinks in hand, the women settled in for the first movie. Part way through, loud music reverberated through the walls. Julia looked around sharply, startled.
“What the hell is that?” she said.
Ruby sighed and got up to close the living room window. “That’s Isaac ‘being alone.’ He’s having another damn party, and still not returning calls.”
Julia shook her head, a frown on her face. “Does he always party that loud?”
Ruby nodded and walked through the house, closing all of the windows. It only succeeded in blocking out some of the sound however. “This is what I was dealing with when he first moved in. He settled down when we started dating, but after the Genie Fiasco as I’m calling it, he reverted back to partying all hours with a house full of people.”
Julia stood and put her fists on her hips. “Want me to go have a talk with the kid?” One look at her friend’s face told Ruby that Julia meant business and if she said yes, then Julia would march directly next door and take matters into her own capable hands.
“No, that’s okay,” Ruby said. “Let’s just pop some popcorn and finish this movie. Then, if you want, you can read the first three chapters of
The Affair in Red.
If he is still ignoring me the day after tomorrow then I will call his aunt Amanda. She and I exchanged phone numbers before she left to go back to St. Louis.”
Julia crossed her arms over her chest, glaring out the window at the mayhem next door. “Okay fine, but only because you’re letting me read your book.”
Ruby laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ll go get it printing off while you refill our glasses.”
When the movie ended, Ruby went about popping popcorn the old-fashioned way: with coconut oil in a cast iron skillet. It was her grandmother’s skillet in fact, seasoned and lovingly maintained over two generations. Ruby cooked in the thing as much as possible, believing a little bit of her granny was in every dish she cooked with it. Now, she shook the pan back and forth to avoid burning the delicate red and blue kernels of corn. She loved the sound they made when they started exploding in the pan, sending out their delicious tendrils of aroma.
Ruby poured the finished popcorn into two bowls, salting one and drizzling melted butter over the other. She preferred hers natural, but she knew her best friend loved the buttery flavor of fresh popcorn. Julia was half way finished reading the first three chapters of Ruby’s novel and was smiling, and making notes in the margins with a red pen. She knew Ruby would welcome suggestions, especially since Julia always gave excellent constructive criticism.
Ruby set one bowl on the floor next to her friend and picked up her goblet of lemonade. She took a long drink of it, feeling a little light and airy, as if she might be less affected by the earth’s gravity than on a normal day. She sat down next to Julia on the floor and peeked over her shoulder at her notes. She took a handful of popcorn and shoved it into her mouth.
“I think I’m a tittle bit lipsy,” she said, giggling suddenly.
Julia laughed at her. “Yeah, I’d say so. You had two peach Bellinis and a glass and a half of this spiked lemonade, so…”
“Oh well,” Ruby said clapping her hands together. “I don’t need to be anywhere. Let’s watch another movie.” She got up off of the floor and made her slow way to the book shelf which held all of her movies. She rummaged through it and pulled out a popular flick about male strippers. “Let’s watch
this,
” she said, licking her lips and wagging her brows at Julia.
“Oh yes, lets,” her friend agreed. “There are some hotties in that movie for sure.”
***
The next morning, Julia woke with her hair matted to the side of her face and the sunlight streaming in through Ruby’s bedroom window. She rubbed her eyes and pulled her long locks back. Looking next to her, she saw that Ruby was still sound asleep on her stomach, one hand flopped down to the floor, snoring softly. She smiled and quietly stepped out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready to leave without waking her friend, who was probably going to have a hell of a hangover when she finally did wake up. Before leaving the house, Julia cleared popcorn bowls and empty goblets from the living room. Then she left a note and four extra-strength ibuprofen along with a glass of water, on Ruby’s dining room table.
Ruby woke a couple of hours later and stumbled into the bathroom. She brushed her hair and teeth, and scrubbed her face without turning on the light. She could already feel the pressure of the night before building up behind her nose and it was a wonder to her that her eyes didn’t pop right out of their sockets. Ruby changed into her jogging clothes, although she had no intention of leaving the house if she could help it, preferring instead to hibernate after a night of drinking and work on her novel. Upon descending the stairs, she made a mental note to thank Julia for doing a bit of clean up before leaving. Then she walked into the dining room and saw the note, the four pills, and the glass of water, and made a mental note to kiss the ground Julia walked on and buy her a manicure/pedicure combo next time they went to the salon.
She downed the pills, chasing them with the water and then retrieved a cold wash cloth and laid down on the couch for a bit.
Just until the room stops spinning and my eye balls quit pounding.
“Time to get up and get to work,” she said about half an hour later. She stood up and stretched, moving into a couple of yoga poses: the warrior and plank, before starting the coffee pot and turning on her computer. She grabbed the pages on which Julia had scribbled her notes and laid them to one side for reference. Julia had beta read all of Ruby’s books and she appreciated the honest feedback, especially if there was a plot hole she had missed.
She worked for a few hours and then slid her office chair back and stretched her arms up over her head. Ruby bent her neck from side to side, trying to work out the kinks that had formed as she worked, hunched over the desk. She found herself suddenly wondering what Isaac was doing right now. Was he thinking about her at all, or was he still fixated on the Genie Fiasco? Was he regretting the way he had thrown his aunt, and last living relative out of his house? Was the party a cry for attention, or did he decide that being a party host and bad boy was a better path than what he could have had with Ruby?
Ruby sighed and rested her chin in her hands, staring out the window. There was a slight breeze evidenced by the swaying of the willow branches. She slid the window open a few inches and let the breeze wash over her face while she continued to fret about Isaac.
I know Julia said I should give it another couple of days, but it’s hard to just sit here and do nothing when he’s less than ten yards away from me.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Isaac’s number. Straight to voice mail again. But this time she couldn’t leave a message. A robotic, female voice informed her that the subscriber’s voice mail box was full and that Ruby should please try again later. With a dejected sigh, Ruby ended the call and went into the kitchen to make some semblance of lunch. She slathered peanut butter and apple jelly on wheat bread and cut it into triangles. While she ate, Ruby sent a text to Julia, thanking her for the pills, the water, and for being such an amazingly awesome friend.