it happened one summer

 "Don't you think you're trying a little too hard?" Ruby squinted as she sat on the back deck. Of course, it had been torture coming to live with her father's new family. At least she had Rafe to save her, yet it felt like her father wanted to adopt him.

"No, not at all," he looked at her stumped. Of course, sweat dripped from him, in the backyard sunshine where he was all alone working.

Ruby sighed. Couldn't they get away from here? "I told him we're moving in together."

"I'm coming here to live with you?" 

She knew he liked the sound of that, but as usual he was quite the dufus who might as well have amnesia. After all, her new step-mom always left him fresh lemonade and sandwiches. He didn't even need her here to supervise him.

"God, no, not here. I'll get my own place," she hugged herself in her skimpy camisole and cut-offs. She pranced in her shower slippers as the thick grass tickled her toes  when she came near, but not too close. He was awful sweaty.

 Rafe nodded as he picked up another heavy rock for the retaining wall. She watched, but she didn't like that he was doing this all alone.

"Couldn't you get your brother or one of  your friends to help?" She'd met Cade at a dinner their parents took them out on after graduation. It was just to a steakhouse. Being a vegetarian, she wasn't amused, but it didn't keep Rafe from eating steak. She could tell he enjoyed beef.

There had been Harley's  Graduation party too. She saw who Rafe went to school with, even KC. But he acted as if she was invisible and tried his best to ignore Harley's cousin. She found out that night that Kimmy dated Rafe last summer.

"I hope he's grown up since then," Kimmy said a bit naughty in a negative way with that snarl of hers. Ruby couldn't forget that moment.

Ruby breathed it all in. Didn't Kimmy know having a boyfriend was a lot like raising a kid? You just had to show them the way. So what if things had ended so badly with KC, Ruby did have faith in Rafe.

After all, he'd seen her at her worst. She didn't think she owed him. No this was their summer and hopefully beyond. If only she could find a job, but she couldn't think of a thing to do.