was Ruth herself.
“Dr. Shaw,” my mother said, smiling widely.
Noah’s stepmother shook her head. “Please, call me Ruth. It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” she
gushed. Ruth smoothed the linen dress that covered her petite frame and ushered us inside as my mother
assured her that no, the pleasure was all hers.
No further formalities were exchanged, however, because the second my sneakered feet touched the
patterned marble floor, I was charged by Ruby, the vicious Shaw pug. Who was apparently vicious only
to me. The snarling fur-covered sausage ignored my mother completely, but even after Noah swooped in
and scooped her up in his arms, she continued to growl at me.
“Bad girl,” Noah said affectionately. He kissed her on the head as she bared her tiny, crooked teeth.
I stood a healthy distance away. “Where’s Mabel?” I asked. It would be nice to see her again, all happy
and healthy and safe.
“Occupied,” he said lightly.
Hiding, he meant. Hiding from me.
My mother didn’t appear to notice anything amiss, however, not even as the dog strained for my
jugular; Noah’s stepmother and his house had her full and undivided attention. “I’ve heard so much about
you,” she said to Ruth as we passed beneath a giant chandelier dripping with crystals.
Ruth raised an eyebrow. “Only good things, I hope?” She adjusted a vase filled with bursting white
roses on a stone accent table that likely weighed over a thousand pounds. “Never mind,” she said archly.
“Don’t answer that.”
Mom laughed. “Of course,” she lied, as easily as I usually did. Impressive. “It really is such a pleasure
to be able to finally meet Noah’s family. We love having him around. Is your husband here?” she asked
innocently. Knowing full well that he wasn’t.
Ruth’s smile didn’t falter, but she shook her head. “I’m afraid David’s in New York at the moment.”
“Maybe another time, then.”
“He would love that,” Ruth said. She lied as well as Noah.
Noah leaned over and said, “You know, this is rapidly becoming as painful as you indicated it would
be.”
“Told you.”
“Right, then,” Noah said loudly. “I’m sure you ladies have much to discuss and would rather do so in
privacy, yes?”
Ruth looked at my mother for a cue.
Mom waved at us. “Go on.”
Noah handed the wriggling dog off to Ruth. “I’ll give you the tour,” she said, and led my mother away.
I had no idea how long the tour or their conversation or this meeting would last, so I urged Noah up the
wide, curving staircase and raced behind him to his room, taking no time to enjoy the view.
Once we arrived, though, I couldn’t help but stare. At his low, simple modern bed, an island in the
