Fire Light | Ruby Gillis

Chapter Four

Ruby stood anxiously waiting in the post office.

She never thought she'd be the type to be nervously awaiting a letter, but there she was, resisting the urge to bob up and downing the balls of her feet as Mr. Ramme peered into the Gillis mailbox.

"Here you go Miss. Gillis, all the way from White Sands."

"Thank you Mr. Ramme, I'll be sure to come back next week," Ruby said with a glowing smile, and turned to stride out the door.

As soon as she stepped out of the building she scurried out of the way of the door, tearing the letter open in excitement.

A large grin split her face as she read

Little did she know she had an observer.

"Miss Gillis! What kind of letter could make you smile like that?" Herb called out as made his way up to the porch where Ruby stood.

Ruby's smiled seemed to grow with the new company, if it was even possible.

"Well that's a rather bold question to ask someone you hardly know."

"So you're saying I should get to know you more?"

Now Ruby was in familiar territory. Flirting was her area and she knew it well.

"What I say doesn't matter, all that matters is what you do now," she said with a coy smile.

"What you say is the only thing that matters."

Now the tables were turned, and Ruby blushed furiously.

She couldn't remember the last time she blushed like that. She couldn't remember the last time a boy had been so purely sweet to her, or even so bold to say something like that without the normal stutters.

"I-"

Ruby's mouth snapped shut and she breezed past him and started down the street, her face turning even brighter as she brushed past Herb.

"I'll walk you home?"

"No, I'm alright," she called out, without looking back.

"I'll walk with you tomorrow?"

Ruby nodded before realizing he wouldn't see and turned slightly and smiled at Herb, answering with a small 'yes' and continuing to walk quickly down the street.

Herb smiled to himself and walked down the steps to the street where he was met with a flash of red hair.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day where Ruby Gillis of all people was flirted into a blushing mess!"

Herb turned his head to the red headed woman with a questioning look.

"You know Ruby?"

"We've been in school together since we were young, and we share many friends. I'm Anne Shirley." She said firmly, extending her hand.

Herb shook her hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you."

"Well it's nice to meet you too, you must be something special to make Ruby react like that, I've seen her flirt with several dozen boys, always as cool as a cucumber, but this time I'd have to say she's more of a red tomato! It's almost strange to see her so flustered, almost seems like any other crushing school girl. It's very reassuring that even the great, flirtatious Ruby Gillis can meet her match."

Herb blinked in surprise at all the words that poured out of Anne Shirley's mouth at once.

"Well... Well..." Herb glanced off to the side and back at Anne, "it was nice to meet you, but I'll have to be going back home. It was nice to meet you Miss Shirley."

"Oh it was such a pleasure to be meeting you too! Anyone who can make Ruby seem normal!" She laughed.

With smiles and nods they went their separate ways, with Anne thinking of how pleasant of a fellow he seemed, while simultaneously realizing she never got his name and maybe she shouldn't have mentioned how many boys Ruby had flirted with, and how she might have time to stop in one of the fields where summer flowers still clung to life.

All Herb could think of was what Anne Shirley had said about Ruby. How she had never seen her blush like that, how she flirted with so many different boys, the fact that he had managed to get her to blush like that.

He could make Ruby Gillis blush like that.

And Herb Spencer couldn't help but to smile.