“Good heavens,” she whispered.
Ruby’s stomach tightened again.
“What?”
Nathaniel rubbed one hand over his face.
Then he looked at Ruby.
“Ruby, would you allow us to call your mother?”
That sounded reasonable.
It also sounded serious.
“Why?”
“Because there is something about your apartment building that I believe she deserves to know.”
“Are we still getting kicked out?”
Nathaniel’s expression became pained.
“I don’t know yet.”
It was not the answer Ruby wanted.
But it was the first answer he had given that sounded completely truthful.
Ruby gave Margaret her mother’s phone number.
Margaret stepped away.
Nathaniel led Ruby toward a quiet seating area near a wall of enormous windows.
A tray of sandwiches had apparently been prepared for some meeting.
Ruby tried not to stare at them.
Nathaniel noticed anyway.
“Have you eaten lunch?”
Ruby shook her head.
“Why not?”
“I spent my lunch money getting here.”
