Ruby didn’t need to be pulled into Bennett’s arms when they awoke. She didn’t need to be given the affection shown for a lover you’d die for because Bennett would never die for her. The woman had made that crystal clear in more than one way. No, what Ruby required from Bennett was almost the same thing Bennett required from Ruby. It was the need to satisfy the most primitive of wants, and at least for Ruby, there was also curiosity. She was inquisitive about a world she’d never been a part of, and Ruby knew Bennett held all the answers. The only question was, would Ruby ever know them, too?

***

Tucked away on a charming street, The Nook was housed in a hundred-year-old, brick-fronted building off Chestnut Street. It offered its patrons a cozy setting, a menu able to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters, and a wine list that had held Bennett’s attention for far too long.

“Two questions.”

Bennett raised her eyes. “And so it begins,” she said, putting aside the wine list.

“Behave,” Ruby said, mirth dancing in her eyes. “I said two.”

“I won’t hold you to that.”

“Yay me!”

Bennett laughed. “All right. What are they?”

“First, are you a wine snob, and second, do you own a car?”

“I wouldn’t consider myself a wine snob. I do, however, draw the line at buying it in a box, and before I answer your second, I have two questions also,” Bennett said, motioning for the waiter. “Do you like Pinot Noir, and would you mind if I ordered us an appetizer?”

“Yes, I like the wine, and no, by all means, order something.”

The waiter appeared, and Bennett handed him the wine list. “We’d like a bottle of the Perrot-Minto Pinot, please, and the New England charcuterie board for the starter.”

“Of course. I’ll put the order in right away.”

Bennett watched the man walk away and then turned back to Ruby. “Now, for your second question. I don’t own a car. My gallery, however, has a van, and yes, I know how to drive it. I just choose not to.”

“Why?”

“Sitting behind the wheel of a car would take my attention away from where it’s needed more.”

“Which is?”

Bennett deliberated on her answer for a moment. “I think you’d agree that there’s good and bad in the world, and I try to use some of what I am to offset the scales when I can.”

“I’m not following,” Ruby said, picking up her water glass.