Keep in mind, she had never expressed love to a man from childhood to adulthood.
So, upon receiving Madeleine's phone call about Steve Burton's return, Ruby Gregory felt a bit nervous and shy, thinking that she would reveal her heart to him later.
However, as she anxiously awaited Steve's call, which never came, her nervousness and shyness turned into inexplicable irritability. Now that he wasn't answering the phone, Ruby was downright depressed.
Ruby arrived at the Gregorys' front door, sulking. The sun had already set, and the summer evening in the West Suburb Villa District was pleasantly cool. Lady Gregory and Madam Burton chatted across their fences with beaming smiles on their faces, the topic of their conversation unknown.
The first to see Ruby entering the Gregorys' compound was Madam Burton. She stopped talking, and from far away, she smiled at Ruby and said, "Ruby, you're back."
Ruby stood beside Lady Gregory, smiled at Madam Burton, and greeted, "Aunt Burton."
