Soft Body

8: Mop It Up

         

"You can go home early, Ben," Tucker said. Ben raised an eyebrow.

    "Any reason in particular?"

    "No, it's slow. I have Jackie and Ruby here and I mean, I own the place so I think I can handle things. Go home."

    Ben tilted his head and slightly puffed out his chest. Tucker noticed and instinctively did the same.

    "You sure there isn't a reason that you wanna send me home?" Ben asked. He glanced at Ruby, who was mopping the floor in the distance then looked Tucker dead in the eye. A challenge.

    "If you don't want to go, that's fine. I don't care. It was a friendly offer." Tucker tried to keep his voice steady, hoping that he wasn't showing the heat he felt under the collar.

    "I'll go if you pay me."

    "Okay. Go ahead. I'll pay you full time."

    "Thank you for your business," Ben bowed towards Tucker, then grabbed his keys from a drawer. He walked away, towards Ruby.

    Tucker huffed in stress, keeping his gaze steady on Ben. He watched vigilantly and silently, and held his breath as if he were a sniper about to take out a target.

    Ben reached Ruby and pulled out his phone and handed it to her. She typed something in, smiling and laughing, and handed it back to Ben, who turned around and walked towards Tucker and the door. Tucker felt heat in his neck and ears. He had felt it five hours earlier when Ruby arrived, and he felt it now.

    He knew it was ridiculous. And he didn't care. He was heated, angry, jealous. Was Ben playing a game with him? Or was he genuinely interested in Ruby? Either way. He was stepping on Tucker's toes and didn't even check to see if he was.

    Ben nodded at Tucker and walked out the door.

    Tucker felt like firing him on the spot.

    "Fuck," Tucker said under his breath, releasing it finally. He hadn't realized he had been holding it.

    Tucker looked back at Ruby and watched her mop. Back and forth, back and forth. His breathing felt steady now. Back and forth, back and forth. His mind was clear.

    Why the hell was he so angry? Why did he let Ben leave with a full paycheck?

    Bad business. The answer to both. It was bad business to let Ben leave early, essentially losing three hours of profit and it was bad business to get heated over a new hire.

    It was bad business to get heated over anyone.

    Tucker frowned. He looked up again to watch her mop. She was closer to him now, more of the floor cleaned. He saw her miss a spot and go back to clean it. She continued. Back and forth, back and forth, moving closer and closer.

    Ruby smiled every time she moved closer to the desk, her face full of pride and satisfaction. It would linger for a few moments then go away, focus and a furrowed brow replacing it. It repeated and Tucker watched until she was right in front of the desk. She looked at him and tilted her head in curiosity.

    "Is everything okay?" Ruby asked innocently.

    Tucker looked down and away, then back up, hoping to God that he wasn't blushing like a schoolboy. "Yeah. Everything is fine. Watching you mop- er- watching the mopping is calming. The back and forth. It relaxes me."

    She smiled in relief. "Well, I hope you're not too relaxed. You've got work to do!"

    She continued to mop. Tucker noticed that her bun, tight and neat earlier had started to sloop on one side. Her head swayed with her arms moving back and forth. It was like dancing.

    Tucker huffed. Ruby looked up.

    "Are you sure you're okay? I know Ben left earlier but he didn't say why. Did something happen?"

    Tucker rolled his eyes at mention of Ben then promptly hated himself for it. Ruby looked at him expectantly.

    "I'm okay. Swear. Work is just...work, you know? And it's been awhile since I've trained."

    "Are you sure you don't want to mop? Might calm you down a little bit," Ruby offered, plain and without motive. Tucker didn't get the sense that she wanted to get out of mopping or that she wanted to watch him, but that she wanted him to calm himself.

    "Or we could talk about it..." she continued. Tucker took a step back. He felt exposed. No, they would definitely not talk about it.

    "I don't need to mop."

    "Maybe some water?"

    "Ruby stop. I'm fine." He lashed out. Her eyes widened and looked down. Tucker felt a pang of guilt. He didn't want her to think she was being yelled at. She continued her mopping.

    "You know you don't have to do the whole floor," he said. Tucker hoped it came out apologetically. Ruby sighed and looked up slowly. She narrowed her shoulders slightly.

    "I like it. You said it calmed you? Me too. Plus I get to see how pretty the floor is once I'm done. It satisfies me, you know?" She smiled. It was adorable. He saw the joy in her face, any possible trace of hurt gone. 

    "Do you like to show pride in your work, Ruby?" The question came out of his mouth before his brain could stop it.

    "Are you asking me professionally or personally?" She put her hand on her hip and rested her hand on the mop. There was authority in the stance. Tucker loved it.

    "Personally. We don't have to be professional anymore, Ruby."

    "Oh no, Tucker? Be careful with that. I might tell you all my secrets," Ruby said. She looked him dead in the eye, unflinching, confident. Tucker felt seen and he didn't care. He wanted to know all her secrets and create more for her. With her.

    She turned from him and started mopping again. Her butt wiggled with every stroke now, like she wanted him to watch her. So much sass in such a mundane movement.

    "Ruby, I mean it."

    She looked back at him over her shoulder, her eyes wide and eyelashes batting. She gave a tiny shrug with her whole body.
     "I don't doubt that you do, Tucker."

    She turned around, narrowly missing Tucker biting his fist in raw frustration.