Page 103 of The Trouble with Wanting

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Rusty turns around, looks at Corinne, and then looks back at me with his eyebrows raised. “The tray will be here when you’re done,” he says, patting my shoulder again before walking off.

I drop my shoulders and step toward Corinne, following her around to the side of the beer garden so we can ‘talk,’ unsure what it is she’s hoping this will accomplish.

She spins around to look at me, a look of contrition on her face. It’s a little surprising considering the fact that she’s been such a menace over the past week.

“I wanted to apologize,” she says, “for how I’ve been acting.”

I cross my arms, watching as her fingers twist together, legitimate nervousness skittering across her features.

“I’ve just…missed you,” she continues. “I’ve missed what we used to be when we were younger. Don’t you miss that, at all?”

I shake my head. “I don’t, Corinne.”

Her expression falls.

“I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, okay? I’m just being honest. When you and I were together, it never really felt right. And I mean, we were kids. We didn’t know who we were or what we wanted. We wouldn’t make sense now.”

“You don’t know that,” she whispers.

“Yes, I do.”

“How do you know for sure?”

“I know for sure because I know what it feels like to make sense with someone, and it feels nothing like what our relationship was like.”

Her eyes narrow, her soft expression clouding. “You’re talking about that…Judy girl.”

I grit my teeth but decide to let her tone slide.

“Ruby.”

“I can’t believe you’re with someone like her. She was such a bitch to me. What can you possibly see in someone like that?”

Normal Corinne is back, her attitude returning and taking the place of the soft, demure woman who was trying to convince me that anything could possibly happen between us.

“First of all,” I say, “Ruby is not a bitch. You’re mad at her because she didn’t cower in response to your bitchy attitude. The way you treated her was completely uncalled for, and I’m only going to say this once—talk to her like that again, and I’ll be having a word with your dad.”

Corinne’s eyes narrow as her mouth drops open, my threat hitting exactly where I had intended, but I don’t let her say anything in response.

“Second, I’m with Ruby because she makes me smile and laugh. Because she’s beautiful and kind. And because standing next to her makes me proud.”

Corinne snorts, examining her nails.

“Sounds boring to me.”

“Then it’s a good thing she isn’t your girlfriend,” I spit back. “She makes me happy, Corinne, happier than I’ve ever been in my life. And it doesn’t matter how many nasty, underhanded things you say to or about her. That is never going to change.”

I pause, giving her a chance to say anything else, but she’s silent as she stares at my chest. I think there is a possibility I’ve actually gotten her to back down.

“Good luck in life, Corinne. I wish you the best, but I can honestly say I hope there aren’t any reasons for us to talk again in the future.”

And then I spin around and walk away from her, heading back over to where Rusty is still working to prepare his new beers for tasting.

“How was that?” he mumbles, holding up a plastic cup.

“Ridiculous,” I grumble back, downing the few ounces of beer in one go. “But needed. I think she might finally leave me alone now.”

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