Page 26 of Not Your Shoe Size

It was so, so strange to hear him say Ty’s name. Like a bridge between two separate realties.

“I am happy. We are.” Kate picked up her cup and took an oversized gulp. Coffee dripped from the corners of her mouth and onto her t-shirt. “Shoot!”

Mr. Peterson chuckled. “Still doing that, huh?”

Kate picked up a napkin and dabbed at herself. “Not for ages! It’s like I’m regressing before your eyes.”

He laughed, and Kate’s stomach swooshed. Not with attraction exactly, more relief. Things didn’t have to be weird. They could be fun and light. She could peek back in time to when she was fifteen without wading back into the horrible stuff. Surely that was possible?

“So,” Mr. Peterson said. “You’ve spilled your guts with me, would you like to know what happened with Jennifer and me?”

Kate hesitated, then realised the time for subtlety had probably passed. “What happened?”

Mr. Peterson’s forehead wrinkled. “It’s hard to say. It was a long time coming, then it happened all at once.”

“What do you mean?” Kate asked, dread prickling the back of her throat.

“You keep changing. No one tells you that. Ten years go by, fifteen, twenty, then you’re a different person and so are they, and no matter how much you know about each other, you can’t remember what you used to see in each other.”

Kate swallowed, trying to wet her tongue, her patched throat.

“No.” Mr. Peterson stared deep into nowhere. “Notsee, feel for each other. You don’t have that click anymore, that connection. You think back to when you first met and you have no idea why you acted like you were crazy from needing one woman’s attention so badly…” His gaze found Kate’s. “Sorry, I’m probably boring you.”

Kate shook her head. “You can keep going if you want.”

“Thanks. It’s hard to talk about these things. No one warns you how hard it is.”

“How hard what is?”

“To be together long term and stay interested. You just cruise and life keeps you so busy you don’t realise you’re not interested in each other’s lives, your hopes and dreams…”

I listen to Ty,Kate thought in a panic.I’ve been interested, haven’t I? Paying attention?

Not about getting married.

Kate twisted her hands, locking her joints together to the point of pain.

“…until I realised that we were just running in circles. Toward the end I asked Jenny if she wanted to move to Sydney. Get a place by the beach. Try again.”

An ice blade plunged into Kate’s chest, stopping her heart. “What did Mrs. Peterson say?” she asked in a voice like a whistle.

Mr. Peterson cocked a brow. “Well, she’s not Mrs. Peterson anymore, so there’s that.”

“She said no?”

He nodded. “Then she cheated. With the man she lives with now.”

Kate clapped her hand to her mouth.

“Yeah, I didn’t see that coming.” He exhaled loudly. “It happens. Now we’re divorced. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I resented her. We had a chance to give it one last push, and she said no because she secretly had other plans.”

Kate’s breathing was high and tight. She remembered the tram trip, longing for something she didn’t understand. Was she planning on leaving Ty? Cheating? Was that what that feeling was? Was that why she wanted to go to Paris? Or was not going to Paris what would end them, like not going to Sydney had ended things for the Petersons?

“Katie.” Mr. Peterson squeezed her hand. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded, trying to slow her breathing. “I’m fine.”

“Katie, I’m sorry to bring this up again, but are you sure you’re not having relationship problems?”

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