Am I? No. Absolutely not. But I went out with Trey. Can I really be upset that Corbin might be seeing someone else?
“I just want Corbin to be happy,” I say instead.
“Bullshit.”
I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “I’m being honest here.”
“You don’t think about it?” she presses. “You and Corbin?”
I shrug. “He made his choice. And I’ve always respected it.”
Deanna takes her time folding up the neon green tablecloth, not looking at me as she says, “You’ve always been a terrible liar, Julianne.”
I clench my jaw, gripping the edge of the table. “We get along. We work well together.”
“Because there’s no one else in the picture.” Deanna tosses the words out so casually, like she isn’t dropping a grenade between us. “What happens when hereallymoves on?”
You mean like Susan? Or one of his other post-divorce flings? I dealt with that already. This is different. Pearla is different.
I don’t answer, and Deanna doesn’t push. But before she turns away, she murmurs, “Don’t let him get away a second time, Jules. I know he’s still in love with you. And by the way I keep catching you looking at him, I think you’re still in love with him, too.”
I force a smile and pretend like her words don’t gut me.
She walks off, but my eyes betray me, immediately finding Corbin.
He’s still there with Pearla. Still smiling. Still engaged. And the jealous, ugly thing inside me claws at my insides.
I don’t want to be jealous. I don’t want to care. But I do. And maybe I didn’t realize just how much until today.
I grab some cleaning supplies and duck into the back. Take a deep breath. Steady myself. I can do this. I can be the bigger person.
When I return, Tate is practically bouncing off the walls, a wrapped rectangular box in front of him.
“Mom!” he shouts. “Dad said you guys got me something really cool.”
The excitement in his voice brings a smile to my lips, momentarily distracting me from my own swirling emotions.
“Open it,” I encourage, setting the supplies down.
He tears off a strip of paper andscreams.“It’s a snake! A real snake!”
The tank is already set up with the perfect environment inside, just like Corbin promised. Tate’s jumping up and down, rattling off everything he already knows about caring for it.
I should be just as excited as he is. I should be soaking in his joy.
But my stomach is still knotted too tight.
And then Corbin’s hand finds me.
Just the lightest touch, a familiar weight at my waist, fingers curling slightly against the fabric of my dress. A touch I once knew by heart.A touch that still has the power to wreck me.
“This was okay, right?” he asks, his voice low, almost hesitant.
I can feel Pearla’s eyes on us. Watching. Assessing.
I quickly step away from him. “Yeah, it’s great,” I say a little too bright, a little too forced. “But it’sstayingat your house.”
Then I turn and flee into the back room, my pulse pounding in my ears.
