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“Come on, Corbin. We had a fight. A bad one, but nothing we haven’t worked through before.”
“That’s the problem. We keep having to work through the same shit over and over again. Aren’t you tired?” I ask.
“I’m tired of you being an inconsiderate asshole who doesn’t listen when I tell him what’s making me unhappy.”
I turn to her. “See, that’s the difference between us, Susanna. You were so busy, worrying about all my faults that caused you to be unhappy, while I was over here, overlooking all of yours because I loved you and none of that stupid shit mattered to me. Then, instead of staying and working through it like an adult, you ran off to live it up by the ocean,” I yell.
“I made a mistake,” she whimpers.
“A mistake? Susanna, you get pissed and run off over and over again. A mistake made more than once is a decision. You decided to leave, and I decided to move on.”
“Move on? You can’t be serious about that bartender.”
“This isn’t about Maxi. This is about me and you. It doesn’t work anymore. It hasn’t worked in a long time. It’s time we both admit that and cut our losses.”
“No, I refuse to accept that.”
“You don’t have a choice, Susanna.”
I go into the bathroom and turn the shower on. She stomps in after me.
“Did you fuck her?” she asks.
“That’s none of your business,” I say.
“Oh my God, you did,” she screams. “Did you screw her in my bed?”
“I’m not doing this. I have to get to work.”
“Work. Work. Work. Work. That’s always your convenient excuse to ignore me and my feelings.”
“No, it’s my job. I can’t stand here and coddle you. And I didn’t sleep with anyone else in that bed. So, take it. Take it and your things and just go.”
“You’re going to regret this, Corbin Tuttle,” she says before turning and stomping out.
Two seconds later, I hear the door slam behind her.
I finish showering and get dressed. As I’m backing out of the drive, I see Brooke’s car pull up in front of the house, and Susanna stands from the steps and gets in with her. They drive off without loading a thing.
Great.
She’s going to drag this out as long as possible, just to punish me.
The day at the firehouse consists of more training as well as planning for the fair. The guys are excited for the event. Their families always look forward to the day.
I coordinate schedules so that each man has at least a couple of hours while others are manning the ship and then they switch out.
My job is to mingle with all the families and be present at the fair, so I’ll be on duty all day, but not in the usual way.
Mom pops by for lunch and brings a buffet for the guys. She and a couple of other ladies in the valley take turns feeding us at least once a month. It’s the guys’ favorite day.
I help unload her car with boxes and set up in the kitchen. Then, I sit down to eat with her before the men start trickling in.
“So, how are things with you and Maxi?” she asks, wasting no time.
I give her a pointed look. “Fine, Mom.”
“Are they really, or are you just pacifying me?”
