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“You’re so mean. You know I don’t eat noodles.” Sabine glares, a disgusted look on her face. “Why did you have to remind me?”
I laugh at the memory of how she screamed when she opened a plastic container filled with worms I’d collected for a day of fishing.
I was storing them in the fridge when Sabine came home and went searching for a snack.
“Because you’re adorable,” I tease.
Her lips curve, and I know she’s fighting a laugh, but I don’t want her to hold anything back from me, ever. I want to hear it.
“I was looking for something to snack on, and I almost died when I saw these worms in the fridge!”
“I could tell by the way you were screaming.”
“Come on, it was disgusting! Why would you put worms in the fridge?”
“Hey, don’t be mad,” I say. “We brought home extra in case we wanted to go fishing the next day.”
“I was mad at you for sure.” Sabine purses her lips.
“Why? Were you scared? Did you think the worms would escape from the fridge and start running around the house?”
“Oh, shut up.” She glares at me.
“Actually, I read an article recently noting how high worms can jump.”
“Okay, now you’re just messing with me. It isn’t true, is it?”
“You’re right. They can’t jump but could have escaped and started a conga line in the living room.”
“Ryland! That’s not funny!”
“No, but you taking them out of the fridge and releasing them outside sure as hell was.” I chuckle as I think about her reaction to the worms.
“Do you remember what you did next? You were so cute when you were being nice to the worms.”
She nods. “I took them to the backyard, didn’t I?”
“‘Here you go, little worms. I hope you find a nice home out there,’” I say, doing my best impersonation of Sabine at the time.
“Yeah, yeah. You can stop teasing me now.” She blushes, dropping her head. “You scarred me for life. I can’t even eat noodles at a restaurant.”
“Sorry.” I love teasing her and making her laugh.
“Fine, but I’m skipping the snacks and changing the subject back to you.”
“Sure.”
“I enjoyed being in court and watching you work.” She sips her drink thoughtfully. “I’ve never asked what made you decide to study law. Is it the money?”
“It’s not only about the money. I’ve always been competitive, and I enjoy the win.”
“You’re so ambitious,” she says, and there’s no missing the way her lips quirk.
“That’s the rote answer, but it isn’t what drives me. At heart, I like helping people resolve conflicts. I grew up with opinionated parents who fought constantly. There was always shouting and arguing at our house, and I was always finding ways to make my parents compromise.”
Sabine regards me thoughtfully. “I would never have guessed if you hadn’t told me.”
“Growing up was tough, but my parents love each other, and they’re still together.”
