Page 14 of All Wrong
“Oh. Are you seeing someone else then?”
“Not seriously, no.” Corinne didn’t like admitting she hadn’t been on a real date in months. Or that she hadn’t been interested in anyone, even if it was the truth. She filled a big bowl with cold water from the tap and sprinkled in some vinegar and moved to a safer topic. “Bring those veggies over here so they can soak for a few minutes.”
Meg did as she’d asked. “Does that mean you are seeing someone, just not seriously?”
Corinne tossed the cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and fresh herbs into the bowl and swished them around to remove dirt and chemical residue. “What’s with the twenty questions?”
“Just curious.” She folded up the bags and leaned against the counter. “He’s not seeing anyone, you know. At least”—Meg smirked and used air quotes—“‘not seriously.’”
Corinne said nothing. She had a pretty good idea of the kind of women Nick went out with. Or hooked up with. Or whatever the proper term was for scratching an itch these days. She didn’t like thinking about it. At the same time, it was comforting to know that she wasn’t the only onewho hadn’t found a deeper connection with someone.
“Honestly, I don’t get how both of you are still single,” Meg continued, interrupting her reverie.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
Meg shrugged. “Not bad. Just … seems like you both deserve more, is all.”
Out of the mouths of babes. Then again, Meg had grown up in a family wherecroieswere the norm, not the exception.
“Only if it’s the right someone,” Corinne clarified.
Meghan considered this, then nodded. “I see your point. Anything else I can do to help you out? Need help prepping?”
The abrupt change in subject was welcome. The last thing Corinne needed was the perceptive teen picking up any morevibes.
“No, but thanks. You’d best get back before your dad realizes you’re stalling.”
Meg grinned unrepentantly. “Stalling? Is that what I’m doing?”
Corinne laughed. “Thanks for the ride and the help with the groceries.”
“You’re welcome.” Meghan paused at the door, then looked back over her shoulder. “For what it’sworth, I think you and Uncle Nick would be good together.”
Meghan left before Corinne could respond.Kids!In her head, Nick checked all the boxes, but the reality was, romantic ideals were best left to nighttime reading and her golden-hearted bad boys confined to book boyfriends.
Meghan’s questions did get her thinking though. How long had it been since she’d gone out with someone? Six months? Nine?
What had happened to the young woman who went out several times a week and hadfun? The one who didn’t shy away from meeting new people and trying new things?
She’d grown up—that was what. She’d shelved adventure and optimism in exchange for responsibility and general disillusionment.
At some point along the way, she’d becomeboring. The single woman who had a set schedule and stuck to it. Who spent her Saturday nights in pajamas, eating ice cream, and was in bed by eleven o’clock.
The realization was horrifying. Next thing she knew, she was going to end up at the shelter, bringing home a box of cats. Maybe she should stop by the yarn shop and pick up a couple of skeins tocrochet some color-coordinated afghans while she was at it.
That shit had to stop.
She needed to start doing things again. Putting herself out there. Taking risks. Now. Before she became so entrenched in her ways that she couldn’t find her way out.
Before she could change her mind, Corinne typed out a text to Lacie.If Brett asks again, give him my number.
Then, she turned off notifications and opened her streaming app. As music flowed through her Bluetooth speaker, she began her weekly meal prep, dancing along to the beat and coming up with a plan to get back some of herjoie de vivre.
Two hours later,her kitchen was a mess, but she had enough healthy premade lunches and dinners to get through the week and some extra for her freezer.
She was beginning to clean up when someone knocked at her door. She worried for a moment that Lacie had seen her text, had an extreme case of FOMO, and immediately reached out to Brett beforeCorinne had a change of heart. Was it likely? No, but with Lacie, she never knew.
Looking through the peephole, she saw her landlord and exhaled in relief.
