Page 64 of All Wrong
“Older siblings have a tendency to micromanage.”
“Spoken like a man who has one.”
“Guilty.”
“Brother or sister?”
“Brother.”
“Are you close?”
“Not particularly.”
When Brett didn’t say anything more, she dropped the subject.
He looked at the small stack of boxes. “Do you need help moving the rest?”
“No, this is it.” When he raised an eyebrow, she added, “Most of it went into temporary storage. I’m only staying here until I can find something more permanent.” She waved toward the sofa. “Make yourself at home. It’ll only take me a minute to change. Sorry, I haven’t been to the store yet. I don’t have anything to offer you besides bottled water.”
“No problem. I’ve got a cooler in the back of my truck. Comes in handy for practices. We can stop at a Wawa on the way and fill it up. Are you sure you’re up for this? We can go another time.”
“Today is perfect.”
She directedBrett to one of the lesser-traveled river trails. It was a gorgeous day. Sunlight dappled through the trees. The river flowed nearby, filled with boaters and kayakers. They hit some of themore scenic vistas and shared hoagies and electrolyte-infused beverages.
Brett was a good hiking companion, and it was hard not to appreciate how well he took care of his body. Corinne was no slouch, but even she was breathing heavily when they paused atop a particularly steep climb.
“I guess it pays to be a PE teacher,” she said, gratefully accepting a cold bottle of water. “You’re in great shape.”
“Practice what you preach, right? Besides, you look like you’re in pretty good shape yourself.”
“One of Lacie’s brothers-in-law owns a fitness place, so I get the family rate. Plus, I do some dance classes at The Zone a couple of times a week. Oh, wait,” she said, grinning wryly. “Lacie already told you that, didn’t she?”
“She’s proud of you. Nothing wrong with that. And it seems like a great program. I put in an application to volunteer there. Thought I could do some sports camps or something. Haven’t heard anything yet though.”
Corinne thought back to what Nick had said the night they went to Schmidt’s. The same night they’d … yeah.
“Don’t take it personally. It just takes time.They’re very protective of the kids and do a lot of background checks and whatnot.”
“I figured. Better to be safe.” He leaned over and bumped her shoulder playfully. “Maybe you can put in a good word for me. Be a character reference.”
She smiled in return. “But I really don’t know anything about your character, do I?”
He laughed. “No, I guess you don’t. Maybe we can do something about that.”
She hesitated. “Brett, I need to be honest with you. I like you, and I enjoy spending time with you, but I’m not interested in anything more than your friendship.”
Rather than be disappointed, he said, “Good, because I’m not looking for anything more.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“All right then. What did you have in mind?”
“I saw a grill at your new place. What do you say we pick up some steaks and salad fixings and I make you dinner?”
“I say, that sounds wonderful.”
