“She’s…she’s okay,” I said with a sigh, setting down my fork to take a sip of my daquiri. I wanted to tell him everything, and I had no idea why. I wanted to tell him about the cancer, how my mother was very sick, and we had no idea if treatment would rid her body of the bad cells. I wanted to tell him because Korbin had always been the one to tell things to. Once upon a time, when we’d been together, no matter what happened or we went through, I knew I could survive it with him by my side.
But not anymore. Things would never be like that again.
“Just okay?” Korbin asked, concern etched in his features.
“She’s good,” I lied, making it a point not to look him in the eye. “She’s a fighter, as always, and will probably outlive me.”
Korbin smiled at this with a slight nod. “Mothers tend to be like that, don’t they?” he said softly, and I nodded in agreement.
“I’d like to get her an in-home nurse. I’m going to call her doctor tomorrow and see if we can get one assigned. She could use more help around the house now that I’ll be working.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“What about Nina? How is she?” I asked. “You’re taking care of her, right?”
Korbin was quiet for a moment as he took another bite. “I’m doing the best I can,” he said with a shrug. “Honestly, she didn’t even really start feeling better until about a year ago. Even now, my dad’s memory is heavy in that house. My brother Ian gets over there to see her when he can, but he stays pretty busy with his construction job. They travel a lot. So mostly, it’s just me.”
I nodded, understanding, feeling like a jackass for again judging him so quickly when I knew damn well that he had barely survived his father’s death.
“I try to be helpful to her,” he continued. “But sometimes I think she can’t wait for me to move back home, so she doesn’t have to listen to me bitch about my leg anymore.”
“Can you blame her?” I teased. “She got plenty enough of your bitching for years.”
Korbin smiled at this, the genuine smile that I missed so much over the years. “No,” he said. “I don’t blame her at all. She’s a good woman, my mother.”
“Can I get you guys some boxes?” the server asked, setting the check onto the table. Korbin grabbed it before I could consider doing so and shook his head.
“I don’t need one,” he said, then looked at me. “You?”
“Nope. I’m finished.”
“I’ll be your cashier when you’re ready,” the server said, taking her time lingering at the table, eyes once again on Korbin, silently fawning over him. Once or twice was pushing it, but this was getting ridiculous.
“Thanks so much,” I said loudly, drawing a chuckle from Korbin. The server barely glanced in my direction as she smiled and nodded, waiting for Korbin as he slipped a debit card into the billfold and handed it to her. She backed away, still grinning giddily.
“What?” he asked, feigning innocence as I scowled at him.
“Nothing has changed, has it?” I asked with a shake of my head. “You’re still the primetime bachelor of Eagle River, aren’t you?”
Korbin laughed. “It should be so easy.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No, Peyton, it’s not like that at all. I don’t date.”
“You don’t?” I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but I’d never known Korbin to lie to me. “Why not? You must have women throwing themselves at you.”
“You know why,” he said, shrugging on his jacket where he sat. The server dropped off our receipt, and Korbin pocketed it unconsciously. “My job.”
“Still using that excuse?” I asked, and the bitterness in my tone was evident, even though I had tried to hide it. Being around Korbin was difficult sometimes, as I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lie to him with a straight face.
“It’s not an excuse, Peyton,” he said patiently. “Look at my leg. Look what happened to me. This is not uncommon in my line of work. In fact, I’m lucky it was just a smashed leg and nothing more. Why would I put anyone through this?”
I said nothing to this, knowing that if we got into it now, we’d never stop, and the entire night would be ruined.
“I’ll take you home,” I said instead, grabbing some cash from my purse to leave for a tip. I stood up, put on my jacket, and then reached out to help Korbin stand. It was still raining outside as we made our way to the car, but it had slowed down a bit, and the fat droplets of rain came down softer. Korbin stopped for a moment before getting in the car, raising his face to the sky as rainwater splashed down, cleansing us. I did the same, closing my eyes against the darkening sky.
“Most people can’t live here because of the rain,” Korbin said softly, straightening his gaze to look at me. “But I’ve always loved it.”
