Turn My World Around (Wishful 6)

“What was I supposed to think, Mom? I tried my hardest. I was a horrible person, clawing my way to be what I thought you wanted. And it was never enough for you.”

“That’s not true. I—”

“Don’t,” Corinne snapped. She didn’t want to hear her mothers’ denials. It was never enough and it never would be enough. The realization trickled through her, making her straighten her spine and square her shoulders as she slid off the bed and stalked toward her mother. “Well I’m done doing anything for you. I only live my life for one person now. Kurt. And I’m going to do everything in my power to be supportive of him, as you never were of me.”

“How can you say I wasn’t supportive? I’ve put a roof over your head, haven’t I? I’ve helped with the boy.”

“Yes. Yes you have, and I’ve thanked you for that until I’m blue in the face, though you always make me feel like that’s never enough either. But I’m not an impressionable teenage girl anymore, Mom. I’m not going to live my life by your principles. Because I don’t believe people are tools to be used just to get ahead. And I’m ashamed of everything I ever did to support that. I’ll be raising my son better. And I’ll be doing it somewhere else as soon as I can scrape together first and last months’ rent and a nursing job.”

“You’re leaving town?” Was that a thread of panic in her mother’s voice?

Corinne hadn’t actually meant leaving Wishful, only this house. But maybe she should leave town. Could she really stay here where she’d inevitably run into Tucker every week? Could she really serve him at the diner and pretend like everything was fine? Could she watch him eventually find someone else, fall in love, and make a life? After everything she’d been through, everything she’d survived, Corinne was pretty sure that would break her for good.

“I’ll start applying for jobs as soon as I finish my test on Monday. Now get out. I need to go to bed.”

Chapter 15

Tucker was not a man accustomed to sitting around doing nothing. Yet for two days, he’d done exactly that. Well, not nothing. He’d reviewed every moment of the past few weeks with Corinne, analyzing and rehashing and wondering what he was missing. Other than confirming she’d gotten home okay, she wasn’t answering his texts or calls.

He wanted an explanation. Needed one. Because this whole silent treatment was far too redolent of his ex-wife. Except Laura hadn’t been in tears when she walked out of his life. The fact that those tears made him feel better made him a sick son of a bitch. But surely tears meant she hadn’t wanted to walk, right? She hadn’t wanted to walk that day at Hope Springs. That meant something else was at play. There had to be because Tucker couldn’t think of a damned thing he’d done wrong. Then again, he hadn’t been able to think of a thing he’d done wrong in his marriage either and Laura had still left him.

The only thing stopping him from going over to Corinne’s house and banging on the door was that he didn’t want to scare Kurt, and he didn’t want to upset Corinne any more than she already was before her test. Which meant, for another twenty-four hours, his hands were tied. He’d been filling them with shots of Jameson.

The knock on his apartment door was far too brisk and business-like to be Corinne. Tucker dragged himself from the sofa and opened the door. Brody, Cam, and Myles spilled inside, each carrying some form of alcohol.

“What do you want?”

“After a breakup, it is our God-given duty to commiserate and attempt to cheer you up. Failing that, we’re here to help you get shit-faced.” Brody took a look at the glass in his hand. “Guess you already got started on that portion of the program.”

Deliberately, Tucker took a swallow of whiskey. “We didn’t break up.”

His friends exchanged a look.

“So you just had a fight?” Cam asked.

Tucker didn’t know what the hell they’d had because she hadn’t told him jack shit except it was over. “Things are up in the air, at the moment.” He had to believe that. Had to believe that after the test, he could corner her, sit her down, and get to the bottom of what exactly had upset her. “How did you know something was up?”

“Y’all didn’t leave together after the performance the other night. People noticed.” Brody shrugged.

Perfect. People were already gossiping about them and the demise of their relationship. Which had to be how these knuckleheads had heard because Tucker hadn’t breathed a word to anyone.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “What are people saying?”

Another long pause and exchange of significant looks.

“What. Are. They. Saying?” he demanded.

“A bunch of stupid speculation,” Cam hedged, ever the local politician.

“That you finally wised up and cut your losses,” Brody said flatly.

Tucker swore. “I did nothing of the kind. She’s the one who walked out.”

Myles clapped him on the shoulder. “Brother, she was seen practically running from the hotel in tears, and the grand gesture I foolishly talked you into went to waste. I’m sorry about that, by the way. If y’all didn’t break up, what was she so upset about?”

“I don’t know.” The admission stung. “We were fine after our performance. Then she went off with a friend while I was getting everything arranged.”

“She was gone a while, wasn’t she? Missed Cam and Tyler’s performance,” Myles noted.