see him lift his foot and shake the water off. I snorted in laughter and his head shot up. “You think this is funny? These are expensive shoes.”
“Oh, you’re right.” I cleared my throat and fully turned toward him. “Robert, there are potholes filled with water. Watch out.”
I smiled and sent him a little finger wave before turning around and marching up the steps to my trailer. I slid the key in the lock, but it was sticking as usual, and I couldn’t get the damn door open. I wiggled the key until it finally turned and then slammed my hip into the door like I always had to do. The door stuck like crazy, especially when it rained. When it didn’t give the first time, I slammed my hip against it again, but it still wouldn’t give.
“What the fuck is wrong with your door?”
“Nothing, it just sticks.”
“Move over. I’ll get it open.”
“Now, I wouldn’t want you to get your pretty suit all dirty.”
“It doesn’t matter. My pants are already drenched in water, thanks to you.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you didn’t see the puddles.”
“No, but it is your fault for being a bitch and not telling me they were there.”
“Me?” I asked, placing my hand on my chest in a haughty fashion. “I simply didn’t remember. Besides, you remember what it’s like to live in the country, don’t you? All that dirt and rain that leaves mud all over your truck? Or have you forgotten already?”
He glared at me and turned to the door, booting it in with one kick. He didn’t even bother to ask before he stepped inside. The roof had been leaking lately, and I still had a few buckets sitting on the floor where they were collecting water. Most of the appliances in the kitchen were from the eighties, and the one that wasn’t was only a few years younger. I sighed and tossed my purse down on the chair and turned to Robert.
“Was there something else you needed?”
He was staring around the trailer with a look that was a mix of sadness and anger. I didn’t need him to be angry on my behalf, or sad for that matter.
“Anna, you shouldn’t be living like this,” he said quietly.
“Well, I am.”
He sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair. “You make decent money working for my brother. Why don’t you get an apartment in town? It has to be better than living like this.”
That just sparked my anger even further. I didn’t owe him an explanation. He was nothing to me, and it didn’t matter if he followed me home or not, it was none of his business what was going on with me.
“Why don’t you mind your own business and leave? You’re good at that.”
“Anna-“
“No! You don’t get to come back into my life and pretend like you care about me. You had your chance and you walked away.”
“It wasn’t that simple. You know that.”
“No, what I know is that I was seventeen and you broke my heart. You left me to deal with everything.”
“You went to live with your aunt. What was I supposed to do? Stay here and wait for you to come home?”
I shook my head because I wasn’t sure what I expected. All I knew was that I couldn’t do this with him again. I couldn’t stand here with him and pretend like we were old friends or something. He was someone that I couldn’t handle being in my life, and if I let him in even a little, it would just break my heart all over again.
“You need to leave.”
He sighed and turned for the door. “Lock up behind me.”
“Right, because I need you to tell me what to do. Thank you, but I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
He glanced around my trailer and shook his head. “Yeah, I can see that.”
He walked out and closed the door behind him. I wasn’t going to lie, it hurt to have him look at me like that, like I was trash. I used to mean something to him. We loved each other, but now all those good memories were tarnished with our mistakes. We had totally different lives now, and I didn’t belong anywhere near someone like him.
Robert
I grimaced as I stepped in another puddle in her driveway. My shoes were ruined for sure, along with the pants of this suit. I’d have to get it to the dry cleaner and see if they could get it clean. If