Page 55 of Could Be Worse
I inhaled the brisk autumn air into my lungs. Pumpkins were everywhere, and the deliciousness of kettle corn and the scent of a burning bonfire swirled around me, reminding me that this was home. Strangely, I already missed being here, and I hadn’t even left yet.
“What else am I supposed to do when he won’t give me the time of day? Then there’s Dante, who texts more than I want him to, and Ember, who believes I’m playing both guys against each other.”
I gaped. “How do you know she thinks that?”
“Because she told me so. If Ray would just man up and face my dad, we could be together.”
“Does he want to be with you?”
“Well, he did that night.” She snapped her mouth shut. “Oh look, there’s Ember now.” She trotted away while I picked up my jaw off the ground.
That night he wanted her? Was she implying she’d been with Ray?
Oh mercy, this was the sort of juicy deliciousness I’d missed while in New York. I wondered what else I had missed and would miss after I left again.
“Here we are!” Mom hollered with a large bag of kettle corn in each hand. “Next up, the corn maze.” She passed me my favorite treat.
“I can’t wait to dig in. But after today, no more carbs or sugars.” I took a big whiff and stored it in my memory. There was no telling when I’d get to indulge in the sweet and salty yumminess of kettle corn again. It might be another five years…
“I couldn’t eat a strict diet like you. I love food, and your dad loves my curves. So I eat to maintain them.” She put a handful in her mouth.
My mom was a gorgeous, full-figured woman, and she flaunted her curves unapologetically. I admired her sass and confidence. But as a professional ballerina, I had to maintain my weight, or I’d be passed by. Maybe I should dance in Vegas like Mom had, then I could eat whatever I wanted.
Nah. Topless dancing wasn’t my thing.
We strolled toward the maze with our arms linked, just taking in the scenery like old times. My dad and brother were working at The Bullet’s barbeque-and-beer stand. Some of the old ladies had a baked goodies table, where all the proceeds went to homeless shelters in the Twin Cities. As I had told Bryce, the Knights gave so much to Minnesota as a whole, not just to Bastion and Winters.
The stubborn fool just wouldn’t listen. Well, it was his loss.
Mom paid the ticket gal, and we entered the maze.
“You’ll stick with me, so I don’t get lost, right?” I asked her, sounding like a child. “It’s been a while since I went through one of these, and I have to admit, it looks bigger than I remember.”
“They’ve expanded it.” She snuggled close to me and put another handful of kettle corn into her mouth.
“I can tell.”
We turned right, then left, weaving through the maze while munching on our favorite fall-festival treat. All the smells mixing with the brisk air were spectacular. And soon enough, winter would descend all around, and it would get so cold, snot would freeze in noses. I’d never been anywhere colder than Minnesota.
“We’re at a fork in the road. Right or left?” Mom asked.
I looked one way, then the other. “I wonder which way would make the fun last longer.”
“Excellent thought.” She tapped her finger on her lips. “Which way does your gut tell you to go?”
“Left, but most people usually go right, I think.”
Mom nodded. “Because most people are right-handed.”
“Exactly! Let’s go left and be different from everyone else.”
“Yes!” Mom wrapped her arm around me, and we took a sharp left as we laughed, and I smashed right into…
A firm chest.
“Sadie, are you okay?”
I lifted my face and saw the man of my dreams. “Oh. Bryce. I—”