Walleye Junction by Karin Salvalaggio

hands were still intertwined. His palms were heavily callused.
    He kept his voice low. “Do you ever regret leaving?”
    She pulled her hand away as she stood up.
    â€œEmma?” he said.
    â€œSometimes, but it’s rare.”
    Emma kept her father’s coat on even though the house was warm. She filled the kettle with water and switched on the burner.
    â€œI’m making some tea. Do you want some?”
    â€œCoffee would be nice.”
    She opened the cupboard. “There’s only instant.”
    â€œCoffee is coffee.”
    â€œWe could argue that point all night.”
    â€œI’d rather not.”
    She placed their mugs on the table and sat opposite him. “I’m surprised you haven’t settled down with someone yet.”
    â€œIt will happen eventually. What about you?”
    â€œI’m not really interested,” she said.
    â€œDon’t you want to have kids?”
    â€œI’m not crazy about the idea.”
    â€œCome on. Everyone wants kids.”
    She was careful to enunciate every word. “Maybe I’m not everyone.”
    He watched her from across the top of his coffee mug. “I suppose that’s possible.”
    â€œMy mother actually implied I was getting past my prime.”
    â€œShe’s probably worried because you’re on your own.”
    Emma turned around. “How did you know that?”
    â€œNews trickles through. I also heard you had some sort of breakdown.”
    â€œThat’s a gross exaggeration. I went through a bad patch. Not quite the same thing.” She put her cup down, being careful to line it up with the flowered pattern on the tablecloth. “Three years and two cities later I’m cured.”
    â€œYou sure move around a lot.”
    â€œWhen my company makes a new acquisition they send in a team to handle the transition.”
    â€œSo, you fire people.”
    â€œI have to figure out how to make things work more efficiently. Generally speaking we try to keep people in their jobs.”
    â€œWe’re so different,” said Nathan. “It’s hard to believe we dated for three years.”
    â€œIf you want proof it’s all in my room. It’s a shrine to high school romance. There are pictures of us everywhere.”
    He took hold of her hands again. “Emma, I was joking. I don’t need any proof.”
    She made a real effort to look him in the eye. “I am sorry for how I went about things. I should have been straighter with you. The last year I was here was difficult.”
    â€œI could tell you were just biding your time until you could leave again. I’m not going to lie. It hurt.”
    â€œI thought things with Lucy would have calmed down a bit while I was away in England during our junior year, but it was worse when I got back. It felt as if I had to prove I was her friend over and over again.” Emma closed her eyes briefly. “She just kept raising the bar. It was like she was punishing me for going away. She couldn’t see past Walleye.”
    â€œLucy started partying a lot the year you were away. People were saying she was getting into some pretty freaky shit. Got so bad Caleb took away her car keys so she couldn’t go out.”
    â€œThat wouldn’t have stopped her. When Lucy wanted something she generally got it.”
    â€œApparently,” he said, raising his voice. “She wanted you.”
    Emma looked down at her hands. He held them so tight it was starting to hurt. She kept her voice even.
    â€œThat stuff she wrote about me in her journal. I swear it never happened.”
    â€œYou needed to say that twelve years ago … it’s a little late now.”
    For a long time neither of them spoke. Outside the world had slipped into shadow. Insects clung to the kitchen windows looking for light. A strong easterly blew through the orchard, stirring the fragrant cherry blossoms and rattling the little