Page 21 of Cat Sloan is Swirling

Elena grinned. “Okay, would you like to come over when you get off?”

“Yes. Are you going to give me a hint about what this project is?”

“Nope. You’ll see,” Elena said. “I’ll provide the wine tomorrow.”

“Okay, but I don’t know where you live.”

“I’ll text you my address. But I’ll see you tomorrow right here. I need to get Nicolas another book.”

They walked out the front door and Cat followed Elena to her car.

“I’m really glad you suggested this. Thanks for trusting me with your story from college.”

Elena smiled as she opened her door. “I know I can trust you, Cat. You’ll find out you can trust me too.”

She got in the car, but before she could shut the door Cat said, “What I don’t understand is how you get me to talk about things I usually don’t share.”

Elena shrugged and smiled. Cat shut her door and backed away. She gave Elena a little wave as she backed out of the parking space.

Cat got in her car and on the short drive home she thought back on her conversation with Elena at the bar. She didn’t usually share personal things with other people. Since Hattie left, her sisters were always asking how she was doing and it got to be annoying. So much so that Cat told them what they wanted to hear, but that didn’t stop them. She finally proclaimed she was never falling in love again, and she would never trust someone with her heart. Her directness seemed to startle them enough that they stopped asking.

But with Elena, it was easy to open up and tell her things that she knew her sisters would want to discuss further. Cat thought back to her statement on attraction. What was she attracted to in a person? The fact that she was even thinking about it was a step forward for her because she was so over love. Or was she? Watching CeCe and Alexis fall in love had softened her heart just a little.

She pulled into her garage and went into her house. Snippets from her past began to filter through her brain. What had attracted her to Hattie?

“Duh,” she muttered. Hattie was beautiful and when she smiled at Cat and looked into her eyes, Cat felt special. She had a way of making Cat believe she was the most important person in the world. But as time went on, Cat began to feel like she was an afterthought. Hattie didn’t listen to her and when Cat tried to talk to her about it, Hattie got defensive or told Cat she was making problems that weren’t there.

Sex had always been good for them, but their lovemaking became less frequent and Cat could feel Hattie getting farther and farther away. She tried to talk to her and then bought the vibrator in hopes of trying to bring the spark back to their relationship.

Cat sighed. She didn’t want to think back to those times. She had moved past them and now found herself with a new friend. A friend who was easy to talk to and openly shared parts of her life with Cat. Was she attracted to Elena? Or was she simply happy to have someone to talk to who didn’t push for more or question her outlook on love?

What made them connect that day Elena walked into the bookstore? Was it a shared sadness over loss? Or simply the desire to talk about books? And now Elena had told her she wasn’t so sure she was straight?

“Hmm.” Was Elena attracted to her? Is that why she told her the college story?

“No,” Cat said, shaking her head. “She told me that story because she needed to share it with someone who would understand.”

Cat sighed as she walked to her bedroom and began to undress.

“Fuck you, Hattie. You’ve made me scared to trust people,” she said as tears began to burn the back of her eyes. She took a deep breath, willing the tears not to spill over her cheeks.

“Elena doesn’t want to hurt me. She’s curious about herself and I happen to be her queer new friend.”

Cat walked into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. “There you go talking to yourself out loud again, Catarina. What would Cory and CeCe think?” She chuckled.

Cat stared into the familiar blue eyes. She shared this vibrant blue color with her mom and her sisters and she had received compliments on them all her life. She wondered if people could see the pain behind the pretty blue orbs, but as she looked closer she noticed a little sparkle.

But why did Elena’s admission that she’d kissed another woman give Cat such pause?

“I’m through letting you hurt me, Hattie,” she said to her reflection.

Elena told her tonight that she trusted her and Cat knew she could trust Elena, but still. In the short time they’d known each other Elena hadn’t asked Cat for anything.

“Maybe it’s time to trust yourself,” Cat said.

6

The next day Elena texted Cat and told her she wouldn’t be by the bookstore, but to please come to her house after work. She had the wine chilled and waiting.

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