Page 21 of In the Works

I could tell from the look on his face that even a hundred wouldn’t ever be enough for him. Being a grandparent suited both of them really well. Seeing them with my kids like this,beaming smiles plastered to their faces, was enough to make me teary eyed. They hadn’t been perfect parents – dad, a little quick to anger; and Dorothy, a bit neurotic. But watching them so carefree now felt healing.

As everyone else finished dishing their food, I thought I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.Maybe Bri finally has an answer.The thought alone, of getting to work with Bri, made my heart race. I would’ve taken any excuse to see her more often.

But when I unlocked the device, it was just an email alert.

To be safe, I opened my text chain with Bri, hoping she’d have said something by now. But there was still nothing.

13

BRI

The morning dewwas a thick blanket over the fresh, spring grass. Most of the team was already out on the field, tossing softballs back and forth to warm up. I set my bag in the dugout, kicking off the wet sand that had already settled into the grooves of my cleats.

“What’s up, Shaw?” Cleo nodded from the other end of the bench.

I looked over at them and shook my head. “Begging for these games to be scheduled later in the day.” Knowing I was past my youth, I stretched out my tight legs and bent in half. My aching back pulled tight, sending a guttural groan to my throat.Maybe I did go a little hard on the wood chopping yesterday.

Once my legs were good and loose, I grabbed my glove and a worn, yellow ball before heading out of the dugout. As I passed Cleo, they pulled me in for a rough hug, patting my back as they teased, “Not happening. The rest of us have lives.”

Giving them a playful shove, I jogged out onto the wet grass toward the rest of the team. Cleo stayed by the dugout entrance, waiting for me to get into position. After waving hello to all of my other teammates, I took a spot across from Cleo and stretchedout my arms. Humid air filled my lungs as I breathed through my tense muscles. I was well past the age where I could just run out onto the field and play without fear of injuries.

And I couldn’t afford an injury this early into the season. For a recreational softball league made up of teams across the Hudson Valley, these women and enby’s took each game seriously. So much so, that we often had practices during the week to bolster our roster by increasing our collective play time.

Once I was ready, I chucked the ball toward Cleo. Letting the wind carry the yellow leather across the distance, I didn’t worry too much about adding spin to the throw.

The ball met Cleo’s glove with a satisfyingclap. As they tossed the ball back, I asked, “Anything new with you?”

Cleo shrugged. “Not really. The shop has been really slow lately.”

“That’s a shame.” With each sentence, our volley continued, the ball methodically passing between us like a talking stick – ensuring each person got a fair amount of speaking time.

“What about you?” Cleo asked, waiting for my throw.

I couldn’t stop the sigh from escaping my lungs, accidentally veering the ball off course. Cleo jumped for it, a grunt escaping their chest as they caught it. “Sorry!” I winced as I watched them land.

“Bastard!” Cleo teased as they jogged back to position. “I hear Sarah Greenwood’s been all up in your shit.”

I rolled my eyes. “And how would you have heard that?”

Shrugging, Cleo turned the ball in their hand for a moment before throwing it back. “Book club can be very eye opening.”

“Fucking Zoey.” It was always the sister. After a moment, I relented. “Yeah, she asked if I would make a custom piece for a client of hers.”

Cleo’s eyebrows lifted, standing up straighter as their glove closed around the ball. “Really? But you haven’t done that in years.”

I was suddenly conscious of the pairs around us pausing their conversations. The deafening silence was not subtle – if there was one thing I knew about this town, it was that everyone was a gossip, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be the subject of everyone’s conversations this week.

Luckily, before I had to come up with a response, the coach called everyone back into the dugout. Jogging over to Cleo, I wrapped an arm around their shoulder as we headed back. Their hair was up in a tight bun, but the loose hairs at the base of to tickled my arm as we walked.

Safe from prying ears, I continued in a hushed voice. “She wants to turn a tree from the property into a massive dining table for the lake house renovation on Spring Road.” I sat down on the bench and took a sip of water. “Apparently, this rich lady, Victoria, requested me specifically. From what I can gather, it was part of the reason she chose Sarah to be her designer.”

Cleo’s forehead wrinkled as they sat next to me. “Wait, Victoria… Bradley? The app developer?”

Watching the opposing team take their positions on the field, I nodded. “Yeah. Google saysPopwas the app store's most downloaded app for like a month or something.”

Cleo held up their phone to me. Sure enough, on their home screen, the pink and lavender app had a home. “This shit is awesome. It’s everything sapphics could ever want. There’s a dating function, news, community events, message boards – it’s basically an online, sapphic headquarters.”

“So I’ve heard.” I leaned back in my chair. Victoria’s power and influence was inescapable.

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