Page 19 of Play the Field

“I’ll start it now.” I chuckled.

As I worked on filling the filter and getting the new pot brewing, Daryl browsed the “New Releases” shelf at the center of the store. “How do you feel about all of that?”

I scoffed as the coffee machine started to sputter out the brown elixir. “I have no idea.” Turning to face her, I shrugged.“I want to believe I could handle being close to my ex. But that breakup was… nasty.”

A knowing “mhm” left Daryl’s throat. But instead of speaking, she left me in silence as she watched on.

“I don’tactuallythink I’d fall for her again. She was such a bitch at the end and her life is a complete mess. But I don’t know that I want to invite her back in.”

Daryl nodded toward the now-full coffee pot. Grabbing a paper cup, she passed it to me to fill. “What happens if you don’t help?”

It was a question I didn’t want to consider because the answer was obvious. “Honestly, she’ll probably hang around here longer. Her career is a mess, she’s been partying non-stop.”

“All roads lead to New Winford.” Daryl winked as she watched me fill the tiny cup. She’d been around long enough to know that this was true. This small town was a magnet, a guiding stone for the lost and lonely.

With a sigh, I passed the cup back to her. “It seems like it.”

“And if you do?” Daryl pressed.

“If I do help?” Once she nodded, I groaned. “At best, I get my friend back and help her get the fuck out of here. At worst…” I couldn’t even bring myself to say it.

She fails and it’s my fault?

We fall back in love and she rips my heart out?

We actually hate each other even more?

She ruins New Winford for me forever and I have no choice but to flee to Canada?

The options felt endless and all of them were just as depressing as the last.

Sensing my anxiety, Daryl let out a deep sigh. “Well, dear. I have a feeling she’s not going to let you say no. But if you do help her, she might get out of town faster.”

As the words left her lips, the front doorbell rang as the other members arrived at the store. Daryl winked at me, leaving me with the thought as she took her favorite spot. Before Daryl had met Leah, I thought she was just a grumpy florist with no desire for love.

But what had become clear to me since their New Winford Garden Showdown victory, was that Daryl had been an unapologetic cupid in town.

As Zoey and Bri made their way inside, followed by our newest member, Abigail, I tried to push the thought aside. Maybe Daryl was right: the sooner I helped Cat recover, the faster she’d be out of my life. And right now, I couldn't handle letting her in longer than I needed to.

14

CAT

I tappedmy finger against my phone as I looked over my brother’s backyard. The house was quiet, his kids at school; Dan and his wife at work. But the silence wouldn’t last long, the kids were already on their way home and Meredith wouldn’t be far behind.

Flipping my phone over, I peeked at the screen.Still nothing.

It had been just over twenty-four hours since I saw Cleo at the bookstore and they still hadn’t texted me.Maybe they did forget my number.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I placed my phone, face down, on the balcony railing. A cool chill hung in the breeze as the seasons started to change. There was a crisp sound to the wind as the leaves started to dry out.

I closed my eyes, listening to the light rustle and the chirping birds. If I had any chance at getting back on a softball field, I needed to find a way to recenter myself when this anxiety took over that wasn’t grabbing a bottle of tequila.

Just as my breathing started to slow, the phone started to vibrate on the balcony railing.

“Shit.” I panicked as I flipped the phone over and saw their number. A part of me thought I should have deleted it years ago, but now I was glad I hadn’t.

Before I could doubt myself, I swiped right on the call and held the hunk of metal to my ear. “Hey.”

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