Page 14 of Play the Field

I needed a decent vantage point to find Cleo here. As I settled onto the cold, slightly damp metal, my eyes worked quickly to find them. Thanks to social media, I wasn’t completely clueless as to how they would look now. Honestly, they hadn’t changed much at all… at least not in the pictures.

The first place I checked was the infield, knowing that Cleo was our star catcher back in high school. But none of the players within the diamond looked like them. I swallowed hard.What if they aren’t here?

But just as the thought crossed my mind, my eyes settled on Cleo. Their hair was in a loose bun, tucked into a baseball cap that matched their bright blue jersey. A lump grew in my throat as I met their gaze.

Even from here, their blue eyes were as clear as the water in Bali. But they looked away fast; it was a clear tell that they knew exactly who I was. They stood up straight as the shock set in.

I was almost certain that rumors of my arrival to New Winford had already spread but they must not have believed it.

From the bleachers, I saw their mouth move as they talked to the person crouched next to them. Their eyes darted to me, widening when they saw who I was.

But the game wasn’t going to stop and both Cleo and their friend got into position as the pitcher wound up for a new pitch. I watched as the neon yellow ball hurtled toward home plate. Taking in deep breath, the batter swung as the ball approached.

Acrackrang out across the field as the player took off toward first base.

Unfortunately for them, the swing had sent the ball flying right toward Cleo who was already positioned underneath it.

The glove clapped around the ball as it landed in Cleo’s palm.

“Out.” The umpire called from behind the plate.

With the inning apparently over, the blue-jerseys ran toward the dugout. No one moved faster than Cleo.Are they going to try to avoid me?

11

CLEO

I haveto get the fuck out of here.

Shaking my head, I started to shove my glove and water bottle back into my bag.

Bri came up behind me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” refusing to look up from my hands, I nodded. “I just need to go home. Tell the team I’m sorry.”

With a chuckle, Bri put a strong hand on my shoulder. “Dude, deep breath. If you go now, it’ll be easy for her to just walk straight up to you.”

She wasn’t wrong. Without any of the other players leaving the field, I’d be an open target. “Shit.”

I’d have to wait until it got a little more crowded. With any luck, the little league fields would fill up soon and the parents along the sidelines would be enough to hide my departure.

My leg started to shake as I sat in the dugout. Our batting order was already set and the opposing team was making their way out to the field. But I could feel Cat’s eyes on me like a sniper with its sight on their target.

Trying to help, Bri took a deep breath. “She probably doesn’t even realize it's you.”

Even as the words left her mouth, I knew it was generous. With every second that passed, I regretted every post I’d ever made on social media. I’d left my ex a roadmap to find me. Hell, I’ve been on the same softball team since I moved back to New Winford after college.

And now, all Cat had to do was take one look at my page and she’d know exactly what jersey to look for.

My head fell into my hands. “Fuck. Even my number is on IG.” Looking down at my stomach, the number printed on the shirt felt like a scarlet letter. The itch to sprint across the fields and hop in my car felt impossible to ignore.

There was no way in hell that I could step up to the plate and bat.

“What can I do to help?” Bri turned toward me, sighing.

With a shrug, I gritted my teeth as I looked for a way out. “Can you just go talk to her while I run out of here?”

Bri’s forehead wrinkled. “Is that going to work?”

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