Page 32 of Play the Field

Before I let her finish, I dropped my grip on her arm and turned back toward the market. “I’ll see you at practice.”

“Cleo, please.” Cat called after me.

But I couldn’t look back. Instead, I pressed into the crowd. With any luck, I would disappear into the fray and not run into any former in-laws.

Why did I do that?I rolled my eyes at myself, falling for Cat’s charm again. I knew what she’d done to me, how she’d hurt me by leaving me in her dust. But I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to be close to her.

With my bag of produce in hand, I headed down Main Street toward my building. From across the market, I caught Dan’s eye.Waving bye to Cat’s brother, I offered a polite smile. Even from this distance, he knew something was off. I was almost certain Cat would get a questionnaire when she got back to the group.

But I broke through the crowd and crossed the wooden barricade back onto the sidewalk.

My heart was still racing when I got to my place, not wanting to open the door. Instead, I pulled out my phone and called Bri. When she picked up, I bit the inside of my cheek. “Can I come over? I need someone to talk to.”

She hesitated for a second, checking something. “Uh yeah, do you mind if Sarah is here?”

“Totally fine, as long as she knows how to keep her mouth shut.” As the words left my lips, I knew there was no shot. Sarah Greenwood was one of the most involved people in town, she knew everything about everyone. And she wasn’t afraid to share if it meant a little matchmaking magic.

Bri chuckled. “I won’t promise that.”

Rolling my eyes, I walked to the parking lot behind my shop and got in my car. “Be there in ten.”

I hung up the phone as I started up the small sedan, unsure what I would even say to my closest friend.

By the time my car was rolling down the rough, gravel driveway of Bri’s mountainside property, I still wasn’t entirely sure what had come over me at the farmer’s market.

With any luck, Bri would help me make sense of it without insisting that I was still in love with my ex. Because I wasn’t. I was just confused.

Shaking the thought, I parked my car next to Sarah’s massive SUV and walked to the side door. I knocked on the wood, tryingnot to peek through the glass to see where Bri was inside. After a second, I heard footsteps approaching the door.

“Hey. You okay?” Bri asked as she swung open the kitchen door.

Nodding, I sighed. “In some sense of the word, yes.”

We hugged quickly before Bri left me inside and walked me to the living room where a fire raged in the wood stove. A neat stack of ax-chopped wood was piled next to it.

Sitting on the couch, Sarah waved at me. “Hi.” She smiled at me gently, trying to be sensitive to whatever might be going on. I could tell that she was clad in one of Bri’s many flannels as she snuggled under a fleece blanket.

“Hi, Sarah. I see it’s Jason’s weekend?” I looked between her and Bri as my friend found her way to the couch, weaseling under the blanket to cuddle up with Sarah.

With a nod, Sarah patted the empty cushion. “Indeed. Tell us everything.”

“Gross.” I groaned as I tossed myself down on the couch. “I hate talking about my feelings.”

Bri laughed as she wrapped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “Just start at the beginning.”

My mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. I wasn’t entirely sure I knew where to start. Ten years ago? A week ago? This morning?

Settling on the Farmer’s Market, I shrugged. “I went to the market today to get my groceries for the week and stumbled upon, guess who?”

“Cat Collins.” Bri and Sarah nodded in unison as they said her name.

“Rude, this is my story.” I rolled my eyes.

Raising her hands in surrender, Bri chuckled. “Sorry, what happened?”

I let out a sigh. “She was standing in the center of Main Street like taking it all in and we started chatting. But then her brother and his family appeared and it was so weird and awkward. Lily is so much bigger now but I like… remember her being born. I wastherein the hospital with all of them.”

Sarah winced. “Yeah, that’s… I’m not one to talk honestly.”

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