Page 9 of Play the Field

Daniel and Meredith had changed some things about the old barn house when they bought it from our parents but a few things remained.

A fresh coat of white paint and some new artwork made the room pop.

Once everyone was seated, we all dug in. I picked up my fluffy tortilla and took a bite. “Wow.” I groaned as I chewed. Every time I came over, I was reminded just how good a cook Meredith was.

Everyone at the table nodded their agreement, even the kids were quiet as they shoveled the delicious fajita into their mouths.

“Well done, babe.” Daniel smiled at his wife from the other end of the table.

“Thanks.” She blushed at the compliment, still giddy for his affection.

It was sickening how sweet they were. As I ate, the image of Dan first bringing Meredith to this very house flashed in my mind. She was so nervous then, a far cry from the fiery sister-in-law I came to know.

Daniel was beaming the entire night, thrilled for his family to meet the woman he knew he’d married. And sure enough, here we were years later.

It wasn’t long before the kids had finished their food, tapping their fingers against the table as they waited for something to happen.

Turning to them, Daniel smiled. “Kids, do you want to start getting ready for bed while we talk with Cat?”

Lily was out of her seat before the words even left her dad’s mouth, and Jacob was eager to follow his big sister’s lead.

As they disappeared down the long hallway, Dan and Meredith let out a collective sigh.

“So, Catherine, how are you?” Meredith asked as she took a sip from her small glass of wine.

Letting out a sigh, I shrugged. “I could be better.”

Daniel laughed. “So it seems.”

“Rude.” I whipped my head around to eye him. “But that’s why I’m here. That city is toxic for me right now and I just need somewhere to get right.”

Sighing, Dan leaned forward on his elbows. “We’re happy to have you here. But you know I have to say this: if you’re staying here, all of that party-girl shit has to stop. We can’t have our kids around it.”

I nodded. “I know.”

Meredith’s eyes softened, her guard falling just enough to reach her hand out. She wrapped her fingers around my hand and smiled at me. “Can you do that?”

Releasing the breath from deep in my lungs, I clenched my jaw as I met her gaze. “Yeah. I’m here to get back on track. This is my last at-bat and I’m not going to miss.”

7

CLEO

I slammedthe small sedan door behind me as I hopped out of my car, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. It was a crisp weekday morning, the spring dew covering the fresh-cut grass.

As I walked over to the field, where a few of my teammates were warming up, a yawn escaped my mouth.

Catching the tail end, Bri looked over her shoulder and raised her hands at me from across the parking lot. “Tired already?”

I shook my head as I made it to the chain link fence where Bri’s fingers interlaced with the metal. Stretching her back leg, she looked up at me. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just didn’t sleep well.” I smiled at her, trying to dismiss her concerns as quickly as possible.

Raising an eyebrow, Bri watched me as I entered the dugout. “Because of the rumors?”

My head tilted before I could stop it. I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant. In reality, it had been my book idea swirling in my mind that had stopped me from sleeping. But now I needed to know what rumor Bri thought was juicy enough to keep me up at night.

“What rumor?”

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